Luke 11:29-36
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Last week we heard Jesus disprove a popular theory that people have about neutrality toward God.
Jesus said...
23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
That should dispel the idea people get in their heads about being okay with God as long as they aren’t murderers or rapists.
Your nice, friendly neighbor or relative is either redeemed and reconciled to God through repentance and faith in Jesus...
or...
He or she is under the wrath and condemnation of God.
Most of us know Jn. 3:16.
It says...
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
and that is awesome!
but let’s read Jn. 3:18
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
You are either with Jesus or against him…
There is simply no neutral ground when it comes to Jesus.
He is either...
a liar and a blasphemer...
a lunatic with the most ridiculous delusions of grandeur ever...
or...
He truly is the Son of God and the only way to be reconciled to the Father.
==
Some people don’t want to follow Jesus because they love their sin too much...
but...
they don’t want to reject him either...
that’s why this idea of a neutral middle ground is so appealing to some.
The problem is that Jesus says there is no middle ground.
To not decide what to do with Jesus is really to decide to reject Jesus and to remain under condemnation.
==
Last week we also saw people who were seeing miraculous signs performed by Jesus...
then they accused Him of doing this exorcism by the power of Satan...
and then asking for more signs...
It was as if they were saying, “Do something so amazing that it will overpower our skepticism.” - “Convince me - I dare you.”
==
Today we are going to see that Jesus knew the problem was not that they did not have enough evidence…
They weren’t lacking light...
but...
they were blind and could not see the light.
Let’s pray that we see the light of the Word today.
PRAY
29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
30 For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
32 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.
33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.
35 Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.
36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
There are many people who attend churches in America who are not real disciples of Christ.
They are, for the most part, morally respectable people.
They are good neighbors...
but...
They do not deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Jesus...
but...
they do attend church.
Jesus has a message for those folks today.
You are either one of those people, or you know one of those people...
so stick with me.
There are a lot of reasons to attend church.
Until fairly recently it was somewhat expected, at least here in the south.
It might be a good place to make business contacts.
It might be a place where people who have no real authority anywhere else can exercise authority.
It really is a great place to meet friends.
So, I don’t know all of the reasons lost people attend church, but we all know they do.
Jesus was not interested in numbers.
That’s how many of us measure success in ministry isn’t it?
I freely admit that I wish we had more people here this morning, but I will not compromise my message in order to get more here.
I will never be an ear tickling preacher.
Jesus surely wasn’t an ear tickler.
Check out what he says in v. 29
29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
evil generation
they weren’t...
killing their unborn children like we are in America
they weren’t normalizing and celebrating sexual promiscuity, homosexuality, and transgender-ism.
they had not kicked God out of their schools and government
and yet Jesus called them an evil generation.
What do you think He would say of ours?
I think He would call it an evil generation as well.
but...
It is a different kind of evil.
It is much more overt.
We call evil good and good evil.
The evil of His generation was more subtle.
Do you remember last week that we saw that moral-ism without Jesus is worse than outright paganism?
Why is it worse?
(to be honest I’d rather have a moral neighbor than an immoral one, wouldn’t you?)
It is worse because outwardly moral people without Jesus are the very hardest to reach with the gospel.
Jesus came to save sinners, and if you don’t think that includes you, then you are not open to the gospel.
Jesus came to preach good news to the poor, but if you are rich and self-satisfied then you are not open to the gospel.
The person who knows he or she is lost and sinful, is in much better shape than the self-righteous, self-satisfied person.
==
This evil generation of Jesus was seeking for a sign.
They had seen more signs than any other generation.
Jesus...
healed sick people
healed blind people
healed lame people
healed lepers
miraculously fed people
cast out demons
walked on water
calmed a storm
raised the dead!
and yet these people needed a sign.
Jesus said they would only get one more sign.
30 For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
What is the sign of Jonah that Jesus refers to?
Let’s compare and contrast these two for a moment.
The most obvious thing to us is that Jonah spent three days in the stomach of a sea creature and was then delivered.
Jesus would spend three days in a grave and would rise again.
They were both sent by God.
That is how they were similar.
Now let’s see how they were different.
Jonah was pressed into service against his will.
You may recall that when God told him to go to Nineveh, he headed in precisely the opposite direction.
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
what a contrast to Jesus!
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Jonah was a reluctant servant...
but Jesus was willing to not only bring the message of salvation...
but also to be the means of salvation through His own sacrifice.
Jonah hated the people to whom he was sent and did not want them to repent.
When the people of Nineveh did repent here is what Jonah said...
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.
3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
Talk about a racist...
That is real racism right there.
I know there is still real racism today, but there is a lot of stuff that gets called racist that isn’t...
but old Johan here was a true racist.
Jesus was such a contrast.
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Jonah came preaching repentance and faith in an unknown God.
Jesus came to God’s chosen people to fulfill the law and the prophets which spoke of Him.
Jonah did not perform miracles.
Jesus had done many astonishing and undeniable miracles.
and yet...
despite all that...
32 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.
Jesus was so much greater.
The light given to these Jews was so much brighter.
The problem was not the light they had, but the blindness of their hearts.
Look with me at v. 31.
31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Let’s look at this event so we can see what Jesus is talking about.
((emphasize concerning the Lord))
1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions.
She was impressed with Solomon, but she was clear on the power behind the throne.
She didn’t see any miracles.
She didn’t hear the Son of God preach.
She heard about what God was doing, and undertook this very long and dangerous journey to find out more.
She responded to the little bit of light that she had, whereas these Jews were blind to the amazing revelation they had.
“she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”
==
It matters what you do with the light of revelation when God gives it to you.
If you don’t use it, you lose it.
God sent Jesus as the ultimate revelation of himself.
Jesus said...
(( start at whoever has seen me…))
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
God revealed himself clearly to this generation Jesus is speaking to.
look at v. 33
33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
Jesus is telling them that He is there to see.
The clearest and most direct revelation of God to His chosen people is standing before them.
The reason that you provide light is for people to see.
The problem is not the light, but their eyes.
34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.
The problem was their eyes.
Lost man hates and shuns the light of God.
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
Remember how we said that Jesus came to save sinners and if you don’t think you are one, you won’t embrace the gospel?
That is the problem with these people.
They are too blind to see their own need.
17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
What could possibly make them this blind?
self-righteousness
That is why the self-righteous person in the pew is worse off spiritually than the drug abuser on the street.
==
Let me warn you.
If the Spirit is drawing you to repent then do it now!
Please see the warning in v. 35.
35 Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.
When God gives you spiritual enlightenment you need to be grateful and act on it.
If you do, you will receive more and more light.
36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
The more of God’s will that you learn and obey, the more you will learn.
The more you read, study, and obey the Scripture, the greater understanding of Scripture you will be given.
I am not saying, though, that it has to take forever to become mature in the faith.
(( dude at Trinity ))
What do we do?
What do we do?
We respond to the revelation of God that we are given.
Don’t tune me out.
Our usual response if we were reared in church is to go, “Well, that was nice. What’s for lunch.”
Instead, we need to respond.
RESPONSE 1 - FOR THE LOST
If you are lost in your self-righteousness then the response you need is the same that we saw from the men of Nineveh.
32 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.
You need to repent and place your faith in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus on your behalf.
If you do that, God will count your faith as righteousness and adopt you as His son or daughter.
==
RESPONSE 2 - FOR THE SAVED
I think there are probably more people here who need to hear this part.
We have all been given the revelation of God called the Bible.
In it is everything you need to know in order to be reconciled to God.
and...
For those of us who are reconciled to God, listen to this...
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
You have the Word of God and the Spirit of God.
You have everything you need to grow into full maturity and obedience...
and yet...
some of us have been stuck at the toddler stage of maturity for decades.
Let me challenge you to grow in response to the amazing amount of light you have been given.
(( We have something cooking that can help you grow. ))
I realize some of you are mature, growing, Christians - WE NEED YOU TO GET IN SMALL GROUP AND HELP DISCIPLE PPL.