The Significance of Faith
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
The following is an account by Pastor Peter Loughman:
“For nine years I had worked with the same group of men on a loading dock, loading and unloading trucks. It was hard physical work, but very mundane and we all found it quite boring.
Since the work was so mindless, I would find myself in philosophical conversations everyday.
I was the only Christian, and so I found myself on the opposite end of matters of faith, and worldview than everyone else I worked with.
Quite often, they saw my views as nonsensical and preposterous.
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I found it very frustrating that after nine years not a single one of these men were the slight bit interested in Jesus Christ.
Well, I have to admit, these men knew me well.
After nine years, they knew my flaws, they knew my hot buttons, they knew my sins, they knew I was a far cry from what a Christian should be.
I knew God had placed me in this job to be his representative to these men in particular;
I was discouraged by my own personal failure.
I came to believe that it was because of me, because I could not live a perfect life in front of these men, that they had no interest in Jesus Christ.
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One afternoon, out of the blue, Phil took me aside and wanted to talk.
Phil was a very large man who played football as a linebacker for the college I had attended.
Phil was a happy go lucky guy, who never had a care in the world, but that day he was uncharacteristically, serious and a bit jumpy.
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We sat down and Phil and blurted out, ‘Tell me all about Jesus.’
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I thought he was kidding, I was thinking that I had told these guys about Jesus for nine years and at every turn they rejected whatever I had to say, I seriously thought Phil was just messing with me, like he did quite often with everyone on the loading dock.
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It turns out Phil had a cousin who was getting into serious trouble in Oakland California.
I think he was in the county jail or something.
Phil thought his cousin needed Jesus.
Phil wanted to know all about Jesus so he could tell his cousin and his cousin then could straighten his life out.
So….I told Phil, AGAIN, all I could about Jesus.
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Phil insisted that I give him a bible, Phil said that he felt that he could only tell his cousin about Jesus if he was holding a bible in his hand.
So I gave him an old bible of mine, knowing I would never see it again.
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Then, as odd as it sounds, Phil who was not a Christian shared Jesus with his cousin who was in serious trouble.
Phil’s cousin immediately gave his life over to Jesus and became a Christian.
His conversion was so powerful that several other family members also gave their lives over to Jesus Christ.
These family members saw the change in this cousin, and the cousin said talk to Phil, he knows all about Jesus.
When these family members found out that Phil, who had led them all to Christ wasn’t a Christian they were dumbfounded, and so they worked on Phil - who gave his life over to Jesus a few weeks later.
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About a year later I quit my job and I left for Seminary, and now Phil, as imperfect as he was, was now telling these men how Jesus had changed his life and that they needed this change to.
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On my last day of work, as I said goodbye to those men whom I worked with for ten years, I realized how little faith I had for the last ten years.
I had imagined that who I was in Jesus Christ would change the lives of the men I worked with.
When all this time it was Jesus who was going to change their lives.
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How faithless of me to be discouraged.
I should have known the power of God’s Word.”
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 9 and focus on verses 37 through 45.
Our message this morning is titled, “The Significance of Faith”
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This message today will focus on the importance of genuine and sincere faith...
And we will compare it to what a lack of true faith looks like.
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) The Dilemma
2) The Miracle
And...
3) The Prophecy
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
You are the one true God of of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...
You are all powerful...
You are all knowing...
You are all present...
And You are all that we need!
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Thank You for making a way of getting to You through Your Son, Jesus Christ...
Thank You for Your patience and mercy...
Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit...
Thank You for giving us the gift of the Bible...
And thank You for your eternal love and faithfulness to Your children.
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Help us when we fall short...
Help us when we are lost...
Help us when we are confused...
And Help us to always see Your truth.
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him.
38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.
39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him.
40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”
41 Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.”
42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
43 And all were astonished at the majesty of God. But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples,
44 “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”
45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Dilemma
1) The Dilemma
Verses 37-40: On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”
A few weeks ago when we where last in our study of the Gospel of Luke we covered the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ...
We covered Luke 9:28-36 in great detail...
Today, we will discuss what happened on the day following the Transfiguration when Jesus and His inner circle of disciples (Peter, John, and James) came down from the mountain...
You see Beloved, a large crowd gathers immediately swarms around Christ due to an intense argument between the remaining nine disciples and some Scribes...
The argument seems to be related to a demon possessed boy and the disciples lack of ability to cast out this demon...
Now, this was a great shock to even the disciples themselves for they had been given authority to cast out demons back in Luke 9:1 which says:
1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,
But this case of demonic possession was a little different...
These confident disciples who have been casting out other demons all of a sudden meet a great obstetrical and this even lead to a argument with the Scribes.
We know this detail from Mark’s detailed account of this same event found in his Gospel in Mark 9:14-18 which says:
14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them.
15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him.
16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute.
18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.”
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Remember, as this argument was going on with the nine disciples...
The other three disciples were with Jesus up the mountain and saw Jesus Transfigured...
And the Transfiguration of Christ and the exorcism of the boy are two very different types of events...
The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Luke puts it like this:
“All three synoptic gospels place this incident on the next day after the transfiguration.
After that amazing, dramatic experience of the eternal kingdom and Christ’s divine glory, Jesus, Peter, James, and John returned to the harsh reality of life in a fallen, evil world.
The contrasts between the two incidents are striking.
One happened on a mountain, the other in a valley.
There was glory on the mountain, tragedy in the valley.
On the mountain Jesus Christ displayed His glorious majesty, while in the valley Satan displayed his ugly, cruel violence.
Two sons are in view, one God-possessed, the other demon-possessed; one in whom His Father was well pleased, the other whose father was tortured with displeasure over his condition.
One Son fulfilled the glorious plan of the ages, confirmed by both Old Testament and New Testament saints; the other son was disassociated, disconnected, demented, and chaotic, without purpose or value to anyone.
One Son was the destroyer of demons; the other son was destroyed by demons. Both sons were given back to their fathers.
The demon-possessed son was delivered and returned to his father; the Son of God was killed, rose from the dead, and ascended back to His Father.”
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Now, the man’s son is not simply ill, he is demon possessed and he is under intense assault by this powerful evil spirit.
As scholar Darrel L. Bock points out:
“Clearly, the boy is in serious shape.
The unique Lucan reference to the spirit’s not easily leaving him pictures the situation’s severity.
The spirit is a regular tormentor.
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Something else compounded the son’s tragic situation:
Previous efforts to cast out the spirit had failed.
The disciples, presumably the nine who did not go up the mountain, had tried to exorcise the spirit, but were unable to rid the boy of it.”
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So, what happened?
Why are the disciples struggling to cast out this demon?
Now that Jesus is aware, what is He going to do about it?
Let’s move on to our next point to see what happens next and get a better idea why the disciples have failed when previously they were successful in casting out demons.
2) The Miracle
2) The Miracle
Verses 41-42: Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
Clearly, Jesus was not happy about this situation...
Here Jesus clearly rebukes the disciples for their lack of faith...
And He does not hold back that their lack of faith is a representation of the greater crowd.
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I mean look at what Jesus is saying...
Luke records that our Lord and Savior said, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you?”
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Can you imagine the silence that would have hit the crowd and the disciples?
And the fact that the disciples displayed a lack of faith must have been so frustrating to Jesus for they had previously been casting out demons because they trusted in Jesus’ words...
However, over time they started to depend less on God and focus on their own ability to cast of demons...
They were forgetting who gave them that power and authority in the first place...
Over time they, like the crowds as a whole became faithless.
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So Beloved, let’s start by defining the word “faith” biblically so we can better understand why Jesus is calling the disciples and the people a faithless generation...
Consider what pastor John MacArthur says regarding “faith”:
“Biblical faith is not natural, human faith.
In that sense, everyone has faith, since everyone trusts in things, such as the safety of the water they drink and the edibility of the food they eat, the competence of those who maintain and fly the airplanes they travel on, and the effectiveness of the medicines they take.
But, in all those examples, faith is based on human experience.
Biblical faith trusts in what it has not experienced, based on its absolute confidence in the truth of God’s promises in Scripture.
Apart from such faith, it is impossible to please God.
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Genuine faith inevitably results in a life of obedience to God; one cannot affirm Jesus as Lord without doing what He commands.
Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and the others mentioned in Hebrews 11 believed God’s promises and obeyed Him, even though they all died without fully realizing what they had been promised.
Saving faith overcomes death, endures torture, outlasts chains and prisons, withstands temptations, suffers martyrdom, and survives hardship.
It is by such faith that people gain salvation and approval from God.”
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So, Jesus statement “How long am I to be with you and bear with you?” reflects the disappointment and pain that the crowds and even His own disciples cause Him as they constantly fail to believe and trust in what He Has repeatedly told them.
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Beloved, don’t lean on your own worldly wisdom and abilities...
You will fail.
Don’t have confidence in your past achievements...
You will fail.
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Instead lean on His wisdom....
Lean on His abilities...
Have confidence in His past faithfulness...
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Remember, He is the source of our success...
We are nothing without Him and the moment we forget this we will hit a wall...
We will fail in places we had past success when we remembered to trust in Him.
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Church, understand that this world loves to boast in itself...
This world can’t tolerate God’s truth...
This wicked world is ashamed of Jesus and His commands...
As Mark 8:38 says:
38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Did you notice that, Beloved?
The ones who are ashamed of Jesus and His commands are in God’s eyes an adulterous and sinful generation...
They are a faithless and twisted generation as our passage today says.
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Another key characteristic of an evil and adulterous generation is a desire to seek signs and wonders...
But at the same time to be unsatisfied with a true sign like Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead.
Just look with me at Matthew 12:39–45 which says:
39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 For just 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.
41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none.
44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order.
45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”
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Next, Luke records that, “While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him.”
The word for “threw” in ancient Greek is used of boxers or wrestlers dashing an opponent to the ground...
So, this was evidence that this particular demon was quite powerful and heartless...
Seeing that Jesus was about to cast it out, the demon wanted to cause as must damage as it could.
In fact, Mark’s account to this interaction is much more detailed than Luke’s account which is really an abbreviation of the event.
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So, look with me at Mark 9:20-24 which says:
20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.
21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.
22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23 And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
I would like us to pause here real quick before we continue to read Mark’s account...
Again Jesus was not thrilled to be told “if you can” which implies that Jesus may not be powerful enough to handle this situation...
However, the boy’s father gave one of the most honest answers he could give...
He told Jesus he does believe that Jesus is able...
But he also needs help to overcome his unbelief...
And I am sure that Jesus appreciated that response.
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We need to be honest with ourselves...
As believers we believe in all that the Word of God says...
Intellectually we understand the facts to be true...
We trust in God’s commands and decrees that they are good...
However, our flesh is so weak that we may at times struggle with unbelief...
We know what is true from the Word of God but doubts attack our minds...
We go through real spiritual warfare and are at times flooded with the lies of the enemy and his minions...
So, in those challenging times we have to remember to cry out to God...
“I believe Lord! Please, help me with my unbelief!”
Beloved, our minds many be renewed but our flesh is still waiting to be made new...
The struggle between the flesh and the spirit is real!
So, remember...
“I believe Lord! Please, help me with my unbelief!”
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Now, let’s get back to our text we were reading in Mark’s Gospel...
Look with me at Mark 9:25-27 which says:
25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.”
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
So, once again the Lord exhibited the love, compassion, mercy, and kindness in the heart of God for those who suffer...
Jesus had compassion for the boy and his father...
Jesus swept in and saved the day when his disciples should have been able to handle this situation if they had been more faithful and trusted in Him.
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Let’s continue to the next few verses and see what else we can learn from Mark’s detailed account...
Mark 9:28-29 says:
28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
Keep that in mind as we also look at Matthew’s account which gives us even more information...
Look at Matthew 17:19-20 with me:
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”
20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
So, we can confidently conclude what we saw insinuated previously...
The disciples’ inability to cast out this evil spirit was due to their lack of faith as explicitly mentioned by Matthew and a need for prayer as explicitly mentioned by Mark...
For faith and prayer go hand in hand, Beloved!
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Now, Jesus was always rebuking the disciples for their lack of faith which would negatively impact them...
Just look at what is recorded in Matthew 8:24–26 which says:
24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.
25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”
26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
In the midst of a great storm we are to not lose faith...
Instead we have to remember the One who created the seas!
Instead we are to remember the One who can silence the winds with a word!
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Next, look with me at Matthew 14:28–31:
28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”
31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Peter was walking on water...
Wow!
That is mind blowing!
Peter seemed to have a lot of faith at that moment...
But then he saw the wind...
And his faith started to falter...
And he began to sink.
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It is a lot easier to have faith in God when everything seems to be going well...
But when you see the dangers and challenges in the distance...
Don’t lose heart!
Don’t lose faith...
Instead we have to remember the One who is sovereign over all things!
Instead we are to remember the One who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
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Beloved, don’t let the fears of this world hurt your faith...
Don’t let anxiety cripple you...
As Jesus said in Matthew 6:30–32:
30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
We must have faith, Beloved...
For just the faith of a mustard seed can do great things!
And faith is what the disciples would desperately need very soon...
For Jesus would once again remind them that the Messiah was destined to be delivered into the hands of evil men...
And this takes us to our third and final point.
3) The Prophecy
3) The Prophecy
Verses 43-45: And all were astonished at the majesty of God. But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
As Jesus performed this amazing miracle of exercising this demon that gave the disciples so much trouble, the people were astonished and in awe...
Yet in the middle of all this...
Jesus reminds His disciples for the second time that the Messiah will be delivered into the hands of evil men...
Jesus was reminding His closest followers that He was always ment to be the suffering servant prophesied in the Old Testament.
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Sp, what exactly does it mean that Jesus would “be delivered into the hands of men?”
Once again the MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Luke has some great insight for us to consider:
“The individual by whom He would be delivered was, of course, Judas.
But the Jews also were culpable for delivering Jesus to death.
In Acts 3:13 Peter said, ‘The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate.’
Pilate also is to blame, because it was ultimately he who, in violation of the proud tradition of Roman justice, gave in to the threats and demands of the Jews and delivered Jesus to be crucified.
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But ultimately, it was God Himself who delivered His Son to be killed:
‘The Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief.’
In Romans 8:32 Paul wrote that God ‘did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all.’
It is not true, as some skeptics claim, that Jesus intended to bring in the kingdom, but His plans went awry and He was killed.
The plan of God from the beginning was that Jesus would offer Himself as a sacrifice for sin.
He was, as Peter said, ‘delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God … [and] nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men.’
Therefore it was absolutely necessary for the Lord to ‘go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.’
Before the kingdom came the cross.
Jesus had to die; the plan of God could not be set aside.”
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Likewise, as the Pillar New Testament Commentary on Luke says:
“The Greek word for ‘delivered over’ can also mean ‘handed over.’
The passive voice of the verb is a reference to God without using God’s name (for fear of defiling it), i.e., God is handing over his Son to humanity.
The verse reflects the language of the Servant of Yahweh in Isaiah 53:6 and Isaiah 53:12 and hints that Jesus will die for the sins of others.
‘It is just this meaning that that Christian proclamation finds in Christ’s death:
His incomprehensible fate is for the benefit of the very ones at whose hands he died, and that benefit is in accordance with God’s salvific will for humankind.’
But here as elsewhere in Scripture, God’s will does not absolve humanity of its responsibility.”
As Luke 22:22 says:
22 For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!”
So, we see a clear picture of God’s complete sovereignty...
As Christs suffering, persecution, and death were always part of God’s perfect plan...
We also very clearly see a picture of human responsibility...
As the wicked men who would be involved in Christ's crucifixion will come under God’s judgement unless they repent.
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Beloved, God’s sovereignty and human responsibility are two sides of the same coin...
There not an ounce of conflict.
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In Mark’s account we get a more detailed prophecy as recorded in Mark 9:30-31 which says:
30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know,
31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”
Remember when Jesus called this generation faithless and twisted...
Well it was very appropriate for the same crowds that are currently astonished by Jesus’ miracles will one day very soon after this event call for Christ to be crucified...
You see Beloved, the crowds were amazed at all the miracles that Jesus performed...
Including the recent miracle with Jesus casting out the demon from the boy...
Yet the crowds will betray Him in the not so distant future.
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In other words, the praise being offered to Him in wonder and awe at the greatness of God was trivial and temporary.
Yet in about six months the people would turn on Him, reject Him, and demand that He be crucified.
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Luke says that after Jesus warned of His death, the disciples “did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it.
And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.”
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Keep in mind that the concept of Messiah as a political ruler and military deliverer was deeply ingrained in the disciples thinking even at this point in Jesus’ earthly ministry.
They did not understand what Jesus was saying because it did not fit that concept they had of the Messiah.
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Likewise, the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament on Luke says:
“Later in Jerusalem, Jesus will be handed over to die.
The disciples are told this, but do not understand.
They have no clue what God is doing. It is concealed from them.
The time is not right for them to know.
Sometimes only after the passage of time does one see what God is doing.
The disciples need to be patient.
They must listen to and trust God.
Jesus knows where his God is taking him.
God is in control. God can be trusted to guide his plan, even if it goes down roads no one anticipates or understands.
As one travels down such an unknown path, it is important to keep one’s ears tuned to God’s voice.”
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Jesus’ warning of His upcoming death was recorded many times in the Word of God for Jesus wanted to prepare His disciples even if they would not really understand it at this current time.
Other examples of this include John 16:16 which says:
16 “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.”
Jesus foretells of both His death and later resurrection.
Yet, this is not something that Jesus had no control over...
As we said before this was part of God’s plan and Jesus voluntary laid down His life...
Just take a look at passages like John 10:14–15 which says:
14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,
15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
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This was a very hard truth for the disciple to understand and process...
That is why Jesus stressed this at the same time that He was showing them the importance and vitalness of faith grounded in His Word.
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As theologian Robert H. Stein summarizes our passage and says:
“Faced with a plight the disciples could not remedy, Jesus healed with no difficulty even though the child had been continually plagued by the evil spirit.
The demon had to obey him.
Jesus’ authority is such that all were amazed at his manifestation of God’s greatness.
There is also an allusion to humanity’s sinfulness and depravity in Luke 9:41.
In its unbelief and perversity this ‘generation’ was not able to heal.
It was powerless against the demonic.
This generation’s unbelief and perversity were such that the Son of Man would soon be delivered into their hands.”
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like to share this that I came across in my study this week:
The mother of a nine-year-old boy named Mark received a phone call in the middle of the afternoon.
It was the teacher from her son’s school.
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“Mrs. Smith, something unusual happened today in your son’s third grade class.
Your son did something that surprised me so much that I thought you should know about it immediately.”
The mother began to grow worried.
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The teacher continued, “Nothing like this has happened in all my years of teaching.
This morning I was teaching a lesson on creative writing.
And as I always do, I tell the story of the ant and the grasshopper:
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“The ant works hard all summer and stores up plenty of food.
But the grasshopper plays all summer and does no work.
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“Then winter comes.
The grasshopper begins to starve because he has no food.
So he begins to beg, ‘Please Mr. Ant, you have much food.
Please let me eat, too.’”
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Then I said, “Boys and girls, your job is to write the ending to the story.”
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“Your son, Mark, raised his hand.
‘Teacher, may I draw a picture?’
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‘Well, yes, Mark, if you like, you may draw a picture.
But first you must write the ending to the story.’”
.......
“As in all the years past, most of the students said the ant shared his food through the winter, and both the ant and the grasshopper lived.
A few children wrote, ‘No, Mr. Grasshopper.
You should have worked in the summer.
Now, I have just enough food for myself.’
So the ant lived and the grasshopper died.
.......
“But your son ended the story in a way different from any other child, ever.
He wrote, ‘So the ant gave all of his food to the grasshopper;
The grasshopper lived through the winter.
But the ant died.’”
.......
“And the picture?
At the bottom of the page, Mark had drawn three crosses.”
This story paints a wonderful image of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross at Calvary...
That event...
That perfect and complete work of Christ is what we need to put our faith in...
And we need to put our faith in the fact that God the Father accepted this amazing sacrifice of Jesus by raising Him from the dead three days later...
Without God’s grace alone...
Through faith alone...
In Christ alone...
According to Scripture alone...
All for the glory of God alone...
We have no hope.
.......
So, in you haven’t already...
Put your faith in Him.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray...
.......
Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way...
Then by whatever means You see fit...
Effectually call them into Your loving embrace.
.......
I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
.......
For those hearing this message who already know You...
Remind each and everyone of us how You as the Good Shepherd found us...
And remind us that we are only now Your followers due to the saving grace you bestowed on us, Your elect.
.......
Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
.......
And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
.......
To God be all the glory.
Amen.
.......
Please join us for one more song from the Praise Band.