July 31, 2022 Sunday Worship Service (Steve)

Thanks Keith very much. Appreciate that. Good morning everybody. Good to be back. Glad to be back. Happy to be among the living as they say. So we're here to be together. We're glad that we can worship God once again together. What are you talking about? It's like this. Jesus is going to talk about the kingdom and he says, the kingdom of God is like this and he's going to make some examples and give us a parable about that. But as we consider that question, what is the kingdom of God? Like and what can I compare it to? We find that in the chapter will be reading 13 Verse 18. We talked about the context a little bit here. The fact is that Jesus has now coming to a new region and we have been talkin about the word of God, right? We've been talkin about the gospel accounts of what Jesus had to say. And so, when we think about the word of Christ, the word of God, both of the same thing to find by different terms that we think about that. We're, we're confined by the word of God were controlled by the word of God. And we are compelled by the word of God. A powerful, the word of God is. And as we consider the word of God, we've been going through the word of God chronologically through, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the Life of Christ and we've entered into Luke Chapter 13 here. And we're talking about a transitional period where he's going from Judea into prayer and then he's going to make his final way to Jerusalem to go to the cross. And as we look at the background of this particular passage, we got to remember what we talked about and bible class this morning and the context is dealing with repentance as he begins to talk about the kingdom of God here in this context. But in Chapter 13 beginning and verse 1 through 9 as Keith just read talks about natural disasters. Why there's spiritual application That you can make two natural disasters that one of the disaster said he talks about was the fact that the pilot had ordered the Roman soldiers to kill the galileans who were offering up sacrifices to God and they took the blood of Those whom they slaughtered and mixed it in with the animals and they themselves, would offer up sacrifices with that blood. And so they blasphemes God's people but they also blaspheme the offering of the sacrifice they blaspheme God. And so this was a Calamity, this was a disaster. This was a tragedy that was taking place and Jesus said in remedy to all of that repent, Repent. And then he talks about the Tower of Siloam. Been so long, there was a huge Tower and people would pass by it every day. And one day the tower fell and killed a bunch of people. Both Jews and Gentiles. Now in both these stories, the Jews thought that God was exacting Revenge upon sinful Jews, Because I thought that just like job's friends. When job's friend, friends came to job, they wanted to know what Joe did that caused God? To give him such a hard time. and we are a couple weeks ago, three weeks ago, last time I was here, we talked about John chapter 9 and John chapter 9. There was a man that was born blind and Jesus healed him. And the people there thought that this man was born blind because of his parents. The parents said and somehow that's been affected this man's physical life and Jesus said it had nothing to do with his parents. This is a physical ailment of tragedy. Something that was brought Upon A Calamity, a problem in issue of life. And we talked about other calamities this morning, we talked about plane crashes. And we talked about 9/11, we talked about school, shootings, and all of these things, we're taking multiple lines are taking women and children are taken away often, questioned God as to why this goes on the way it does. And that if he was a god, Love, you wouldn't allow this to happen, but he is a god of love and that's the point that he's talking about here. When he starts talking about the baron fig tree which represented Israel, Israel were the chosen people of God and they produce no fruit. I saw Jesus or so here, the old stration of the Fig Tree is given and, therefore, God wants to destroy the Fig Tree because it wasn't bearing fruit. But Jesus steps into the picture. He says let's be patient. Let's get it more time. I'll dig a trench around it. I'll fertilize it. I'll take care of it for some time and if then it does to produce fruit then we'll we'll go ahead and we'll destroy that tree. But what Jesus was actually showing there was a picture of Grace And we learn from 2nd Peter chapter 3 and verse not 9 that God is Not slack concerning his, his a patient, but his long-suffering toward us, not wishing that. Anyone should perish but that all should come to repentance. And so that's the idea that go to hell, everyone to obey the gospel. There in lies the difference. A lot of people want to obey certain things in their lives, but it's not the gospel. A lot of people want to obey tradition, but they're not, the gospel, Jesus has presented the world with one gospel. And in this book, we call the vital. We find it in the New Testament. The teachings of Jesus, the teachers that produce faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God and it's by that face by that Covenant and Hebrews chapter 10 verse. The Bible tells us that we are Sanctified or Sanctified by this New Covenant by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and nothing else will sanctifies. But that and so salvation comes through Jesus Christ by the gospel that he preached. And when he preached did, he brought conflict We talked about that. Also this morning, the God of Peace, the Prince of Peace, he preached the kingdom of peace and yet he brought a sword. And that's sort of the word of God, and he calls it a sword because it's that word of God that separates people from one another. Among the Jews. It's separated those who wanted to believe in Jesus from their mothers and fathers at from the rest of their families who didn't believe. In Jesus, they rejected Jesus. And so this caused tension and turmoil, and Agony within those families that their own children would follow someone called Jesus, rather than Moses. They were traditionally falling from their young age and so we find here that Jesus is coming to talk about Grace talking about the kingdom. That brings peace through his teaching. And Israel's not producing fruit and then finally Living on Tulsa Time. I put that in there, simply because we're all living on borrowed time. Right? I like the country song so tough. Sometimes it better. But we're all living on borrowed time. And the time is given to us and we have to do and live the way according to God wants us to do. And with what, in that time frame, we all know, when our time is up, as they understood the beauty behind the stories that he told about those tragedies, you don't know if those people are going to hell are going to heaven. But what Jesus was most concerned about was this That you repent that you live a life of repentance before these disasters happen. And so it is, when we go to the airport and we're getting ready to board the plane, don't we go to God In Prayer? Don't we return of our sins? Sure, we do sure, we do these are things. We must do. What we got to do it every day of Our Lives. Not just when we go on plane trips or boat trips or what have you, but that's the nature of the Kingdom. A kingdom is a group of people that belong to this institution started by Jesus Christ. And this group of people lives a life of Faith but as they live a life of Faith, they seen along the way. And so Jesus comes along and says I want my people to repent And those people who are living by faith, who are part of my kingdom, when they repent they remain in the Kingdom. So you have to repent first of all to get into the kingdom, but then you have to continue repenting to remain in the Kingdom. Otherwise, we'll be cast out of the kingdom. And so, this is the point, Jesus was making. He says, do you think that they were worse, Sinners, and all the other men who dwell in Jerusalem until you know, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. The Jews were accustomed to thinking that bad things happen to Sinners, and good things happen to those who are faithful, will, actually good things. Happened to the Jews and every bad thing happens to the Gentiles and their basic understanding I think I told you the story before but I remember as a young man with turning 12 or 13 and I remember looking in the mirror for the first time and be holding fee holding that thing, you call a pimple. A pimple and I remember my brother Bruce coming in saying that pimple, what did you do? That's the way people think and God does not act that way because imagine every one of us would be dead already because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. It's so God is patient and long-suffering toward each of us as we consider living faithfully and repenting as we do to do. So chapter 13. Beginning of verse 10. The Story begins the transition a bit. MBA, here's what happens he says. Now he was teaching and one of the synagogue on the Sabbath and behold there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity, 18 years, 18 years and that Spirit of infirmity was that she was bent over. I could have no way raised herself up. You know, I remember years ago, when I was a little boy, there was a brother by the name of John Locke. You don't know him, but I know him and they were the greatest people I've ever met in this lifetime. And he was about 98 years old, and him, and his wife were going to church faithfully and he was like this walking into the building

You have that punch, you know what you did over, sometimes you respond to 18 years and all the people in the community people recognize her. Yeah, that's the person is bent over. She has this this problem this issue and you can just imagine what it was, like, trying to have a conversation with someone. Or you can imagine that the children in the city, walking with your mother and saying what happened to that woman mom? You know, you've probably been there before and your kids have said something along those lines, but this was her plight This is what she was doing when she was bent over. Could know why raise herself up, but when Jesus saw, he called her to him and said, her woman, you are loosed from your infirmity, any land, his hands on her and immediately she was made straight and glorify God and glorified. God, this is a great testimony to this woman. She's been made well, she's been healed. And what did she do? Glorify God. Probably falling down on her knees to glorify Jesus and just think about that. But then I had it highlighted in red as you can see but the ruler That is the one who control the synagogue was the president of the synagogue was the CEO of the synagogue. He was the guy that when he ran the place, let's put it that way. He was the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. And he said to the crowd, there are six days on which men ought to work there for come and be healed on them and not on the Sabbath the Lord then answered him and said hypocrite. Right there I have a Little Bit of Sympathy for this ruler. I don't know if you do but the man's trying to do, right, right? The man is saying, listen, you have six days to do your work. That's true. Right in the Jewish life. That was true. Yes. Six days to work, but you don't work on the Sabbath. We just don't do that and it's so you can kind of sympathize with the way he's thinking here, but he's thinking all wrong. He's thinking all wrong and this is what Jesus is going to point out. He says hypocrite does not each one if you want a salad and lose his oxen Donkey from the stall and Lead it away the water. You mean to tell me you would rather take care of an animal through a person? That's what Jesus is pointing out here. So I'm not this woman being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has bounced, 18 years. Be loosed from this Bond on the Sabbath. and so, we find here, You know, you can look at you can look at the word of God sometimes and we can misinterpret it. And we can say, well we shouldn't be doing this because we have to go to church and we have to go to church. Now if you're on your way to church Can you find someone in a car accident? You just turn your head like this man and say, you know, you got to get the church. Someone else will take care of that. Person know, we ought to have compassion and mercy upon those who are injured and stop and he'll God, understands people come first and in their desperation, in, in, in, in their knees. You're there and you can supply them that need isn't what? The story of the Good Samaritan is all about. Wasn't it wasn't it, a Samaritan, not a jewish-american whom the Jews hated and despised. It was the Samaritan that helped another Jew. And the other Jews walked by.

I don't have time. I've got a busy schedule today. Imagine that. We don't have time to help people talk, more about that in just a second. But we spawn the conflict. Here and it says, and when he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame and all the multitude rejoiced, for all the Glorious things that were done by him. And that he said, what is the kingdom of God? Like and to watch lakum. So, as we consider the kingdom, and as we consider the words of Jesus, we're looking at the idea that sometimes we might get caught up in our own selves and our own lives and our own way of thinking, rather than doing the will of God, We think we might be doing the will of God on wanting it when it actually we're not doing the will of God on the other. And so we have to understand that when it comes to helping people people come first That's the way it wasn't, Jesus's life, was it not the cross represents. The fact that people came first in the Life of Christ. And so, we understand that when people need help, we have to provide that help where the remedy for him, or the ones that got sent to be there and to do the hell that they need. And so, his adversaries were now put to shame. And he says, what is the kingdom like? How do you says? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden, and it grew and became a large tree. And the birds of the air nested in its branches. and so, when we consider the kingdom of God, what's he saying you saying, you know, it starts out small actually, you know where it starts. Right here. In the heart. And I pointing to the physical Heart, Right? Which is a figure for here. The heart the mind, right? And so, it starts there. And then we begin to learn about the kingdom more and more, and then we begin to grow. That's it. That's the kingdom. It's about growth spiritual growth. It begins small and it grows, and Jesus demands that there be growth of the Kingdom. The kingdom that begins in our heart in mind. So what does that mean? It means I grow spiritually and because I grow spiritually and I become excited about the gospel. I want to share the gospel with others. But that leads to bring those people who I'm sharing the gospel with bringing them into the kingdom. So they can share in the same blessings that I have and they too could be excited as they grow and they begin to share the gospel with others. You see how it grows and expands its what Jesus said that starts out something like a little privacy and it just grows and explodes into something much bigger.

Several weeks ago, we were talking about. The rivers of water. Talking about the rivers of Life Giving water that swell up within us and flow outside of us. And you remember, we're saying we can't have a link in our bodies metaphorically. When the gospel enters into US, it has to be a continuous flowing river of life, life that we share with others, we can't keep it to ourselves but a lot of times we keep it to ourselves and we don't share with others and we start creating this huge link within us. But the water's not getting out, Jesus says, you have rivers of living water flowing out. That's what it means to be a Christian. It means more being a Christian with rivers of Life, Giving water flowing out to, you giving it to others than it does being a Christian, every Sunday, coming to church and sitting in a chair.

We dumb down Christianity. We've minimized Christianity, Christianity and assembling together on the Lord's day to worship, but it's not all that. River of Life. Giving water has to keep building up within that. We can't hold it back, and we share it with others. It's our responsibility to do that to share with others. The life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ. And then he says, and again, he said to what shall I like in the kingdom of God?

Is it is like leaven.

What should I like in the kingdom of God? It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was. Letting you know, what level does elevens that bread? That remembers that do it makes that do rise, right? You have that do on the counter in a few hours later that day was up this high and might even get a little bigger than that, but that's what he's talking about. You can't hold it back, brother. You've got to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others. And so we find here in a fusions chapter 4 beginning of verse 11 and talking about what Jesus gave me Ephesians. And there he said he gave some to be Apostles, some prophets, some of the Angeles, some elders, and teachers.

It really what he saying is Elder to teach. so he said those were these miraculous offices at that time, but were they given for the next verse tells us, he says, for the equipping of the Saints, for the work of the ministry.

Those offices were for instruction. The instruction went to the Saints. And the Saints were to work. The works of ministry. Everyone has a part to play everyone. You can't look at it as what they would call the pastor the preacher. All right? It's not just the preacher. If everybody has a role to play, everybody is a member of the body. And each one is working and doing its own work to bring souls to Christ. And so it is here, and I'm going to do something a little different and will close out here. But I think this was a proposal for when I'm talking about, it's been on my mind and I wrote it on an article for next week's bulletin, but I'm going to share with you this article. The Bible also provides us a pattern talking about a pattern pattern pattern and example that shows up again and again and again. It's a pattern. And so when we talked about a pattern we have a we have a pattern that exist with with worshiping God or are we can look in the Bible. We can see when the when the saints of Christ gather together on the first day of the week. What did they do? Well, we say they worship God but what and what was involved in their worship? Well, from the pattern of the New Testament, we find these people got together and they say they sang hymns and praises to God. And it says, with Thanksgiving in their hearts and then the Bible tells us that they were devoted to the apostles Doctrine and prayer. the apostles Doctrine Shipley, the doctrine of the Apostles, the gospel, that they preached, they devoted themselves to that. And so also giving they gave of themselves but they also gave him their means monetarily to support the work and the efforts of the church. And so, we find those things and so we find ourselves a pattern. What? What do we mean by that? We say, well that's what they did and they were blessed by it. So if we do what they did, What we be blessed the same way of course.

And so Paul says follow our example.

Follow our hearts. We have Christ. As an example, we have the apostles, as an example. Let me look to the word of God and the word of God says. The teacher use an example. And so we look to the New Testament scriptures. Can we find this pattern? And we see what they did and we do what they did and we be what they were, we become what they became. Christians are nothing more. Nothing less Christians devoted to Christ devoted to his gospel. So here it says the Bible also provides us a pattern to follow regarding the necessity of studying and learning the Bible so we can do the work of ministry. So please note the following and Acts chapter 21 verses 4041 that gladly received his word. They continued steadfastly in the apostles Doctrine and verse 46 and indicates that they met together daily. I wonder. You know, where I'm going with this. I wonder if we decided to get off the Lake Road Church of Christ. We're going to start meeting daily. How many people would be here? Really committed to be here on the first day of the week they met daily didn't have to be committed to come anytime they came

So I point that out, as evidence for what I'm talking about, they met together, daily Acts chapter 6, consider the emphasis that the apostles placed on the word of God. It was a premium It was more important than anything else. The ministry of the word Peter declares. Which is the work of ministry. That we're all called to do enough in Acts chapter 13, they sought to hear the word. Just think about this Paul and itinerant, preacher coming to a town. And all the town that says, hey, let's go hear this guy cuz I want to know what he has to say. I want to know about this guy named Jesus and I want to know this thing called The Gospel. But I wonder if you have an itinerant, preacher tell me through the towns of Oklahoma, just how many people would really show up?

But this is the heart of a people who were seeking. After God, they sought to hear the word and they were astonished at the teaching of the Lord does the word of God astonish you. Do you seek to hear it?

The next 1344 almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. They simply desire to know God's word better. How about you? Don't desire, any honestly desire sincerely before Jesus a lord. I want to know you better. I want to know your word better. Well, that's what we're fine here. Are we not are we not seeing a pattern unfold of what the first century Christians were doing and how they did it and what was in their hearts when they did it, they simply desired to know God's word, better x 17. They receive the word with all Readiness and search the Scriptures Daily to find out whether these things were. So just think they had a guy named Paul, he was an apostle, he could speak by the mouth of God through the Holy Spirit, he can work wondrous Miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit and when he spoke the people said that sounds great. But I'm going to go test it. Do you do that?

Wendy's First Christians, got a taste of God's word. They craved it more and more. Do you fit that pattern? What happened? We readily admit fewer. People have that type of attitude toward hearing God's word, we can't even get people to come and hear God's word, preach to them, much less, get people to seek it on their own opening, their own Bibles for themselves. Priorities. Have become skewed amongst everybody. We don't want to make time for it. We prioritize and make time for many other things. We are putting many things before Bible study, we are putting the above study and not peace.

The Bible is going to divide people from people people from their own families. but the point is, you can't love the daddy and mommy and brother and sister and anyone else or any other thing more than

And so people in the name of family, say well we can't go to church today, we can't study today because we've got family things to do. Maybe one of the family things that we need to do together is studying the Bible as a family together.

Maybe we put jobs above our study. Maybe we put entertainment above our study Recreation above our study. Boy, we talked about Recreation. That's a religion in itself right there.

Preachers cutting out sermons. 15 minutes does make it home to watch the Cowboys play. How pathetic

That has not happened here.

Mine was vegetation right. Couch potatoes above Bible study. Honestly, our time management fluids, very little time for Bible study brother, and we need to cut out some things and make time for study, it's imperative for your souls. If we don't have time to study, then we are not seeking first, the kingdom of God and his righteousness. We learn about the righteousness of God, through the righteousness of this word. Righteousness, of his word tells us about doing right things for God. and if we don't know what right things to do, what righteousness, do we have Sometimes we think we get enough study at our services. If all we ever get is at Services were taking an awful big risk. It is true, we can learn from listening to others, but we need to be as the bereans and search the scriptures to make sure what we hear is right. Are you following the New Testament pattern when it comes to the Bible? When it comes to Bible study? Do you desire God's word as our first century brothers and sisters did Do you study as they did something must change? Yes, brother. And we need to be more like the first century church and a lot less like our twenty-first-century culture. Culture can invade the church and it has many ways. And so back to the Bible people, that's what it was with Jesus, that's what he was telling the Jews back to the Bible Belt, to wear couch. Dallas Cowboys playing on Sunday, is it going to get me into heaven? It's not going to do anything for my soul, but this will and sharing it with others will. Because it impacts The Souls of others. That's why you can't hold it in. So it we must know the word in order to share the word keep that River of Life flowing up with and you and without you to other people, that's something that we can do. That's what Jesus desires. That is part of the Kingdom that Jesus was preaching. We can be that you can we are that Kingdom. Let's keep that Kingdom going. Let's keep sharing Christ with others. Share that precious gospel. They're sold out there. They need to be saved. We even have to change our priorities to do what Jesus wants for us, but we can do it if we love him. Right, if we love him, we do love him. You could become a Christian today. If you're not in Jesus says you come follow me. That makes you a Christian, a follower of Christ. And Jesus said, here's how you follow me. Follow me, you believe in me and you get baptized, he that believes in his baptized shall be saved. And so, you begin your following, you begin a journey with Jesus to Heaven, that's what that means. But then we got to keep on repenting because we continue to send and we got to keep on growing, growing is essential to becoming a more spiritually minded person. That is to become a better Christian and so growth is imperative. We can't stunt your growth but we have to continue its so make that application today. Saying your heart, I'm going to do that now. Starting now, I'm changing. I'm repenting. I'm turning and I'm getting back to Christ. You could do that together as Together. We Stand and sing.