Untitled Sermon (2)

(ESV)

51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

(ESV)

5 The Lord GOD has opened my ear,

and I was not rebellious;

I turned not backward.

6 I gave my back to those who strike,

and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;

I hid not my face

from disgrace and spitting.

7 But the Lord GOD helps me;

therefore I have not been disgraced;

therefore I have set my face like a flint,

and I know that I shall not be put to shame.

8 He who vindicates me is near.

Who will contend with me?

Let us stand up together.

Who is my adversary?

Let him come near to me.

9 Behold, the Lord GOD helps me;

who will declare me guilty?

Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment;

the moth will eat them up.

10 Who among you fears the LORD

and obeys the voice of his servant?

Let him who walks in darkness

and has no light

trust in the name of the LORD

and rely on his God.

Let me set the scene for the what is happening in Luke. Jesus has just gone into Capernaum and it is here that He asks the disciples, who am I. Of course we know this is where Peter gives his famous confession, it is also where Jesus states clearly that He was going to die.

(ESV)

18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

After Capernaum Jesus is then transfigured, into His glory. Then nine days later He repeats to the dsciples what He said to them in verse 22

(ESV)

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 with all of the passages of scripture that surround , there are 3 Major Themes that stand out.

1. Jesus faces the death on the Cross, to give up His life.

2. Anyone coming after Him, should also take up their own Cross

3. There is Glory despite the suffering.

So, in other words this passage is about Discipleship, its temporary cost and its ultimate benefit

So, Jesus sets His face to go to Jerusalem. Jesus knew that when He went to Jerusalem He was going to die. So basically, He was walking straight into a situation, that would involve mess, pain, and eventual death. It was not going to be a fun experience, there would not be in apparent triumph, or seeming victory, Jesus was handing Himself over to the powers of Darkness to do with as they will.

In the flesh this should have been a situation where Jesus ran away from what was coming but instead of running away He set his course straight ahead, and marched straight into the battle ahead.

The whole situation reminds me of a soldier, who sees the fight ahead, who perhaps even sees the death that lays ahead, but who finds the courage to run straight into the battle.

The term to “set” comes from the Greek word:

5114 στηρίζω (stērizō): vb.; ≡ Str 4741; TDNT 7.653

1. LN 74.19 strengthen, make more firm (; ; ; , ; ; ; ; ; ; +; .r. NA26);

2. LN 85.38 establish in a place (+);

3. LN 30.80 στηρίζω τὸ πρόσωπον (stērizō to prosōpon), decide firmly (+)[1]

In this context it carries the verbal sense “to fixate”. In other words the sense of this word in the Greek and in the passage actually means to bind yourself to an outcome, to nail yourself to it. Jesus, here was nailing His mission to the wall and saying this shall be done.

Jesus knew He was going to die, Jesus knew that darkness would seemingly have a moment of triumph, but He set His face forward and would not move from the direction that He had set, in other words Jesus had a mission to accomplish, a goal to reach, a destiny to fulfil and He would not stop, and He would let nothing else, either Human or Spiritual stop Him from fulfilling the destiny before Him.

What all of this boils down to is Jesus was ultimately determined to do what His Father had sent Him to do. This is what determination looks like, and it is the type of determination that Jesus models for those of us who have chosen to be disciples. In other words, what Luke is doing, is giving an outline of what constitutes discipleship, then giving a principle that is the lynchpin of the whole subject as seen through the modelling of Jesus. Determination.

The best way I can describe for you the type of determination that Jesus was walking in is that He was like the spiritual equivalent of the Terminator. You know the movie about the Cyborg from the future who was sent to carry out a mission, and it was said that “it won’t stop” until it had carried out its mission. The kind of determination that Jesus displays here is a single-minded determination that is totally fixed upon the Object of its desire until it sees the end in sight, and reaches the goal of its desire.

In the same way that Jesus showed the determined diligence to accomplish that which God had commanded for Him, we also are commanded to do likewise.

(ESV)

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.

Another example we have of determination in the scripture is Paul. Look at everything that he had to endure for Christ, and still he carried in. Paul is a great example for us because he was simply a follower of Christ, just as we are, no different, and what Paul endured and pushed through, we also have the same spirit of the living God within us to do likewise. Lets look at what Paul had to endure:

(ESV)

21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!

But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

With everything that the Apostle had to go through, he still endured until he could finally say near the hour of his death that he had fought the good fight, he had kept the faith.

Beloved, in the same way the Lords desire for you is to lay hold of eternal life, not to give up, but to push through right into eternal life. God has so many rewards for us, so much He wants to bless us with, both in this life and in the next, and His clarion call is to overcome. If you don’t overcome, there will be no reward.

We know that the days ahead for us are becoming a lot darker, more so than have ever been before, and we know too that in order to be the overcomers that Jesus has called us to be, we need to be more determined, that we too need to set our faces steadfastly towards the destiny that God has for us in Christ, so that we too can share in His glory.

So how do we become people of determination? How do we become people who overcome? I want to suggest, from the scriptures some key principals to meditate on, so that we all become the people of determination that God is calling us to in the midst of this darkness.

1. Look to the Joy set before you

(ESV)

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.

People who can see the glories of what God has for us in this life and in the next, for those who have a clear vision of what God has in store for us are people who can keep going even in the midst of incredible hardships. No matter what we are going through in life, we should be people of absolute hope.

In the book of Revelations, one of the most common words in the first 4 chapters where Jesus is speaking to the churches is “overcome”. In the letters to the 7 Churches, Jesus is clear where He talks about them in terms of being overcomers, and links this overcoming with the rewards that will be granted to them.

This is a list of the rewards to those who will overcome:

· Jesus will grant to eat of the tree of life

· Will not be hurt by the second death

· Will get hidden manna, a white stone, and a new name\

· Will get Authority over nations

· Your name will never be blotted out of the Book of Life

· Jesus will confess your name before the Father

· Will be a pillar in the temple of your God

· The name of God and His city, (you will forever be Gods own) will be written on you.

· You will sit with Jesus on His Throne.

2. Choose to Trust in God’s unfailing presence

(ESV)

30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.

Unless you fundamentally believe that God loves you, and that His presence is with you, you will never be able to be a person of true Determination. This is why it was crucial that Jesus, after He had given the Apostles their mission, made it clear that He would always be with them.

3. Choose to trust in God’s unfailing Charachter.

The main way that we can trust in God’s unfailing presence, is by learning what it means to truly abide in Him. As we abide in Him we will draw the strength that we need to do His will and to endure right to the end.

3. Choose to trust in God’s unfailing Charachter.

(ESV)

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

Determination not only comes from trusting in the presence of God but in trusting in His unshakable character because it is on that Character that the surety of His promises are based.

4. Always keep in mind that ultimately God wins.

[1] James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”[2]

One of the most encouraging stories I have ever heard was about a Pastor who went to a country I think somewhere in central Africa, they went to a certain church and whilst visiting this church that was experiencing terrible persecution the pastor of that church asked a question of the visiting pastor there. “What do you think that the two most favorite books of the bible are for these people?” The visiting pastor thought and said that it would have to be Isaiah and Psalms. The pastor was wrong, the two most favourite books of the Bible for those people who were being persecuted where Daniel and Revelation. Why? Because, the Pastor said, they needed to know that it is all worth it.

God ultimately wins, Evil is ultimately dealt with, and good ultimately triumphs. We need to constantly remind ourselves of this ultimate victory of God is sure, and that we are on the winning team.

[1] James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).

[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), .