Assumptions

Ass.U.M(e).ptions

Assumptions. We all make them. And you know what they say about assumptions.

But, we do it all the time.

Convos we have in our own head about how the convo will go with someone else.

I’ll say…

Then, they’ll say…

And I’ll say…

Then, they’ll say..

We get it all figured out so we win in the end and put that so and so in their place. Right.

Does it ever really go that way?

When we react, or respond to the assumption that isn’t true we look like a fool, or an ass.

But I thought you did that, or meant that.

Next comes the apology. And if we can dig thru the layers that were added by the assumptions and wrong reactions then we can get to the truth and actually resolve the problem.

We assume we know what ppl are thinking even though we don’t hear the words come out of of their mouth.

We assume our car will start every time we push the button or turn the key.

What happens when it doesn’t? We get frustrated. Assume that God, or karma, is out to get us and wreck our plans for the day.

We assume our houses will only appreciate in value. Crashes never happen, to us anyway. Except they do. I hope we’re not all banking on our houses here in MP maintaining their current value. They might. But when it comes time to sell, it might be more like the mid-2000s.

And if you’re counting on making all that money then maybe you ought to not assume you’ll have such a nest egg. Great if you do.

We make a lot of assumptions about God and our spiritual lives, too.

Have you heard this one? Sure I’m a Xian. I was born in America.

We heard that from our Steak Night speaker, Al Fadi. He was a college grad in Saudi Arabia. Muslim. A construction engineering degree. You know why they study tunnel construction in their colleges, right?

He wanted to come to the US for a couple of reasons. One was to get a grad degree in construction engineering. The other was to convert Americas to Islam. His assumption, like just about everyone else in the Middle East was that all Americans are Xians.

Then, he arrived here and he discovered 2 mores. Most Americans are not Xians. But he discovered Christ and His love for him and he became a Xian.

You wonder, how many Americans still assume they are Xian b/c they were born in America. Or, b/c they attend church. Check the box.

Or, maybe they don’t attend church. But they believe there is a God. They bel Jesus is God’s son. So they assume they get to go to heaven.

But, remember, even the demons believe this. They are definitely not going to heaven.

Let’s eliminate some assumptions this morning.

Jesus said this:

John 1:12 NIV

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

And, only children of God get to go to Heaven. Each of us must choose to receive Him, bel in His name. It doesn’t work for you if your parents believe, or if your wife believes. You need to choose.

Then, your reservation is set. For confidence in your reservation, go back and listen to last week’s message.

But then, behavior matters. Because, our behavior is based on what we believe. And what we believe determines if we are children of God.

We must believe in His name. A few years ago I preached a series on the names of God. He is called by a lot of different names in the bible. Each one represents a characteristic of God. So, when Jesus said to believe in His name, He meant, believe in His names, each and every characteristic.

So, why do I preach the way I do here? Why do we do so many bible studies? We do all this to learn the truth so we don’t make any assumptions.

Too often our assumptions are wrong. I have repeatedly encouraged ppl to only react and respond to what they know for sure is true. How do we know what’s true?

Jesus also said this:

John 14:6 NIV

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

So, we study Jesus and His story so that we know the truth and can respond and react appropriately. B/C nobody wants to stand before Jesus and face the consequences of bad assumptions.

Jesus has a few a names. We study them and learn the truth about them. They are good for Jesus to have and for us to know.

But you don’t want one of your names to be fool, or ass, b/c you made some bad assumptions about Jesus.

We’re in Luke 13 this morning. Chronologically, we are a few months from the crux and Jesus is beginning to plan and travel the road to Jerusalem. A lot is going to happen between now and then. Including some vital teaching for the people of the day to have one last chance to clear up their bad assumptions.

Many assumptions were being made. Some were accurate, most were not. Beginning with the assumptions about the door to the kingdom, who and how many will get thru it.

The Narrow Door

Luke 13:22–30 NIV

Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”

There you see, Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem. We know why. We know how long it will take.

But along the way He fields this Q.

It seems like, the way you talk, only a few ppl are going to get into heaven. Is that true?

First of all, the number of ppl rejecting Jesus in c.1 was vastly larger than those who accepted Him. Even considering those who appeared to accept Him who will desert Him when it gets too hot in the kitchen, the ratio was hugely different.

But then you also see their bad assumptions. They assumed all Jews and only Jews, were going to be saved. The assumption was based on their bloodline and behavior.

B/C they were born Jewish, to Jewish parents, w/ Jewish ancestry; and b/c they kept the law, then they were assured of getting into heaven, or as they would say, into the kingdom.

After all, Jews were God’s chosen ppl and the law was God’s assignment for proper behavior.

I was born in America. My parents are American. So, I’m going to heaven. Right? Not at all.

Yes, Israel is God’s chosen ppl and the law is His assignment for behavior; but His instructions to them began with belief. They had been chosen to be the Nation thru which God would make salvation available to the people of the world. They were supposed to lead by example beginning w/ belief in, faith in God; then maintaining their behavior according to the law.

The law given by God was purposefully impossible to keep. So the instruction was to admit to God you can’t do it. Apologize for it. Humbly ask for help. Whereupon God would do for the ppl what they could not do for themselves. Grace. Love. Compassion.

But when they failed to believe and still couldn’t behave Jesus made it clear God was done with them for the time being. And, a new chosen ppl was going show up on the scene, the church. That’s the book of Acts and rest of the NT.

Until then, back to the question posed to Jesus on the road that day.

It seems like very few of us are actually going to be saved.

Jesus’ response came in the form of a parable.

A man hosted a feast. Jesus is the man. The feast is symbolic of heaven. He sent out invitations w/ clear instructions about when the feast would begin. Don’t be late.

When the time to start came, he shut and locked the door. Those who were inside enjoyed the feast. Those who were late, were not allowed in. No exceptions.

As you can imagine, those who were locked out didn’t understand and complained about it. What’s a few minutes late?! Or, an hour, or a day?! Seriously. Why so harsh?

They reminded the host that they had eaten w/ him many times in the past out on the road as He traveled and taught. Again, a clear reference to Jesus and these 3 years of his ministry.

We have eaten and drank w/ you many times and you never had a problem w/ our late arrival before. So, why now?!

The host’s response was; “I don’t know you or where you come from.” He called them evildoers.

Again the confusion. The assumptions about who knows whom and what that means.

Of course Jesus knows them. He knows everything about them. But they don’t know Him. They know about Him. But they do not have the personal relationship that would lead them to respect Him enough to do what they needed to do to get in on time.

There was no faith nor belief in Jesus. They had been around Him a lot. But He was not IN them.

Just like so many Americans who go to church and spend time around Xians and religious ppl and events. Some of it will sink it. They will know a lot, or at least a little about Jesus. But they don’t know Jesus.

If you know Jesus, you don’t need to know much about Him. You will spend the rest of your life learning about Him and how to respond appropriately. But if you only know about Him, it doesn’t matter how much if you don’t know Him.

That was the problem. It didn’t matter who their parents were nor how much they knew about the law. It mattered that they did not know the host. They still had time for their formal and personal introduction. But time was running out. And if they were late, then they were too late to get in, ever.

I’m not sure who said it first, but some great preacher of our time said, “There are not atheists in Hell.”

Imagine the day someone who spent their entire life on earth not believing in God nor Jesus, but the day they stand in front of Him explaining their assumption that He didn’t exist.

Explaining to the One they assumed didn’t exist why they assumed that He didn’t exist. That’s not going to go well. And once they realize their mistake. It’s too late. Belief after we die still won’t get us into heaven.

Evildoers. They assumed they were good, right w/ God. But you can’t be right w/ God if you don’t believe in Him. To reject Him, not believe in Him, is an act of evil.

But what’s the big deal. You may hear one of your kids, or a young adult say, “That my be your truth. But I have a different truth.”

The problem with that is, only one thing can be true. 2 contradictory, mutually exclusive things cannot both be true at the same time.

Either the Texas Rangers beat the AZ D-backs in the world series last year, or they didn’t. If one of us believes the D-backs won while the other believes the Rangers won, the one of is flat wrong.

Either Jesus is Who He says He is, or He isn’t. And He says to not believe Him, is evil. It is a big deal.

Jesus cracks the door to Hell and gives us a little understanding about what it is like to be there.

Weeping. It is emotionally painful. Sobbing when your heart is broken and you are deeply hurt.

Gnashing of teeth. Meaning, gritting your teeth b/c of the physical pain. I’ve had a few procedures in doctor’s offices recently that were painful. My response is to grit my teeth, clench my fists, and endure it.

When the pain is bad, we clench. There will be excruciating physical pain in Hell. Constant and forever.

It will be especially true for the Jewish ppl who assumed b/c they were blood related to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that they would get in. Yet, they will see the patriarchs in Heaven from where they are and realized that they are not getting in.

Sorrow. Grief. Agony.

What will it look like?

I have a pic in my mind, I’m sure you can see this too. The video has been replayed on the news many times.

The last US military cargo plane taking off out of Afghanistan. And the men running along side and clinging to the side of the plane. Desperate to get out. Afraid of what will happen if they are left there.

The video stops before the plane gets too far. But you know what happened to the men clinging to the side of the plane once the plane got up to speed and off the ground. They would not have been able to maintain their grip.

Imagine what it was like for Noah. He spent decades building this huge boat. He told the ppl he was going to save 2 of every species of animal on the planet. And he would save anyone, everyone who joined him on the boat. But to get on the boat they had to believe him and his story.

He warned them. It was going to rain. And water would rise up and cause a flood. It would be devastating to everyone on the ground, not on the boat.

Understand, it had never rained before. The atmosphere was different. The plants and animals got their water other ways.

They ridiculed him. Mocked him. All those years. Day after day. Then he began loading the boat w/ animals and their feed. Up the ramp and in the one and only door. One last chance. But no one but his family took him up on the offer.

So, he sealed the door on the inside. Then it began to rain. And the water rose.

The ppl soon realized their bad assumptions. The pleaded w/ Noah to open the door. But he couldn’t. If he did then the water would rush in and all inside would die. The ppl clung to cracks around the door until the water swept them away.

The one and only door was shut and locked. Only those inside the boat were saved. Those outside wept and gnashed, or gritted their teeth and complained and pled for help. But it was too late.

Don’t be late.

Jesus went on to say ppl from all over the world will come and take their place at this feast. Non-Jews, Gentiles will get to sit at the table w/ everyone else and Jesus at the head serving his banquet.

These were revolutionary words to these c.1 Jews.

Assumptions. They assumed only Jews. They assumed Jews were secured and guaranteed a place due to their bloodlines and behavior regardless of belief. The Jewish ppl considered themselves superior to everybody else on earth in every way. No comparison. They were first in everything.

To be told of the equality of all ppl and the possibility of non-Jews having a seat at the table while most Jews would be locked out would have infuriated them.

But Jesus was firm. The day will come when it will be too late.

Some may think Jesus got some sort of enjoyment about dividing ppl, believing from the non-believing, Heaven and Hell. Finally, not having to deal with the evil. But that’s far from the truth.

It broke His heart. The day he rode into Jerusalem on the donkey for the triumphal entry he wept for the ppl knowing how many would reject him.

He foreshadowed that next.

Heart-Broken

Luke 13:31–35 NIV

At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.” He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

This, most likely, was just a ruse to get him to away from Jerusalem, away from the crowds, where he would have less influence and they could follow thru w/ their scheme to kill him w/out all the reactions.

Yes, Herod was not happy about the turmoil in the city. There was no indication Herod wanted Jesus dead as much as these Pharisees did.

This was the agenda of the Pharisees. But they preferred to do their deed away from their capital.

Jesus’ response had a couple of layers. Foxes are known as deceivers, schemers, liars. Herod schemed to get JB off the streets but had no intention of taking his life until his wife and daughter painted him into a corner. He could do the same for Jesus.

But his message to the Pharisees to give to Herod was as much for them, as anyone. Fox? Schemer? Who was scheming behind the scenes to kill Jesus already?

Jesus wasn’t backing down from anyone. He had a job to do. He was going to reach His goal and no one would prevent it from happening.

He wasn’t afraid of death. In fact, His death helped Him accomplish his goal. It was going to happen. But not on their terms.

It’s going to happen in Jerusalem and on the 3rd day he will reach his goal. The first day he will die. The second day will be quiet. The 3rd will be glorious.

Then Jesus shared His feelings about being rejected by so many. “How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”

We’ve all been rejected. Sent that Dear John letter. Broken up with. informed we didn’t make the team, didn’t get the job. But the rejection and our pain is nothing compared to what Jesus feels about ppl He created, loves, died for, led out of Egypt and thru the wilderness, into the PL. He appointed kings, empowered prophets, and provided priests to lead the ppl thru their day to day lives.

He protected them and provided for them. And what He got in return was a broken heart.

Jesus gets no joy out from those who get locked out. Jew or Gentile. Ancient or modern. Middle-Eastern or Western. He truly wants everyone to be saved. But it’s your choice.

Jesus left the building. He left the city where He led Israel to live. And now He indwells the ppl of the church.

But the day is coming when it will be too late to get in. Don’t assume you’re in. You know what to do. Please get it done before it’s too late.

Applications

Assumptions

What assumptions are you still making about God?

Keep learning the truth and replace your assumptions w/ accuracies so you can react and respond appropriately.

Right with God

What are you counting on to make you right w/ God?

You don’t have to go to church or bible studies or even hang out with other Xian friends to be saved. You never have to go home to be married. But if you don’t, your marriage won’t be very good.

Speaking to the choir here, you are here. That’s great. I hope you’re paying attention to the music, the lyrics, and to what God has for you in his word. Just b/c you’re in the room doesn’t mean you’re worshiping.

BS is important. On your own and in groups. But, it doesn’t matter as much how much you are in your bible as it matters more how much of your bible is in you.

If you want to be right w/ God. Then, yes we want you here, or joining us online later. But please be letting God into your life, every area of your life.

Jesus want all of you. And He is offering you all of Him. Take him up on it.

Please Don’t be Late

Please. Make sure you believe the right things about the right One.

Hell will hurt. it is painful. Emotionally, physically, spiritually, and mentally. Avoid it at all cost.

There may be something you are unwilling to give up in this life. Please rethink that. Nothing in this life is worth keeping if it keep you out of heaven.

Surrender everything. You don’t know what Jesus will w/ what you give him. He may give it back. He will give you what’s best for your and what you really want anyway.

Don’t wait. 5 minutes after you die is 6 minutes too late. Chose Jesus and heaven.

I hope we eliminated some assumptions this morning.

Only children of God get to go to Heaven. Each of us must choose to receive Him, bel in His name. It doesn’t work for you if your parents believe, or if your wife believes. You need to choose.

Then, your reservation is set.

But then, behavior matters. Because, our behavior is based on what we believe. And what we believe determines if we are children of God.

So, why do I preach the way I do here? Why do we do so many bible studies? We do all this to learn the truth so we don’t make any assumptions.

Too often our assumptions are wrong. I have repeatedly encouraged ppl to only react and respond to what they know for sure is true. How do we know what’s true?

So, we study Jesus and His story so that we know the truth and can respond and react appropriately. B/C nobody wants to stand before Jesus and face the consequences of bad assumptions.

Jesus has a few a names. We study them and learn the truth about them. They are good for Jesus to have and for us to know.

But you don’t want one of your names to be fool, or ass, b/c you made some bad assumptions about Jesus.