Here’s Your Sign
Notes
Transcript
Intro
One of the greatest questions is “Why?” As a parent, this might be the most used question. Christian’s curiosity. Sunrise is good in NC, why? Well…Finally leading us to answer, “Just because.” His curiosity leads to a profound truth, we can be this way as well.
Need: We naturally desire more. We want more proof. We want more answers. Why does God allow unjust suffering? Why hasn’t Jesus come back yet? Why doesn’t God just save everyone? All great answers. There has to be a point where we trust that God knows best.
The people Jesus is preaching to now are demanding more, and he wants them to know he is enough.
Main Idea: Jesus is enough
We don’t need more. We don’t need to keep looking.
Luke 11:29-36
Command #1: Trust Jesus is greater (29-32)
Exp. Jesus will finally respond to the crowd about a sign. Verse 29-30. Evil generation. What does he mean? The sign of Jonah is threefold:
Jonah in the fish for 3 days, Jesus will be in the earth for three days. Matthew 12:39-40.
Preaching of judgment.
Preaching of repentance.
Exp. Jesus is coming to do all three. The last two, he’s been giving. The first one will come about later. He will not give another sign. Then he mentions another story. Verse 31. Queen of South = Sheba. 1 Kings 10:1-13. Solomon = wisest king to ever live. The queen went and gleaned from him.
Ill. Imagine sitting and listening to Bob Ross tell you about painting. Barry Bonds how to hit a baseball. Peyton Manning on how to play quarterback. You would just soak it up. That’s what happens here.
Exp. The next part is most important. Verse 32. Both the queen of sheba and Ninevites will rise up. Talking about the resurrection. AND judge this generation. Why? One came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom. The other repented. Jesus is greater than both of these men.
Christ - Jesus is greater than Solomon and Jonah. He is the greater Solomon because he is wisdom personified. Solomon was given wisdom, but Jesus is wisdom.
30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
He is the greater Jonah because his calling of repentance will reach more Gentiles than Jonah could. Jonah wasn’t even excited about repentance.
32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Exp. He calls them an evil generation and then compares them to repentant and desires wisdom.
App. What do we do?
Repent. Don’t be like that generation. Give up your sin and turn to Christ.
Look nowhere else for wisdom. Jesus is wisdom personified. You long for wisdom from above.
Command #2: Be careful of where you look for the light (33-36)
Exp. These verses are tied together because both have to do with searching for something. Verse 33-34. He’s given this illustration before. No one puts a light under something where it’s light is hidden. You display it. Your eye is lamp of your body. Let’s break this down. Your eyes search and see things. Often, you take in and remember things you see.
Ill. Images stay with you forever. I can remember where I was on 9/11. What those images were like. The look on my teachers’ faces. But you also remember things you want to see. Ezra dancing on Sunday morning. I want to remember that, and it will never leave. Your eyes let in either good or bad.
Exp. Jesus is standing in front of them. They demand signs because they are not letting the light in. Which means they are in darkness. Bad = evil generation. Verse 35-36. Both a command and a mirror. Be careful, lest the light be in darkness. Pulling the illustration of hiding the light. Then a clause. If your whole body is full of light now, you will be wholly bright. Consummation of light given by God at the resurrection. Glorification.
Arg. Both passages look to the end. One is judgement for not repenting and demanding more signs. The other is how you will be glorified in the end.
Christ - The only way to receive that light and glorification is through Jesus. Jesus gives the light inside of us now and will eventually give it for eternity. As long as our gaze is set on him, we will be filled with light and darkness cannot reside there.
App. What do we do? Take care of how you are around sin.
Be cautious about what your eyes let in. Jesus commands this. We must audit whether we allow darkness to live underneath or let the light shine. If you don’t know how to do this, ask your spouse or a close friend. Do you see this in me?
Keep your eyes on Jesus.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Conclusion
As believers, nobody should be filled with as much light as we are. However, we search for other things looking for answers that only God can provide. Go to him. Seek him. Praise him.
