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Book: Luke

  • The Easter Gospel

    The Easter Gospel

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    Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

    Summary

    The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Christian gospel and the only hope for a good eternal ending. 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 presents four core gospel truths: Christ died for our sins, Christ was buried, Christ has been raised, and Christ appeared to his disciples. We are reminded that every human being has sinned and fallen short of God’s perfect standard, deserving eternal punishment.

    Yet God, in undeserved love, sent His Son Jesus to live a perfect life, die as a substitute for sinners, and rise again—proving that His sacrifice was accepted and that believers are justified before God forever.

    Key Lessons:

    1. The gospel is not a human invention but a divinely delivered message of first importance, passed down through eyewitnesses commissioned by the risen Christ.
    2. Every person has sinned and falls short of God’s perfect standard, and no amount of self-righteous effort can make us acceptable before God.
    3. Christ’s death was substitutionary—He bore the penalty sinners deserve and credits His own righteousness to those who believe.
    4. Christ’s bodily resurrection is the vindication of God’s promises, the proof that His sacrifice was accepted, and the guarantee of eternal life for believers.

    Application: We are called to stop trusting in our own goodness, repent of sin and self-rule, and place our faith entirely in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This faith must take hold of our lives, showing up in how we live—not as mere intellectual agreement but as a life-transforming commitment to follow Christ.

    Discussion Questions:

    1. How does the reality that God’s standard is total perfection change the way you view your own moral standing before Him?
    2. Why is Christ’s bodily resurrection essential to the gospel—what would be lost if He had only died but never risen?
    3. What does genuine repentance look like in your daily life, and how can you distinguish saving faith from mere intellectual agreement?

    Scripture Focus: 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 serves as the core passage outlining four gospel truths. Supporting passages include Genesis 3:15 (the first gospel promise), Psalm 16:10-11 (foretelling the resurrection), Isaiah 53:5, 10, 12 (the substitutionary death and vindication of the Messiah), Romans 3:10, 23 (universal sinfulness), Romans 4:25 (resurrection for justification), and 2 Corinthians 5:21 (the great exchange of righteousness).

    Outline

    Introduction

    All right, let’s go to the Lord in prayer as we prepare to hear from his word.

    God, there is so much to rejoice about today, but chiefly what you have accomplished for sinners in Jesus Christ. Help us all, Lord, to put our attention on that. Not on what’s coming later today, not on what distractions might be going on around us, but on you, your word, and this very good news that demands a response. Help me to be able to explain it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

    Amen.

    How Something Ends Matters

    Have you ever had something really good that was ruined by how it ended?

    Maybe you’re having a delicious meal out at a new restaurant and it’s a great time, but before you leave, you notice there’s a problem with the bill and it results in an argument with the staff of the restaurant.

    Based on that ending, would you go back to that restaurant?

    Or maybe you’re working your way through a book or a movie or a TV show and you’re loving the story and the characters, but then you get to the ending and it’s so stupid.

    Is that the kind of work that you would recommend to a friend?

    Or maybe you’re hyped for a certain sports competition because your team, your favorite team, has made it to the championship game, but then they lose.

    Wouldn’t you wish that they had never gotten your hopes up in the first place?

    The fact is that we humans, deep down, we care about how something ends. We may tell ourselves in the beginning or in the middle that the end doesn’t matter so much. But when the ending arrives and it is good, we feel satisfied, even vindicated that all the trouble along the way was worth it for that good ending.

    “We humans, deep down, we care about how something ends.”

    And when the ending arrives and is bad, we feel regretful, even betrayed, that everything along the way is now meaningless because of how it ended.

    And if such is true about trivial parts of our lives, how much more true are they about life itself?

    We are all quickly coming to the final chapter of our stories. We are approaching death and what occurs after death.

    But what kind of ending will death represent for you?

    Two Questions About Your Eternal Ending

    Two questions that we at this church often like to ask people in evangelism are relevant for us to consider today.

    Those two questions are: number one, if you were to die today, where would your soul go?

    And then number two, if you were to appear before God in heaven and he asks you, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” What would you say to him?

    Your heart’s answers to those two questions are very revealing about what kind of ending you are heading towards.

    “Your heart’s answers to those two questions are very revealing about what kind of ending you are heading towards.”

    The tragic fact, a tragic fact of infinite proportions, is that many people, many dear souls made in the image of God, expect that they will arrive to a good ending when they die, but they will not.

    Or they tell themselves that nobody can really know. Besides, who really cares? Just enjoy life now.

    They certainly will care when they get there.

    Because when your eternal ending is bad, then all the good, all the accomplishments of your life, all the enjoyment that you experience will seem incredibly hollow and meaningless, just fuel now for your eternal sorrow.

    But when your eternal ending is good and all the suffering, all the sacrifice, all the shame that you endured on Christ’s behalf, it will be revealed to be worth it and it will only increase your joy forever.

    Is there a way to be sure that your eternal outcome is going to be good and not bad?

    There is. And it is through this thing that the Bible calls the gospel. The gospel is a word that just means good news.

    It’s the good news of Jesus Christ.

    This Easter morning, I want to look directly again at this gospel with you. This good news for people who care about or should care about the end.

    If you’re in Christ this morning, then may this reminder of the good news, may this message today give you renewed joy in your sure hope of Jesus Christ and, as Greg was saying, in his resurrection and your coming resurrection too.

    And if you’re not yet in Christ this morning, then may this message cause you a real change of heart. A change of heart about yourself, about your sin, about God, and about his son, Jesus Christ, so that you may be saved.

    I want us to look at one main Bible passage today, though I’ll be making references to several others. If you would, please take a Bible and turn to the book of 1 Corinthians, chapter 15.

    We’re going to look at 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 in this message that I’m calling the Easter Gospel. If you didn’t bring a Bible or are not super familiar with the Bible, that’s totally okay. We have some Bibles here that you can use in the pews or near you. Our passage can be found on page 1,152.

    Let’s read the passage. It’s also on the screen. 1 Corinthians 15:3-5.

    For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

    To give you a little background, in chapter 15 of this first letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthian church in Roman Greece, Paul seeks to correct the church’s understanding when it comes to the coming resurrection.

    Apparently, the new Christians in Corinth had started listening to some teachers who said that there would be no future resurrection of believers, at least not with physical bodies.

    But the Apostle Paul confronts this wrong idea by way of simple reminder.

    When it comes to the resurrection, Christians will have the same experience as their Lord. If Jesus was raised bodily, then his believers will be too.

    But if believers will not be raised bodily, well then that must mean that Jesus was not raised bodily either.

    1 Corinthians 15:1-11 is the beginning part of Paul’s argument on this issue. It’s a reminder of what Jesus’s gospel is as taught by Christ’s specially commissioned messengers.

    Verses 3 to 5, which we read, is the core section of Paul’s gospel reminder.

    Here, Paul presents an essential gospel outline, summarizing but not fully explaining the gospel.

    I’d like to follow this outline with you and fill in the outline that Paul provides this morning.

    Here’s going to be our guiding proposition: In 1 Corinthians 15:3-5, Paul presents four gospel truths that you must believe to be saved.

    Now, before presenting these points, Paul gives an introductory statement at the beginning of verse three. That’s going to be an introductory point in my sermon outline.

    Let’s walk through the verses now.

    The Gospel Is of First Importance

    Introduction: the gospel is of first importance.

    Look at the beginning of verse three again. “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received.”

    There’s the word “for” at the beginning of the verse. This word indicates that Paul is supplying a reason for what he just said in the previous verses. Namely, why it is important for the Corinthians to remember, believe, and remain committed to the good news that Paul had previously preached to them.

    “Paul is supplying a reason why it is important for the Corinthians to remember, believe, and remain committed to the good news.”

    The Gospel Was Delivered, Not Invented

    Notice now the next phrase: “I delivered to you.” We could translate the verb “delivered” here as “handed down” or “passed on.”

    As Paul says later in the verse, there was a message given to Paul that he received and then he handed down or passed on to the Corinthian believers.

    In other words, the gospel message was not Paul’s idea. It was given to him to give to others.

    Who gave Paul this message?

    Well, it wasn’t other leaders in the church. Rather, as Paul says in verse 8, which is not part of the passage we’re looking at, but he also says this in the book of Galatians: the risen Jesus himself appeared to Paul and taught Paul the message that Paul was to teach to others.

    Thus, Paul became an eyewitness of Jesus’s resurrection and a directly commissioned messenger of Jesus’s good news. In this way, Paul is just like Jesus’s other specially chosen messengers called apostles.

    You ever heard that word “apostles”? That’s just what it means. They’re specially chosen messengers to deliver the good news of Jesus.

    Peter, another apostle, declares about himself and his fellow apostles in 2 Peter 1:16: “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”

    Say, “Pastor Dave, why are you emphasizing that point?” Well, it’s because the gospel has been frequently dismissed across time as merely the words and thoughts of men. Just a bunch of men in ancient times wrote this down.

    But Paul and the others of the Bible flatly contradict this claim by telling us essentially, “We did not make this up. We are simply passing on to you what God gave to us.”

    Consider how remarkable it is that such is the case. God chose to speak his word through men and not just one man. This is something that separates true Christianity from all other religions of the world.

    “God chose to speak through a plurality of chosen messengers. Yet they have one united message.”

    God chose to speak through a plurality of chosen messengers. Yet they have one united message. That’s because they all speak from God. They all speak by the Spirit of God.

    First Importance: The Stakes of True Christianity

    Notice now another phrase in verse three. He says, “As of first importance, for I delivered to you as of first importance.” That phrase is a good translation in the version of the Bible I’m using, New American Standard 95. The phrase is literally in the Greek “first” and could refer to either firstness in time or firstness in importance.

    No doubt the gospel that Paul is about to describe was among the first items that he taught to the Corinthians.

    But the content of the words as well as the context in which Paul says them—these words here in verse three—indicate that what he’s really talking about is what is of first importance.

    These are the most important things for you to know and believe.

    Paul’s message here then is central to what it means to be a Christian.

    If you do not know, do not understand, or do not believe what Paul is about to say, then you may believe in something that you call Christianity, but it’s not actually the Christianity of the apostles. Which means it’s not the Christianity of Christ. Which means it’s a fake Christianity that cannot save you.

    “If you do not believe what Paul is about to say, then you may believe in something you call Christianity, but it’s not the Christianity of Christ.”

    Your case, if you believe in such a fake Christianity, if you rely on such a fake Christianity, your case will be like those poor persons that Jesus warns about in Matthew 7:22.

    In Matthew 7:22, those who call out to Jesus say, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we believe in you? Didn’t we do all these things in your name?”

    And he will reply to them, “I never knew you. Depart from me.”

    We cannot afford a personally adapted version of Christianity, nor one that simply integrates the passing ideas of our culture.

    Jesus through his apostles charges us to hold fast to and then pass on the original word that God delivered to us.

    So what is this original word? What is this core message of the good news that we are to believe? That’s what the rest of our verses will tell us.

    Core Truth #1: Christ Died for Our Sins

    Paul begins outlining this core message specifically starting with the next phrase in verse three: Christ died for our sins.

    So what is core truth number one of the Easter gospel? It is Christ died for our sins. Christ died for our sins. Now, this is a phrase we may hear a lot. We may say a lot, but what does it mean?

    Notice that Paul adds at the end of verse three, “according to the scriptures.” Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.

    Now, that included phrase is important. It indicates that not only was Christ dying for sins—a truth foretold from ancient times and fulfillment of what previous scriptures declared about him—but there’s more.

    Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures means that the meaning and significance of Jesus dying for sins is only truly understood in light of what the rest of scriptures teach.

    “The meaning and significance of Jesus dying for sins is only truly understood in light of what the rest of scriptures teach.”

    In the Beginning: God Created

    This means to really understand and appreciate Paul’s statement here in verse 3, we need to go back to the beginning. And I mean the beginning.

    Genesis 1:1, the first verse of the Bible.

    In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

    I don’t know how you feel about Genesis. Maybe one of you would say to yourself at this point, “Pastor Dave, I’m an atheist. I don’t believe in an all-powerful creator God, or at least if there is a God, nobody can know him. I’m pretty sure of that because I’m an agnostic.”

    But if you are thinking such things, then listen to what the Bible itself says about that attitude. Deep down, you do know that there is a creator God and that he is the God of the Bible.

    How do we know that? By the created order. By the world that you live in and by the conscience that God has given you.

    The real explanation for the beauty, the complexity, the goodness evident in the natural world is not just some happy chance outcome. No, it’s God. It’s the God of the Bible. Also, your sense of right and wrong, the guilt you feel in your heart when you don’t do what you ought to do—that’s not just some sort of cultural imposition. No, that’s a testimony that the God of the Bible is real and that you are beholden to him.

    “Your sense of right and wrong, the guilt you feel—that’s a testimony that the God of the Bible is real and you are beholden to him.”

    The reason you don’t want to acknowledge this is, as the Bible says in Romans 1:18, you are suppressing the truth in unrighteousness so that you may live as you wish.

    Don’t deceive yourself. There is a God, and he is the God of the Bible.

    Back to Genesis 1:1: God created everything in his universe by his spoken word, including mankind. Since we are the creation of God and we live in God’s world, it is fitting that we should live according to God’s requirements.

    God’s Perfect Standard

    And what is it that God has required of mankind?

    That we would love and worship God as our ultimate treasure. That we would trust and depend on God for life and for all that we need. That we would imitate and obey God before all his creation.

    How closely are we to pay attention to these requirements from God?

    Well, let God himself answer from the scriptures. God says in Leviticus 11:44, “For I am the Lord your God. Be holy, for I am holy.”

    In Matthew 5:48, Jesus says, “Therefore, you are to be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.”

    In James 2:10, we read, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” In short, God’s required standard for his creatures is total perfection in reflection of himself.

    James 2:10: “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.”

    Any deviation from perfection by sin represents complete failure before God.

    It’s not like you tried. No, you failed.

    The Meaning of Sin

    After all, consider what the word sin actually means.

    We often think of sin as doing something totally evil, totally wrong. And that is true. But more basically, to sin means to miss the mark, to come short of the perfect standard.

    Think of an archer shooting at a target.

    Whether he is off the bull’s eye by a little or whether he entirely misses the target, unless his shot is perfect right in the middle of the bullseye, he has sinned. In a technical sense, so it is with our lives. A sin is any deviation from who God is and what God has required of us.

    And that’s either internally in your heart, your mind, or externally.

    “To sin means to miss the mark, to come short of the perfect standard.”

    You must not murder. Yes. But you also must not get sinfully angry in your heart.

    You must not commit adultery. Yes. But you also must not lust after another person in your heart.

    You must not steal. Yes. But you also must not covet what is not yours, but be content.

    And these are just a few of God’s negative commands. Positively speaking, God commands that you are to love him and love others perfectly 100% of the time.

    Anything less is imperfection. Anything less is sin. Anything less is a rebellious affront to the good character and rules of God.

    The Penalty for Sin: Death in All Its Forms

    In fact, God warns that any departure from his perfect standard will yield the utmost punishment, which is death in all its forms.

    Spiritual death means separation between God and man and enslavement to sin. Physical death is the decay and departure of life and spirit from our bodies. And eternal death is the unending torment of our souls in the dark fires and incomprehensible agony of that special place of punishment called hell.

    God told the first man and women that the day they sinned, they would die. Genesis 2:17.

    Romans 6:23 further says the wages of sin is death.

    In Mark 9:48, Jesus says that suffering anything in this life is preferable to being thrown into hell for sin, where he says their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched as the holy creator God.

    Mark 9:48: “Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.”

    God has the right to require perfection of us and the right to set the appropriate punishment for sinful imperfection. If we’re thinking rightly, we will confess that all God’s ways and rules are good.

    It is right to be honest, to be faithful, to be pure, to be compassionate, to be just, and so on.

    When the Bible commands us to do various things, I think we would all admit that we would like to fulfill those commands. They are good. Those things that they call us to be are the things that we would like to be.

    We Are All Sinners

    But we should ask, are we though?

    Are we the things that God has commanded? Do we do what God has commanded? And do we refrain from what God has told us not to do?

    If we are at all sane or honest with ourselves, we know that the answer is no.

    Not only have you and I sinned at least once, our lives are characterized by sin. Maybe not in heinous and obvious ways before men.

    But God looks at your heart and he knows what’s been going on in there.

    You have not loved the Lord with all your heart. You have not loved your neighbor as yourself.

    “You have not loved the Lord with all your heart. You have instead loved yourself, loved sin, and loved the treasures of the world more than God.”

    You have instead loved yourself. You have loved sin. And you have loved the treasures of the world more than God.

    Our Good Works Cannot Save Us

    And as for your efforts to make up for your sins by doing different good works, obeying different commands from God, how will these be acceptable to God when even your good works are tainted by pride and self-righteousness?

    Rather, as the prophet Isaiah confesses in Isaiah 64:6, “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all of our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment, and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind take us away.” We all want to think that we’re basically good people. And the world tells us that we should think this way.

    Have some self-respect. Learn to accept yourself. Nurture your self-esteem.

    Actually, self-esteem is the problem.

    We think too highly of ourselves and too lowly of God.

    We want to be God. Really, we want to put ourselves in God’s place as king and thus we fall under condemnation.

    Thus Paul says rightly in Romans 3:10, “There is none righteous, not even one.” In Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

    Romans 3:10, 23: “There is none righteous, not even one… For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

    Consider what that means for you personally today.

    It means that without some radical rescue, the anger of God hangs over you continually for your sin. And at any time, God may suddenly snatch you from this earth and throw you in justice into the fires of hell.

    It’s what you deserve. It’s what I deserve. And it’s what will happen unless God provides a radical rescue.

    The Hope: A Substitutionary Sacrifice

    But there is hope.

    Because what does 1 Corinthians 15:3 say? Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. In the Old Testament, even right after our first parents sin in the garden, God already began showing man that there was a way.

    There is a way in which God will save, can save even imperfect, hellbound sinners. And God revealed this by the picture of animal sacrifice, especially as he established it as an official rule in Israel.

    God ordained that these ancient Israelites symbolically transfer their sins to an innocent animal like a lamb. And this animal was then killed, burned, and offered up to God as a sacrifice.

    Now truly there is no saving power in the death or the blood of an animal. But God ordained this picture because of what it foretold that someone was coming who would accomplish in a real way what the animals only pictured.

    Salvation by the substitutionary death of a righteous one.

    “Someone was coming who would accomplish in a real way what the animals only pictured—salvation by the substitutionary death of a righteous one.”

    Psalm 22, written around 1000 BC by King David, gives more specific details about what this coming one would suffer. This coming one would be utterly forsaken by God. He would be mocked by men. Men would pierce his hands and feet and they would divide his garments by lot.

    And then later, the prophet Isaiah, writing around 700 BC, clarifies even more about how this coming one would take on his people’s sins. Isaiah 53:5: “But he was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon him, and by his scourging, we are healed.”

    How could these things be? How could a human come to suffer and save his fellow humans from sin? Aren’t all humans corrupt?

    Well, the answer is that this special coming one, this man is not just a man. He is also God.

    The Son of God Became Man

    Behold, as the gospel writers wrote, the Son of God himself came into the world around 4 BC as a human baby.

    Jesus was born by the Holy Spirit through the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem.

    Colossians 2:9 says of Jesus, “For in him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form.”

    No one ever expected that God himself would come as savior. God himself would become a man, grow up as a man, live as a man.

    Yet, this is what God did. This is what Jesus did. He in his coming perfectly fulfilled God’s righteous standard in the way that you and I ought to do, but don’t.

    “No one ever expected that God himself would come as savior—God himself would become a man.”

    Jesus did love the Lord with all his heart and he did love his neighbor as himself 100% all the time. Jesus never refrained from doing, saying, or thinking what is right.

    Though tempted, Jesus never sinned either internally or externally in his actions or words.

    The True Agony of the Cross

    But Jesus not only lived a perfectly righteous life, he also allowed himself to be betrayed to suffer an excruciating and humiliating death on the cross, which is a special Roman torture device.

    Whenever we think of Jesus on the cross, we must understand that the real agony for Jesus on that cross was not the physical agony, not the nails, not the mocking of the onlookers, not the exhaustion of trying to hold yourself up to breathe.

    Rather, the true agony of the cross was what the Bible describes in a mysterious way. On the cross Jesus was bearing all the sins of all those who believe in him and he was suffering the penalty for it.

    He was suffering the holy anger of God against those sins once and for all.

    And as we said, the penalty for sins is ultimately hell. That’s what Jesus experienced on the cross for his people so that his followers would never have to experience not even a taste.

    “On the cross Jesus was bearing all the sins of all those who believe in him and suffering the penalty so his followers would never have to.”

    As John 1:29 says, Jesus became the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

    Justification: The Great Exchange

    He not only pays the full price of sin—the penalty, the debt that you and I owe—but he also gives his people his own righteousness. He doesn’t just cancel out the debt, but he puts infinite money in your account spiritually speaking.

    As 2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “God made him who knows no sin, that’s Jesus, to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.”

    Theologians call what Jesus provided his people justification.

    His death allowed us, those who believe, to be counted as acceptable, righteous, justified before God, and thereby wholly reconciled to God forever. Notice, counted righteous—not that he enabled you to do some good work so that you could actually be righteous. No, you are accounted righteous if you believe in Jesus. His record is put on your behalf and your record is given to him.

    “His death allowed those who believe to be counted as acceptable, righteous, justified before God, and wholly reconciled to God forever.”

    Why Did Jesus Do This? Love.

    But why did Jesus do this?

    We were rebels the whole time. We were sinners. We rebelled against him and God.

    Why did Jesus do this for us when we clearly didn’t deserve it?

    Romans 5:8. But God demonstrates his own love toward us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

    It was love. It was undeserved love from God that sent Jesus to die for us.

    Romans 5:8: “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

    All of this is packed behind that one sentence that we read in 1 Corinthians 15:3.

    Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.

    If you are really a Christian, if you hold to the true gospel as given by the apostles, then this is what you must believe. You must believe that Christ died for your sins.

    You deserve to die. You deserved hell, but he took your place and he gave you his life and his righteous record instead.

    Core Truth #2: Christ Was Buried

    Now, that is amazingly good news. But it doesn’t stop there. The next core gospel truth is closely tied to it. And that’s what we see in number two of the sermon outline: Christ was buried. Christ was buried. Look at the first part of verse four in 1 Corinthians 15.

    And that he was buried.

    You might ask, well, why is this phrase included in Paul’s gospel summary? Isn’t it kind of obvious? Doesn’t it go without saying that if you die, you get buried?

    Well, in some ways it’s implied, but I believe Paul includes this description separately for two reasons. One, because it actually happened. Jesus really did die and was buried in a tomb near the cross.

    And two, to emphasize that Jesus really did die. Jesus was buried for three portions of a day because he actually died.

    “Jesus was buried for three portions of a day because he actually died.”

    Evidence That Jesus Really Died

    Say, why is that important? Again, because since Jesus’ death and resurrection, there have been those asserting wild theories to explain why Jesus’ body was not later found in the tomb without Jesus rising from the dead. One stack of theories asserts that Jesus never really died. He just fainted on the cross from all that blood loss and pain, or he merely pretended to die.

    Later, being safely stowed away in the tomb, Jesus woke up and escaped. It’s why they never found him.

    This idea is immensely silly because it fails to explain how a terribly weakened Jesus could have opened up the tomb from the inside and escaped without alerting the guards that were posted at the entrance.

    Oh, and then there’s the fact that all the gospel writers plainly state that Jesus died on the cross. They write, “He gave up his spirit. He breathed his last. He died.” John even adds that one soldier pierced Jesus’ side just to make sure that Jesus was dead.

    I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about that description. Piercing Jesus’ side doesn’t mean like he poked his spear into his waist. Rather, the soldier thrust his spear under Jesus’ rib cage and into Jesus’ heart. If Jesus wasn’t dead before, he would be dead then.

    Even non-Christians in the first and second centuries AD plainly state that Jesus died. The writers of the Jewish Talmud who didn’t like Jesus, Josephus the Jewish Roman historian, and Tacitus the Roman historian all say this man Jesus died.

    And as we’ve already covered, the fact is that Jesus’ death was foretold as necessary by the scriptures. And then it really did happen. He died bodily and was buried in a tomb provided by a certain rich man, Joseph of Arimathea, thus fulfilling another prophecy from the Old Testament: Isaiah 53:9.

    “Even non-Christians in the first and second centuries plainly state that Jesus died.”

    His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet he was with a rich man in his death.

    Core Truth #3: Christ Has Been Raised

    Only God could fulfill all these prophecies. So these are two core gospel truths: Jesus died for our sins and Jesus was buried. The third core gospel truth that you must believe appears at the end of verse four. That is number three: Christ has been raised.

    Christ has been raised. Look now at the end of verse four.

    And that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.

    1 Corinthians 15:4: “He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.”

    There’s that phrase “according to the scriptures” again. Why is it there?

    Same reason as before. There’s something about this three days later resurrection of Jesus that not only was foretold by previous scripture, but you also can’t understand its full significance without the previous scripture.

    The First Gospel Promise: Genesis 3:15

    You say, “Was Jesus’ resurrection foretold in the Old Testament?” Oh yes indeed. And the first and most directly informative scripture actually goes back to Genesis again because we not only hear about the creation in Genesis but also the fall of mankind into sin and how that happened. The serpent Satan deceived the first woman and she led her husband into sin. God then pronounced a curse on the serpent, on Satan. And in Genesis 3:15, listen to what God says.

    Genesis 3:15, speaking to the serpent, Satan:

    And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.

    Theologians sometimes call this verse the proto evangelium, the first gospel, because in it God declares to Satan that Satan did not win. Satan has not won. He has not totally doomed the whole human race at the fall.

    What God promises is that not only will a holy line of descent of those who believe in God persist and continue to fight spiritual war with Satan and his brood. There’s going to be a holy line of descent that doesn’t follow Satan.

    But also, one from this line of believers, this holy seed, will eventually come and vanquish the serpent himself, will defeat Satan. Genesis 3:15 says this serpent would wound this coming one on the heel, which is a painful but not a mortal blow. At the same time, the serpent will be crushed in his head, which is a death-bringing strike.

    Now, who is this ultimate seed foretold in Genesis 3:15? It is Jesus. He vanquishes death, sin, and all the designs of Satan.

    Satan did his worst to Jesus. He tempted Jesus. He moved Judas to betray Jesus. He got Jesus crucified. But all this represented a mere bruising of the heel of that coming special seed because Jesus would return to life.

    Indeed, without the resurrection, Genesis 3:15 makes no sense. The serpent would have seemed to have struck a mortal blow to the ultimate seed. Therefore, it is a matter of honor and victory for God that the holy seed of the woman be resurrected and prove that Satan is defeated.

    It is a matter of honor and victory for God that the holy seed of the woman be resurrected and prove that Satan is defeated.

    That was foretold in the beginning. This was foretold near the beginning of the world, probably around 4000 BC, later supernaturally recorded for us by Moses around 1450 BC. This is a long before prophecy and it’s already talking about the resurrection, but it’s not just there.

    Psalm 16: God’s Holy One Will Not Decay

    Another place where we see the resurrection foretold is Psalm 16, which is another psalm written by King David around 1000 BC. In this psalm, David declares his love for God and his confidence in God delivering him from all calamities, even the calamity of death. Listen to what David says in Psalm 16:10-11.

    For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will you allow your holy one to undergo decay.

    You will make known to me the path of life.

    In those verses, David clearly articulates his confident hope in life with God after death.

    But specifically, David anticipates that God will not even allow God’s holy one to undergo decay or be abandoned to Sheol. What is Sheol? That’s the Hebrew word for the grave, the realm of the dead. God won’t even allow your holy one to decay and stay in the realm of the dead.

    That’s an interesting thing for David to say because, as the apostles themselves point out in the New Testament, David himself definitely did go into the grave and his body did undergo decay.

    So if these words in Psalm 16 are true and not a lie, then they must be true of someone else. They must be true of David’s seed, a descendant of David, a royal descendant of David who would in fact be rescued by God from the grave.

    So this one did not even undergo decay.

    Now the Hebrews, the Jews, they thought of decay as setting in at about the third day after somebody died.

    So by the third day, God would need to raise a future greater David from the dead. Psalm 16 demands it.

    “By the third day, God would need to raise a future greater David from the dead. Psalm 16 demands it.”

    And what do we see? That is exactly what happened.

    Christ rose the third day. He who is the greater David, the coming seed of David, the Messiah, King of Israel.

    Again, Christ’s resurrection is a matter of God’s faithfulness. Will he fulfill his word or not?

    Hundreds of years before this, the word of resurrection was foretold and it was vindicated. It now vindicates all those who profess the same hope as David in Psalm 16.

    God will ultimately bring us to life and not leave us in the grave because he didn’t leave Christ in the grave, just as he foretold.

    Isaiah 53: The Messiah’s Vindication

    But listen to one more passage. One more Old Testament passage foretelling Christ’s resurrection from Isaiah 53, written around 700 BC.

    As I already told you, Isaiah prophesied about Jesus’s sacrificial death, but also prophesies about Jesus’s vindication in returning to life. Isaiah 53:10 and 12. I’m going to take portions of those verses: 10B, the second half of verse 10, and 12A, the first part of verse 12.

    Isaiah says, “If he would render himself as a guilt offering, he will see his offspring. He will prolong his days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

    Therefore, I will allot him a portion with the great, and he will divide the booty with the strong, because he poured out himself to death and was numbered with the transgressors.

    Now, did you hear that? Through Isaiah, God makes a promise to the suffering Messiah to come to Christ.

    The promise is that if Christ will indeed give himself up in death as an offering for his people’s sins, then God will prolong the Messiah’s days. God will let him see his saved spiritual offspring and give the Messiah a glorious portion of treasure and blessing.

    Now, how are those guarantees possible unless the Messiah returns to life? You can’t prolong your days if you’re dead. You have to come back to life.

    And how can anyone see the acceptance of the Messiah’s sacrifice for sin without the Messiah being raised from the dead? I mean, can you imagine? Jesus proclaims it is finished on the cross. He dies and then that’s it.

    We would never know if it worked or not. Are we really saved? Are we really covered?

    But when he comes back from the dead, now we know. Now we know that Isaiah 53 is fulfilled. Indeed, he rendered himself as a guilt offering and God accepted it, for he prolongs his days.

    “When he comes back from the dead, now we know that Isaiah 53 is fulfilled—God accepted it, for he prolongs his days.”

    To say it one more time, in the resurrection, God’s faithfulness and honor are at stake because God foretold it. And our confidence in Christ’s offering being accepted demands it.

    And what do we see? It did happen. Christ’s resurrection was foretold, and it did happen for God’s glory and for our good.

    And we know it did happen, not just because it was foretold, but because all the writers of the New Testament keep telling us it happened.

    The Ongoing Effect of Christ’s Resurrection

    Paul is one of them right here in this passage. Paul, like the other writers of the New Testament, testifies that Christ was indeed raised. Three days later, on the first day of the week, on the original Easter Sunday or resurrection Sunday, Christ rose from the dead.

    Actually, the way that Paul expresses that truth in 1 Corinthians 15:4 is special.

    If you’re using the translation that I am, the New American Standard 95, the translation is “and that he was raised. He was raised on the third day.”

    But a more literal translation of the original Greek uses the perfect tense and not the past tense. Not “he was raised,” but “he has been raised.”

    What’s the difference? Well, both of these choices of verb refer to an action that takes place in the past. But the perfect tense, “he has been raised,” emphasizes that the past action continues into the present or has an ongoing effect in the present.

    Does Christ being raised bodily from the dead have an ongoing effect in the present? Absolutely.

    As the Old Testament scriptures foretold, Christ’s resurrection means lasting victory for believers over sin, death, and Satan. It means full confidence for believers in facing their own deaths by his new life. And it means that believers become forever saved and justified by Jesus before God.

    Paul says explicitly in Romans 4:25: “He was delivered over because of our transgressions and was raised because of our justification.”

    So Christ being raised—not merely raising himself, but Christ being raised by the Father—it proves that those who trust in Jesus alone for salvation are forever justified. They are counted righteous before God.

    Romans 4:25: “He was delivered over because of our transgressions and was raised because of our justification.”

    And that includes you if you believe in Jesus today.

    This is more good news. This is astoundingly good news. We who were sinners doomed to perish forever find in Jesus’ death and resurrection full payment for sins and full justification resulting in eternal life.

    This is the true gospel. This is the only gospel that saves. This is the gospel that you must receive, hold on to, and pass on to others.

    Christ has been raised.

    Do you believe this?

    Core Truth #4: Christ Appeared to His Disciples

    There’s one more core gospel truth and it’s closely connected to the third that we just looked at. We’ve seen that Christ died for our sins. We’ve seen that Christ was buried. We’ve seen that Christ has been raised. Now, finally, number four, Christ appeared to his disciples. Christ appeared to his disciples.

    Look at verse 5 of 1 Corinthians 15.

    And that he appeared to Cephas, then to the 12.

    The name Cephas here is just the Aramaic version of the Greek name Petros, Peter. It’s just a name that means stone. The 12 here is a reference to the specially chosen group of disciples that Jesus taught and traveled with during his three and a half year teaching ministry. They’re usually called the apostles.

    Paul therefore is saying here in verse 5 that immediately after Jesus’ resurrection, Christ appeared bodily to his closest disciples who then became the chief messengers of Jesus’ gospel to the world.

    And this is important because what good would Christ’s vindicating resurrection provide if Jesus’ followers never knew about it? If they could do nothing to verify it.

    But Jesus did not merely rise from the dead secretly. He presented himself alive to his disciples so that they might serve as eyewitnesses and declare his accepted sacrifice and resurrection to others.

    “Jesus did not merely rise from the dead secretly. He presented himself alive so that his disciples might serve as eyewitnesses.”

    Eyewitness Testimony and Historical Fact

    And the 12 weren’t the only eyewitnesses. You read on in our passage, go to verses 6 to 9. Paul mentions that Christ appeared to many others, even 500 disciples at one time.

    Paul says many of these witnesses were still alive at the time that Paul sent this letter to the Corinthians. He says, “You want? You can even go talk to these people because it really happened and they really testified of it.” This is a historical fact.

    Again, this is important because as with Jesus’ death, many people have tried to come up with non-supernatural explanations for Jesus’ resurrection. Oh, he didn’t really rise from the dead. It was just a mass hallucination of all his disciples. It was a mere symbolic resurrection. Yeah, he didn’t actually die or didn’t actually rise, but in a way he did.

    Or it was just some later tradition propagated by overzealous disciples.

    No, that’s the opposite of what this text says and what the New Testament says. Really, based on what we’ve seen today and what Paul says later in this chapter, if Jesus didn’t really rise from the dead, then Christian faith is totally empty and all obedience to Jesus is totally wasted.

    No, the resurrection of Jesus did happen. This was a truth so confidently held by Jesus’ original apostles that they were willing to suffer and die for Jesus and his gospel.

    That’s what they all did.

    They’re not stupid guys who would die for what they knew was a lie. As one Christian artist wrote, “No, they died for the gospel of Jesus because they knew it was the truth.” That Christ died for sinners and rose again for their justification is the best news ever. It is truly the gospel.

    “They died for the gospel of Jesus because they knew it was the truth.”

    The Call to Repent and Believe

    But do you believe it?

    This is a day for endless rejoicing, really. But only if you believe this gospel. Only if your sins are covered by the only savior because you’ve become attached to him in faith. You’ve taken him as your Lord and Savior.

    You now follow him as a disciple. Is that true of you? Do you believe in Jesus in such a way that it’s taken hold of your life? Or is it just that thing where it’s like, “Oh yeah, I believe in Jesus,” and then you just go on about your life. That’s not saving faith.

    That’s not going to protect you from the bad ending.

    Do you truly believe? Do you believe to the point that you repent?

    What does repent mean? The idea of repentance is turning. Are you turning from your sin? Are you turning from self-lordship—I’m the one in charge of my life? Nope. I’m giving that over to Jesus. Are you turning from self-righteous attempts to get yourself saved? “Oh, yeah, I haven’t been very good lately, but I’m going to work harder. I’m going to redouble my efforts and God will accept me.” No, you’ve got to turn from that. You’ll never be good enough for God.

    Turn from your sin. Turn from your self-rule. Turn from your self-righteous efforts to save yourself and turn to Jesus as Lord and Savior.

    And what does the Bible promise? What does Jesus himself promise? You will be saved. More than that, at the moment of faith, you have his eternal life. You have crossed over from the domain of death to the kingdom of life.

    “At the moment of faith, you have crossed over from the domain of death to the kingdom of life.”

    When you simply believe, salvation is free, but it will cost you everything. You have to deny yourself. You have to let go of everything so that you can have him. Have you done that?

    It is showing up in the way that you live.

    Paul discusses later in this chapter that for all those who repent and believe in Jesus, their end will be like his. He walked the road of suffering but was resurrected and glorified in the end. So it will be for all who trust in Jesus, including you today.

    Don’t Wait Any Longer

    If you have not yet repented and believed, don’t wait any longer. Don’t tell yourself, or rather let Satan tell you, “I’ve got time. I’m going to go enjoy things a little bit more and then I’ll come back to God.” There are many people in hell right now who said that to themselves.

    You don’t know how much time you have.

    Rather, heed what the scriptures say. Now is the day of salvation.

    2 Corinthians 6:2: “Now is the day of salvation.”

    The stakes are too high. Don’t risk waking up too late to the most terrible ending.

    Hell is a real place. There are souls there right now who wished they had had a little bit more time and they had gotten right with God when they could.

    Don’t let that be true of you, not when the invitation is clearly presented to you today and salvation is made free if you will take it.

    If you’d like to know more about this gospel and how you can appropriate it, please come talk with me afterwards or talk with one of the elders.

    Closing Prayer

    Allow me to close in prayer.

    Lord, this is a day of such good news. Everything else that goes on in this life does not matter as much as what we just talked about right now.

    Lord, we are sinners and there is no way to be made right with you apart from this gospel, apart from Jesus’s work on behalf of sinners. Oh Lord, I pray that everybody in this room, everybody who’s listening to this message would repent and believe and they would know your eternal life. They would receive your Holy Spirit and they would walk after you in obedience and joy. Lord, would you be pleased to do that?

    Holy Spirit, speak this word to the hearts of those who have heard it. Convict, encourage, instruct in ways that go beyond what I can do. Would you do that, Lord?

    And for those of us who believe, let us rejoice and walk after you in greater obedience today and every day.

  • The Gentle Triumph

    The Gentle Triumph

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    Summary

    The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem reveals a king who comes not with military pomp but with gentleness, humility, and peace. Through the lens of Matthew 21:1-11 and supporting passages, we are shown that Jesus sovereignly orchestrated his entry to fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy of a humble king arriving on a donkey—an animal of peace, not war. The crowd’s enthusiastic response, while genuine in its acclamations from Psalm 118, masked a shallow understanding of who Jesus truly was and what he came to do.

    Rather than the conquering political deliverer they hoped for, Jesus came to address the far more urgent problem of sin and God’s wrath.

    Key Lessons:

    1. Jesus’ choice to ride a donkey’s colt was a deliberate prophetic fulfillment demonstrating he is the promised Messiah—a king who comes in peace rather than military conquest.
    2. The crowd’s enthusiastic praise, while appropriate, was ultimately shallow—many wanted the crown without the cross and a Messiah who would serve their agenda rather than the other way around.
    3. Jesus wept over Jerusalem because he knew his humble terms of peace would be rejected, revealing both divine omniscience and genuine compassion for the lost.
    4. The gospel transaction on the cross is the ultimate purpose behind the gentle entry—Jesus took the full punishment for every sin of those who believe and credits his perfect righteousness to them.

    Application: We are called to examine whether we truly recognize Jesus as Lord and King or merely see him as a good teacher or someone who serves our personal agenda. True faith means laying down our self-lordship, repenting of rebellion, and following Jesus with wholehearted obedience—not just praising him with our lips but with transformed lives.

    Discussion Questions:

    1. In what ways might we, like the original Palm Sunday crowd, be enthusiastic about Jesus while still misunderstanding or resisting what he actually demands of us?
    2. Why is it significant that Jesus chose to enter Jerusalem on a young donkey rather than a war horse, and how does this shape our understanding of what kind of Savior he is?
    3. Jesus wept over Jerusalem’s coming judgment even during a moment of celebration. How should the reality of God’s judgment motivate us in sharing the gospel with those around us?

    Scripture Focus: Matthew 21:1-11 (the triumphal entry), Zechariah 9:9 (prophecy of the humble king), Psalm 118:25-26 (Hosanna and messianic acclamation), Luke 19:41-44 (Jesus weeping over Jerusalem), Matthew 11:28-29 (Jesus’ gentleness).

    Outline

    Introduction

    Let’s pray together.

    Great God, you reign.

    And Lord, these things that we get to sing about you and about your son, they are so beautiful, precious, and joy-giving.

    Teach us more about Jesus Christ and his great salvation this morning and cause us to worship you sincerely and more deeply this Easter season in Jesus’ name.

    Amen.

    Yes, it is Easter season. I don’t know if it caught you by surprise. I didn’t realize we were already on Palm Sunday until halfway through the week this last week.

    To help you and to help myself get into that special meditation, that special time of worship and remembering Christ’s death and resurrection, we are going to break from our normal series in the Gospel of John and do a special sermon this week and next week just focusing on the passion of our Lord.

    At Christmas time we remember the incarnation and birth of our Lord and at Easter time we remember his suffering, death and resurrection.

    Now today is the first day of the traditional Holy Week, Palm Sunday. It’s also the day in which we commemorate what is called the triumphal entry.

    But triumphal entry can be a misleading title for the day of Jesus’ final arrival into Jerusalem.

    The Roman Triumph

    According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, the main definition of a triumph is a victory or conquest as if by military force.

    That meaning comes from how it was originally designed by the Romans.

    The word triumph originally referred to a special Roman ceremony. One of the greatest displays of spectacle and power in the ancient world, a triumph was a kind of sacred victory parade. A conquering Roman general would enter Rome, the empire’s capital city, and then process through the streets until he reached the city’s greatest temple. There, the general would offer sacrifice to the gods and then kick off days of celebratory festival.

    Though the ceremony was technically a religious procession, the real focus was the general himself, who was usually the emperor. Many aspects of the triumph emphasized the glory of this conquering leader. On his head was a crown of laurel leaves symbolizing victory. On his body was a gold and purple toga, testifying that his greatness was at the level of royalty and even deity.

    He rode in a splendid chariot manned by a slave and drawn by four horses.

    Before him was a parade of all the captured leaders and prisoners of war along with the many valuable treasures taken from the enemy as spoils.

    Behind him were the general’s many soldiers, not in their battle dress but in toga and in laurel crowns, all shouting hurrah for the triumph.

    The entire parade would be accompanied by music, clouds of incense, and the constant strewing of flowers.

    “The entire parade would be accompanied by music, clouds of incense, and the constant strewing of flowers.”

    Add to this the shouts and songs of an adoring crowd who would likely never have seen such a majestic display in their whole lives, and you have an event of truly epic proportions.

    Because triumphs were considered so glorious, they were seldom awarded. They were meant to commemorate only the most magnificent of military achievements.

    Therefore, for many Romans, particularly the nobles, to process in triumph and march in this kind of victory parade was the greatest honor imaginable.

    Even after the Roman Empire fell, many European monarchs adopted aspects of the Roman triumph in their own royal processions. Some of those traditions and aspects remain to the present day in the monarchies that still exist in the world.

    A Different Kind of King

    Now, if there’s anyone who deserved the honor and acclaim of a triumph, it was Jesus.

    Jesus not only is the true king of Israel, the true king of all the world, but he is actual deity. The Romans may have pretended to reach for that, but Jesus actually is the mighty Lord of the universe.

    You might think therefore that when Jesus finally publicly asserted his messiahship, his Davidic kingship to the people of Israel, it would be by some kind of royal mega triumph. He’s the greatest king ever. He should have the greatest triumph ever, the most splendid display, something more awesome than Rome could ever produce.

    But as with his birth, the Lord in his royal entry did something quite different and on closer examination much more glorious.

    He did not come with pomp but with humility, not with military might but with gentleness. He appeared not as the one who had conquered but as the one who would conquer by his death and resurrection.

    “He did not come with pomp but with humility, not with military might but with gentleness.”

    His delivered spoil was not mere silver or gold but eternal life for all who believe in him.

    This morning I want to look afresh with you at the account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem so that you and I might be moved to new wonder, deeper wonder for our glorious Savior and King this season. I’m calling today’s message “The Gentle Triumph.”

    All four gospels record Jesus’ final entry into Jerusalem. I’ll mention certain details from each of those accounts as we go along today, but we’re going to focus on Matthew’s account. So if you would take your Bibles and turn to Matthew 21:1-11.

    If you’re using the Bibles that we provided, you can find it on page 981.

    Setting the Scene

    Before we read our passage, let’s orient ourselves a bit to where we are in the history of Jesus’s life. We’re backing up slightly from where we’ve been in our study of the Gospel of John.

    It’s early April about 2,000 years ago.

    Jesus is nearing the end of his three and a half year public ministry. The Passover feast is approaching.

    Jesus has just made the journey down from Galilee to near Jerusalem along with his disciples and many other followers from Galilee and cities along the way. There’s a growing sense of expectation in the crowd that is with Jesus that Jesus will soon establish the long-awaited messianic kingdom for Israel.

    Yet Jesus has already told his disciples plainly what will happen at this Passover feast in Jerusalem. Jesus will be seized. He will be mistreated and then handed over to the Gentiles, and they on behalf of the Jews will kill him. But three days later, he will rise again.

    “Jesus will be seized, mistreated, handed over to the Gentiles, and they will kill him. But three days later, he will rise again.”

    Jesus is not yet in Jerusalem. He’s now staying in Bethany, a town on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, which is just west of Jerusalem.

    So this town Bethany is on the eastern slope, and he’s at the house of his dear friends Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. We’ve met them in the Gospel of John. Only two months earlier, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. And just a day or two earlier, Mary had anointed the feet of Jesus with that costly nard perfume.

    It’s now Sunday of the Passover week.

    Jesus is getting ready to enter Jerusalem along with a massive crowd that is accompanying him. That brings us to the beginning of our text in Matthew 21. Let’s read the 11 verses.

    Reading of the Text

    When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them.’ And immediately he will send them.”

    This took place to fulfill what was spoken to the prophet. Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your king is coming to you, gentle and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.” The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them. And he sat on the coats.

    Most of the crowds spread their coats in the road. And others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. The crowds going ahead of him and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”

    When he had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

    Matthew 21:9: “Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

    In this passage, we see Jesus enter Jerusalem for the last time. Though most of the reported action of our passage actually takes place before he enters Jerusalem, it’s right before. It is truly a glorious entrance, but not in the way that many people might have expected.

    And this really is Jesus’ point and the Apostle Matthew’s point in writing down these events for us. Jesus’ gentle entry into Jerusalem proves him to be God’s Messiah in whom you must believe. That is the main message today.

    “Jesus’ gentle entry into Jerusalem proves him to be God’s Messiah in whom you must believe.”

    The King Sovereignly Prepares

    And this great event unfolds in two parts, which are the two points of my sermon. Part one comprises verses 1 to 7.

    In verses 1 to 7, we see number one: the king sovereignly prepares. Look at the beginning of verse 1 again. When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage at the mount of olives, stop there for a second.

    Here Matthew reports Jesus approaching from Bethany, where Jesus was staying, to the village of Bethphage. Now Bethphage must have been a small and insignificant town because outside of the gospel accounts of Jesus’s triumphal entry, it’s not mentioned. Bethphage, like Bethany, was on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives but slightly closer to Jerusalem than Bethany was.

    So Jesus would have to pass through Bethphage from Bethany to get to Jerusalem. He would pass through Bethphage, crest the Mount of Olives, cross the Kidron Valley, and then proceed west into Jerusalem.

    But Jesus intends to do so in a particular way. And that way involves some preparatory work by his disciples.

    Look at the end of verse 1 going to the end of verse 3.

    Then Jesus sent two disciples saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them.’ And immediately he will send them.”

    The Disciples’ Strange Errand

    Now, notice how specific yet mysterious these directions from Jesus are.

    Jesus sends two disciples. We don’t know which ones. Possibly Peter and John because Luke tells us they’re later selected to prepare the upper room, but Jesus picks two disciples and tells them to go into the village opposite them, namely Bethphage.

    Immediately, Jesus says they will find something. What will they find? A female donkey tied up with her young colt. They’re going to be in a public space. Jesus says, “When you come upon these animals, untie them and bring them to me.”

    Now, imagine being in the disciples’ shoes and hearing these directions. I’m sorry, what? You want us to just show up into town and take two donkeys?

    Jesus’s next direction might not seem super reassuring. Jesus then adds, “If anyone says anything to you when you do this, just tell them the Lord has need of them.” Now, could you imagine going somewhere here in New Jersey and just going up to somebody’s bike or car and just start taking it? When the owner confronts you saying, “What are you doing with my vehicle?” you just say, “The Lord has need of it.”

    But Jesus tells his disciples, “When you do all this, the owner will send the animals with you right away.” Despite the mystery and probably discomfort that the disciples feel at these directions, the disciples know by now that they can trust Jesus because everything always turns out the way that he says.

    “The disciples know by now that they can trust Jesus because everything always turns out the way he says.”

    And as we’ll see in a moment, verses six and seven, that’s the case here. All happens exactly as Jesus says it will.

    But how? What’s really going on here?

    Divine Authority on Display

    Well, the basic answer is that Jesus is demonstrating some of his kingly knowhow and divine omniscience. He knows exactly where the animals are that he needs and he knows how to obtain them.

    Now, it’s possible that the owner of these two particular animals is an otherwise unknown follower of Jesus. This isn’t some random guy. This is somebody Jesus already knows. That could mean, therefore, that this man would be eager at any word from Jesus’ disciples that Jesus needed to borrow some animals to send the animals along.

    Perhaps Jesus even made some prior arrangements with this friend to do just this. “Hey, when I come back to Jerusalem next time, I’m going to need some animals. Can you help me out when I send my disciples to go get them?” That’s possible. None of that’s stated in the text. But it’s also possible, even probable, that this is really just Jesus’ divine authority at work.

    Because consider again the words that disciples are to report to this animal owner or whoever’s asking questions: “The Lord has need of them.”

    It’s true that people sometimes refer to Jesus as Lord in the Gospels when addressing him. That title isn’t necessarily a confession of belief in him, but it’s just a title of respect akin to “sir.”

    While that’s true, it’s worth noting that “Lord” with the article in front in the original Greek, “ho curios,” “the Lord,” is only used in the Gospel of Matthew to refer to God, even Yahweh, a translation of the name Yahweh from the Old Testament.

    Therefore, the statement Jesus gives his disciples to say on his behalf regarding the animals would probably not have clearly communicated that it was Jesus in particular who needed the animals. The disciples only would have been communicating that God needed the animals.

    And you say, “Well, that’s okay because Jesus is God. Jesus is Yahweh God.” Yes, that’s true. But if a stranger told you that God needed your valuable property, would you just send it along?

    Now, some have suggested that the phrase that Jesus tells his disciples to say, even though it doesn’t refer to Jesus specifically, is kind of like a code or a password. “Hey friend, if I ever secretly need your help, I’ll send somebody to tell you the Lord has need of it.”

    Did Jesus make an arrangement like this? Again, possible. But again, it’s more likely this is just simply Jesus’ royal power on display. If the heart of kings are in the hands of God, how much more the hearts of a donkey owner?

    And if Jesus merely saying, “I am,” in John 18:8, can cause a crowd of soldiers to draw back and fall to the ground, then could not the words, “The Lord has need of them,” spoken on Jesus’ behalf by his disciples, supernaturally move a heart, even for a person to loan two donkeys immediately without asking any more questions?

    “If the heart of kings are in the hands of God, how much more the hearts of a donkey owner?”

    That’s probably the case here. It’s just a miracle. It’s just divine authority on display. But however exactly it all happened, Jesus certainly displays his messianic authority with these donkey directives. He is the king.

    But why does Jesus need animals in the first place? I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed, but according to what we see about Jesus in the Gospels, and again, it’s not exhaustive, but everything that’s reported to us about Jesus leads us to believe that he’s never before ridden an animal anywhere. He’s always walked. Never mentions him taking an animal anywhere else. But now he wants an animal and not just one but two.

    Why?

    The Prophecy Fulfilled

    Well, there’s a very important reason which is clarified for us by Matthew in verses 4 and 5. Let’s look at those verses.

    “This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet. Say to the daughter of Zion, behold your king is coming to you gentle and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”

    All right, that’s pretty clear, isn’t it? Do you see the purpose of this donkey and donkey colt?

    It is on the one hand to fulfill prophecy, to further confirm Jesus’ identity as Messiah, Israel’s king. But it is on the other hand to communicate something glorious about this promised king.

    “The donkey is to fulfill prophecy and to communicate something glorious about this promised king.”

    Matthew doesn’t specifically identify for us which prophet has the words that are fulfilled by Jesus here in verse 5. Actually, the beginning phrase that Matthew cites for us is from Isaiah 62:11.

    But the bulk of the reported prophecy comes from a different prophet, and that is Zechariah. Zechariah wrote down this prophecy 450 years before Jesus fulfilled it.

    In Zechariah 9, amid various prophecies about how God will one day, once and for all, deliver Israel from its enemies, dwell with his people, and bring about for them astounding peace and prosperity, God declares this in Zechariah 9:9.

    “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout and triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you. He is just and endowed with salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

    Now, just hearing that and comparing it to our text, you may notice that Matthew doesn’t quote the entire verse. He leaves out the parts having to do with rejoicing or about the king coming as the righteous one endowed with salvation, not because they’re not true, but because he wants to focus our attention on a certain other aspect of the prophecy—that’s all about the animal and what that animal’s coming means.

    Let’s consider the words of the prophecy as Matthew writes them in Matthew 21:4 and 5.

    The Gentleness of the King

    He begins by saying to the daughter of Zion—that is, declaring a message to the people of Jerusalem and by extension Israel—”Behold, that is, look, see for yourself: your king is coming to you.” This is an amazing thing. Behold, your king is coming to you. Look, he’s finally arriving.

    And how does he come? Gently. Matthew says the word for gentle here could also be translated humble, considerate, or meek. It pertains to someone who is apparently not overly impressed with a sense of his own importance.

    Is the king of Israel, even the mighty son of God, coming this way to his people?

    By the way, the same word for gentle appears in another well-known verse from Matthew: Matthew 11:28-29.

    Jesus says, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

    Why is Israel’s king coming so gently?

    Matthew 11:28-29: “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. For I am gentle and humble in heart.”

    Why isn’t he coming in the overwhelming splendor and military might that would be appropriate for his position?

    Because this king knows that there are many among his people who are weary and afflicted with sin. They don’t need a conquering general who will frighten them into submission by his power. They need a loving Lord who will speak peace to them, deal gently with them, and save them.

    In Zechariah 9:9, in the original passage, the word for humble describing the king can also be translated poor or afflicted. “Behold, your king is coming to you poor. Afflicted.” Believe it or not, that is appropriate.

    Often only those who are afflicted themselves have the necessary humility and compassion to deal with those who are afflicted. And God declares through Zechariah, “Behold, see it. See it for yourself. Such a one is coming to you as your king.”

    And the gentleness is reflected in the choice of the king’s arrival vehicle.

    The Donkey: An Animal of Peace

    Note again, Matthew says, “Gentle and mounted on a donkey.” You say, “What’s with a donkey?” Need to understand there was no stigma attached to using a donkey as a travel vehicle in the ancient world. Donkeys, though they are mentioned as a beast of burden, are actually a preferred travel animal because of their generally smooth ride.

    Even great men would sometimes ride on donkeys or mules. Mules are just a donkey-horse hybrid. And we see this in the Bible. In Genesis 22, Abraham rides on a donkey to Mount Moriah.

    In 2 Samuel 16, King David rides on a donkey when he flees from Absalom.

    In 2 Samuel 13, the sons of David who are princes in Israel ride on mules.

    In 1 Kings 1, when David has Solomon crowned king, David has Solomon ride on David’s own mule to the coronation site.

    There’s nothing dishonorable about riding a donkey or a mule somewhere.

    But there’s one thing a donkey certainly is not—an animal for war.

    “There’s one thing a donkey certainly is not—an animal for war.”

    In ancient times, you didn’t have donkey corps. No soldiers riding on donkeys in battle. They didn’t ride on donkeys.

    They rode on horses or chariots, sometimes camels.

    For kings then who want to emphasize their might and war-making ability, they would ride on horses and chariots as the later kings of Israel and Judah often did.

    But the donkey is an animal of peace. So if your king is coming to you on a donkey, he comes peacefully. He comes gently. And as if coming on a donkey didn’t emphasize the king’s gentleness enough, Zechariah’s prophecy goes further. As Matthew also notes, it’s not just gentle and mounted on a donkey, but even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.

    So if a donkey is considered unthreatening, how much more so its colt or its foal? Basically a baby donkey.

    Younger versions of animals tend to be less aggressive and more easily frightened. The same is true of a young donkey.

    The other gospels clarify that Jesus specifically sought out a young donkey for his arrival into Jerusalem, even one on which no one had ever sat before.

    It’s that young.

    Not only would this unused animal appropriately set it apart for royal or sacred use by Jesus, but it would also clearly communicate the peaceful and peacebringing nature of the king.

    A King Who Comes in Peace

    So, brethren, are you already seeing the unexpected glory of this kind of entry of your king into Jerusalem?

    He does not come in war or wrath. He comes in peace despite ongoing human rebellion. It’s not like you guys have been so great. I’m just going to lay all this aside. I’m going to come on a donkey.

    No, it’s been rebellion. It’s been resistance. It’s been apathy. It’s been rejection. And yet, he comes humbly. He comes on a donkey.

    In both his birth and in his public royal entry into Jerusalem, we see this approach from God. Gentle.

    “He does not come in war or wrath. He comes in peace despite ongoing human rebellion.”

    The king arrives gently.

    We see then Jesus sovereignly prepares his entry into Jerusalem so that Israel might see this not only that he fulfills prophecy but he’s a king who comes gently because that’s the kind of king that they need.

    Jesus’s display would have been even more poignant considering a certain Jewish tradition likely in place at that time. According to the Talmud, which is the collection of rabbinical commentaries on the law, any pilgrims riding to Jerusalem on animals were supposed to dismount once they were inside the city, which would be normally on the Mount of Olives.

    Come to the top of the Mount of Olives, you see the city, and then you’re supposed to dismount and walk the rest of the way because you want to show honor to the city. Reverence for the city, reverence for the city’s God.

    Notice Jesus’s plan is to do the opposite. He mounts up at the Mount of Olives and then plans to ride into Jerusalem.

    The only way that is not inappropriate and an arrogant affront is if Jesus really is God’s king, even the one in whom you must believe.

    We’ve seen Jesus’s directions. We’ve seen the grand purpose behind the directions. And in verses 6 and 7, we see how all is carried out just as Jesus has prepared.

    Verse 6: “The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them and brought the donkey and the colt and laid their coats on them and he sat on the colt.”

    The disciples placed their own cloaks on the animals in deference to Jesus and to serve as a saddle. Then Jesus sits on the colt and the donkey and colt pair are led toward Jerusalem.

    You say, “Well, why is the mom brought along?” That’s likely because the young colt otherwise wouldn’t remain calm amid such a boisterous crowd. It’s that timid of an animal. You have to bring the mom along so that the colt’s not scared.

    The People Variously Respond

    So this is the first part of the narrative. The king sovereignly prepares. But now let’s look at the second part, verses 8 to 11. We see number two: the people variously respond.

    Number two, the people variously respond.

    Look at verse 8.

    Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road.

    Now, let’s back up and consider who’s making up this crowd. Here we have shortly true followers of Jesus, but also nominal followers and people from Galilee and other parts of Israel and even some people who’ve come out from Jerusalem. Pretty diverse.

    These people have various levels of belief and understanding when it comes to Jesus. But one thing they have in common is they’re all very enthusiastic about him.

    They therefore now begin to display that enthusiasm by happily affirming what Jesus himself is asserting by his mode of entry. And that is this guy is the king. Jesus is the king.

    “One thing they have in common is they’re all very enthusiastic about him.”

    Coats and Palm Branches

    Matthew reports that most in the crowd start laying down their coats as a pathway for Jesus, while others cut down and spread tree branches on the road.

    Matthew doesn’t mention it, but the other gospel writers tell us that these branches are from the date palm, the leafy branches of the date palm that are common to Palestine, which is why we call it Palm Sunday.

    Now, what’s going on with these coats and these palm branches?

    Well, it’s like the people are laying out a red carpet of sorts for the true king, for Israel’s king. We see something similar in the Old Testament.

    When Jehu is proclaimed king of Israel, his soldiers place their cloaks on the stairs on which he walks as their newly anointed king. In this way, they are affirming him as king and expressing honor and submission to him.

    To lay down your coat before him is to say, “He is the true king, and I will serve him.” Here, take my coat. Let it comfort your way even in a small bit because you’re the true king and I will serve you. That’s what the people are saying.

    This is what the whole crowd is now amazingly communicating about Jesus.

    “To lay down your coat before him is to say, ‘He is the true king, and I will serve him.’”

    Hosanna and Psalm 118

    We see further action from the crowd in verse 9. It says the crowds going ahead of him and those who followed were shouting hosanna to the son of David.

    Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

    Notice there’s a slight shift here. The term is not crowd in verse 9, but crowds plural. So now we’re talking about a massive amount of people. Just as in a Roman triumph, there are hordes going before Jesus and there are hordes coming after him.

    And surely there are all sorts of shouts from the crowd, the crowd acclaiming Jesus as the blessed Messiah King. We have some of those reported by Matthew. This explains, by the way, why the cries are a little bit different depending on which gospel you read. The words are not the exact same, but they all essentially give the same report.

    The adoring crowd is shouting words from a certain psalm.

    What psalm? Well, it’s one we read earlier in the service.

    Something you should know about Psalm 118.

    By Jesus’s day, Psalms 113 to 118 had become part of a collection known as the Hallel, a series of six praise songs for God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt.

    This collection of psalms was sung at every one of Israel’s main feasts, including Passover.

    Psalm 118, the last of the Hallel, is a psalm that many think was actually written by Moses himself. The Bible doesn’t mention the exact author. It is perhaps the most interesting of the Hallel psalms because it is clearly messianic.

    It clearly foretells the coming of the Messiah. You may have noticed certain words from that psalm are quoted in the New Testament as pointing to Jesus in other places. In fact, the cry from the crowd, as Matthew records it here in verse 9, includes two quotations from Psalm 118:25-26, which read: “Oh Lord, or ‘Oh Yahweh’ in the original Hebrew, ‘Oh Yahweh, do save, we beseech you. Oh Yahweh, we beseech you, do send prosperity. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of Yahweh.’”

    So the crowds with Jesus’s arrival are not only quoting words of praise song traditionally sung at Passover, but they are applying the words in a way that is appropriate to the original context of Psalm 118 to Jesus’s arrival.

    “Psalm 118 is clearly messianic. It clearly foretells the coming of the Messiah.”

    In other words, they are affirming him as the Messiah, as God’s promised king.

    The Meaning of Hosanna

    You see in Matthew 21:9 the word “Hosanna.”

    Kind of famous, right? Hosanna. We’ve all heard that word before. Hosanna is a word that a khalif was talking about in his Sunday school regarding transliteration. Hosanna is one of those transliterated words of the Bible. You take the word from its original language and throw it into English without trying to translate it into something else. Hosanna is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew phrase “do save” or “save now” from Psalm 118. In Hebrew, it’s “hoshia,” or in Aramaic, “hosa” or “hosana.”

    Hosanna originally was a prayer to God for rescue and salvation—”Do save!”

    But over time, the phrase gained a new meaning. It became used more as a cry of praise, happiness, or acclaim.

    So in this context in Matthew, in Jesus’s entry, there might be a tiny flavor of that original “save now” meaning. But what the crowd is really saying by shouting “Hosanna” is praise, glory, blessed be. Blessed be whom? Well, let’s keep going in verse 9.

    The crowd says first, “Hosanna to the son of David.” That is, “May honor and blessing come upon the savior king of the Davidic line according to God’s special covenant with David told to us in 2 Samuel 7.”

    Next, they say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” That goes back to Psalm 118. This is a phrase that might be used to welcome any pilgrim coming to Jerusalem. Hey, you’re coming in for Passover. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. But what was Psalm 118 talking about? Not just any old person coming to Jerusalem, but the king, the Messiah.

    “Hosanna originally was a prayer to God for rescue and salvation—’Do save!’”

    And if Jesus is coming according to what Zechariah had prophesied on that donkey, and now using this phrase of Psalm 118, the people clearly are proclaiming honor and blessing to Jesus as the special one coming in the name of the Lord, or the name of Yahweh.

    And then finally, “Hosanna in the highest.”

    That is, may highest praise go to the saving God and his saving king. Or may honor, praise, and blessing resound in the highest places.

    These are very jubilant words.

    Are these appropriate for the crowd to say to Jesus?

    Well, they most certainly are.

    Though perhaps many in the crowd don’t realize how true the words are that they are saying, the people nonetheless testify accurately to something that Matthew wants us to understand. Jesus really is the long foretold savior, king of Israel and of the world.

    He really does deserve all these acclamations.

    Even the Stones Would Cry Out

    And if we think somehow that all this honor and praise doesn’t really fit with the king’s gentle entry, Luke adds a noteworthy detail in his gospel.

    When the Pharisees—remember they are religious leaders and enemies of Jesus—hear these kinds of words of acclamation for Jesus as the king of Israel during Jesus’s triumphal entry, the Pharisees angrily demand that Jesus rebuke his disciples. Get these guys to stop saying all these things about you.

    You remember how Jesus replies?

    Luke 19:40: “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out.”

    Luke 19:40: “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out.”

    I love that.

    Despite his humble entry, or even because of it, the true nature of Jesus—the God-man, the Messiah—demands that he be glorified when he presents himself as Israel’s king.

    Even if it is without soldiers or chariots or horses. Even if it is by lowly and not fully informed masses of people. Even if it is by some just bandwagoning enthusiasm, Jesus must be celebrated as the glorious Lord and God because he is.

    If the people won’t do it, the stones will because God’s universe cannot bear up under the true Messiah not being praised in some way on his royal entry day.

    Such a glorious Savior, such a mighty salvation, such a gentle work of peace. It demands worship.

    So amid continual acclaim, riding on the colt, Jesus crests the Mount of Olives and then rides down towards Jerusalem.

    In verse 10, Jesus finally enters the city.

    Jerusalem Shaken

    And we see another kind of response from the people to their king. Verse 10, when he had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” Notice that Matthew says that all the city was stirred.

    This would have been a lot of people. The Passover pilgrims would have greatly enlarged the population of Jerusalem at that time. Hundreds of thousands of travelers would be there.

    Not all of them maybe knew about or had gone out to see Jesus arrive. So when they heard the incredible commotion, the shouting and the singing, they saw the huge crowd coming down the mountain flowing around one apparently mounted man. They naturally asked in alarm and wonder, “Who is this? What’s going on? Who is this that is coming?”

    Now, it’s not necessarily true that they had never heard of Jesus before, but from a distance, they might not genuinely know that it was Jesus himself who was arriving. So they asked, “Who is this?” Yet it is telling that these persons in Jerusalem hadn’t already gone out to meet Jesus.

    Matthew is setting up here a subtle contrast between the people of Jerusalem and the followers from Galilee. The followers of Jesus from Galilee acclaim Jesus.

    But what do the people of Jerusalem do? Those people who are closest to the center of worship and power—the temple is there in Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin was there in Jerusalem.

    Matthew says that these people are stirred. This word stirred could also be translated as stirred up or even better, shaken.

    The Greek verb here is related to the Greek noun seismos, meaning earthquake, and it’s from which we get the word seismic.

    “The Greek verb here is related to ‘seismos’ meaning earthquake. They are shaken by the arrival of King Jesus.”

    They are shaken. They are thrown into commotion with the arrival of King Jesus.

    And the question is why? Why should the gentle arrival of God’s king so alarm someone, even alarm a whole city?

    Could it be that no matter how gently he arrived or how humble his heart, this king represents a threat? A threat to expose sin and false worship. A threat to demand true allegiance or true repentance and whole allegiance. A threat to take away political power and earthly treasures.

    After all, does this line about all Jerusalem being shaken remind you of any other part of Matthew’s gospel? Maybe the beginning of it, Matthew 2:3.

    When the magi proclaimed to Herod that they had come to worship the new king of Israel, Matthew 2:3 says, “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him.”

    Jerusalem, which should have been the most welcoming of Jesus, was the most troubled by him.

    A Prophet from Nazareth?

    Well, the crowds soon supplied the answer to the question asked by many in Jerusalem. It’s the last verse of our passage, verse 11. And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth and Galilee.”

    There’s something bothersome about this reply from the crowds to the people of Jerusalem. The statement’s ambiguity.

    We might expect after the donkey, the acclamations, the arrival that the people would answer the people of Jerusalem by saying, “Who is this? This is our Messiah, the son of David. This is King Jesus.”

    But instead, they say, “This is the prophet Jesus.” Is Jesus a prophet?

    “We might expect the crowd to say, ‘This is our Messiah, the son of David.’ Instead, they say, ‘This is the prophet Jesus.’”

    Yes. But only a prophet.

    Now, some in the crowd might understand that he’s not only a prophet, but the prophet, even the one foretold by Moses in Deuteronomy 18, the ultimate prophet to whom all in Israel and all the world must listen and obey.

    But did everyone understand Jesus as the ultimate prophet like that?

    Or notice the further description. This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee. Is that a true statement? Is Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee?

    Well, yes. He grew up there. Most of his life and ministry were around there.

    Matthew even notes in Matthew 2:23 that Jesus being a Nazarene fulfilled certain messianic expectations from the Old Testament.

    Yet, Matthew also notes right in the beginning of his gospel that Jesus was not ultimately from Nazareth, but from Bethlehem in accordance with the prophecy about the Messiah’s royal birthplace in Micah 5:2.

    So, does the crowd know this? Did they understand where Jesus is really from, who he is, and what he came to do?

    Our passage ends without giving us the full answer. But we get the answer if we read on in the gospel.

    As we do, we discover the truth that the people, even many who are shouting loudly in celebration of Jesus this Palm Sunday, they don’t really understand who he is. They think he’s just a prophet, a good teacher, or a political savior who will defeat Israel’s enemies, especially Rome, and establish a kingdom of everlasting blessing.

    They think Jesus is the gateway to achieving all their earthly hopes and dreams.

    Now, Jesus is the one to defeat Israel’s enemies and establish a kingdom of eternal righteousness and prosperity, but not yet. Those things are prophesied in the Old Testament, but they are not fulfilled yet. They are not to be fulfilled in Jesus’s first coming because there’s a much more pressing problem that Jesus must address.

    The problem of sin and idolatry in his people, which is resulting for them in the burning wrath of God hanging over them. This is not what the crowd is interested in, even though it’s their biggest need, their true need.

    For many enthusiastic followers of Jesus on this first Palm Sunday, they want the crown, but not the cross. They want the kingdom, but not contrition. They want eternal life, but they don’t want to lose everything for the Lord’s sake.

    Like many today, these original people of Israel were looking for a Messiah King that would get on board with their agenda rather than looking to get on board with his agenda.

    Thus, when it becomes clear to them later that Jesus is not really the king that they’re looking for, they will grow disillusioned. They will reject him and they will kill him by nailing him to a cross.

    Will this be a great surprise to Jesus?

    Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem

    No. Because there’s one detail about the triumphal entry that I haven’t yet shared with you which comes from the Gospel of Luke.

    You can just listen or you can turn to Luke 19.

    Right after Jesus crests the Mount of Olives and sees the city of Jerusalem, or perhaps when he gets a little bit closer, Luke says that Jesus does something that probably nobody in the crowd expects.

    Luke 19:41-44.

    When he approached Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “Have you known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace? But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you and surround you and hem you in on every side. And they will level you to the ground and your children within you. And they will not leave in you one stone upon another because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

    Luke 19:44: “They will not leave in you one stone upon another because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

    Come on, Jesus. Why you got to throw a wet blanket over everything? Why do you weep in the middle of this triumphant parade in your honor as you go to Jerusalem?

    It is because as God, Jesus knows that his humble terms of peace will be rejected. He does come humbly proclaiming peace to Israel, really to all sinners in rebellion against God if they will repent, if they will stop their rebellion, stop their self-worship, stop their sin and return to God.

    But Jesus knows even as he presents that offer, they will not. Therefore, he also knows despite the day’s fanfare that only judgment awaits the unrepentant people of Jerusalem.

    He even foretells what will happen a few decades later in the great Jewish revolt against Rome. Roman legions will besiege Jerusalem and then destroy it in AD 70. They will slaughter the people, burn down the temple, and it is still not rebuilt.

    God was finally done with Israel’s sin and false worship. The rejection of his own son was the last straw.

    Yet Jesus himself proclaims later in the passion week that Israel one day will still come to national repentance. For Jesus says this in Matthew 23:39.

    Matthew 23:39: “For I say to you, from now on, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

    Wait a second. That’s Psalm 118 again. Didn’t the Jews already say that?

    Yes, they did. But not with real understanding or sincerity. Not with true faith and repentance, but one day they will.

    So we saw the king sovereignly repairs and now we see the people variously respond.

    The Gospel Call

    But what about you?

    How do you respond to the presentation of King Jesus as God’s king?

    Do you really understand who Jesus is, why he came?

    Do you see him only as a good teacher?

    Do you see him only as someone who will help you get your will done in life?

    Or do you see him as he is the righteous Lord and Messiah, even the one for whom in full sincerity from the heart outwards you are willing to lay down your cloak in front of him and proclaim him to be king, saying, “Only you are the rightful Lord. I will worship and serve you alone.”

    Is that your heart?

    Each of us must confess that we have not served God or King Jesus the way that we ought to have in our own lives. Rather, what has our record been? We have all sought to live as our own kings and in rebellion against God and against King Jesus.

    Even our supposed good works—we don’t do things rightly. We try to make it up by good works. Those are polluted by our own desire for self-kingship, self-exaltation, autonomy from God. Our good works are all polluted.

    Therefore, there is no way in ourselves that we will escape God’s just punishment.

    But Jesus, why did he come so gently? It was precisely to save doomed sinners like you and me. Those who were in rebellion. He speaks peace to us.

    “Why did he come so gently? It was precisely to save doomed sinners like you and me.”

    Amen.

    He lived a perfectly righteous life doing everything, believing everything, saying everything that you ought to have and that I ought to have. He did it. And then he died an innocent substitutionary death on the cross. The king took the place of the rebels against him.

    Why? So that if they believe in him, they would be saved.

    An amazing transaction took place on the cross. I love telling you about it again and again. And that is Jesus for those who believe in him. He took on their sins. Not just one sin, not just a few sins, the sins you’ve already done, but every sin that a believing sinner has done or will ever do. He took it all on himself and then he said, “Father, put the punishment that these sins deserve on me.”

    What is the punishment that your sins deserve? Hell forever. Everlasting torment and fire and darkness. Every one of your sins deserves that.

    And Jesus says, “I’ll take hell for my people. For those who believe in me, I’ll take every hell that they deserve.”

    This is what he did on the cross. An amazing thing about the infinite God, Jesus, is that he can take an infinite punishment and finish it. It’s what he did. Though it was held upon him from his own father, he suffered it all and then said, “It is finished.” He drank the cup of God’s judgment to the dregs. There’s nothing left.

    For those who believe, he completely pays for their sins. But not just that, he also gives his own righteousness. He accounts it to you if you believe. It says, “My perfect record. I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and strength my whole life. I never didn’t do that. I fulfilled the whole law as God commanded me to do it. It will now be counted to you.”

    If you believe, it is now counted to you.

    Not only do you not have to suffer hell for your sins, but you are made acceptable to God to dwell with him forever. Because when he looks at you, he doesn’t see you. He sees his son. And he sees the perfect record of his son.

    This is what Jesus did on the cross for his people. But it’s for his people. It’s for those who believe. It’s for those who, unlike this crowd who didn’t understand, didn’t care to understand, and when they understood rejected it.

    It’s for those who believe. It’s those who recognize Jesus as the only savior, the true king, the lord and God of the universe.

    So what about you? Will you come to terms with King Jesus? Will you cease your rebellion so that he can be your savior? And then if so, will you follow him? Will you obey and follow him with your whole life?

    You won’t be perfect, but you’re not relying on your own perfection at that point. You’re relying on his perfection on your behalf. He will give you his spirit so that you will grow in obedience and it will enable you to follow after him.

    But are you willing to turn? Will you turn from yourself, your attempts at self-righteous salvation? Will you turn from self-lordship and turn to trust in Jesus alone as savior and lord?

    Don’t be like Israel, the Israel of Jesus’ day. They were judged. Jesus wept over them because they would not recognize, they would not accept his terms, and the judgment was severe. It will be worse for you. It’ll be worse for you in the last day even than it was for Israel because the judgment that was on display there was temporal. But God’s judgment in hell has no end because he is a holy God, because he is a just God.

    If Jesus is not your savior and lord this morning, it is time to repent and believe. Accept these happy terms from the gently arriving king.

    If you do, you will not only gain eternal life, but you will receive the King as your own dear friend.

    If you do know Jesus this morning, wow, we have so much to celebrate. We have so much to praise and worship the Lord for based on just the reminders of this passage, the truths of this passage.

    Let’s do so today. And then let’s also let it transform the way we walk. Jesus isn’t just worthy of our praise from our lips but praise from our hearts that comes out in our actions. Putting to death sin, putting on righteousness.

    The Coming King

    It was a gentle triumph. The first time he came, he came humbly. He came gently.

    He came in peace to save souls from sin.

    But let us recognize that the next time he comes, it will not be this way because he is coming again. And the next time he comes, it will be in power to destroy evil utterly and to establish his kingdom.

    But if you believe in Jesus, you will not be the enemies vanquished before him.

    “The next time he comes, it will be in power to destroy evil utterly and to establish his kingdom.”

    You will be the followers behind looking on and giving praise. You won’t need to participate in the battle. He’s got that covered. But you will be able to see and glorify your Lord.

    Probably the best way to conclude the sermon is just to quote Psalm 118 again.

    What the crowd said, not fully understanding, but which we can say in full understanding.

    Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

    Let’s pray.

    Thank you, God, for this word. God, I am so desirous that those who are not at peace with you would be made at peace today. They would not delay anymore under your judgment, but they would kiss the son lest he become angry and perish in the way.

    God, I pray that you would by your spirit convict and speak this truth to all of our hearts this morning so that those that don’t know you may repent and believe and those that do may walk in new joy and obedience. Please accomplish this for your own sake. Amen.

  • The Good Samaritan

    The Good Samaritan

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    Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

    Summary

    The Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 is far more than a moral lesson about being kind to strangers. A lawyer asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, and Jesus responds with a parable whose deepest meaning could only be understood after the cross. We are reminded that we are not the Samaritan in this story — we are the broken, helpless traveler on the road. The true Good Samaritan is Jesus himself, who loved us when we were his enemies, paid a debt we could never pay, and promised to return.

    Key Lessons:

    1. The standard for earning eternal life — loving God completely and loving every neighbor as yourself — is an impossible standard that condemns us all.
    2. We are not the hero of the parable; we are the helpless traveler, and Jesus is the true Good Samaritan who rescues us at his own expense.
    3. The meaning of Jesus’s parable was veiled until after the cross, revealing that only Jesus can perfectly keep the command to love your neighbor.
    4. Having received Jesus’s mercy, we are now empowered and commissioned to go and love others — including those we would least expect to serve.

    Application: We are called to identify specific people we have excluded from being our “neighbor” — whether through fear, selfishness, or indifference — and to go love them sacrificially on Jesus’s behalf, sharing the gospel with those who are broken and dying around us.

    Discussion Questions:

    1. When you hear the Parable of the Good Samaritan, do you naturally see yourself as the Samaritan or as the traveler? How does shifting your perspective change the meaning of the story?
    2. What are the modern equivalents of “crossing the street” — the ways we avoid loving neighbors who are inconvenient, different, or even hostile toward us?
    3. Who is someone in your life right now that people would be surprised to see you love and serve? What would it look like to be their neighbor this week?

    Scripture Focus: Luke 10:25-37 — the Parable of the Good Samaritan, with supporting references to Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18, John 3:16, and Matthew 23:5.

    Outline

    Introduction

    Well, open with me in your Bibles to Luke 10:25-37.

    Luke 10:25-37.

    The Power of a Simple Question

    And as you do that, I want to tell you the story of a pastor who lived in London, England in the 1950s. His name was Francis Dixon.

    Francis Dixon had a congregation and he would have a Bible study. In this Bible study, he would ask various people to stand up and give their testimonies.

    One day, he asked a man named Peter to stand up and tell him how he came to Christ. This is what Peter said: “I was in the Royal Navy. We were stationed in Sydney, Australia. As I was walking down George Street, a man came up to me and asked me a question. The question was, if you were to die today, where would you spend eternity?

    I couldn’t get that question out of my mind. When I returned to England, I sought out a pastor and I was saved.”

    What was remarkable was that a few weeks later, the same pastor had another Bible study where he asked somebody else to come up and give their testimony, and they said almost exactly the same thing.

    He said, “I was in Australia and I was walking down George Street and a man came up to me and asked me a question. He asked me, if you were to die today, where would you spend eternity? I couldn’t get that out of my mind. When I came back to England, I came to Christ.”

    As this pastor, Francis Dixon, traveled across England, he kept hearing the same story.

    One day he said to himself, “I need to go to Australia and meet this man.” And he did. He went to Australia and found this man. He wasn’t hard to find. He was right on George Street like these people said.

    As he started to talk to him, he realized this man’s name was Frank Jenner. This man had come to Christ maybe 15 years ago.

    When he came to Christ, he made a commitment. He said, “I’m going to get up every morning at 5:00 a.m. and I’m going to pray. Then I’m going to go out and share the gospel with 10 people that day. It might be that I’m just able to ask a question.”

    When Pastor Dixon told Frank Jenner about all the people he’d met in England who had come to Christ as a result of that one question, Frank Jenner broke down into tears.

    What he said was, “I’ve been doing this for 15 years, but I saw very little fruit until that day.” It’s the power of a simple question.

    “It’s the power of a simple question.”

    The Most Important Question

    If you were to die today, where would you spend eternity?

    It’s in fact the most important question that we can ask ourselves in this life. The stakes are unbelievably high. You cannot afford not to have an answer right at this moment to that question.

    “It’s the most important question we can ask ourselves in this life. The stakes are unbelievably high.”

    And if your answer to that question is, Greg, I don’t know, then you need to ask a different question. And that question is, what must I do to obtain eternal life? How do I get it? How can I have eternal life?

    That should be the question that obsesses you 24 hours a day until you have an answer.

    And who better to answer that question for us than Jesus Christ?

    In our text today, we will see that somebody asked Jesus this very question. But Jesus’s answer to this question may surprise you.

    Jesus answers this question in a very strange way. He gives a parable, and the parable he gives is possibly the most famous parable in the entire Bible: the parable of the good Samaritan.

    We all know this parable. In fact, we have hospitals named after this parable. We have laws named after this parable.

    But what does this parable have to do with eternal life?

    Scripture Reading: Luke 10:25-37

    Let’s find out. I’m going to read for you Luke 10 starting from verse 25.

    And the lawyer stood up and put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And he said to him, “What is written in the law? How does it read to you?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

    And he said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.” But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.”

    And by chance, a priest was going down on that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

    Likewise, a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

    But a Samaritan who was on a journey came upon him. And when he saw him, he felt compassion and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. And he put him on his own beast and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

    On the next day, he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, “Take care of him.” And whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.

    Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?

    And he said, “The one who showed mercy towards him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

    Let’s pray. Father, I pray as we look at this magnificent parable, this magnificent account that your Holy Spirit would help us to understand this passage and give us attentive minds to your word, humble hearts to understand where we fall short, and zeal to obey your word and to do your will in Jesus’ name. Amen.

    Act One: The Lawyer’s Question

    We’re going to tell the story of this account today in five acts.

    The first act will be the lawyer’s question. We’ll just break it down.

    Lawyers are people who are skilled at interpreting the law. And the law in this case was the Old Testament or books based on the Old Testament.

    This is the scenario. The lawyer comes up to Jesus and asks him, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” This is the dream. Nobody has ever asked me that question. I wish they did.

    But there are some hints in this passage that this question was not exactly asked in a genuine way. It says that the lawyer is putting Jesus to the test.

    And why would that be? Well, earlier we know from the other gospels and even from the book of Luke that Jesus was going around telling people that their sins were forgiven because of their faith. And even in John 3:16, that famous account where he was talking to Nicodemus, you guys all have memorized it.

    John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

    Jesus has been going around telling people some version of that. And the lawyer comes up to Jesus to challenge him. See, the lawyer knows better. He is a student of the law.

    But Jesus is on to him, right? Jesus knows the heart of the lawyer. And so Jesus basically just throws the question back at him and says, “You know the law so much, don’t you? All right. You are the teacher of the law. Tell me then, how do you obtain eternal life?”

    This man, this lawyer, he can’t barely restrain himself. He’s ready for this debate. And he unloads on Jesus.

    The Lawyer’s Answer from the Law

    And he enlists two things in his answer.

    First, you have to love God with your heart, your soul, your strength, and your mind.

    And that is straight from Deuteronomy 6:5. He can quote the verse.

    And then secondly, you are to love your neighbor as yourself. And that is also straight from the Old Testament. It’s in Leviticus 19:18.

    Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

    So the lawyer comes armed with these texts.

    Wham. Bam. Right? One-two punch. What are you going to say, Jesus? I’m ready for a debate.

    But Jesus simply looks at the lawyer and he says, “Yes, you are correct. You are right. You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live. You will live eternally.”

    All right. So now the lawyer is a little bit confused. What? You’re not supposed to have agreed with me, right?

    The Critical Word: Neighbor

    And that this takes a little bit of the wind out of his sales. But this lawyer is a smart man. He has thought about this for a long time, and he knows that there is a problem with what he said.

    There is a problem. What is that problem?

    Well, if you set up the standard that this is what you have to do to get eternal life, then you have to measure yourself by this standard. You have to measure yourself by the standard. Do you do this? Do you or do you not love your neighbor as yourself?

    The lawyer, being a lawyer, knows that the answer to this question hinges upon the definition of a single word. If you can define a single word favorably, then you win. But if the definition of the word is off, then you lose. What is that word?

    It’s the word neighbor.

    If your neighbor is simply your friends and your family or the people that you like, well then we can all say we’ve obeyed this law.

    “If your neighbor is simply your friends and family, then we can all say we’ve obeyed this law.”

    But if the word neighbor refers to people you don’t know or perhaps even refers to people you don’t like, well then he by his own words is condemned.

    How are you supposed to love everyone? That is an impossible standard.

    The lawyer then puts this difficult question in front of Jesus. All right, I didn’t get you there, but I’m going to get you here. Who is your neighbor? He asked Jesus.

    Who is your neighbor? And by the way, we have to understand he’s not actually asking who is your neighbor. What is he asking? He’s asking who is not your neighbor. Who am I allowed not to love?

    So, how does Jesus respond?

    Act Two: The Parable

    Here’s act two, the parable. Jesus tells a story.

    The Bloody Road to Jericho

    Jesus tells a story of a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. Now, what you have to know about this road is that this is a notoriously dangerous road.

    This road is 18 miles long and it’s straight downhill. The setting of this road is on a mountain and there are numerous caves, numerous nooks and crannies, and hills behind which robbers can hide.

    This is a well-known thing. In fact, the road has a nickname.

    It’s called the bloody road because it’s a well-known dangerous road to travel.

    “The road has a nickname — it’s called the bloody road.”

    And the rule is that if you have to travel this road, you have to go armed. Preferably, you go with a large group.

    But the rule is you just go as fast as you can. You don’t stop for anybody. You don’t stop for anything. You just go down that road downhill as fast as you can. And if you’ve ever driven through a dangerous neighborhood, that’s what it’s like. You’re kind of flooring the accelerator. You’re hoping that you don’t hit a red light.

    Well, that’s this road. It’s an exceedingly dangerous road.

    And this man predictably is on the road and he’s alone and he is attacked by a group of robbers. Very predictable.

    And these robbers, they take everything he has. They even take the clothes off his back and they leave him naked, half dead in a bloody heap.

    This man is going to die in minutes. If help does not arrive, he will die in minutes.

    The Priest and the Levite Pass By

    But look, lucky him, somebody comes down the path.

    And even luckier, this person is a priest. This person is a religious leader, somebody who teaches the word and who knows the word.

    Back then, priests wore something called phylacteries, which is they tape something on their forehead and on their left arm that contains the law. In fact, the verses that go into these phylacteries are exactly Deuteronomy 6:5: “You shall love the Lord your God.”

    So this priest knows the law. In fact, he wears it on his body. And even Jesus addresses this practice of wearing these things in Matthew 23:5. It says Jesus is not condemning the practice of wearing them, but he said that they do all these deeds to be noticed by men, for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels on their garment.

    The tassels are also supposed to remind you of God’s commands. So by the time Jesus came on the scene, it became a fashion statement. More than that, it became a statement of how righteous you are. The bigger your phylacteries, the longer your tassels—well, the more righteous you are.

    And this priest decked out in all of this law crosses the street to avoid him.

    “This priest decked out in all of this law crosses the street to avoid him.”

    Okay. Well, that’s unfortunate. But hold on, there is another man. Maybe this one will help.

    This person is a Levite. A Levite works under the priests in the temple. They also wear phylacteries. Obviously, this person is also righteous. He’s also a teacher of the law, but he also crosses the street.

    Why They Crossed the Street

    Now, the story doesn’t tell us why the priest and the Levite would cross the street, but we can imagine, right?

    It comes down to really one of three things: fear, selfishness, or indifference.

    “It comes down to really one of three things: fear, selfishness, or indifference.”

    Fear—maybe they were afraid. They don’t want to get involved. They don’t want to stop because it would put themselves at risk. What if it’s a trap? What if this is a ruse for them to stop and then robbers will attack them?

    It could be selfishness. They don’t want to be inconvenienced. They have families to get home to. They have things to do.

    And it could be that they just undergone a lengthy purification ritual, and if they touched a corpse or blood, they would have to redo that. That’s just so tedious.

    Or maybe they were just indifferent. They’ve seen this too many times before. It no longer moves them.

    We Are No Different

    And before you judge the priest and the Levite too harshly, you need to think: don’t we do the same things?

    How many homeless people with their hands out have you passed on the street?

    How many traffic accidents or people stranded on the road have you simply driven by?

    We are no different than the priest or the Levite.

    “Before you judge the priest and the Levite too harshly — we are no different.”

    The Samaritan Arrives

    But Jesus is the master of the plot twist. He loves a good plot twist.

    And in verse 33, in comes a Samaritan. Now what you have to know about Samaritans is that Samaritans and Jews hated each other.

    There was a deep animosity. They had extreme racial and religious hostility towards one another. They had competing religious systems. And historians tell us that this hatred often would turn violent.

    “Samaritans and Jews hated each other with extreme racial and religious hostility.”

    In fact, Samaritan gangs were known to ambush Jewish travelers and in retaliation, Jews would attack Samaritan villages.

    This perpetuated a bloody cycle of violence between the Jews and the Samaritans.

    Again, some things don’t seem to change.

    When Jesus introduces this character of the Samaritan, what is everybody thinking? He’s done for. This is either another robber or the same robber’s come to finish the job.

    This guy is up to no good. And in fact, it’s deeply suspicious that a Samaritan will be found on this road at all. This road is on the opposite side of Samaria.

    But the Samaritan is on a journey.

    And here is the surprise. The surprise is that the Samaritan, who the entire crowd expects to be hostile to this traveler who’s a Jew.

    The Samaritan’s Radical Compassion

    He does not kill him. In fact, against all odds, he has compassion on this traveler. And at great risk, perhaps to himself, he approaches this man.

    At his own expense, he binds up this man’s wounds with his own supplies, oil and wine.

    He takes responsibility for him. He puts him on his beast and he carries him to the inn and he rescues him.

    This man, the Samaritan, really goes above and beyond to help this traveler. He could have just driven him to or given him to the local authorities or waited for somebody else to come along and flagged him down, but he takes responsibility.

    He goes above and beyond.

    “The Samaritan goes above and beyond — he takes responsibility for the wounded man.”

    And that’s the parable. What then are we supposed to make of the strange tale that Jesus told?

    Now let’s remember that Jesus is answering a specific question.

    The question is, who is my neighbor?

    Act Three: The Neighbor Revealed

    So then here’s act three. The neighbor revealed.

    Jesus turns to the lawyer in act four.

    Yeah, act three. Jesus turns to the lawyer and he asks him a question. He asks him, “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” And the answer, of course, is obvious.

    “Which of these three proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?”

    It’s a Samaritan.

    But watch what the lawyer says.

    He has such deep hatred towards Samaritans that he likely doesn’t even want to utter the word. He can’t bring himself to say that. So he just says the one who shows mercy.

    Your Neighbor Is Everyone in Need

    Well, it seems then that the message is clear.

    The answer to who your neighbor is: everyone who you come across who is in need. Your neighbor is everyone who you come across who is in need. And this is regardless of what race. It’s regardless of religion. It’s regardless of what country you come from. It’s regardless of whether they are richer than you or poorer than you. It’s regardless of whether they like you or whether they hate you and whether they deserve to be in the situation they’re in.

    “Your neighbor is everyone who you come across who is in need — regardless of race, religion, or country.”

    What’s the traveler doing? Traveling by himself on this dangerous road.

    The Samaritan knows none of these things. He doesn’t know why he’s there, what his socioeconomic status is. He doesn’t know anything about this before he goes and helps the traveler.

    And you and I, we ought to be convicted by this message. It is a deeply disturbing message actually.

    Jesus then looks at the lawyer and says, “Well, you have your answer.

    A Convicting Self-Examination

    Go and do the same. Go and do the same as that Samaritan.” It’s a clear command. Love your neighbor. Now, I just want to pause for a little bit with you.

    I want you to think deeply about whether you are living this out yourself. Do you, Calvary, do you love your neighbors this way?

    I think some of us don’t even love our family members this way.

    In fact, this is probably how you love instead. You have mercy only to those who deserve it. You help only when it’s convenient for you. You love those who love you.

    You avoid people where there is even the slightest danger.

    Although you don’t always cross the street physically, maybe you cross the street emotionally to distance yourself. You surround yourself with neighbors that can benefit you.

    When you do love, instead of being a concrete action, it is just a sentimental feeling or perhaps a vague emotion.

    “Instead of being a concrete action, your love is just a sentimental feeling or a vague emotion.”

    That’s how most of us love.

    Bad News for the Lawyer

    Now realize that for the lawyer, Jesus’s answer is bad news. In fact, it’s horrible news.

    Imagine you’re the lawyer who asked this question. Your whole eternal destiny rides on this question: Who is my neighbor?

    Or who is not my neighbor? Who can I safely ignore?

    And Jesus answers him in the worst case scenario. There actually are no exclusions to who is your neighbor, lawyer.

    And if you have not loved everyone that you come across, then you have failed to live up to the standard that you yourself have just articulated.

    You have failed to live up to that standard.

    And therefore you have no eternal life.

    “If you have not loved everyone you come across, you have failed the standard — and therefore you have no eternal life.”

    How deeply depressing to the lawyer.

    Okay, some of you here are saying now he’s ready for the gospel. Right now we hit him with the gospel. But look at how this text ends. That’s it.

    Tough luck, buddy.

    Jesus just closes out this interaction with “go and do the same.” And then the next verse is he goes to his friend’s house for dinner.

    This is the last we see of this lawyer.

    I suppose if Jesus left him there like that, it would be Jesus’s prerogative to do so. He is, after all, the son of God and salvation belongs only to him.

    Something Deeper in the Parable

    But is that truly all there is to this account?

    Once in a while you run into something in scripture that amazes you so much that you say, “Only God can write this.” Once in a while you run into something and it just makes you sit back and think.

    I want to show you what I think is really going on.

    Let’s look again at this parable.

    If you stare at this parable long enough, you start to realize that there are some strange things about it.

    First, there’s a question of why Jesus told this parable at all. If the moral of the story is just that your neighbor is everybody, why would that require a parable? After all, he’s come right out and said, “Love your enemies.” We just read that verse right on the Sermon on the Mount.

    “If the moral is just that your neighbor is everybody, why would that require a parable?”

    Also, what is the bit with the innkeeper?

    If Jesus’s point was to simply say that the Samaritan was a good neighbor, he could have just stopped at verse 34.

    But there was this bit about the innkeeper.

    And finally, this is the big one.

    When you hear a story like this, you tend to take the view of the person who is the protagonist. The protagonist is the person who is constant throughout the story. The person who’s constant throughout the story is the traveler.

    If you take the traveler’s point of view, then Jesus’s parable actually did not answer the lawyer’s question.

    The lawyer asked, “Who should I be a neighbor to?” Right?

    But what did Jesus answer?

    Who proved to be a neighbor to you?

    It’s a different question.

    Act Four: Through the Traveler’s Eyes

    With that in mind, I want to take you through this parable again, but this time let’s take the point of view of the traveler.

    I think this is act four or act five. You were a traveler traveling down this road and you are attacked. You find yourself beaten, naked, and half dead, just praying that somebody will come along to help.

    You can’t move. You’re barely conscious.

    Down comes a man, the religious leader of the day. You might even know this person. He’s a priest, maybe from the same synagogue that you attend, but all he does is give you an annoyed glance and pass by.

    A second man comes. Same story. He glances at you, clearly knows you’re there, and turns his back on you.

    But then a Samaritan comes. Now you hate Samaritans. There’s a blood feud between your people and the Samaritan people. He is your enemy. He’s not even from your religious tradition. What does he know about the law?

    But you’re desperate. To your surprise, this Samaritan, this enemy, he sees you when the religious establishment does not. He has pity on you and compassion on you when others left you to die.

    When you look into this man’s eyes, you see not your own hatred returned, but you see pity and compassion and love.

    “This enemy sees you when the religious establishment does not, and has compassion when others left you to die.”

    The Samaritan Pays Your Debt

    And despite the danger to himself, he comes over to you and he binds up your wounds from his own provisions and he picks you up and he brings you to the inn. As you realize that he’s bringing you to the inn, you start to panic because you don’t have any money to pay for this inn.

    Everything you have was stolen.

    But imagine your surprise when he simply pulls out his pocketbook.

    And not only does he pay for your stay, he does something even more incredible.

    He goes to the innkeeper and he says perhaps the most, or perhaps the dumbest, eleven words ever uttered: “Whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.” Now, come on.

    You would not ever say that to anybody because what’s going to happen?

    They’re going to rip you off. Suddenly, there’s going to be all these extra costs. You’re going to be taken advantage of.

    Jesus leaves a blank check. He said, “I need to leave for a bit, but I will come back to you in a bit.” And do you see it yet?

    “Jesus leaves a blank check — ‘Whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.’”

    The Samaritan begins to bear a striking resemblance to Jesus himself.

    “The Samaritan begins to bear a striking resemblance to Jesus himself.”

    Act Five: The True Samaritan

    Act Five: The True Samaritan

    I have to say that this interpretation of the good Samaritan is not one that I made up.

    In fact, it was the accepted interpretation even referenced by Origen and Irenaeus back in the early church until the time of John Calvin. Something happened there. But I want to tell you what I think is the true meaning of the parable.

    I think what Jesus is saying to the lawyer is that there is nothing you can do. There is nothing you can do to have eternal life. In fact, that ship has sailed, man.

    You can’t. You haven’t loved as you should. And even if you tried to, you couldn’t do it. You cannot obtain eternal life by anything you do.

    However, there is a way.

    In the story, you are not the Samaritan.

    You’re the traveler.

    You are broken, helpless, and naked on the road. Your only hope is that somebody will come to rescue you.

    What does that rescuer have to do? He’s going to have to love you even when you are his enemy.

    He’s going to have to restore you from death to life at his own expense. He’s going to have to be willing to pay the debt that you owe to God for your sin that you have no hope of paying.

    And that is past, present, and future debt.

    The Samaritan will not abandon you, but he will come back for you.

    That rescuer for us is exactly Jesus himself.

    Jesus did that for you on the cross where he went to pay for your sins, including for your sin of not loving your neighbor.

    Sins that he did not commit, sins that you committed.

    Jesus Is the Only One Who Can Keep the Commandment

    And the real point of the parable is that Jesus is the only one who can keep that commandment perfectly.

    He’s the only one that can keep this commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. When he went to that cross, he kept that commandment for everyone who is his neighbor. We know from other scriptures who his neighbor is. His neighbor is everyone who believes.

    “Jesus is the only one who can keep the commandment to love your neighbor perfectly.”

    A Meaning Veiled Until the Cross

    But here I think is the most amazing part of this story. The reason that Jesus delivers this in a parable is because when Jesus told this parable, it could not have been understood this way. Jesus had not yet gone to the cross.

    It could not have been understood this way.

    The lawyer didn’t get it at first. Even though this lawyer came to Jesus with a combative stance, and even though he came to Jesus not asking a genuine question, Jesus in his mercy did give him a real answer: “How can I obtain eternal life?”

    But the meaning of his answer was veiled until after the cross.

    I have no idea whether this happened, but I’d like to imagine that this lawyer, who no doubt heard this parable from Jesus and was puzzled for months, woke up in bed someday after the crucifixion. Suddenly his eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped, and he understood what Jesus was saying.

    What message did Jesus leave for him in that parable?

    “The meaning of his answer was veiled until after the cross.”

    What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus gave him the answer: you can’t do what you need to do.

    And who is my neighbor? Instead of giving him a true answer to that question, Jesus instead became the neighbor that the man needed to have eternal life.

    And who can tell a story as amazing as this? I think only God.

    Go and Do the Same

    If you today are not a believer, then this is Jesus’ call for you to repent of your sins today.

    Believe only in the Lord Jesus Christ who is the only good neighbor and he will pay for your debt and you too will inherit eternal life and you cannot delay even a day.

    But if you are a believer today then this passage is such a comfort to us. Jesus is our neighbor when we were his enemy.

    But it doesn’t let you off the hook because the last words of this account is Jesus saying, “Go and do the same.” And let’s remember, you couldn’t do that before, but now that Jesus has saved you and you have been changed from the inside out, you can go and do the same.

    You have experienced love at Calvary, so now you can go love others.

    “Jesus is our neighbor when we were his enemy. Now that he has saved you, you can go and do the same.”

    You have experienced mercy. Now you can give mercy.

    I would ask you then to open your eyes and look around you. There are wounded, dying travelers around every corner of this world.

    Maybe in your mind right now, I would just ask you to think about this and try to think about who is on your path.

    Who have you maybe excluded either purposely or subconsciously from being your neighbor? Who is it that would just shock people if you love them? Identify that person in your mind right now. Think about that.

    The person who needs a neighbor—not a son or a daughter, not a husband or wife, but somebody who people would be surprised that you would consider a neighbor.

    And Jesus’ commission to you, my fellow travelers, is to go on Jesus’s behalf and to be their neighbor.

    And when they come into you and they ask you, “Why would you do that? Why would you do that for me?” You can tell them about the one and only true good Samaritan who proved to be a neighbor to you.

    Let’s pray.

    Father, we thank you for your word. What an amazing, miraculous story.

    We’re moved, Lord, by how tenderly you treated this man.

    And Lord, we know that we cannot obey these laws perfectly. But because of your saving work, you have changed us more and more to be like you.

    And we want to emulate you. We want to be the good Samaritan.

    Not just to help people in a physical sense, but to give them the thing they truly need, which is eternal life. Pray you would empower us by the power of your Holy Spirit to live out these words, however challenging they are, and help us to be a force for your gospel.

    Pray this in Christ’s name. Amen.

  • Only One Thing Is Necessary

    Only One Thing Is Necessary

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    Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

    Summary

    Luke 10:38-42 teaches us that devoted discipleship under Christ must come before and be central in all service for Christ. Through the contrast between Mary and Martha, we are reminded that the “only one thing necessary” is sitting at the Lord’s feet — knowing, loving, and learning from Jesus. Martha’s distraction with service, though well-intentioned, led to worry, bitterness, and even accusation against Christ himself. Mary’s choice to prioritize relationship with Jesus is commended as the “good part” that cannot be taken away.

    Key Lessons:

    1. Good things like service can turn bad when done with wrong priorities — making secondary things essential and essential things secondary leads to unhappy, bitter service.
    2. Jesus is more interested in what He can give us (His presence, word, and love) than in what we can give Him — we must receive before we serve.
    3. Devoted discipleship — knowing, loving, and learning from Christ through His Word — is the one necessary foundation that enables joyful, fruitful service.
    4. Jesus welcomes all who come to sit at His feet, regardless of status or background, and He will not let anyone take that good portion away.

    Application: We are called to honestly evaluate whether busyness, causes, or self-generated visions have pulled us away from time with Christ. Practically, we should recommit to regular Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship — and help one another do the same. Husbands, wives, children, and parents should ask each other how they can set one another up for spiritual success.

    Discussion Questions:

    1. In what areas of your life have you, like Martha, made good but non-essential things into essential things that crowd out time with Christ?
    2. How does understanding that Jesus values giving to us more than receiving from us change the way you approach service and ministry?
    3. What practical steps can you take this week — and how can your church family help — to ensure devoted discipleship comes before and fills all your service?

    Scripture Focus: Luke 10:38-42 — Jesus teaches that only one thing is necessary: the devoted discipleship Mary chose. Supporting passages include Psalm 27:4, 8, 11 (seeking the Lord’s face as the one thing), John 17:3 (eternal life as knowing God), Jeremiah 15:16 (God’s words as joy and delight), and Mark 14:6-7 (Jesus defending Mary’s worship over service).

    Outline

    Introduction

    Well, it is a great joy to gather with you all this morning. I didn’t know how many people would come today because of all the warnings and such, but the weather has held off so far, and I’m just so glad to see all of you. I feel a special joy this morning.

    Maybe I’m a little bit surprised to see me in the pulpit. Our originally scheduled preacher was not able to come, so we had a last-minute substitution. The next sermon in John is not ready yet.

    I thought that we would go back to a text that I feel like I need to hear, and I trust that it will be a blessing to you as well. This text that we’re going to look at today may at first seem like it contradicts what you just heard last week from our brother Mark in 1 Peter 4:10-11, but I think you’ll find on closer examination it’s complementary, as we would expect the word of God to be.

    Let’s turn to that text, and then I will pray.

    Please open your Bibles to Luke 10:38-42. If you’re using our pew Bibles, you can find the passage on page 135.

    Please follow along as I read.

    Now, as they were traveling along, Jesus entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to his word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations. And she came up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”

    But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things, but only one thing is necessary. For Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

    Pray with me.

    Lord, we are privileged to be your people. What a joy it is to sing praises to you, to gather with your people, to hear your word read and explained.

    But God, we acknowledge our weakness and our tendency to drift. We do need you to bring us back to the biblical center, to the biblical path.

    So God, help us to honor you rightly and actually have the joy you meant for us to have. Please help me to explain this text well. And God, help us to focus, hear it, and then put it into practice.

    In Jesus’ name. Amen. Amen.

    Back to Basics: The Lombardi Illustration

    One of the greatest, if not the greatest, American football coach was a man named Vince Lombardi.

    He was coach of the Green Bay Packers in the 1960s and also briefly the Washington Redskins. He led his teams to winning records every season and to five championship wins in seven years, including victories in the first two Super Bowls ever.

    Even today, the trophy given to the winning team at the Super Bowl is called the Vince Lombardi trophy, named after this coach. What made Vince Lombardi so great?

    What was the primary ingredient to his success?

    Surprisingly, the answer is not brilliant strategy or unconventional techniques. Rather, it was a commitment to mastering the fundamentals.

    “The answer is not brilliant strategy, unconventional techniques, rather, a commitment to mastering the fundamentals.”

    In just his second season as the Packers coach, Lombardi led his team to the NFL’s 1960 championship game versus the Philadelphia Eagles. The Packers had played well and were winning going into the fourth quarter, but then they lost in the final few minutes when the Packers were stopped from scoring just a few yards away from the end zone. It was a demoralizing defeat. Victory was so close.

    Where had the team gone wrong? How were they supposed to pick up the pieces for the next season?

    When summer training camp came around, Lombardi’s idea was to get back to basics and to make no assumptions about what his players already knew.

    He therefore began his new training camp with these famous words while holding up a certain object: “Gentlemen, this is a football.”

    Lombardi continued training his team with this mindset, going over with each player how to block, how to tackle, starting from page one, teaching the team’s whole playbook to the players.

    While some of the players initially found their coach’s approach amusing, little by little, the team began to excel at all the skills that the other teams took for granted. These seemingly small skills made a difference. This reorientation soon paid off. In the 1961 season, not only did the Packers make it again to the championship game, but this time they won it 37 to zero.

    Back to Basics for Christians

    I bring Vince Lombardi up this morning because this back to basics mindset is also really good, really important for Christians.

    After all, we too face many difficulties, frustrations, even defeats in the Christian life. Perhaps we are asking ourselves, “Why do I always feel so stressed, angry, and anxious even when I try to serve God?

    Why do I seem to keep yielding to the same sins again and again?

    Why do my love and zeal for the Lord feel so cold?

    Is there some secret? Is there some new teaching or technique that I can add to my life to find a breakthrough?

    The answer is there is no secret except to go back to the basics.

    “There is no secret except to go back to the basics.”

    And what are the basics? Well, for the Christian life, the basics are essentially to sit again at the Lord’s feet in devoted discipleship.

    And that’s what today’s text is all about. Recapturing the only one thing that is necessary.

    That’s what we’re looking at. Only one thing is necessary. We can state our text’s main idea in this way: In Luke 10:38-42, God teaches us that devoted discipleship comes before happy service.

    You want to happily serve Christ, you must get back to basics. Realize that devoted discipleship under Christ is what enables happy service for Christ.

    “Devoted discipleship under Christ is what enables happy service for Christ.”

    Now you can see our passage is not very long. In this short narrative, we can organize the account under three headings. These headings will focus on particular characters as the plot unfolds.

    Let’s now move our way through the text under these headings.

    The Devoted Disciple (vv. 38–39)

    Our first heading covers verses 38 and 39. The heading is: who’s the highlighted character in these verses? That’s number one, the devoted disciple.

    Look at verses 38-39 with me again.

    Now, as they were traveling along, he entered a village and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister called Mary who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to his word.

    Jesus Enters the Village

    Verse 38 begins unremarkably. We learn that Jesus and his traveling group of disciples happen to enter another village.

    Luke doesn’t name the village here. But this is probably the village of Bethany just east of Jerusalem.

    I say this is probably Bethany because the Apostle John tells us in John 11 that Bethany is where Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus lived. You may remember we looked at this not too long ago.

    Jesus was a friend of this family. He loved the three of them and ministered to them personally.

    They in turn loved the Lord. They believed in his word and they were happy to offer him a place to eat and rest.

    Now remember that as a traveling preacher, Jesus had no permanent home to lay his head. He relied on the hospitality of generous people in the cities he visited and in which he preached.

    Because of his various trips to and from Jerusalem, like for the feasts, Jesus often stayed with this dear family in Bethany.

    “Jesus had no permanent home. He relied on the hospitality of generous people in the cities he visited.”

    Luke is describing one of these stays. Probably not the first and also not the last since we’re not close to Jesus’ final trip to Jerusalem.

    But notice in verse 38 that it says Martha welcomed Jesus into her home.

    Because of the importance of hospitality, especially at this time, this was a clearly righteous act. But why does it say Martha welcomed him and not Lazarus? Isn’t he the man of the house?

    Well, we cannot say for sure, but it may be that Martha was the oldest of the three siblings and therefore took on a more prominent and even motherlike role.

    As Lazarus is apparently not important to this particular story, he’s not mentioned.

    Mary’s Remarkable Posture

    So we’re introduced to Martha in verse 38, but the one who really catches our attention is her sister Mary in verse 39.

    Why should she grab our attention?

    Because of what she’s doing.

    We’re told in verse 39 that Mary is sitting at the Lord’s feet and listening to his word.

    Now, you might ask, what’s so remarkable about those actions?

    Well, not only does sitting at someone’s feet demonstrate humility and deference for the one who’s sitting, but also this description to sit at one’s feet meant something special in that culture. It meant to take the position of a disciple, a learner, a follower of someone else.

    You can see the same description in another place in the Bible in Acts 22:3. In Acts 22:3, the Apostle Paul is explaining his salvation testimony to the Jews in Jerusalem, and he mentions that he was educated under Gamaliel.

    Who’s Gamaliel? Well, he was just one of the most celebrated rabbis at that time.

    But that phrase that Paul uses, “educated under Gamaliel,” is a fine translation. But more literally, it is, “I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel.”

    In other words, Paul was saying, “Gamaliel was my master and I was his student. I sat at his feet and sought to absorb everything that he would teach me.”

    The same idea is being expressed here in Luke 10:39 with Mary and Jesus. Young Mary voluntarily takes up a position as a humble learner before the great teacher, even the Lord. Notice it is not Jesus’ name that is used in verse 39, but the title “the Lord.”

    “Mary voluntarily takes up a position as a humble learner before the great teacher, even the Lord.”

    Mary has evidently come to the same realization about Jesus as the other disciples. No doubt she would say as Peter does to Jesus in Matthew 16:16.

    Peter says in Matthew 16:16, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” She would also say, as Peter does in John 6:68, “You have words of eternal life.”

    Mary apparently understands who Jesus is. He is the Lord. And so she wants to be his follower. She therefore seats herself to pay close attention to all the gracious words that are falling from Jesus’ lips.

    In short, Mary takes up the posture of a devoted disciple as she ought and really as we ought.

    Jesus Welcomes a Woman Disciple

    But more remarkable than the fact that Mary takes up this posture is the fact that Jesus allows her to do so.

    Actually, as we’ll see in the later verses, he not only permits this, but he welcomes it and insists that no one remove Mary from it.

    And why is that remarkable?

    Because many people at that time, even some Jewish rabbis, looked down on women, treated women as inferior, devious, and spiritually incapable.

    One ancient rabbi proclaimed, “Better to burn the Torah, the law of God, than to teach it to a woman.” Not everyone among the Jews shared that opinion.

    Nevertheless, for Jesus to so openly welcome a woman disciple and quite literally give her a front row seat to his teaching would have raised more than a few eyebrows.

    “For Jesus to so openly welcome a woman disciple would have raised more than a few eyebrows.”

    This fact of Mary’s privileged position fits well into Luke’s overall purpose in writing this gospel record.

    Fundamentally, Luke writes to show that Jesus is the savior of all mankind—Jew and Gentile, man and woman.

    Thus, Luke highlights more than any other gospel writer the many times Jesus went out of his way to minister to and include women.

    Notably, Luke is the only writer who gives us this specific account about Jesus, Mary, and Martha.

    This is the first part of our text, and we see this beautiful display of Mary’s regard for the Lord and the Lord’s regard for Mary. Mary takes up the position of devoted disciple, and Jesus gladly receives her and speaks to her his life-giving word.

    But not all is happy in this wonderful scene. For we soon learn that there is trouble brewing in the kitchen.

    The Unhappy Servant (v. 40)

    We thus arrive at our second heading and second highlighted character in verse 40: the unhappy servant.

    But Martha was distracted with all her preparations. She came up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”

    Can you relate to this scene at all?

    You’re trying to do what’s right. You’re trying to serve God and others. Maybe you’re trying to take care of your children, but then your heart starts to murmur and your grumbling heart soon manifests in actual words of grumbling out loud to others.

    I think we’ve all been where Martha is in this text.

    “Martha is not the villain. She’s not the bad woman. She loves and believes in the Lord.”

    So let’s understand that Martha is not the villain. She’s not the bad woman. Well, Mary’s the good woman. No, Martha’s a good woman, too. She loves and believes in the Lord.

    This is evident from John 11 and her powerful profession of faith in Jesus Christ, even when Lazarus, her brother, dies. Even here, we see that she’s righteously showing Jesus hospitality. Even her desire to serve and prepare a proper meal comes from a good heart.

    Martha’s Self-Generated Burden

    But even good things can turn bad when they’re done with the wrong attitude or with improper priority.

    Here Martha falls into two traps just like we ourselves do all too easily. She makes too much of a secondary thing and she makes too little of the primary thing.

    Notice how verse 40 says Martha was distracted with all her preparations. The word translated distracted here literally means to be pulled or dragged away. That’s a good image. Martha’s heart is being pulled in many different directions by her various hospitality concerns.

    Now, we aren’t given any details here as to what, if any, division of responsibilities Martha and her sister had agreed upon when Jesus arrived. Did Martha say, “Mary, you go into the main room and make sure Jesus has all his needs met. Well, I’ll take care of the meal,” or was there no agreement and their responses were just spontaneous? Mary says, “Oh, Jesus is here. I better go sit and listen.” And Martha says, “Oh, Jesus is here. I better get busy with much service.” We don’t know.

    Something we can say though is that Martha’s overburdening was unnecessary and self-generated. It’s not that preparing a meal was so difficult that Martha couldn’t do it by herself. It’s that preparing the meal the way that Martha felt was necessary was too much for her.

    “Martha’s overburdening was unnecessary and self-generated.”

    She was finding it hard to reach her own self-devised standard of what a proper meal for Jesus should be. And again, we can sympathize.

    Someone really important showed up in your house after a long day’s journey. Would you want to serve up three-day old leftovers on paper plates for someone really important? Would you not rather serve your best meal fresh and on your finest dishes and maybe also clean the house, buy flowers, arrange the lighting very specially?

    Again, it’s not wrong that Martha wanted to prepare something nice for Jesus. He is the Lord. But she made a good thing that was not an essential thing into an essential thing. And if she couldn’t present to Jesus the perfect meal that she envisioned, well then all was lost and Martha was a failure.

    Forgetting What Jesus Offers

    Martha also forgot that Jesus is more interested in what he can give rather than what anyone can give him.

    It’s like what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. Jesus asks the woman there for a drink of water. When she questions his right to ask her, he replies, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you, you would have asked him for the water that he gives, living water, which satisfies thirst forever and wells up to eternal life.”

    What is it that Jesus had offered Martha already in this scene? The thing that she considered nice, but that’s not the essential thing. Well, Jesus only offered himself.

    He offered his presence, his love, his companionship. He, the son of God, the Lord. He offered his life-giving word, the wisdom of God.

    Jesus was prepared to give all this to Martha, but she was too busy to receive it.

    “Jesus was prepared to give all this to Martha, but she was too busy to receive it.”

    Martha didn’t realize it. But what she was really communicating to the Lord by getting carried away with all her service, all her meal preparation was, “Thanks for coming by, Jesus, but I don’t have time for you yourself. I’m too busy doing all the burdensome service that you require.”

    Obviously, this kind of attitude does not honor Jesus Christ, but it does result in unhappy service.

    So we should stop and ask ourselves, what do our lives communicate to Jesus?

    Do you get caught up in good but non-essential or good but less essential things so that you don’t have time to be discipled by the Lord himself?

    Do you see Jesus as the burden?

    Or rather, do you lay aside the real burdens, the unnecessary burdens so that you can have Jesus?

    Martha’s Accusation Against Christ

    Well, Martha’s agitated mind leads to angry action. Notice how Martha accuses her sister in verse 40.

    Look, Jesus, my sister left me to do all the meal preparation and hospitality work alone.

    How inconsiderate, right? How selfish of a younger sister after all I do for her.

    Poor me. I’m left to do this good but important work alone.

    Have you ever said something like this in your heart or out loud?

    You come up with your own vision of what needs to happen in a situation and then when others don’t help you achieve your vision, you complain about them and you pity yourself.

    But notice that Martha’s accusation is not only against your sister but also against Christ. She says, “Lord, do you not care?”

    Lord Jesus, you can see what’s going on here. You can hear me working hard in the kitchen while Mary just sits at your feet. Don’t you see what’s wrong with this picture? Why haven’t you intervened?

    Could it be that you just don’t care?

    You don’t really love me. After all, why would you let me be left alone when I’m working so hard for you?

    But Martha gives Jesus a chance to redeem himself. She suggests, “If you really do care about me, then help me achieve my vision. Tell Mary to get back into the kitchen and help me.”

    And again, can’t we do the same as Martha here? When life’s not going right, when ministry is getting frustrating, when we have a great vision of what we’d like to accomplish for God, but it’s just not coming together, we not only blame others, but we also question God’s love for us.

    “When ministry is getting frustrating, we not only blame others, but we also question God’s love for us.”

    Surely, God, if you cared, you wouldn’t have let all this happen. You would have given me more help. You would have helped me achieve my vision of good work for you.

    You may remember that 12 disciples raised the same complaint against Jesus when they were caught in a dangerous storm while Jesus was sleeping. Mark 4:38. They wake him and say, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

    Look at the storm. Why haven’t you done anything about it? Could it be that you just don’t care? Our hearts can say this. Yes, even to God.

    But then we add something more.

    Jesus, I’ll forgive you if you just set everything right now.

    Do what I think is necessary. Do what I want you to do because I know what is best.

    If you just do that, then I’ll believe in your love again and I’ll trust you.

    The Contrast Between Mary and Martha

    We can already see a pretty strong contrast between Mary and Martha here, can’t we?

    Mary sits to listen to Christ. Martha stands to tell Christ what to do.

    Mary regards Christ with reverence. Martha regards Christ with suspicion.

    Again, Martha is not evil, but her heart has strayed. She has strayed into pride, into an evil way. She regarded the lesser things as essential things and she regarded the essential thing as something unimportant.

    “She regarded the lesser things as essential things and the essential thing as something unimportant.”

    How does Jesus respond to Martha?

    Well, we’ve seen the devoted disciple.

    The Compassionate Teacher (vv. 41–42)

    We’ve seen the unhappy servant. The heading for our last two verses is our last highlighted character number three, the compassionate teacher. Verses 41 and 42.

    “But the Lord answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things, but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part which shall not be taken away from her.”

    This is such a remarkably gentle answer from Jesus, demonstrating his great love both for Martha and for Mary, even while Martha questions that same love.

    “A remarkably gentle answer from Jesus, demonstrating his great love both for Martha and for Mary.”

    For consider how Jesus might have responded to Martha. After all, she has just interrupted Jesus in the middle of teaching his disciples. She has criticized him and thus publicly dishonored Jesus in front of his disciples. And she has publicly rebuked her sister, a sister who has not done anything wrong.

    So, how might Jesus have justly responded to Martha?

    Martha, how dare you? How dare you interrupt my life-giving teaching with your petty complaint? You would not only rebuke your righteous sister, but also me, your righteous Lord. Is your heart not proud, self-righteous, and full of bitterness? Woman, you need to repent.

    But this is not the way of our savior with his own. And this is not the way of the good shepherd to those he loves. It shouldn’t be our way either.

    Jesus’ Gentle Rebuke

    Look at how Jesus begins in verse 41.

    Martha, Martha.

    Generally, it’s a sign that a rebuke is coming if Jesus has to say your name twice.

    We do see this in other scriptures. Luke 13:34, “Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her.” And Luke 22:31, “Simon, Simon, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat.”

    Yet, while this opening to Martha does indicate that Jesus will chide her, it’s also an indication that he truly cares for her. In this name repetition, there is a communicated tenderness.

    “In this name repetition, there is a communicated tenderness.”

    Martha, Martha, I love you and I hear you, but I have to tell you, you’re looking at this situation all wrong.

    Notice how Jesus correctly diagnoses Martha’s problem. In verse 41, he says, “You are worried and bothered about so many things.” That is to say, you are unduly troubled about many things that are good but not necessary.

    You have multiplied concerns for yourself according to your own thought of what is needful. So it’s not surprising that you are now feeling overwhelmed.

    Understand, dear sister, that I didn’t overburden you and neither did your sister.

    You did this to yourself.

    Only One Thing Is Necessary

    And then Jesus reminds her at the beginning of verse 42, “But only one thing is necessary.” It’s not that Jesus is saying that a meal for him was totally unnecessary.

    Skip the meal. We’re fasting today. Or that any service or obedience to him is not necessary. He’s not saying that either. We see in Luke 10 just in the earlier context and many other places that service to Christ is necessary. It’s exactly as our brother Mark preached last week. A servant who’s not serving should feel disturbed because that is necessary for Christ.

    If you are his disciple, obedience is the expected result, as is love for others.

    So this passage, please listen to this. This passage is not teaching the need for quietism instead of activism. That we just need to quietly contemplate Jesus instead of actually serving him in the world.

    However, in setting the priorities of the Christian life, one thing must come before and be present in everything else. That priority needs to be so obvious that it’s like the one and only necessary thing.

    “One thing must come before and be present in everything else — so obvious it’s like the one and only necessary thing.”

    And Jesus clarifies what this necessary thing is in the rest of his statement in verse 42. For Mary has chosen the good part which shall not be taken away from her.

    What is the only necessary thing? It’s the same good part or good portion that Mary chose for herself. It is sitting at the feet of Jesus. It is devoted discipleship. It is simply knowing, loving and learning from your Lord.

    Scripture Parallels: The One Good Portion

    Isn’t this the same prioritized portion that we heard about earlier in Psalm 27?

    What David says to remind you: Psalm 27:4, “One thing I have asked from the Lord, or from Yahweh, that I shall seek, that I may dwell in the house of Yahweh all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of Yahweh and to meditate in his temple.”

    Some more verses there: Psalm 27:8, “When you said, ‘Seek my face,’ my heart said to you, ‘Your face, oh Yahweh, I will seek.’” And then Psalm 27:11.

    Psalm 27:11, “Teach me your way, oh Yahweh, and lead me in a level path because of my foes.”

    We could add many other scripture parallels. Psalm 16:5, “Yahweh is the portion of my inheritance and my cup. You support my lot.” John 17:3, “This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” And Jeremiah 15:16, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart. For I have been called by your name, oh Yahweh, God of hosts.”

    Psalm 27:4: “One thing I have asked from the Lord… that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”

    Christianity Is First a Relationship

    Friends and brethren, Christianity is not some mere philosophy to follow. Nor is it a set of rules to keep. Nor is it a set of service lists to do.

    It is first and foremost a relationship.

    It is a relationship with the creator God, the holy Lord, the loving savior Jesus Christ.

    “Christianity is not some mere philosophy or set of rules. It is first and foremost a relationship.”

    Martha forgot this one necessary thing.

    She neglected the relationship for the sake of the service.

    But all the service in the world does not compare to simply knowing Christ.

    Devoted discipleship under Christ must come before and be central in all service for Christ.

    Because of this fact, Jesus was insistent with Martha that Mary’s good portion would not be taken away.

    Rather than Mary going to help Martha, Martha needed to come and sit with Mary at Jesus’ feet. What I find really interesting?

    Mary’s Example Repeated

    This proper priority demonstrated by Mary here is to know and love and learn from Jesus. It’s also seen in another event recorded in the gospels. This time three of the gospels capture it: John 12:1-8, Matthew 26:6-13, and Mark 14:3-9.

    They record Jesus’s final stay in Bethany.

    Jesus is at the home of a man named Simon, a former leper. Once again, Martha is serving, though this time without complaint. Lazarus is also there. But then Mary comes in with a costly alabaster vial of nard perfume.

    She breaks the vial and pours the perfume on Jesus, even anointing his feet with it and wiping his feet with her hair.

    She engages in an extraordinary display of love and devotion, really worship to Christ.

    But what’s the reaction of those present, led by Judas Iscariot?

    They are indignant with Mary’s financial waste because that vial of perfume could have been sold for more than a year’s wages, and the proceeds could have been given to the poor.

    Does that sound familiar?

    Mary once again is publicly rebuked for choosing worship before service.

    What’s Jesus’s response? I give you Mark’s version of that account: Mark 14:6-7.

    But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to me. For you always have the poor with you. And whenever you wish, you can do good to them. But you do not always have me.”

    Mark 14:6–7: “She has done a good deed to me. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

    Let’s understand: Jesus is not anti-service.

    There are many good causes with which we Christians can and should be engaged. You should care about serving your spouses, your parents, your children, your church, and your nation.

    We should be committed, as Jesus commands us, to making disciples, teaching them everything that Jesus commanded, baptizing them, and fighting for sound doctrine.

    But what must come before and what must fill all that service?

    Simply sitting at the feet of Jesus, worshiping and listening to him.

    Devoted discipleship comes before busy service.

    Based on this account and the other one with Mary and Martha in the gospels, understand that taking this biblical position will frequently be misunderstood by others. Even professing Christians will accuse you of being lazy, cowardly, and unloving.

    But this is the position that Jesus commends in Mary and commands of us.

    In fact, Jesus was so pleased by Mary’s actions that he declared, “Wherever my gospel is preached, the story of her devoted discipleship will be proclaimed also.” Talk about honor.

    Application: How Is Your Relationship with the Lord?

    How’s your relationship with the Lord?

    First of all, have you become his devoted disciple? Have you repented of your sin and believed in Jesus? Have you seen how you failed to live up to God’s one perfect standard both in your actions and in your speech, but also in your heart?

    Have you therefore become broken over your pride, rebellion, and sin? That you must pay the penalty, but you take Jesus at his word. And his life, death, and resurrection are enough to totally cover your sins and save you from hell forever.

    You thus forsake yourself and all your sins, all the treasures of the world, so that you may have Jesus. Has that happened for you?

    If not, it needs to. And the invitation is open today. Even from this passage, Jesus says, “Come sit at my feet. Be my devoted disciple and I will save your soul.”

    But if you are a disciple of Christ, do you live like it? Is your priority to spend time with your Lord, to get to know him, to learn his word?

    “If you are a disciple of Christ, do you live like it? Is your priority to spend time with your Lord?”

    Do you have a growing affection for Christ, regardless of how well life is going for you? And before you look to feed others with the grace of Christ, do you feed on him yourself?

    Or like Martha, have you gotten distracted? Have you gotten pulled away from Christ with a million unnecessary or good but less necessary things?

    Are you so caught up in your work or your parenting that you do not have time for Christ? Has a political or social cause taken over your life, even taken over your thoughts and conversations?

    Do you have a good but self-generated vision for what even this church should be? And you’re more committed to accomplishing your perfect vision on God’s behalf than actually knowing God and loving him.

    Now, brethren, I know it’s easy to drift. That’s why I wanted to come back to this passage. And God reminds us from this text that his ways are indeed different than our ways. He will always provide what is truly necessary.

    But what we need most of all is the simple reminder of who we are. Come, Jesus says, sit at my feet and learn from me as my disciple. Then go serve.

    Sitting at the Lord’s Feet Today

    Now you might be asking, “But Jesus isn’t here anymore. How can I sit at the Lord’s feet as his disciple today?”

    Well, an answer we need to pull a Vince Lombardi.

    Ladies and gentlemen, this is how you sit at the Lord’s feet.

    This is Jesus’ word. This is the revelation of Jesus. So what should you do? You should devote yourself to this.

    Read this. Study this. Talk about this. Pray according to this, hear this explained.

    This is the way. This is the word of Christ. And I’m not just talking about the red letters. All of this is written by the spirit of Christ. Jesus was speaking through all the authors and all the pages of scripture and all the words of scripture.

    This is the way the Lord has chosen to reveal himself to us and to reveal the Father.

    So do you devote yourself to this?

    Don’t read this book merely to check a box or to become a better debater.

    Read it regularly as a devoted disciple to get to know your Lord.

    You don’t need to be a trained scholar to enjoy the Bible. You just need to be a devoted disciple.

    So make it your food. It is your necessary spiritual food because it is how you feed on Christ.

    “Make it your food. It is your necessary spiritual food because it is how you feed on Christ.”

    But someone will say, “I hear you, Pastor Dave, but I am just so busy.” To which I say, “I know, but is that really a good excuse for a disciple? Sorry, master. I don’t have time for you.”

    The truth is we make ourselves busy, don’t we? We fill up our schedules with all the work and play that we deem necessary for ourselves.

    But Jesus says only one thing is necessary.

    So let us adjust our lives accordingly. Let’s identify, limit, and if need be, cut off what is unnecessary or prioritize in the right way what is less necessary.

    And we can get creative about this. You say, “But my job, Pastor Dave, there’s literally no time to sit down and read the Bible.” Okay, well then, can you listen to the Bible while you’re doing another task?

    Or while maybe you drive or do chores, can you think of other ways that you can devote yourself to the Lord’s word? This is also something that we can help each other with and should help each other with.

    If you’re not sure how to read the Bible or where to start, especially if you’re a new believer, ask a mature brother or sister for help. Not just where should I start reading, but could you read with me? Or I read this and I totally don’t understand it. Could you help me understand it?

    And if you just can’t seem to secure time away from the kids to concentrate, and believe me, I know that is a real issue, if possible, ask a family member or friend to fill in for you for a bit just so you could go spend some time with the Lord.

    Helping Each Other Pursue Christ

    Let’s make it our ambition as a church to set each other up for spiritual success.

    Husbands, ask your wives how you can help them sit at the Lord’s feet.

    “Let’s make it our ambition as a church to set each other up for spiritual success.”

    Wives, ask your husbands how you can help them pursue Christ.

    Children, ask your parents how you can be a blessing to them spiritually.

    And parents, consider even with your children how you can lead them to hear Christ, to love him.

    The Transforming Power of Devoted Discipleship

    Now, I do want to give one other clarification.

    Let me make clear that reading the Bible is not the magic bullet that will suddenly slay all your sins.

    You can regularly read the Bible and even pray and still live a life of unbelief and sin.

    There is no formula where you just input hours of Bible reading and prayer and you automatically get a certain level of holiness.

    Nevertheless, I have not known one person leading a spiritually happy and healthy Christian life who wasn’t also a regular Bible reader and prayer.

    It’s basics. It’s back to basics Christianity.

    Indeed, it’s amazing to observe the slow but perceptible transformation that often takes place with those who simply devote themselves to feeding on Christ. They read the Bible. They pray. They fellowship with the church. They listen to preaching.

    And their love for Christ and others just grows and grows.

    “It’s amazing to observe the slow but perceptible transformation in those who simply devote themselves to feeding on Christ.”

    Their faith grows. Their joy grows. Their peace grows.

    And they want to serve, no longer because they merely feel obligated to it as their duty, but because they want to express worship to Christ.

    And isn’t that what we all want?

    It starts with devoted discipleship.

    So let’s recommit ourselves to that today.

    Closing Prayer

    Pray with me.

    Jesus, you are so patient with us. We could insert our own names into this text instead of Martha.

    Martha, you could justly chide us for being distracted and bothered with so many things while only one thing is necessary.

    But Jesus, we believe you’ve spoken to us from this text so that we would take hold again of that one thing.

    Jesus, we do want to serve you. We know that is our calling and that is where our joy is magnified.

    But before that and in that we want to know you. We want to love you. We want to learn you.

    So Jesus, would you do that for us? Draw us back to your feet.

    Help us to discover again the wonder of knowing you and learning your word.

    Being your disciple so that we serve with the right heart.

    God, I pray that this would be, if you will, something of a revolution for us, that our church, everyone here, would be drawn to worship you again and as a consequence be invigorated to serve with zeal.

    Thank you for this encouraging text. For those that don’t know you, God, I pray that they would repent and believe today and become your devoted disciple.

    But for those of us who believe, God, thank you for this very important reminder.

    Amen.

  • The Unique Identity of Christ

    The Unique Identity of Christ

    In this special Christmas Day sermon, Pastor Joe Babij presents the true meaning of Christmas by way of the person of Jesus Christ. More specifically, from Luke 1:31-35, Pastor Babij explains three foundational truths that inform you about the uniqueness of the identity of Jesus.

    1. Jesus Is God (v. 35)
    2. Jesus Is Man (vv. 31, 35)
    3. Jesus Is Holy (v. 35)

    Full Transcript:

    We are looking at this morning Luke chapter 1, and I’d like your attention this morning on just three passages, actually verse 32, verse 31, verse 32, and verse 35 of chapter 1 of Luke, and let me read that for you. Verse 31 says:

    And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

    Verse 32:

    And he will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

    Then down to verse 35, it says:

    The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

    Let’s pray. Father, this morning, as we come to celebrate this great time of year, that we know that Christ came into the world. He robed himself with human flesh, and he came into this world for a specific reason. And Lord, we are benefiting from that reason right now for all those who’ve come to believe in Christ as Lord and Savior. So Lord, for this time of year, this is special. No matter what all the others are saying, this is a special time for those who know you. And Lord, we are looking forward to what you’re going to finish doing as us being part of your plan, and then Lord, looking forward to the consummation of everything, knowing that you are Lord of all, from beginning to end and everything in the middle. And so for this we praise you. Lord, bless us this morning as we celebrate this day, and as we look at your word, which really gives us clarity on what really took place. In Jesus’ name, amen.

    Christmas may mean different things to many people. It may mean gifts, receiving and giving. It means to some, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and his boss Santa Claus. It means mistletoe to some. I’m dreaming of a white Christmas to others. It may mean being together with family and friends, good fellowship, good food, singing Christmas carols, sitting down and watching ‘It Is a Christmas Carol’ or ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’ And for some, this time of year is bittersweet, has a bittersweet feeling to it because of a loss of a loved one or declining health or family troubles or financial issues or maybe just the despair of life and the weight of life. All these may have meaning for you or they may be meaningless to you. The most important thing to know is that these things are not the true meaning of Christmas. No matter what you think of Christmas or what you should or should not do at Christmas, if we’re going to celebrate Christmas at all, then the focus must be on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

    Now, while the New Testament doesn’t require that we celebrate Christmas every year, that, of course, there is certainly nothing wrong with the churches entering into a joyous time of celebrating the incarnation of Jesus into this cursed world as one of the most significant historical events that has ever occurred. And just like in the Old Testament when God commanded the people to remember certain events with annual celebration, it is the church’s opportunity to proclaim the truth concerning Jesus Christ and, yes, the incarnation of Emmanuel, God with us. And it is clear that human tradition has robbed so many of the truths concerning the birth of Jesus, why he came, who he is. The birth of Jesus Christ was the only way God chose that can provide a savior for lost and fallen humanity. How important that we sweep aside all human traditions and all the commercialism and the pagan errors and seek the truth that’s found in the Word of God. It is the Christian that can share about God’s indescribable gift of grace, about the hope that one has in Christ in the middle of a world of despair, about the truth of salvation in the midst of a world of noise and chaos and confusion.

    Now, in our text this morning, there’s three foundational truths in this scripture which inform us about the uniqueness of the identity of Jesus. It was also these that the angel Gabriel included in his communication to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, and Mary. The angel Gabriel came to Zechariah about the birth of John the Baptist who was going to prepare the way for the Lord. And when he came to him, the angel answered and said to him, I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God. Now, if you know anything about what was going on, God hadn’t spoken through a prophet for 400 years. So for God to speak at all, they had the word of God, yes. But for God to speak through a prophet or an angel would be a very unusual event. And so Mary, I’m sure, and Zechariah was all ears when this took place. And they were as surprised as anyone else about the pronouncement that was coming their way.

    And so John the Baptist is the first one, and he’s going to be the one who lays out the groundwork for the king to come. And only kings have a person assigned to prepare the things that are going to take place before the king arrives. And then the angel Gabriel speaks to Mary. What does he speak to her about? About the miracle that would take place in her body. For it says in chapter 1, verse 26 through 31, it says:

    Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

    But don’t get from that passage of Scripture that Mary was sinless. She was not sinless. She was a sinner just like everyone else and needed to be a savior just like anyone else. Now Mary’s child would be born as a result of the direct initiative of God. For it says in Luke 1:35,

    The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

    Now Joseph had really nothing to do with it. He was an outsider. He was a passive observer to the whole miraculous event. If God had not told him what was happening, he would have no idea what was happening. It is also significant that the angel Gabriel did not tell Mary to do something, to do anything. All he said to her and told her is that God was going to do something.

    See, God was going to take the initiative. See, Mary was entirely passive also. Mary’s privilege was that God’s greatest miracle would take place in her body. So you see, brethren, God does not wait for us to save ourselves because we never will or never could save ourselves. What He does is He doesn’t wait for a deliverer to arise from the human race. He sends His Son to the human race. Jesus is the most unique person who ever was born into this world. And if you just read the Scripture, verse by verse, all the way through, you have to conclude that.

    Now, this Lord’s Day and this Christmas morning, let’s consider together three foundational truths found in our Scripture text, which inform us about the unique identity of Jesus. And these were the very things that the angel Gabriel told to Mary. So then they’re important to us, too. I’m going to make it pretty simple this morning. The first unique thing about Jesus’ identity is this. Jesus is God.

    Now, if you look in verse number 34, it says, ‘He will be great and He will be called the Son of the Most High.’ And then at the last part of verse number 35, it says, ‘And for that reason the Holy Child shall be called the Son of God.’ Now, your life, my life, began when you were conceived in your mother’s womb. Before that moment, you didn’t exist. God used the union of your mother and father to bring you into being. Before that, you were not. And without that, you would not have been. But before Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, God, the Son, already enjoyed a marvelous life.

    In fact, speaking of Jesus’ birth, Paul, the Apostle Paul, said this in 2 Corinthians:

    For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

    And then Jesus himself makes a reference to this truth in the high priestly prayer where he prays and recorded in the Gospel of John where he says:

    Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

    See, Jesus was not like any other. His life did not begin in the Virgin’s womb. Before He was born in the stable, He shared the life of God. He was there in the beginning. It says in the Gospel of John 1, ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ The Word is the Son of God who took human flesh and was born of a virgin. The one who has always shared the glory of the Father came to us. He did not rise up out of the human race by union of a father and a mother, but He came as a gift to the human race.

    Now, why is this of such great importance that God should communicate to Mary this truth about Jesus being God? Well, it’s for this reason, because only God can reconcile sinful man to God. The only way on which sinful man could be delivered from the condemnation of sin was for someone to come from heaven to save them. As it says in 1 Peter:

    For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;

    So salvation has to be from above down in order for God to bring us to Himself. Think of it like this, that suppose you are in a little small raft on the water, and you need to be rescued because you’ve lost your way. There’s a rope in the raft, but you can’t use it to climb up to the helicopter. Salvation has to be from the top down, so someone who is secured at the top is lowered on the winch, and by embracing Him, you are lifted with Him to the position from where He came. In other words, salvation has to be from above. Only God can save. We cannot climb up for the simple reason that we have nothing to climb on.

    So this male child will be God, as it’s recorded in Scripture, His name will be called Emmanuel, which is translated God with us. So you see, Christ has come to us from heaven to earth, and in Him, God is reaching out to every person on this planet. Our Savior is God and therefore able to save to the uttermost.

    I read a story about a man named Mel Trotter. He had lived most of his life as a drunkard and outcast. And just to show how much he loved liquor, when his little child was very sick, his wife gave him money to buy medicine, and instead he spent it on booze and the child ended up dying. Trotter was so drunk that he could not even attend the funeral. And later, he came under the hearing of the gospel of Jesus Christ and was marvelously saved and became a preacher. And after painfully retelling his story in a message he preached from Hebrews 7:25, which says,

    Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him,

    And you may ask, well, how could a person like that be saved? He should be judged and condemned. The answer to that question is that he was judged and condemned. And because of his faith in Jesus, Jesus took the judgment in his place and paid his penalty in full by His sacrificial death, satisfying the justice of the Father. See, only God can reconcile sinful man to God. Mel Trotter concluded his story with these words, God is able to save from the gutter most to the uttermost. How great a salvation this is. God can save all immoral people as well as moral people, as well as Christless people. See, where sin and evil is found in the highest and in the lowest places, Jesus can save. So Mary needed to know that Jesus was God.

    Secondly, the second unique thing about Jesus’ identity is pretty simple. Verse 35 in Matthew chapter 1, verse 23, and then also in verse 31, Jesus is a man. Now for some who have been around the Word of God for a while and a Christian for a while, to say that Jesus is a man may be a given. However, once we have grasped that Jesus is God, it is really every bit as important for us to grasp that He’s a man. Because on both of these fronts, these have been attacked during church history. His deity has been attacked and His humanity has been attacked. You have to have both to have what the Bible speaks of concerning Jesus Christ.

    Now once you have grasped that Jesus is God, it is every bit as important for us to grasp that He is a man again. He took on human flesh and was born as one of us, entering and sharing our life. He became a human being. With all that goes with it, He became a human being. And in our passage in Luke 1:35, the angel Gabriel stressed to Mary that this child shall be born of you. In verse 31,

    And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

    So she was going to actually have a real human baby. The child born would have a supernatural birth, unprecedented in all of human history, something that would never happen again. Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son. The Messiah would be born of a virgin. And if a woman became pregnant and had a son, that would not be a special sign. But if a virgin became pregnant and brought a son into this world, that’s a miracle. See, it was a miraculous sign that God gave us. It was foretold in Isaiah 7:14, where Isaiah says,

    Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:

    All these promises of God are like signposts on a highway. You don’t sit on the top of the sign and expect the sign to take you to your destination. Instead, by faith in the message on the signpost and in the scripture, you follow its direction and move forward to where it points. See, God’s promise and his promises point us to a person, to a male child who would be called Jesus.

    The fact that Jesus is a man is as important to our salvation as the fact that he is God. Now why? Because only a man can bear the punishment for man’s sins. That’s why Jesus had to become a man, so he can actually bear the punishment for our sins. But Jesus is a very unique and special man in at least four ways in regards to the bearing of the punishment for man’s sin. Number one, He was a sinless man. The scripture tells us He did not sin in His conduct. He committed no sin in 1 Peter 2. It says there He knew no sin. He didn’t even sin in His words. Jesus did not use words to bring insult. He didn’t use violence or threats ever. And people said he was possessed by demons. He was a glutton and a wine-bibber and a blasphemer. He was delusional. He was a perverter of the nation and a deceiver of people. Yet Jesus never strayed in word or deed, never got upset unjustly. Jesus never used anyone for a laugh, ever. 1 John 3:5 says,

    You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.

    So He was a sinless man. He was also a perfect man. No one has been perfect. God requires perfection to get into His presence, to be in His presence. And yet scripture tells us that He was the spotless, sinless Son of God. And for 33 years He lived it. And John the Baptist pointed to Him as the one, the Lamb of God, who will take away the sin of the world. And then 1 Peter, it tells us,

    but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

    So God ransomed His children by the highest cost possible, the precious blood of the Savior. That Christ’s blood is of inestimable great value that any earthly temporary commodity like silver or gold can compare to. That Christ purchased us with His own blood, not with any temporal human payment, but with the shedding of blood. And without Christ’s death as a man on the cross, nobody could be saved. And that was God’s plan, so He had to be a perfect man.

    But he also had to be a willing man. The Bible tells us He had to be willing to die in the place of sinners. He didn’t die for Himself. He didn’t need to die for Himself. He had to die in the place of others. Like what Romans chapter 5 tells us,

    For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

    And then in verse 8,

    But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

    In other words, Christ had to become a man to die in our place. But He also had to be an able man. He had the ability to carry out the plan of salvation. And He had to carry it out to completion. He had to carry out to its finishing point. This man must be able to carry our sin away and lift it from us, and then pay the full price for that sin. The Bible says to give his life a ransom for many. So His life was a ransom. A “lutron” in scripture, a price paid to affect the release of one who is held in bondage. It was you and I who was held in bondage by sin, kept there, unable to free ourselves.

    So the ransom was offered to God the Father against whom we had sinned, and who alone has the power to inflict the penalty. So then Jesus saw us caught in the slave market of sin, and had pity on our hopeless situation by paying the ransom price with His own blood in order to redeem us out of the slave market and bring us into the family of God. His sacrificial death on the cross purchased the release from bondage of those many sinners who would believe in Him.

    And would you think that this baby in the virgin womb would accomplish such a thing? That the baby in the virgin’s womb was also the One who made the moon. He was the One, and Mary and all of us would learn that He would also be the one who would make the deaf hear, make the blind see, and raise the dead, and that He would be the wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace, the King of all creation, the Savior, the great I Am, is who we’re talking about here. And no one else could have done this. Not one other person who ever lived in this world could have ever done this except Jesus Christ.

    But there’s one other thing the Bible teaches us in this passage of scripture about the identity of Jesus, that Jesus was not only God, he was not only a man, but Jesus was also holy. It says here in verse 35,

    The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

    See, Jesus Christ is like us in every respect except one. He’s holy and we are not. That means ultimately that He did not commit a single sin. Jesus was holy in His thoughts. He was holy in His intentions. He was holy in His whole character. He was never drawn to sin. He had no propensity to sin at all whatsoever. And there has never been anybody else in human history about whom this could be said. Not then, not now, not ever. Everyone born since the first Adam was not born holy. And what was holy was not born until Jesus Christ came into the world.

    See, Jesus blazes the trail of a new humanity that will be holy, free from sin, and no longer subject to death. That’s why when you get to the book of Revelation, what do you find out? When the curse is removed, there is no more crying. There’s no more death. There’s no more any of those things that bring sorrow in the world because Jesus has taken care of it. And that there also will be a new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells. See, because Jesus is sinless and perfectly righteous, he is the only basis of our forgiveness with God the Father. Jesus is our only basis of righteousness before God. Faith in Christ alone, not our own goodness, saves us.

    So then the angel communicated to Mary three important facts about Jesus’ identity. That He is God, that He is a man, and that He’s holy. And when we grasp these, we see that the whole purpose of the love of God was to redeem all of God’s children from the devil’s hell and take them to His wonderful heaven where she will bear a son. And you shall call His name Jesus, and He will save His people from their sin. That’s what we all need. No one will ever have to add or subtract to what Jesus has done to have eternal life. All they must do is to repent of their sins and unbelief and believe and receive His free gift of salvation.

    And who are those who are saved from their sin? Anyone who comes to the God-man in repentance and faith. That’s what it says in Scripture. Repentance towards God the Father and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, which was the plan for salvation. Anyone who calls upon Jesus from their heart of belief. As it says in Romans,

    that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

    In other words, God wants you to ask Him to save you. Of course, that comes with understanding, understanding what He did on behalf of sinners. And then also anyone who is willing to forsake everything else they’re trusting in to hopefully save themselves. Like what? Like being religious, like good works, like morality, like keeping the sacraments, like thinking that you can keep the commandments when the commandments were never given to us to cause us to keep them, but show us that we’re sinners so we would call upon Christ.

    See, when faith looks at the birth of Jesus, faith sees God at work and believes His promises. Faith sees this is why Christ came into the world. Faith reckons that if God has said Christ will save his people from their sins, then that’s exactly what He will do, and that’s exactly what He has done.

    See, Jesus the Savior has transformed millions of alcoholics and drug addicts. Vile and profane persons have been made pure of speech. All manner of people have been changed by the amazing, wonderful grace of Jesus Christ who is God, who is a man, and who is holy. So we should be glad today that Jesus receives sinners, and we have many examples in scriptures that He did and still does receive sinners. All kinds of people caught in all various levels of condemning sin, He saves. Mary Magdalene possessed with seven demons, she becomes a believer. The maniac of Gadaria, the man possessed with legions of demons. He wore no clothes, he lived in tombs, he was in a sense insane. When he met Jesus, the devils departed, and he sat, the Bible says, clothed in his right mind and became a witness to the power of Christ in his region where he grew up. And we see from scripture that as he gave that testimony, that area became evangelized and many came to know the Lord because of his witness.

    We have the Samaritan woman who was an adulterer, a sinner, married five times, and the man that she was living with when Jesus was talking to her wasn’t her husband. And what did she do? She hears the message of the gospel, she realizes who Jesus is, and what does she do? She believes and she gets saved. And then Lydia, just a regular businesswoman, what does she do? She hears the gospel, God opens her heart, and she repents and believes and she gets baptized.

    See, no sinner is beyond the saving power of Jesus Christ. No homosexual, no harlot, no liar, no murderer, no religious person, no moral person, or ethical person, or religious self-righteous person, all of them can be saved. See, the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed the one who receives sinners. He receives them to pardon them. He receives them to sanctify them. He receives them to forgive them and to make them fit for heaven, for His presence.

    So why do we need to know what the angel Gabriel said to Mary? Because only God can reconcile sinful man to God, and only man can bear the punishment for man’s sin, and only the holy God-man can accomplish such a great salvation. That’s why. So if you know Jesus as your Savior this morning, worship Him. If you don’t know Him, ask Him to deliver you from your guilt, the power, and the consequences of your sin. Ask Him to pardon you, wash you in His own blood, and make you fit for His holy presence. Ask Him for that, because He’s able to do it. He’s willing to do it. He’s qualified to do it. And he’s the only one who can do it. Muhammad can’t do it. Buddha can’t do it. No religious leader in the world can do it. It’s only Christ who has done it and will do it if you ask Him to.

    Now, if you don’t want to know Him or worship Him, then the Bible says you remain under the wrath and judgment of God. And if you remain that way and close your eyes in death, then your future is not going to be a pleasant one. It’s going to be separated from God.

    But if you do know Jesus, your future, present and future, will be a glorious one. We will have a hope that we can’t even define. We will have a joy that’s inexpressible. We will be in the presence of a holy, righteous, perfect God, and we’ll be able to be there because of what Jesus did, not because of what you did. See, God takes the initiative. Salvation must come from heaven to the earth. It’s not the other way. And all God’s people said, Amen. God bless. Let’s stand together and let’s sing our last praise song. Merry Christmas to everyone.

  • Deliverance that Exalts the Lord Jesus Christ

    Deliverance that Exalts the Lord Jesus Christ

    In this sermon, our guest, Pastor Tom McConnell, examines Luke 8:29-39 and the account of Jesus delivering the man with the legion of demons. Pastor Tom explains two lessons about deliverance that should result in the exaltation of Jesus—even new belief in Jesus and new boldness for Jesus.

    1. The Need for Jesus’ Deliverance (vv. 26-33)
    2. The Responses to Jesus’ Deliverance (vv. 34-39)

    Full Transcript:

    Good morning, and it’s a delight to be with you at Calvary Community Church. I want to extend my sincere thanks to Pastor Babij and his wife Jayne for welcoming us to the area last night. Wonderful dinner we had together, and to the elders who have welcomed us and carved time out of your busy schedules to get to know us and visit with us. It’s a delight to be with you. Your church has an excellent reputation among those of us who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ overseas, and particularly those of us who are at Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, where my wife and I are missionaries for nearly 20 years in the United Kingdom. For many of you at the Sunday school hour, you heard about our missions work in the United Kingdom in Rugby, England. But for the rest of you who are just coming into the service this hour, we’d like to invite you at the end of the service to get a missionary prayer card at the back there and to sign up to receive our missionary newsletter so that you can pray intelligently for us. Our biggest need are the faithful prayers of believers who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ and will regularly pray for us, and the best way for you to do that is to receive our newsletter at the back after the service. So please do that. We’d love to talk with you more about our missionary work in the United Kingdom these last 20 years during our fellowship time, even after the breaking of bread, and I understand there’s a meal after the service. So all of you who’ll be staying back, we would love to meet you and tell you more about that ministry.

    Well, on behalf of my wife, Kathy, and my children who are with us here today, we want to thank you for having us. I bring you greetings from my fellow elders in Rugby, England, at Grace Bible Church Rugby, who are five hours ahead of us, and they’ve already had their worship service and are into their afternoon. And so I want to make sure that I greet you on their behalf and in the Lord’s name. Our two nations have much on their minds, particularly today. Our two nations, the United Kingdom and America, are in many respects reeling emotionally, in many ways thinking about weighted matters. In the United Kingdom, you know we’ve had not only the change of a national leader and our prime minister, but we’ve had the death of a sovereign, a longstanding sovereign, in the death of our queen, and the nation is mourning the death of their beloved queen. And at the same time, 21 years after 9/11, America has not forgotten and continues to remember what happened 21 years ago here on 9/11.

    And I couldn’t help but think that on such a day like this, that what would be a better antidote, what would be a better remedy for us than to draw hope and comfort from our Savior and from the gospel that our Savior came to bring to instill hope for eternal life, as we even celebrated the homegoing of these two believers who are now in the presence of God. And I want us to be able to be filled with hope today. I want us to be able to be comforted by our Savior, whether you’re remembering those lives lost on 9/11 or you’re thinking about a nation like the United Kingdom that is filled with uncertainty at the time of its change in its monarch.

    I’d like to invite you to open your Bibles to Luke 8 this morning, to the passage that was read in Luke 8 this morning, as we consider the subject of deliverance. That word deliverance is a synonym for the word salvation. We’re gonna look at this subject deliverance or salvation, which is one of the greatest, if not the greatest theme of all of scripture, dominating the Bible from Genesis 3:15 to the end of the book of Revelation, or from the beginning and the end of the Bible.

    This subject of deliverance in Luke’s gospel focuses on the deliverer first, that is Jesus, and secondly focuses on those who need deliverance – all sorts of people as you read through the gospel of Luke. You’re gonna see Jesus as the deliverer and you’re going to see multitudes of different people in varying needs needing to be delivered. Or if I could say it so bluntly, be saved, which is also a synonym for deliverance, so is translated from the Greek to be deliverer or to save. And in Luke’s gospel, the gospel of Luke, Luke wants Theophilus, the young believer to whom he wrote the gospel of Luke, to understand that Jesus is not just a man, but that Jesus is the powerful fulfillment, divine fulfillment of Daniel 7:13-14. He’s the Son of man who’s coming before the ancient of days. And Jesus’s dominion is going to be, as Daniel records in Daniel 7:13-14, an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away. In other words, if he’s a man and only a man, certainly his rule will end at the end of his days. But if He’s more than a man, if Jesus is man and if he’s God, who’s taken on the nature of a man in His incarnation, then His kingdom will have no end. And that’s what Daniel prophesied in the Old Testament. And that’s what Jesus is presented by Luke as being the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy in the gospel of Luke.

    It is here as you open your Bibles to Luke 8 this morning that we find ourselves in the midst of Luke writing about the life of Jesus. And at this particular occasion in Luke 8, before we even get to our text, the preceding narrative or the preceding text, not even Jesus’s disciples yet understood who Jesus is to this very point. If you look down in verses 22 to 25, there’s that great narrative historical event of Jesus calming the sea. And Jesus and His disciples in those verses get into a boat on the Sea of Galilee and they set sail. And as they set sail, Jesus falls asleep in the boat. Verse 23 tells us that a windstorm came down on the lake and the boat started taking on water to such a degree that the disciples woke Jesus up from His sleep in verse 24 saying, Master, Master, we are perishing. Jesus, disturbed from His sleep, displayed His divinity to His disciples in the most disturbing way, at least to His disciples. According to the parallel passage in Mark 4:39, Jesus gets up, looks up and speaks up, speaking to the winds in the sea. Jesus hushed the winds in the sea saying, Peace, be still. And suddenly the once storm-tossed Sea of Galilee became Lake Placid.

    Do you remember how Jesus’s hush of nature impacted the disciples in the boat that day? Well, Matthew 8:27 tells us that His disciples marveled saying, What sort of man is this that even the winds and sea obey Him? Mark 4:41 tells us that His disciples were filled with mega phobia or great fear. Luke 8:25 includes the mingling of fear and marveling as the disciples respond to Jesus’s demonstration of his power over the forces of nature. You see, the disciples who were working closely with Jesus, whom Jesus had called, did not even fully recognize yet that He is not just man, but He is divine God, the son of the living God. But they got to see His power over the forces of nature in those few verses, verses 22 and 25.

    But in our text this morning, those verses that succeed those verses, they’re not only gonna see Jesus’s power over the forces of nature, but they’re going to see Jesus’s power as God over the forces of darkness. And in Luke 8:26-39, Jesus demonstrates His power over the forces of darkness by delivering a man who was completely and totally in the grip of demonic darkness. Luke’s account of this man’s deliverance can be divided into two parts, from which I’ll draw two lessons about deliverance. So if you’re taking notes, and I recommend that you do, and I trust many of you already are, two lessons about deliverance that should result in the exaltation of Jesus. This is what I hope we will see.

    And what I hope is accomplished in God’s word could be, and my own personal desire would be, number one, so that those of you who have not yet repented of your sins and believed savingly on the Lord Jesus Christ would look to Him and Him alone for your deliverance. You need to be delivered if you don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. And I don’t just mean about facts about Jesus, but I mean resting and trusting entirely in Jesus and Him alone for the forgiveness of your sins.

    And secondly, for those of us who know and love Christ, as we look at this gospel narrative, my desire is that you’ll be more bold and more courageous and more filled with zeal to make His name great among the nations, so that from the rising of the sun to the setting of the same, His name will be made great by you and others like us. His name will be made great among the nations. So these two lessons about deliverance deliverance with these two human goals. Obviously, we know Isaiah 55:11 says that the Lord’s word will not return void, but He’ll accomplish His own purposes with it. I’m sure that the Lord will have other dealings other than these two that I’ve just mentioned. But these two lessons about deliverance are easy to remember.

    Here are the two heads, as they would say in Britain, or the two main points. Sorry, there’s not three main points today, Pastor, but it’s just the way it’s unfolded in the text, as I can see it. There’s verses 27 through 33. There is a need for Jesus’s deliverance. And verses 34 through 39, I’ve summarized it as being there is a response or there are responses to Jesus’s deliverance. The need and the responses, those are the two heads as this narrative breaks down for us.

    The first lesson to learn about Jesus’s deliverance is there’s a need for it. There’s a need for the deliverance that Jesus brings, even as we’ll see here in the narrative. But there’s a need for the deliverance that Jesus brings today. There’s a need for Jesus’s deliverance. And there are two details about this man as we read of him, this man that proved to us that he needs deliverance. These two details could be described this way. First, there’s the man’s description argues that this man needs deliverance.

    This man is described in five ways. His local origin in verse 27 is being a man from the city. Secondly, his spiritual condition noted there in the same verse that he was a man who was, as it says in the NAS, who was possessed by demons. Second description, his spiritual condition. Who are these demons that Jesus is facing when we think about this man’s spiritual condition? Well, in Matthew chapter 8:28, this man is described as a demon-possessed man, a man of unclean spirit in Mark. And he is said to be possessed by these. These demons are corrupt spiritual beings. They’re called by various names and descriptions throughout the scripture, like, for example, familiar spirits in Leviticus 20:6, unclean spirits in Acts 5:16. They’re called principalities. They’re called wicked rulers of this present darkness, wicked rulers and authority in Ephesians 6:12 and Colossians 2:15.

    And according to scripture, demons are fallen angels who followed Satan in rebellion against God, say, for example, as mentioned in Revelation 11:4. They were cursed by God and cast out of heaven. And many of these wicked, rebellious, unclean spirits, God had committed to be reserved in chains of darkness until the final judgment. We read about that, that those who rebelled with Satan and were kicked out of heaven, 2 Peter 2:4 said that,

    For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;

    And Jude 6 says,

    And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—

    The point is this, that many of those angels now who have fallen or called demons now that were kicked out of heaven are reserved in chains of gloomy darkness even till now. They are not the ones who are hindering the work of God, are attacking the work of God in the present day or in the time of Christ here. But there are other demons who were not reserved in gloomy chains of darkness who were going about wreaking havoc and seeking to kill the image of God in man, the Imago Dei. And they sought to destroy man and prevent man from coming to know the God, the one and only true God who would save them from their sins. You need to understand that many of these demons were permitted to move on the earth as we clearly see in this passage here in Luke 8. And in other gospel passages throughout the New Testament.

    And I must say it this way just before we leave who these demons are. I must remind you many of you know about Adam and Eve and Satan in the garden and the temptation in the fall. And now many of you know about the rebellious angels, some who are reserved in darkness and some who are wreaking havoc and trying to make a living hell for those who are made in the image of God on earth and prevent them from believing the gospel. You need to know that while God provides redemption for sinful humanity, those of us who are human beings, of which we are part, God has sealed the sinful state of these rebel spirits forever. You need to understand this, that when the spiritual realm of darkness comes into contact with fallen sinful humanity, they are both depraved, they are both under God’s judgment, they are both rebels against God, but one of those beings, one of those people has hope for their sins forgiven, but the other has no hope. They are eternally lost. They are eternally separated from God and nothing we read of in the scripture says that there’s any remedy or redemption for those fallen angels. They are sealed for the day of judgment. You need to see how important not man is in general, but the kind of love that God has set on those made in His image, that is human beings, men and women made in the image of God.

    Ebenezer Pemberton, not far from here, preached the ordination ministry of David Brainerd, and he goes on to say that this present world that we live in, we once enjoyed the favor of God, but sin defaced the beauty of creation and caused the Lord of this lower world, man, to grieve the most disconsolate circumstances. God looked at our deplorable state. Infinite wisdom touched the heart of the Father of mercies and infinite wisdom laid the plan for our recovery, that is, redemption. And God has not made such a plan for the fallen angels. And I dare say, we would risk a greater judgment because God has provided a way for you to be saved, for humanity to be saved. And if you continue to reject the Lord Jesus Christ, you will have to stand before a God who sent His only Son into the world that whoever believed in Him might not perish, but have eternal life. You are that much more culpable. And you are responsible, as Paul says in Romans, you are without excuse.

    Number three, his description, his physical description of being destitute and desperate. It says in the text that this man had not put on any clothing, and for a long time, can you see the scene of this destitute man who is in desperate circumstances? The fourth description of his current residence, not living in a house, notice the negative, but in the tombs, according to NASB. He is described as coming out of the tombs or dwelling among the tombs. This is his place of residency among the dead. And then finally, his fifth description is his length of captivity to darkness. Only Luke’s gospel tells us the length of time in which he was caught by the power of darkness and held by it. But what Luke does record, inspired by the Holy Spirit, tells us that it was for a long time. He had worn no clothes for a long time. He had not lived in a house for a long time. He was under the power of sin and darkness for a long time. And this man’s description, his five-fold description, argues or proves that this man is in desperate need of deliverance that Jesus and Jesus Christ alone can provide.

    However, there’s a second detail which proves this man’s need of deliverance, and it’s the man’s recognition of Jesus. We not only know that he needs deliverance because of his description, but we know he needs deliverance because of his recognition of Jesus, and I want to explain what I mean by that from this text. First of all, without an introduction, as the text says in verses 27 and 28, without an introduction, the man knew Jesus’s name. Do you see that?

    And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus,”

    Without any introduction, this man knew Jesus’s name. Let me hasten to add that the meeting took place, this meeting between Jesus and this man, took place too soon for an introduction. The NAS says when he had come out onto land, but the parallel passage in Mark 5:2 uses the word immediately. That’s a helpful adverb in the text. Immediately, as Jesus steps out of the boat, this meeting between this man and Jesus, before any introductions are given, takes place. It was too soon for an introduction.

    And notice, secondly, that this meeting was too intense for introduction. Matthew 8:28 talk about two demoniacs at this particular occasion, and Luke’s gospel focuses, most scholars believe, on the ringleader of the two or the leader of the two. So Luke is talking about what has got the lens of the gospel focused on one of those two demoniacs. But Matthew 8:28 tells us that they were so fierce that no one could pass that way. That’s why I say the meeting between Jesus and this man was too sudden or it was too soon and it was too tense. No one could pass by this way.

    Acts 19:14-16 tell us what the power of one demon can do in a man. You remember the seven sons of Sceva, the Jewish high priest named Sceva. What they were doing, they were casting out demons using the name of Jesus, although not believing on the name of Jesus, not being followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. But they were casting out evil spirits in the name of Jesus, the powerful name of Jesus. And then that one evil spirit answered them saying, Jesus, I know, and Paul, I recognize, but who are you guys? And the scripture says,

    And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

    I say to you, this was an intense moment that was happening right before Jesus and His disciples and those who were privy to be there. And despite the intensity of the moment and despite the speed of the confrontation, this man knew Jesus’ name. What business do we have to do with each other, Jesus? Isn’t that interesting? It’s so obvious, we might miss it. You remember what the name Jesus means, right? We talk about it every Christmas, right? And there shall be a son born to you and you shall call His name Jesus for He will what? He will save, He will deliver His people from their sin. And we know that Jesus is the New Testament equivalent of Yahoshua in the Old Testament, which means Yahweh delivers, Yahweh saves. That’s what Jesus’ name means. It means Yahweh delivers.

    Do you get the picture here? Here is this man in need of deliverance saying to the one that who is the Creator of the ends of the earth, what have we to do with You, Yahweh delivers? Do you get it? The man recognizes, the man who needs deliverance is not asking Jesus to deliver him. In fact, it’s like he wants Jesus, the deliverer, to go away from him. And you’ll understand why, because it says that he was possessed by these demons. The man who needed deliverance was in the presence of the one and only person who could bring him deliverance, but he was saying, I don’t want anything to do with You, Yahweh saves, Yahweh delivers. No introductions were possible. No introductions were necessary because the man knew Jesus’ name.

    So, without an introduction, the man knew Jesus’ name, but secondly, without explanation, the man knew Jesus’ true identity. In verse 28, what have we to do with you, Jesus, listen, son of the most high God? That brings us back to Daniel 7:13-14, doesn’t it? Jesus is not only the Son of man, as you’ll see in Luke’s gospel, but He’s the Son of man not only to speak of His humanity, but of prophecy that speaks about His eternality, His divinity. They know who Jesus is greater than so many of us think we know who Jesus is. They have a better Christology than we have, these demons. They have an accurate understanding of who Jesus is.

    I must tell you this for your own good, that having an accurate understanding of who Jesus is alone by itself is not enough to save you. You need to understand that you may have heard about Jesus as a child. You may have been taught the Sunday school data about the gospel as a child. You may assent that the data of the gospel is true, and if that describes you fully and wholeheartedly in only those two things, the data of the gospel and assenting that the gospel is true, you’re still lost and in sin’s grip because without faith, it is impossible to please God. For he that comes to God must first believe that He is and that He’s a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

    You see, without fiducia or fiducia, without that whole soul resting entirely in Christ, and here’s the Reformed word, sola, Christ alone. It’s not Jesus plus Mary or Jesus plus the church or Jesus plus your money or Jesus plus your good works. It’s Christ alone resting in Him, and I’m not just talking about believing in Jesus the same way do you believe in the Queen Mother or you believe in King Charles as a historical figure. Because certainly when we say, have you believed in Jesus? We’re not just talking about just knowing that He is an accurate and actual historical figure who’s alive forevermore. Certainly He’s that.

    No, to believe is not just to give assent that He’s historical. To believe is to take all that He said He is and all that He came to do in dying a death you and I could not die and living a life that you and I could not live, being put in a tomb three days later, rising again from the tomb in victory over sin, death, and hell for our justification. To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is not just to believe that He exists, but it means to rest entirely and only in Him for the forgiveness of your sins. He and He alone. We are not saved by a doctrine. We are saved by a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. I have no hope but Christ. I have no hope of getting into heaven or having my sins forgiven except He said, believe on Him. To as many as received Him, that means by faith to believe on Him, to those people He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name.

    You may say I believe Jesus is who he says he is, and I believe Jesus is the son of the most high God. James 2:19 tells us even the demons believe that, and they shudder. As one preacher commenting on James 2:19 rightly said, if you think you’re saved only because you believe correct things about Jesus, all that does is qualify you to be a demon. Demons know Jesus, but saved human beings put their entire faith and trust in Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins.

    So, without an introduction, this man knows Jesus’ name, and without an explanation he knows Jesus’ true identity, but thirdly, without hesitation, the man knew Jesus’ power. Do you see in verse 28 what he says? Look at the text. In falling down, he says,

    “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.”

    Now, that’s an incredible, unexpected change in the text. Especially when you are reading Mark’s gospel that no one can pass by because these guys are running and driving everyone off, and here comes meek and gentle Jesus just landing on the shore, and rather than Him being terrified of this man and his partner, they are terrified of Him. Do you see it? I beg you, do not torment me. Firstly, the thought of Jesus tormenting anyone is antithetical to most people’s thinking today about Jesus. Don’t torment me, Jesus.

    I mean, what’s the picture of Jesus that you have? The picture of Jesus that many people have is the flannelgraph Jesus. Now, I’ve immediately given away my age by saying that. Most of you younger folks don’t know what a flannelgraph is just like you don’t know what a broken record is, but that’s another story, isn’t it? For those of us 52 years and older, 52 years young and older, you know what a flannelgraph is and you know what a broken record is, so you’ve been enlightened. But the thought of Jesus tormenting anyone, just look at those words that this man says. I mean, have you thought about that? It’s worthy of your meditation this afternoon. I beg you, do not torment me. I mean, what kind of Jesus is this man identifying?

    Well, this man without hesitation knew Jesus’s power. You see, he knew Jesus’s divine name. He knew who Jesus is, more than just doctrine. He knew and knows God’s power, Jesus’s power. Gentle and soft flannelgraph picture that most people have of Jesus is not the one that he’s talking to, do not torment me. Have you come to torment me? There’s another striking matter to emphasize, and that is this powerful demon-possessed man who’s driving other people away, as I’ve already said, he is bowing down in the presence of this otherwise meek and gentle Jesus.

    You see, here is divine power that’s not flaunting itself. He doesn’t need to brag. He doesn’t need to say, don’t you know who I am? No, when He’s God, because He is God, He knows who He is. He’s not having an identity crisis. He’s not trying to reinvent Himself. He’s not trying to figure out, am I God or am I not God? I know I’m human, but am I God? He’s not having an identity crisis. And those other people who were driven away by this demoniac and his partner, they weren’t God. They were human beings like the rest of us, but there was something different about Jesus because Jesus is not only man, but He’s God. He’s the Son of the Most High. The same deity of God, very God, very God. And this demon is in the presence of the one he knows that created him. And this man in whom the demons were residing.

    What’s striking here is that Mark 5:4 says that no one was strong enough to subdue him, but here comes this powerful man cowering before the gentle and lowly, the meek and gentle Jesus. That’s my Savior. The all-powerful. The one who not only exercises His power over the forces of nature, but the one before whom those rebellious spirits called demons come groveling and begging.

    Do you see the word begging? Begging Him not to throw them into the abyss. That’s the word begging. It’s the word demai. It’s the word translated used by a man full of leprosy begging Jesus to heal him in Luke 5:12. And it’s used, this word to beg is used by other desperate human beings. Do you see the desperation of this man? It’s not like he wants to follow Jesus. He just doesn’t want to be tormented by Jesus because he knows Jesus, if anyone, has the power to torment this man and those who are residing in him, those evil spirits, it’s Jesus. In Luke 8:31, they begged him, that’s the word parakaleo, to make a strong request, to implore. In verse 32, they begged him. Here they are. They can’t trip over themselves enough saying, please, please, please, please. Their begging indicates they knew the power of Jesus.

    Secondly, when they mentioned tormenting, have you come to torment us? Do not torment me. In Matthew 8:29, the demons asked Jesus, have you come here to torment us before the time? Oh, you know what I love about that, is they know, they have an accurate understanding of prophecy. Their eschatology is spot on. That’s how the Brits say it, spot on. And as a British missionary, I’ve got to weave in a few words so we can be bilingual before the end of the sermon. You know their eschatology was right on. They know that there’s coming a day for judgment for the whole fallen gamut of those angels who have rebelled against God. And why is it that the demons know that there is a coming, a final day of judgment, but humanity will say rightly in their own pride, no, God’s going to let me in. There’s no day of judgment coming for me. Stop deceiving yourselves. There’s a day of judgment for all who have rebelled against God, and all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. You need to line up and at least have this recognition that there is appointed unto you a time once to die, and after this, the judgment. You’re not going to escape it, just like these demons know they’re not going to escape it. Have you come to torment us before the time?

    Torment is the Greek word that means to subject to severe distress, to subject to punitive judicial procedure. It’s used in Matthew 14:24, this same word, torment, as a boat battered by the winds, that banging of the water sloshing against the wood that consists. He had just come out of the storm. Remember in the previous context, that boat had been battered. That is a picture of the torment that they’re talking about here. There’s going to be a judgment that is felt keenly and personally by these evil spirits and also by all the unredeemed of those who have not bowed the knee to Jesus in this life. Don’t send me to the abyss. That’s the bottomless pit. Revelation 9:1-12 tell us that it’s the abode of evil beings. Revelation 17:8 says it’s the place from which the beast who bears the harlot arises, and it’s the location of Satan’s confinement for a thousand years in Revelation 20:1-3. It’s called the abyss.

    One commentator said it’s used in Jewish, pagan, and Christian literature, this term abyss. It has the common idea of an immense and terrifying place, and that is exactly the future for those fallen angels, and that is exactly the future for everyone who enters into eternity without having called on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in a saving way. There is coming a day of judgment, my friends, and God’s not going to skip over you and say, all right, well, you were going to let in, but we’re going to judge everyone else righteously. God wouldn’t be a righteous God to skip over you. There’s coming a judgment.

    And do you see the irony here? We beg you. I beg you. Do not torment me. What’s the irony here? The irony is that the demon man begs Jesus not to do what the demons are doing to this man. Lord Jesus, don’t do to us, the demons inside of him, what we’re doing to this man, and may I add, for a long time. They wanted a mercy and a grace that they weren’t giving to this man. There’s a bit of irony here, isn’t there?

    And I must say that this is where we can get pedantic, but this is why we go to seminary, isn’t it, Pastor, where we notice the details in the text. Do you see the switch, the interplay between the singular and the plural? Verse 28, he saw Jesus. What have you to do with me? Verse 28, I beg you, do not torment me, the unclean spirit, it had seized him, driven out by the demons. Seven times the singular is used, but Luke is about to show us something that Jesus knows that Luke hasn’t yet revealed. Do you see the plural in verse 31? They begged him, verse 32, they begged him, verse 33, the demons, the verse 35, the demons. You see the interplay between the singular and the plural is important here. It’s important because here we see that there’s a change between the singular and plural because of the often overlooked fact that we can’t just see in the straightforward reading of Luke. I mean, the way Luke describes the scene is here is Jesus, maybe His disciples are behind Him, and here is this one man falling down at His face saying, have you come to torment me? This man who’s driven off many others.

    So when you read the Gospel of Luke up until this point, it’s mano y mano from the straight reading of the Gospel, one on one. And that’s what it looks like until we read the question in verse 30. Jesus asked him, what is your name? And now if Jesus is God and He knows everything, does he lack information? No, He doesn’t. No, you can say it. You can talk to me. You can say it. Does he lack information? No, so He’s asking a question. Is it for His benefit? No, it’s for our benefit. It’s for us to clearly see what Jesus saw before Him. If He didn’t ask the question, it would be harder to see, maybe not impossible. It’s kind of like when He said, what is your name? And the demons inside of this man said, legion, for many demons had entered him.

    It’s kind of like you finally get the picture. You remember that great picture in 2 Kings 6:14-17, where the king of Syria comes against Elijah or Elisha and his servant, and they surround him, the prophet and the prophet’s assistant said, hey boss, there’s all these chariots surrounding the city. We’re in trouble here. And the prophet prayed, God, open his eyes that he may clearly see. And God opened the eyes of the prophet’s servant so that he can see all the fiery chariots around. He was able to see for the first time reality. I mean, the world as it really is taking place. We can only see the physical world, but there is a spiritual world that’s coexisting.

    And when Jesus asked the question back in Luke 8, what is your name? He’s trying to help Luke and the Holy Spirit are trying to help us see what Jesus was seeing, the world as it really is. It’s Jesus versus thousands. Now, the demon possessed man said legion for we’re many. Now in the time of Caesar Augustus, a legion was a Roman name given to a group of 6,000 soldiers. Legion. Now, I don’t know if in the ranks of the damned, the fallen angels, if a Roman legion of 6,000 is the same as a demonic legion. But even if we cut it in half, even if there’s only 3,000 of them, it’s Jesus versus 3,000. That’s the real picture. That’s the real picture.

    Yet understanding all of this, my friends, there was no fair fight. That’s my favorite line in the whole sermon. There was no fair fight. One, 3,000 against one. No, it’s because of the One. It’s the power of the One. You see, 3,000 against the One who created them, those angelic beings who had fallen, they don’t stand a chance, as if there’s any such thing as chance.

    So without introduction, the man knew Jesus’s name. Without explanation, the man knew Jesus’s true identity. And without hesitation, the man knew Jesus’s divine power. What happens when a smaller army, they’re vastly outnumbered by a greater army? What does that smaller army do? Well, the Bible says they sue for peace. And that’s exactly what these 3,000 or 6,000 demons were doing, these legion of demons were doing. You see, the goal of this narrative is to demonstrate, as best as I understand it, that Jesus has power over the forces of not only nature, but Jesus has power over the forces of darkness, that He is the Son of Man, He is the Son of Man and the Son of God.

    And you might say, I could see that truth, but how might this apply to me? How might this biblical truth that Jesus has power over the forces of darkness affect me and apply to my life? I mean, it would be easy to say Jesus has power over demons and a demon-possessed man, but since I’m not a demon-possessed person, what does this passage have to do with me? Well, let me entertain just a few questions in the final 13 minutes that we have together. My question for you to consider is, how are all unbelievers like this demon-possessed man? Well, Romans 6 says that all unbelievers are enslaved to sin, like this man. Remember, he was bound with chains. 2 Timothy 2:26 says that all unbelievers are held captive by Satan to do his will, and certainly this man was being held by the emissaries of Satan, these demons, to do his will. Colossians 1:13 says that all of us, before we are saved, are held within the domain of darkness, where the Father transfers us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His beloved Son when we’re saved. And all unbelievers, that is every one of us who are even saved now, this was our past. This is who we used to be. This was the enslavement that existed before the Lord saved us.

    And all unbelievers are Satan’s offspring, are children of the devil before salvation. Genesis 3:15 says Satan has an offspring. John 8:44, Jesus will say to them, you are of your father, the devil. Ephesians 5:8, Paul writes to the church at Ephesus saying, you once were darkness, but now you are children of the light. No family or nearby friends can help this man under the power of darkness. No man, no family member can deliver this man. Acts 4:12 says there’s salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be delivered, the name of Jesus.

    Humanity today needs deliverance that only Jesus brings, but you see, most of humanity doesn’t believe that they need a savior, need deliverance. They don’t see the spiritual darkness that we live in. One of the hardest things to do in evangelism is to convince people that they’re actually a sinner and under the wrath of God, and they actually need salvation or need deliverance. Hey, would you consider yourself to be a good person? Well, yes, I am. And then we listen for ad infinitum about how good of a person they are when Jesus said, I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Those who are well or healthy spiritually in their own mind, he’s using sarcasm here, do not need a physician. Only those who realize their desperation, their desperate condition, and you can realize that only through the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit making you aware of that. Salvation is of the Lord.

    Let me hasten to add that not only is deliverance that Jesus can bring, but the deliverance that Jesus does bring. Dare I add that He does bring this kind of deliverance in Somerset, New Jersey? Dare I add that He brings deliverance in Mine Hill, New Jersey, and Rockaway, New Jersey, and Roxbury, New Jersey, and Succasunna, and Ledgewood, New Jersey, and Mount Olive, New Jersey, and Randolph, New Jersey, Tom’s River, New Jersey, Ocean County, Ocean City, Morris County? He’s still saving His remnant, His people, His elect people. It’s not just that Jesus can deliver, He is delivering. The day of grace is not over. And my dear friends, how long are you going to turn away from the offer of eternal life that Jesus Christ has came to make to you so that you would understand that you are a sinner in need of His salvation? How long are you going to continually turn away from that offer of hope in life?

    We’re not going to add to the number of God’s elect, but I don’t know which one of you are elect this morning. You need to all hear, you need to all believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And you know, when Paul said, I do all things for the sake of those who are chosen, he was in prison when he wrote those words. And he knew that God had His people He was going to save.

    You are more responsible now to know Christ today, because you saw His power over the forces of nature, but now you need to see the second lesson about deliverance, and that’s there’s a response or responses to Jesus’ deliverance. I have a big porch with my sermons. I tend to have a big porch and a small house. So don’t be afraid. This second point is like really short. Steve Lawson would just tear me up, but that’s a big porch you have there, Tom.

    The second lesson to learn about deliverance is that there’s responses to deliverance. Do you see the responses of the herdsmen in verse 34? Now, when the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away. They had a twofold response. They ran. That meant they sought safety in flight. To become safe from danger by eluding it or avoiding it is the lexicon definition of running away. They were terrified. And they not only ran, but second response of the herdsmen is they told it. This is the word to make known publicly, to proclaim it. They went into the city, verses 27 and 39. This is where the man grew up and his family’s current location, as we’ll find out later. And they went into the country.

    Do you notice the second response was found in verse 35 of the response of the people of the city. First of all, they were curious. They wanted to see what happened. Second, in verse 37, they do the unthinkable. They asked Jesus to depart. Here, Yahweh delivers, delivers a man who needed deliverance and no one else could even chain him successfully. But rather than welcoming Jesus with open arms, they’re terrified, the herdsmen are terrified. Maybe it’s because they lost their prophet. No, I think the text is clear. It says that they’re terrified because of what happens when they see the man clothed and sitting, clothed and in his right mind, sitting at the feet of Jesus. They are terrified because they know, they know the power of Jesus. But they ask Jesus to depart.

    That’s what so many unbelievers do when you share the gospel with them. Away with this Jesus. He might be able to save other people, but I’m gonna get there my own way. If I have to pick the locks of heaven to get in, I am gonna get in. Oh no, you’re not. Piper puts it this way. When he responds to the people asking Jesus to depart, Piper says, quote, oh my goodness, that’s Piper. The great liberator has come and they tell him to get out. Piper goes on to say, to our utter amazement, they beg Jesus, the life giver, the devil defeater, the hope maker and the hope giver to leave their region, close quote. It’s unthinkable.

    But thirdly, do you see the response of the people? Verse 35, it says they were afraid. And my friends, only Luke’s account tells us the reason for their request of telling Jesus to please go away. For it says, for they were seized with great fear. Now that word fear, there are two kinds of fear of the Lord. There’s the fear of terror. That’s the demon’s fear and sinner’s fear of God. And there’s the fear of reverence. And that comes from those of us who know and love Christ. We bring the fear of God, the fear of the Lord. We walk in the fear of God. It’s the beginning of wisdom. We reverence Him. But this is the fear of terror because they’re not the Lord’s. They’re sinners who have not repented.

    And do you see the final response? This is my favorite. I said I had a favorite sentence, but this is my favorite sub point in the outline. Do you see the third response? It’s the man who had been delivered. It’s the man who had been delivered. Now, I’m not trying to take this narrative. This narrative is about Jesus’s power over the forces of darkness. It’s not about us. But it applies to us. I’ve tried to show you that in almost every way that the man who was in bondage to those demons, aside from being actually possessed, we can, in spiritual sense, there’s an analogy in which we were in so much bondage. We’re just like him.

    I’ve been studying biblical counseling, and that’s really the application of the sufficient word of God. And I read a book that offended me that as you deal with people with addiction, the book was not how to help people in addiction from a better place. The book was arguing that I’m an addict. And when I read that, I said, I’m a minister of the gospel. I’m not an addict. Oh, yes, I am. And oh, yes, you are. We’re all sinners by nature, even though we’re saved. We have that sin that does so easily beset us, Hebrews talks about. So we’re not talking about bringing the gospel to addicts from a superior position. We’re talking about bringing the hope to addicts as a fellow addict of sin. There’s hope in the gospel and power in the gospel.

    This man, do you see, until you come to see yourself as believers more like this man who’s been delivered, you’re going to have a higher view of yourself than you probably should. Do you notice this man’s location, verse 35? Where is he located? He’s sitting at the feet of Jesus. That’s a great place for those who’ve been delivered from darkness to sit. Do you see his twofold change in his condition, verse 35? There’s the external change. He’s clothed. Previously, he’s unclothed. And do you see the internal change? He’s in his right mind. You know, the gospel changes our thinking. It changes us from the inside out. The gospel is not behavior modification. It’s heart transformation. Thirdly, do you see his petition in verse 38? The man who was delivered, at one time he begged. At one time he said, Jesus, what have we to do with you? In other words, go away from me. I don’t want anything to do with you. But here in verse 38, he begs that he might be with Jesus. Because people who have been delivered by Jesus want to be with Jesus.

    Before I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ in a saving way, my mom is here today, and she can witness this. I hated going to church. They forced me to go to church. Mom, you forced me to go to church. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for forcing me to go to church that preached the gospel. But I have to say, I thought it was the most boring stuff in the world. I didn’t want any of that dribble. I just wanted the sweets that they used to bribe you to memorize memory verses. That’s all I wanted. Maybe to have a little bit of fun. But then when the Lord saved me, I couldn’t get enough of His word. My whole life needed to change. It was no longer about myself. It was about Him. How am I not going to go back that way into darkness from which the Lord had taken me? How am I going to live this life just as a young man without a dad? How am I going to live this life for the glory of God?

    Well, do you see? He begs Jesus that he might be with him. Do you see the contrast between the man at the beginning and the end? And do you see the contrast of the unbelieving townspeople and herdsmen? There’s a contrast between all of those who have not believed in Jesus and this man who had been delivered. So if you’ve been delivered, make it your goal and aim to be with Jesus. To be with Christ. You want to be with Him. Some of you feel like you’ve been left behind. You’ve not been left behind.

    It’s this last point. Do you see the declaration in verse 39? It’s the deity of Jesus Christ found here. Jesus says to the man, No, don’t come with me, but go into the city and declare how much God has done for you. Do you know how the man interpreted Jesus’ saying? How much God has done for you? So this man went away through the whole city telling how much Jesus had done for him. What did the man understand? Jesus is God. Jesus told him, Tell all that God has done for you. And this man said, Do you see what Jesus, God, Jesus’ God has done for me? Do you see his declaration? This word keruso, it’s where we get the word proclaiming or preaching. How much? That refers to the details of what the Lord has done for him.

    And while this narrative is about Jesus’ power over the forces of darkness, humanity is as in bondage to sin as this man was in bondage to those thousands of demons and just as powerless to deliver themselves. There is still a need all over Somerset and this world, the United Kingdom, for the deliverance that only Jesus Christ can bring. I ask you, those of you who’ve been delivered, those of you who have already experienced the Lord Jesus Christ’s salvation, what ought to be your response to His deliverance? I contend in advance to you, you ought to do and follow the instructions that Jesus gave to this man and start by going back to your own family and tell them what all that Jesus has done for you and make Him great among the nations and in your family and in the town and at your jobs all that Jesus has done for you.

    Do you see that Jesus didn’t permit the man to go with him on Jesus’ onward journey? Yes, the townspeople and the people of the city begged Jesus to depart and He does, but not without leaving them one delivered man to witness in the city. It sounds like the woman of Samaria. You save one person and it led to a great revival in a place. You’ve not been left behind. You’ve been sent if you’ve been delivered to tell people about Jesus Christ and I implore you to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone for your own deliverance if you have never bowed the knee and if you have, make His name known. You’ve been delivered. You’ve been saved. This passage speaks of a deliverance that results in thanksgiving and that is a deliverance that exalts the Lord Jesus Christ.

    Let’s pray together. Our Heavenly Father, we want to thank You for Your Son and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus, we thank You that You were not just concerned about our lost condition, but You left the glories of heaven to come to this sinful world to bring about the atonement that You brought about so that You will save a people for Your own possession, zealous for good deeds from every tongue, tribe, language, and nation. Lord, great is Your faithfulness. Your mercies and Your grace cause us to bow in awe. Lord, we thank You that You delivered this man. We thank You, every one of us, Lord, whom You’ve delivered through the gospel. Who are we that You should save us and shed Your love on us? We are overwhelmed by Your mercy and by Your goodness and grace. And Lord, in a few moments, as we come to remember Your atoning death for us, those who believe, Lord, we pray that You would receive our thanks and our praise and be honored and glorified. In Jesus’ name we pray these things, amen.

  • One Thing Is Necessary

    One Thing Is Necessary

    In this special Mother’s Day sermon, Pastor Dave Capoccia examines the short account about Mary, Martha, and Jesus in Luke 10:38-42. Christ teaches in this passage a simple but critical truth about following him: devoted discipleship comes before happy service. As Pastor Dave preaches through the text, he identifies three highlighted characters who underscore the passage’s main message.

    1. The Devoted Disciple (vv. 38-39)
    2. The Unhappy Servant (v. 40)
    3. The Compassionate Teacher (vv. 41-42)

    Full Transcript:

    Happy Mother’s Day! We are pausing today in our regular Ecclesiastes and 2 Peter preaching to bring you a special mother’s day message. But of course there will be spiritual food for all of us today, mother or not.

    Our text is short but important for each of us to hear and take to heart. We’re going to read the text and then I will pray and proceed through the sermon. Please turn in your Bibles to Luke 10:38-42:

    Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

    Let’s pray. Lord open Your Word to us this day and teach us Lord Christ. May I be Your mouth piece so that I can explain clearly Your Word. Spirit work in the hearts so that we are transformed. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

    Even though it is Mother’s Day, I’m going to risk opening this sermon from a traditionally masculine field: sports. One of the greatest American football coaches ever was Vince Lombardi who coached the Green Bay Packers in the 1960s, and also a coach briefly for the Redskins. He led his teams to winning records every season and to five championship wins in subsequent years, including the first two Super Bowl victories ever.

    Even today the trophy given to the winning team at the Super Bowl is named after this coach. What made Vince Lombardi so great and a success? Surprisingly, it is not brilliant strategy or new and unconventional techniques. Rather, it was a commitment to mastering the fundamentals. In just his second season as the Packers coach, Lombardi led his team to victory in the 1960 championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

    The Packers were playing well in the game and were winning going into the fourth quarter, but then they lost in the final few minutes because they just couldn’t score even though they were a few yards away from the end zone. It was a demoralizing defeat! To be so close but still to fail. What went wrong? How would the team pick up the pieces again for the next year?

    When summer training camp came around, Coach Lombardi’s idea was to get back to basics. He decided to make no assumptions about what the players knew or remembered from the previous year and he famously began the trading camp with these words after holding up a certain object: “Gentlemen, this is a football.” Lombardi trained his team with this mindset. He went over with each player how to block, how to tackle, etc. He went back to page one in the playbook to make sure each player knew they were supposed to do in the plays the team would execute.

    Some of the players initially found this approach amusing but as the training camp proceeded, the team began to excel more and more in all of the little skills that other teams around the league took for granted. The reorientation paid off for in the 1961 season, not only did the Packers make it to the championship game again, but this time they won it: 37-0.

    Now I bring up Vince Lombardi this morning because this back to basics mindset is very important for us as Christians. After all, we also face many difficulties and frustrations and even defeats in the Christian life. We sometimes ask ourselves: why we always feel so stressed, angry, and worried, even when we try to serve God? Why do we seem to keep yielding to the same sins again and again and why does our love and zeal for the Lord feel so cold? Is there some secret or new teaching or technique to add to our lives to find a breakthrough?

    The answer is there is no secret except to go back to basics. Remember what it means to be a Christian and sit at the Lord’s feet. Love to learn from Him. That’s what today’s text is all about: recapturing the one thing that is necessary in the Christian life. The sermon title is One Thing is Necessary. As we look at the short text, we can state the main idea in this way: God teaches us that devoted discipleship comes before happy service.

    Do you want to happily save Christ? You must get back to basics. Discipleship under Christ is what enables happy service for Christ. Just a word about the context, in Luke 10 Jesus is proceeding towards Jerusalem and His mind set on the cross. He is still taking the time to teach His disciples and we see the connection between loving God and serving God. In the beginning of the chapter, Jesus sends 70 of His disciples out on a mission. They come back excited about what they have accomplished. They say that even the demons are subject to them in His Name. Jesus tells them not to rejoice in this, their accomplished service. Rejoice that their names are written in Heaven.

    Then there is an exchange with Jesus and a self-righteous man of the law. The man asks Him what the most important commands in the law are. Jesus directs him back to the Scriptures and the man admits that the most important is to love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. The man asked who the deserving neighbor was and Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. He was asking the wrong question about who deserves our loving service. What God calls us to do is to be good neighbors to anyone in need because He loves us.

    This theme of service to Christ comes after and only through love for Christ. You’re going to see that evident in our passage. For this narrative, we’re going to organize it under three headings, which each focus on particular characters highlighted in the plot. We see our first one from verses 38-39. The first highlighted character is the devoted disciple. Let’s look at these verses again in Luke 10:38-39:

    Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.

    We learn that Jesus and His disciples have entered another village. Our author, Luke, doesn’t name the village but it’s probably Bethany, just east of Jerusalem. I say this because the information the Apostle John gives us in John 11 mentions that Bethany is where Martha, Mary, and Lazarus live. Jesus was a friend of this family and loved the three of them and ministered to each of them personally.

    In turn, they loved the Lord and believed in Him and His Word and they were happy to offer Him a place to stay, who relied on this kind of hospitality. Because of His various trips to Jerusalem, He often stayed in this nearby town of Bethany. He often got to see His friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. This is probably not the first or last time in this particular passage. He comes to visit as He ministers in this city.

    It says that Martha welcomes Jesus into His home. This was a righteous act and hospitality was particularly important at this time. Why does it say that Martha and not Lazarus did the welcoming? We can’t say for sure but probably it was because she was the oldest of the three siblings and she took a prominent and motherlike role for the family. She is the one who has the home and opens it up. As Lazarus is not particularly important in this story, he is not mentioned.

    The one who really catches our attention is the second character, Mary. She is sitting at the Lord’s feet and listening to His Word. Now you might ask what is so remarkable about this. Not only does sitting at someone’s feet very obviously indicate humility and deference to that person as they are literally seated lower, but this description meant something in this culture. To sit at someone’s feet was understood as to take the position of a disciple, committed learner, or follower of someone else.

    In Acts 22:3, Paul is defending himself in front of a bloodthirsty mob in Jerusalem. He mentions that he was educated under Gamaliel, who was a famous rabbi. In the NASB the translation is educated under but a literal translation of that phrase is educated at the feet of Gamaliel. In other words, Paul says that Gamaliel was his master and he was the student. He literally sat at his feet and absorbed everything that his teacher had to say.

    The same idea is expressed here in Luke 10 about Mary and Jesus. She voluntarily takes up a position as a humble learner of a great teacher and the Lord. It’s not the name Jesus used here but the Lord. Mary has come to the same realization about Jesus as other disciples. She would not doubt say as Peter said in Matthew 16:16 that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God. She would also echo the words of John 6:68:

    You have the words of eternal life.

    She understands who Jesus and the value of His words so she wants to be His follower. She seats and orients herself to pay close attention as it says in Luke 4:22:

    And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips.

    Mary takes up the posture of a devoted disciple which she ought because of who Jesus is and which we ought to do as well. But perhaps more remarkable than the fact that Mary takes up this posture is that Jesus allows her to do so. He not only allows this but welcomes it and insists that no one take Mary away from this position.

    Why is this particularly noteworthy? Because many people at the time including some Jewish rabbis had a very low view of women. They saw them as spiritually inferior, deviant, untrustworthy, and incapable. One ancient rabbi proclaimed, “Better to burn the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, than to teach it to a woman.” Not every rabbi felt that way and there were some Jews who had a high and respectful view of women.

    Nevertheless for Jesus to so openly welcome a woman disciple and to give her a front row seat to His teaching would have raised more than a fe eyebrows. Actually this fact fits well into Luke’s overall purpose in writing his gospel record. Fundamentally Luke, a gentile, writes this whole book to show that Jesus is the Savior of all mankind, Jew and Gentile, man and woman.

    Thus if you go through the gospel you’ll notice that Luke highlights more than other gospel writers the many times that Jesus goes out of His way to minister to gentiles and women. This is a beautiful display of Mary’s regard for the Lord and the Lord’s regard for Mary. She takes up the position of the devoted disciple and Jesus gladly receives her into that position and speaks to her His amazing and life giving Word.

    But not is all happy and wonderful in this scene. We soon learn that there is trouble brewing in the kitchen and we arrive at our second heading and our second highlighted character in Luke 10:40, where we see the unhappy servant. The verse says:

    But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”

    Can you relate to this scene at all? You’re trying to do what’s right in some situation in your life and you’re trying to serve God and others. Maybe you’re trying to do something for your children but as you start to do it you heart starts to murmur. Your grumbling heart manifests into actual words to others. I think we’ve all been where Martha is in this text. That’s helpful because that helps us understand that Martha is not the villain here or the bad woman while Mary’s the good woman. Martha is a good woman and she loves and believes in the Lord.

    If you go to John 11, you see this beautiful expression of faith in Christ even when her brother dies. Even here she is the one welcoming Jesus in with righteous hospitality. Even Martha’s desire to serve and prepare a proper meal for Jesus and the others with Him is a good thing. However, even good things can turn bad when they are done with the wrong attitude and with improper priority.

    Martha really falls into two traps. The same kinds that we easily fail into. On the one hand, she makes too much of the secondary thing. And on the other hand she makes too little of the primary thing. Notice how it says that Martha was distracted with all her preparations. The word is translated into distracted which is good and literally means to be pulled or dragged away. Martha’s heart is being pulled in various directions as she has many different concerns as to how she can show proper hospitality to Jesus.

    Now we aren’t given details in the text as to what if any division of responsibilities Martha and Mary had already decided between themselves. Did Martha say to Mary shortly before Jesus arrived that she will go into the main room to make sure Jesus has all He needs while the other takes care of the meal preparation? We often do that before guests come, right?

    Maybe the responses were more spontaneous and Mary exclaimed that Jesus had arrived and she needed to go sit and listen while Martha decided she needed to get busy with much service. We don’t know what the set up was but something we can say is that Martha’s overburdening and being distracted was unnecessary and self-generated. It’s not that serving Jesus and preparing the meal was so difficult that Martha couldn’t do it by herself. It’s that preparing the meal the way that Martha felt was necessary turned out to be too much for her.

    She was finding out that it was hard to reach her own self-devised standard of what the proper meal would look like. And again we can sympathize if someone really important showed up at your house after a long day’s journey, would you want to serve up three day old leftovers on paper plates? Or would you rather serve your best meal fresh and on your finest china? And you would clean your house, buy flowers, and arrange the lights in just the right way. That’s what we’d naturally be inclined to do. Again it’s not wrong that Martha wants to prepare something nice for Jesus. But she made a good and non-essential thing into an essential thing.

    She felt that if she couldn’t present to Jesus the perfect meal and accomplish hospitality in just the way that she envisioned then all was lost and she was a failure and couldn’t show her face to Jesus again. Martha also forgot that Jesus is much more interested in what He can give us than what any of us can give Him. Remember that section in John 4 when Jesus is asking for a drink from the woman at the well? When she says to Him that He shouldn’t ask her because He is a Jew and she is a Samaritan, Jesus replies in a very poignant way. He says in John 4:10:

    If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.

    Living water satisfies thirst forever and wells up to eternal life. Jesus is interested in giving us what He has to offer, more than what we can give Him. What was it that Jesus was offering Martha in this scene? What was the thing that He was offering her but she wasn’t willing to receive? She considered it good but not essential, even when it was Jesus Himself, His presence, companionship, and the love of the Son of God. Even the life-giving Word and wisdom of the God was being offered and not received. Is this not a precious, valuable thing? Jesus was willing to give this to Martha, Mary and anyone there who wanted it.

    But Martha was too busy and she was communicating to the Lord with her good service and meal preparation is: “Thanks for coming by Jesus, but I don’t have time for You since I am too busy doing all the burdensome service that You require.” Now when you communicate something like that to Christ, I think you can understand that it does not honor Him. But it does often result in unhappy result. You will serve alright, but you won’t be happy and it won’t honor the Lord.

    Before we go on, we should pause and ask what do our lives communicate to Jesus? Are we so caught up in good but less essential things that we don’t have time to be disciples by the Lord Himself? Do we see Jesus as the burden? Or rather do we lay aside unnecessary burdens so that we can have Jesus? Well Martha’s agitated mind leads to angry action. Notice in Luke 10:40 how Martha accuses her sister. She says her sister has left her to do all the meal preparation and hospitality alone. How inconsiderate and selfish is that after all she does for her sister? Poor Martha.

    Have you ever said something like that in your heart or out loud? You come up with your own vision of what should happen and you have good things that Christ as called you to do. When others don’t help you to the extent that you think they need to, you resent them and complain about them. You might even rebuke them while you pity yourself. Notice that Martha’s accusation is not only against her sister but also against Christ. She says in Luke 10:40:

    “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”

    Something implied is here that Jesus can see and hear that Martha is working hard and is asking why Jesus hasn’t intervened. Could it be that He just doesn’t care and love her, especially when Martha is working so hard. Why would Jesus let her be left alone? Martha gives Jesus a chance to redeem Himself and if He really cares about her then He will help achieve her vision. Don’t we do the same thing with God by asking Him to do something we want? We have a great and good vision of what we want to accomplish for God that is just not coming together. We blame others and question God’s love for us. Surely if God cared He wouldn’t have let this happen and would have provided more help. After all it is being done for Him!

    This isn’t the only time someone has questioned the Lord’s care. The twelve disciples raised the same complaint against Jesus when they were caught in the dangerous storm at sea, when Jesus exhausted after a day’s ministry slept in the boat. They woke Jesus in Mark 4:38 and said:

    Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?

    They say, “Look at this storm and difficulty? We have been following You and trying to do what is right but we are in the storm and You haven’t done anything about it. Could it be that You just don’t care?” Our hearts can say the same thing and more to God. Like Martha does here, we say that we will forgive Jesus if He sets everything right immediately. He should do what we think is necessary and what we want Him to do because we know better. Then we’ll believe in His love again and trust Him.

    We can already see the contrast in attitudes of these two women. Mary sits to listen to Christ, but Martha stands to tell Christ what to do. Mary regards Christ with reverence but Martha regards Christ with suspicion. Now again Martha’s not evil but her heart has strayed to act in an evil and proud and foolish way. She regarded the lesser things as essential things and the essential things as something unimportant.

    How does Jesus respond to Martha? We’ve seen the devoted disciple and the unhappy servant. Now let’s look at the last two verses and the last heading in the passage: “The Compassionate Teacher.” Look at Luke 10:41-42:

    But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

    This is such an amazingly gentle answer from the Lord. Not only does it demonstrate His love for Martha but for Mary too. Even while Martha is questioning that same love, she gets a loving response. Consider how Jesus might have responded to Martha. After all she interrupted the Great Teacher in the middle of His teaching and she criticized and dishonored Jesus in front of all His disciples. She publicly rebuked her sister when she had done nothing wrong. So how might have justly responded to Martha? He might have said, “How dare you interrupt my life-giving teaching with your petty complaint. You would not only rebuke your righteous sister but also me, your righteous Lord? Martha, is your heart not proud, self-righteous, and full of bitterness? Woman, you need to repent!”

    But that is not the way our Savior responds and the way the Good Shepherd speaks to those He loves, and it shouldn’t be our way either. Look at how He begins. He says Martha Martha, which is a sign generally that a rebuke is coming since He is saying her name twice. It’s kind of like when your parents say your first and middle name when they are calling you. “David Andrew!” Hmm, I think I am in trouble!

    We can see the same technique used in other places, even from Jesus. Look in Luke 13:34:

    O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!

    Or check out what it says in Luke 22:31:

    Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat.

    But what’s evident in these examples is not only by saying the name twice that Jesus indicates that He will chide the person, but that He still loves them. There’s a tenderness and a care that is communicated in the repetition of the name in this way. He says, “Martha Martha, I love you and I hear you but I must tell you that you’ve understood this situation all wrong. Notice how Jesus correctly diagnoses Martha’s problem as He tells her that she is worried and bothered about so many things. Or to say it another way, she is unduly concerned and troubled about so many things that are good but ultimately not necessary. She has multiplied concerns for herself according to her own thoughts of what is needful.

    It’s not surprising that Martha now feels overwhelmed. He wants her to understand that neither He or Mary overburdened Martha. Really she did this to her self. Jesus then reminds her that only one thing is necessary. In saying this, it’s not that He is saying that a meal is totally unnecessary and to forget the meal completely. Nor is He saying that any service or obedience to Him is unnecessary. You can glance at many other places in the Scriptures that in a certain sense service to Christ is necessary for the Christian.

    Obedience to Jesus is the expected result of walking in holiness and in love of others. It is the expected result of becoming a true disciple of Jesus. But, in prioritizing the Christian life one thing must come before and be present in everything else. This priority needs to be so obvious that it is the one and only necessary thing. Jesus clarifies what that necessary thing is in the rest of His statement in Luke 10:42:

    For Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

    What is the one necessary thing? It is the same as the good portion that Mary chose for herself, namely sitting at the feet of Jesus. It is devoted discipleship and simply knowing, loving, and learning from the Lord! Isn’t this the same prioritized portion that we heard earlier in this service from Psalm 27. That’s David speaking in that psalm and he had the same heart! Psalm 27:4 says:

    One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple.

    That’s my priority! Look at Psalm 27:8:

    When You said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You, "Your face, O Lord, I shall seek."

    Then also in Psalm 27:11:

    Teach me Your way, O Lord, And lead me in a level path Because of my foes.

    Mary got it and David got it! And we can go to many other Scriptures with the same concepts to be reinforced. I’ll give you a few. Psalm 16:5 says:

    The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot.

    You’re my main part and priority! Then it says in John 17:3:

    And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

    And then Jeremiah 15:16 says:

    Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.

    Brothers and sisters, Christianity is not merely some wise philosophy to follow or is it a set of rules to keep or a service list to do. It is first and foremost a relationship with God, with the Creator, the Holy Lord, the Loving Savior, with Jesus Christ. Martha forgot this one necessary thing. She neglected the relationship for the sake of service. But all the service in the world does not compare to simply knowing and loving Christ. Devoted discipleship under Christ must come before and be central in all the service to Christ.

    Jesus was insistent with Martha that Mary’s good portion would not be taken away from her under His watch. Really rather than Mary going to help Martha, Martha ought to have come and sit with Mary at Jesus’ feet. They’d get to the meal later. You know what I find really interesting? This proper priority demonstrated by Mary here to know, love, and learn from Jesus seemed to occur again in another event captured by three of the gospels, not including Luke.

    In John 12:1-8, Matthew 26:6-13, and Mark 14:3-9 all record Jesus’ final stay in Bethany right before He is crucified. This time Jesus is not at the home of Mary but of Simon, a former leper. Martha is there serving but not complaining this time. Lazarus and Mary are also there and what Mary does is so significant. Mary comes in with a costly alabaster of nard perfume and breaks it to pour the perfume over Jesus, even on His feet and wipes His feet with her hair. It’s an extraordinary expression of her love, devotion, and worship to Jesus. But what is the reaction of the other people present there? What is the reaction of the other disciples led by Judas Iscariot?

    It is to rebuke her. They rebuke her for her incredible financial waste. Why this waste when this perfume could have been sold for more than a year’s wages, more than 300 denarii, and the proceeds given to the poor. Does that situation ring a bell? Isn’t that the exact same thing we see in Luke 10? Mary being rebuked for her worship because she is not engaging in service. Look at all the people we could have served if you had not wasted your perfume like that!

    What is Jesus’ response in this later event? Just like his response in the other text. Let’s look at Mark’s version of events in Mark 14:6-7:

    But Jesus said, “Leave her alone! Why are you bothering her? She has done a good deed for Me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me.”

    I say again, Jesus is not anti-service. There are many good causes in which we Christians can be engaged. We should care about serving our spouses, our parents, our children, our church, and our nation. We should be committed to making disciples and for fighting for sound doctrine. But what must come before and fill all of that service? It must be sitting at the feet of Jesus worshipping and listening to Him! Devoted discipleship comes before happy service.

    From these two passages please understand that taking this position will frequently be misunderstood and even maligned by other Christians who will accuse you by neglecting what they think is your necessary service. They will accuse you of being lazy, cowardly, and unloving. If you really loved others, what are you doing here?

    But this is the position that Jesus commends in Mary and really commands of us. In fact, Jesus is so pleased with Mary’s devotion as noted in this other passage, that He declares in that same setting that wherever His gospel is preached the story of what she has done will be proclaimed also. Do you want to criticize her? Well Jesus wants to honor her. And the same is true for us.

    So let’s ask now how is your relationship with the Lord? How do you even become His devoted disciple? By faith and repentance. You’ve understood that you don’t meet God’s perfect standard and you fall under the just penalty of sin because you’ve been a rebel just like everyone else. You’ve been a proud rebel committed to your way and inherited the wages of sin which is death forever as punishment in hell. But you also understand that God provided a way of rescue in the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. If you take Him as your Lord and Savior, you will not suffer the wrath of God but instead you will inherit life with Christ forever!

    Have you become His devote disciple in that way? If you haven’t then you need to because the invitation is open. You don’t know how much time you have. But if you have committed to following Jesus as a devoted disciple, as I think most people in here already have, then do you live like it? Is it your priority to spend time with your Lord, get to know Him, and listen to His Word? Do you have a growing affection for Christ regardless of how well your life circumstances are going? Before you look to feed others with the grace of life, are you feeding yourself on Christ?

    Or are you like Martha, distracted? Has something pulled you away from Christ. It could be even millions of unnecessary or good but less necessary things, like getting caught up in your work or raising your kids that you don’t have time for Christ. Has a political or social cause taken over your life and your thoughts and conversation? Of course everybody wants to enlist you today in their causes.

    Do you have even a vision for the church or some ministry that you are involved in? Have you committed to that more than actually know God and loving Christ? Now brethren, I know it’s so easy to fall into these things and drift away. That’s why God gave us this passage. He speaks to us today reminding us that His ways are different from our ways. He will always provide what we need in a situation even when we’re committed to good things. He knows what we need and what we need most of all is to just sit at His feet and to love and learn from Christ. He, your Lord, is calling each of you today to come again and sit at His feet to learn from Him, love Him and then go serve.

    Now you might be asking but Jesus isn’t here anymore so how can I sit at the Lord’s feet today as a disciple? Here’s where I need to pull something like a Vince Lombardi and just remind you ladies and gentlemen, this is how you sit at the Lord’s feet (*holds up a Bible*). It’s the Word of Christ! It still exists and we have it in the Bible today. Read and study this and talk to one another about this! Sing the truths and pray according to this! This is how you sit at the Lord’s feet.

    This is the Word of Christ and it’s how God has chosen to show Himself to us today. You want to meet with God and encounter Him? It’s His Word that’s the way you do so. Now some of you might be hearing this and are saying to yourself that you have to add yet another thing to your day and another thing to check off on your to-do list. No! That is the wrong way to think about it! Don’t approach the Word like it’s another task to check off or an ammunition silo that you can stock up on to win all those theological debates with your brethren. That is not the way to approach the Word because that is not the way to approach Christ.

    Approach Christ to get to know Him, love Him, and learn His way. That’s the way we should go to the Scriptures. Read it regularly as a devoted disciple. You don’t have to be a trained scholar to benefit from and enjoy this book. Just be a devoted disciple. Make this your food, because it is necessary for your spiritual growth. It is the food of Christ! Feed more on Christ as He reveals Himself to you in His Word. But some will say that they are so busy and don’t have any time for the Word.

    I reply that I know and that we are all busy but is that a good excuse? Is that a good excuse for a disciple to make to his or her master? The truth is that we make ourselves busy. We are the ones who choose to fill up our schedules with the work and play that we deem is necessary for us. When we do this, we are so surprised that there isn’t any time left for God. Jesus tells us that one thing is necessary, so let’s adjust our lives as necessary. Let’s identify, limit, and cut off what is unnecessary or less necessary that is getting in the way of you and Christ.

    Get creative. If you want to read the Bible but you’re finding that hard, you can listen to it while you drive or do chores that don’t require a lot of brain power. Let’s help one another in this. If you’re not sure how to read the Bible or where to start, talk with one of the elders or another mature brother or sister in Christ. We are designed to minister to one and help another sit at the feet of Jesus. If you can’t seem to secure time away from your kids to meet with the Lord, ask a family member or friend to help watch them for a little bit.

    Now I know that this can be a particular challenge for moms, especially moms of newborns. I understand it’s difficult. But to help those moms and all of us together, let’s make it our ambition to set one another up for spiritual success. I feel like there’s another sports analogy in there somewhere like an alley-oop or the way a quarterback will throw the ball to his receiver. There’s a way you can set up the others in your family and church to be that better disciple of Christ. Husbands, ask your wives how you can help them sit at the Lord’s feet, and wives do the same for your husbands. Children, do the same for your parents and ask how you can be a spiritual blessing to each other. If you’re single or just friends, you can do the same thing. As it says in Hebrews 10:25:

    Exhorting one another; and so much the more, as you see the day drawing near.

    It can be hard if you’re all by yourself. Our commitment should be devoted disciples as God, but if we can help one another in this let’s do that. I should also clarify that reading the Bible is not the magic bullet that suddenly slays all your sins. You can regularly read and pray and still live a sinful life. It’s not a formula that you can just input Bible hours or prayer and automatically output holiness. It is a relationship after all.

    Nevertheless I will say that I have not known one person leading a spiritually healthy and happy life who is not also regularly reading the Scriptures and praying. Indeed, it is amazing to observe, even as a pastor, the slow but perceptible transformation that often takes place for those who are devoted to feeing on Christ. They regularly read the Bible, pray, fellowship with other believers, listen to the preached Word, all these things that sometimes theologians call the means of grace. These different yet simple things that God has provided to us and called us to do as ways of getting to know Him. You know what happens when people do this? They grow in greater and greater love and joy and peace in Christ.

    I’m not saying that we don’t want you to serve, we do! We always need more servants! But we don’t want it to come out from this mere duty mindset, that there’s a burdensome duty you have to do because you’re a Christian. When you’re regularly feeding on the Lord and meeting with Him when you’re that devoted a disciple, you want to serve. Not that there’s no toil but you want to do it as an act of grateful worship to your Lord.

    Isn’t that what you want for yourselves? I don’t want to just go through the motions but also sincerely serve the Lord. That’s what we all want so we need to listen to the Lord’s Word today and get back to basics. Happy service to Christ starts with, follows from, and is filled with devoted discipleship under Christ. That’s the truth so let’s commit to being what we are: devoted disciples to our Lord.

    Pray with me. My Lord, Jesus, thank You for Your Word. Just as You were so patient with Martha, You are so patient with us. Lord, we question Your care and we get dragged away by a whole bunch of things some of which are good and some of which are totally useless. We neglect the most important thing and yet You are patient and even today graciously calling us back via this Word that You’ve given to us to sit at Your feet. God, if there’s any who have never done that fundamentally and have just played games with You or lived their own way, I pray they would repent and come to know You today as their Lord and Master.

    For the rest of us that can so easily stray, bring us back to the fundamentals, the one thing necessary which is to know You, learn more about You, love You. God we know that we will be the ones who get the joy out of it. The source of all joy and life is You. When we spend time with You, how could we not be blessed? Lord, help us to make the adjustments necessary for this even if they are painful and costly because only one thing is necessary. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

  • Peter’s Denial

    Peter’s Denial

    Answers Bible Curriculum Year 3 Quarter 3 Lesson 3

    Our Answers Bible Curriculum Sunday school resumes this Sunday with a look at Peter’s denials and later restoration by Jesus. Why did Peter deny Jesus? Do we also deny Jesus in our words and actions? And why is Jesus’ restoration of Peter so significant, for him and for us? We’ll consider these questions and more.

  • Jesus Has Power over Nature

    Jesus Has Power over Nature

    Answers Bible Curriculum Year 3 Quarter 2 Lesson 2
    This week in Sunday school, we look at two instances of Jesus displaying power over nature: Peter’s great catch of fish and Jesus’ walking on water. What exactly happened in these instances? Why did Jesus do what He did? How did his disciples react? And what does all this mean for us today?
    Our main texts will be Luke 5:1-11 and Matthew 14:22-23.

    Auto Transcript

    Note: This rough transcript was automatically generated by YouTube’s AI algorithm. We provide it here for your convenience, but know it will surely contain errors as it has not been proofread or edited by a human.

    right why don’t we actually get started I know it’s a tiny bit early but good morning welcome to Sunday school thanks last week we looked at Jesus primary mission in coming into the world and that mission was to save Sinners income merely provide a good example or to write social ills or to make our lives more prosperous he came to save us we also saw last week how Jesus declared plainly declared a number of Salvation fundamentals to Nicodemus things like salvation is like spiritual birth you cannot do it yourself the spirit must do it for you salvation is by means of faith it’s not by works and you are responsible to believe if you choose not to believe Jesus further said you are condemned by God for in doing so you choose to reject his precious son the son who came into the world to save all men now I didn’t mention last week but it’s worth mentioning now I’ve been thinking about it a little bit since last Sunday we should realize that it’s not as if Jesus was describing a mode of Salvation to Nicodemus that was altogether different or altogether um unseeable in the Old Testament no indeed there is a reason that Jesus remarked to Nicodemus by saying are you the teacher of Israel and you do not understand these things the idea is that Nicodemus ought to have understood them and how could he have done that well by reading the Old Testament I mean consider how the truths we just mentioned are evident in the Old Testament first God’s sovereignty with Israel and the Patriarchs God’s sovereignty was clearly evident especially when it came to the choice of a descendant who would inherit the promise it was not necessarily the favorite son or even the firstborn or even the most righteous son it was whatever son God chose or with the Exodus and when we saw the plagues come on Egypt we saw both that Pharaoh hardness heart but also that God hardened his heart God told Moses from the beginning he will not let you go but that’s so I can accomplish my purpose and God even hardened Pharaoh’s heart to do that so God could display his mighty power through the plagues and throughout Moses and then later the prophets we have God promised Israel I will one day change your heart and cause you to love and obey me as you ought it’s their whole evidence evidence of God’s total sovereignty even in the Realms of even in the realm of salvation nevertheless the Old Testament is quite clear that man’s choice is determinative of God’s judgment and reward think about what Moses and Joshua both told the people choose today whom you’re going to serve Yahweh or some other God it’s your choice and you’ll be held accountable for that choice or we see the consequences of choices throughout the Old Testament both personally and nationally consider David he expressed the desire to build a house for God and God rewarded him for this he says because you had this desire I’m going to build a house for you wow we consider Davidson with Bathsheba and we see that it brought on him and on Israel painful chastening from God moreover in the history history books and in the prophets we see God reasoning with Israel pleading with Israel to stop putting their trust in useless idols and turn back to the Living God God treated them as having the ability to choose and he argued with them to them why they should choose him and we also see in the Old Testament that one is justified by faith not by works you say how could that be what about the law well let’s just consider a few examples it was clear with Abraham you know the text Abraham believed God and it was counted to Abraham as righteousness it wasn’t called because he was righteous God simply chose him but Abraham believed God if we think about the longest sacrificial system these should have made it obvious to all that God had a holy standard that one just could not meet it was a right standard it was a good standard but no one could keep it David realized this and old people of Israel would have realized that they needed a deeper cleansing they needed a fuller covering bite from God simply through God’s merciful means whatever that would be it would have to go beyond the sacrificial system that was given in the law and what does the Lord say to habakkuk towards the end of the Old Testament habakkuk 2-4 behold as for the proud one his soul is not right within him but their righteous will live by his faith now it’s true the Old Testament places much emphasis on the good work works that ought to demonstrate one’s faith in Yahweh but God has always been about the heart I mean we can just consider the greatest commandment of the Old Testament and what is that commandment that’s right that’s right love Yahweh your God with all your heart all your soul all your strength all of you this commandment goes to the inside it’s not enough for you to Simply do out outward Behavior the most important commandment is to love him from within and that love if it’s truly in the heart it will inform the actions of a person you will demonstrate love for God or we could say faith in God by obedience and then we can add to this discussion is incited by Jesus himself those who are saved by looking to the serpent in the wilderness they were not saved by their sights and what their eyes were doing but by what their hearts were doing their faith was what saved them and that Faith was demonstrated by looking to God’s means of Salvation and healing so all that to say Nicodemus should have known especially being a well-studied Pharisee what the Old Testament had always taught and demonstrated but he didn’t know because he wouldn’t know he along with the rest of the Jews had stubbornly ignored and rejected what God’s word says so that Jesus could say you do not accept our testimony I’m telling you we’ve told you the scriptures have told you but you don’t listen and is this not also true today regarding the Jews and also the Roman Catholics and the Greek Orthodox and the liberal Protestants it’s not as if God’s word or his way of Salvation has changed the fundamentals of Salvation are actually consistent throughout the scriptures and these religious groups they all have the saving text the Jews only recognize the Old Testament but and that that is God’s scripture they have it it shows what salvation must consist of but men do not understand these truths because what the rest of the passage says that we looked at because they still love the darkness and don’t want their deeds exposed by God’s precious light they obfuscate the text by their own Wicked thinking and by useless traditions of men but as Jesus makes clear all whom the father chose will come to Jesus and God will use us and his spirit and his word to bring them in now we’re moving on in our study of Jesus ministry today Jesus Earthly Ministry and where as we move forward this quarter our main theme that we’re looking at is the authority of Jesus and we’re looking at sub themes also and that sub theme that we’re going to be looking at today is Jesus power over nature and Jesus that the fact that Jesus has power over nature is clearly evident in the gospel records but how is this power over nature significant how did he demonstrate it what do these demonstrations show us about Jesus and how does that displayed power or how is that displayed power supposed to affect the disciples and even us today these are some of the questions that we want to investigate as we briefly look at two passages this morning we’re gonna first start early in Jesus ministry with Luke’s account of Jesus and a miraculous catch of fish and then we’ll finish by examining Matthew’s account of a later instance where Jesus walks on water let’s pray before we continue my God our god thank you for your word we thank you that you’ve opened our eyes to the truth that had to be your work I pray God that you continue to open our eyes and open my mouth to be able to declare it correctly and hopefully pray that you’d open the hearts of the people to take it in to be changed by it we know we are responsible but God we pray that you would work in Jesus name amen all right please open your Bibles to Luke chapter 5.

    Luke chapter 5 verses 1 to 11 is where we find our first text let’s set the context Luke 5 1-11 Jesus has recently begun his preaching Ministry he’s also begun to do public miracles and at this point he has called certain disciples but he is not ask them to leave their vocations and follow him full time but that part is about to change in our Passage disciples are about to go full time or at least certain disciples as we read and analyze this passage think about how Jesus power is put on display what this power says about Jesus and what this power means for Jesus disciples let’s not read starting in verse 1 down to verse 11.

    now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around him and listening to the word of God he was standing by the lake of ganesara and he saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their Nets and he got into one of the boats which was Simon’s and asked him to put out a little away from the land and he sat down and began teaching the people from the boat when he had finished speaking he said to Simon put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch Simon answered and said Master we worked hard all night and caught nothing but I will do as you say and let down the Nets when they had done this they enclosed a great quantity of fish and their Nets began to break so they signal to their Partners in the other boat for them to come and help them and they came and filled both of the boats so that they began to sink but when Simon Peter saw that he fell down at Jesus feet saying Go away from me Lord for I am a sinful man poor amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the Ketch of fish which they had taken so also where James and John the sons of Zebedee who were partners with Simon and Jesus said to Simon do not fear from now on you will be catching men when they had brought their boats to land they left everything and followed him all right let’s follow our inductive Bible study method observe interpret apply we’ll start with observation step one that’s observe notice that Jesus is first standing by the lake of genesra also known as the sea of Tiberius or the Sea of Galilee he’s there and the crowd is pressing in on him as he teaches them God’s word you need to see some boats he gets into Simon Peters he goes out a small distance and he teaches the people from the boat at the end of his teaching Jesus gives an odd command he tells Simon Peter take your fishing boat out into deep water and let down your Nets or and let down your nets now why is this an odd command a couple different reasons all right yeah that’s the first part Peter tells Jesus look we were fishing all night we didn’t catch anything what makes you think it’s going to be any better now but there’s a further reason why is it odd for Jesus to tell them to go out in the Deep Waters and let down their Nets yeah during the day and why is that odd it’s odd because if we’re a little familiar with fishing practices at that time this is not a good way to catch fish the reason that Simon and his Partners were working all night is because that’s when the fish were in shallower waters that’s when their Nets could more easily reach the fish but during the day where the fish go out to deeper waters the Nets just can’t get down far enough or if they’re much less effective for catching the fish the fish are not in the same areas so when they were doing the proper fishing technique the night before they didn’t catch anything but now they’re going to do something that doesn’t make any sense how are they going to catch anything with this much less optimal arrangement if it didn’t work when conditions were more optimal so and we also don’t get an explanation from Jesus as to why to do this that that might have been odd but Peter agrees to do it remember Peter is already one of Jesus disciples at this point so he has a there’s a reason he calls Jesus master and there’s a reason he says all right I’ll do what you say but as he does a miracle occur curse and what a miracle not only do they catch fish they apparently do so relatively quickly and not only do they catch fish but there are so many fish in the net that the Nets begin to break and Simon has to call the partner boat to help with the net and when the two teams finally lug the fish aboard there are so many fish that the boats begin to sink the boats are so heavy with so many fish now imagine that you were there with Jesus and these others when these things happened you’re seeing all these fish just team into the boat you’re on the boat what would you be thinking how would you respond but notice the reaction of the people aboard it’s not exactly maybe what we’d expect Simon Peter doesn’t say this is great thanks for all the fish or Jesus you were right about where to go I should listen to your fishing advice more often no what does Peter do he prostrates himself at Jesus feet and he asked Jesus to go away and that it may seem odd itself but notice the reason he says go away from me Lord for I am a sinful man verse 9 further explains for amazement had seized him and all his companions and many of these were Jesus first called Disciples including James and John and probably Andrew but then notice what Jesus says Jesus doesn’t say you know what you are sinful man I’m out of here or he doesn’t even say that’s right your sinful so be afraid no Jesus says instead two things first do not fear do not fear and second from now on you will be catching men the verb tense there is rather interesting notice we’ll be catching this is in English future continuous that is it’s emphasizing an ongoing action in the future and that’s a good translation of what we have in the original language which is a future verb combined with a present participle the idea is continuous action that’s going to take place in the future so Jesus says and notice Jesus is not saying you will be trying to catch men in the future from now on but he says you will be a catching man so there’s a promise there and when the boat comes back to land notice what the disciples or notice that the disciples don’t do anything with the fish they caught at least there’s no mention of it they apparently leave the fish leave the other fishermen maybe maybe the crowd takes the fish and instead the disciples leave everything their fishing careers their fishing companions their fish and they start following Jesus as full-time disciples Okay so we’ve made important observations let’s move to step two interpretation why does Jesus initially get into Simon’s boat consider the situation he was in and his decision to get into the boat why would he do that yeah to teach why couldn’t you just teach from the shore yeah the Crowds Are pressing in on him too much it needs some room he’s going to be able to teach effectively he needs a little bit of space and if he gets into the water well the people are going to have a hard time crowding him so that’s what he does he gets on to the vote of course we could say in a more ultimate sense Jesus gets onto the boat to do this miracle that’s a little bit further in his mind now how did Jesus Miracle override the world’s natural order I say it’s a miracle why would it be a miracle yeah it’s it’s first of all unnormal that so many fish would be caught under sub-optimal conditions but the great quantity of fish doesn’t um that kind of end mass movement into the nest that just doesn’t happen naturally so many fish that they start to sink the boat so for this to happen Jesus either had to create fish in these Nets or cause the fish to act in a way that they wouldn’t normally they cause them to move up into the Nets and Mass he was showing control over these fish massive amounts of fish this was clearly a miracle and Peter was clearly amazed at what Jesus performed but for some reason this brought to mind Peter’s sin why would this miracle cause Peter to confess his sinfulness to Jesus yes is in the presence of what uh I’m sorry one more time yeah he’s in the presence of the Holy One yeah he realized that his holy Rabbi Jesus has superhuman Authority and Power um Jesus is able to command whole schools of fish and if you’re a sinful person the last thing you want to be is near someone who is both holy and Powerful and why is that dear sinful why don’t you want to be next to someone who is Holy and Powerful yeah Mary yeah there’s a sense of Shame and guilt you feel like you’re not worthy to be next to that person but what else yeah opposites don’t attract well usually um Holiness doesn’t cannot abide the presence of sin if we think about the Old Testament so he has reason to fear what does he what should he fear judgment his sin will be exposed he will be judged he will even be destroyed if this person this man in his presence and this one is so holy and Powerful Peter’s ruined and we can also note that Peter may be even more fearful because who’s going to benefit from this miracle this large catch of fish stenfully it would be Peter he’s the fisherman right this is a large catch Peter would get a good amount of money from selling these fish it’s quite a gift but Peter knows his own sinfulness and he knows I don’t deserve this so for all these reasons Peter cries out to Jesus please go away I fear your Holiness and power I’m not worthy to be around you or to receive any gifts from you and the Old Testament foretold that the Messiah would come with Holiness and power he would be Israel’s King with clear Authority from God so what does Jesus obvious display of divine Authority prove Jesus to be he is the messiah we could also say he’s the Holy One he’s the son of God this is not just a holy man this is the Messiah God’s King with Divine Authority note the connection between this display of authority in a miracle and Jesus identity and this Accords with Jesus’s own words later expressed in the Book of John when speaking about his miracles and his righteous Deeds Jesus says in John 10 verses 37 to 38 . if I do not do the works of my father do not believe me but if I do them though you do not believe me believe the works so that you may know and understand that the father is in me and I am in the father so note that Clear Connection now does Peter realize that he’s dealing with God himself here well perhaps the one thing you’ll notice as you go through the gospels that the disciples understanding of who the Messiah is grows over time they have a basic understanding and confession of him even at the beginning but they don’t quite understand the way that they do at the end even after this moment when Jesus calms the the storm one time on the Sea of Galilee the Twelve Disciples together ask who then is this that even the winds and the waves obey they had already understood who Jesus was but not as much as they did after that moment so even if they confessed him to be God’s son and and even in a way God himself I don’t think they quite understood what that meant in the beginning but they come to understand it more as they spend more time with Jesus but Peter makes this anxious request to Jesus go away from me but consider Jesus poignant response but Jesus tells Peter do not fear what was Jesus demonstrating about himself he is merciful yeah isn’t that amazing this holy and Powerful God man in the presence of sinful Peter is good and merciful Jesus understands why Peter’s afraid but he assures Peter yes I am Holy I am powerful but I will not destroy you you can actually experience my goodness and you will therefore do not be afraid More Than This Jesus says I’m actually going to use you far from destroying you you will become one of my fishermen who will catch men for God and how was Peter going to catch Men by using Peter’s skills or his wisdom will consider the miracle there’s a connection between the two types of catching mentioned here if Jesus has power over nature and can bring hundreds of fish into Nets and nearly sink two boats by the hugeness of the catch and he also has power over men and he will bring men into the spiritual Nets of the disciples to be caught and to be saved the disciples will catch Men by the same power that Jesus displays here power is not in the disciples it’s in their lore now what is the decision to leave everything behind reveal about the disciples other than they were becoming full-time followers Jesus says these things what are they what are they doing in their hearts that causes them to follow they believe him they believe him when he says do not fear and I’ll make you Fishers of Men they say all right I won’t believe you and they become as full-time disciples and this is Faith right this is the essence of Salvation merely believing the word of God as expressed in Mercy Holiness and Power now before we move on to step three talk about application from this passage let’s look over at our other text turn now back in your Bibles to Matthew 14.

    Matthew 14 and we’re going to look at verses 22 to 33.

    Matthew 14 22-33 or now later in Christ’s Ministry opposition opposition against Jesus has increased John the Baptist has just been put to death and Jesus is now teaching the unbelieving crowds in Parables while he continues to do miracles immediately before our text Jesus displays more power over Nature by multiplying bread to feed five thousand men and additional thousands of women and children but let’s now start reading in verse 22.

    it’s in Matthew 14 verses 22 to 33.

    immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side while he sent the crowds away and after he sent the crowds away he went up on the mountain by himself to pray I wanted what he when it was evening he was there alone but the boat was already a long distance from the land battered by the waves for the wind was contrary and in the Fourth Watch of the night he came to them walking on the sea when the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified and said it is a ghost and they cried out in fear but immediately Jesus spoke to them saying take courage it is I do not be afraid Peter said to him Lord if it is you command me to come to you on the water and he said come and Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came toward Jesus but seeing the wind he became frightened and beginning to sink he cried out Lord save me immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and took hold of him and said to him you have little faith why did you doubt when they got into the boat the wind stopped and those who are in the boat worshiped him saying you are certainly God’s son all right let’s observe this passage notice that Jesus sends the disciples into crowds away so that he could pray alone on the nearby Mountain he’s Again by the Sea of Galilee at evening Jesus is there at the mountain and while the disciples are a long distance away on the sea but their progress across the lake is being impeded by battering waves and contrary winds now this is not a storm exactly but just heavy winds that are contrary to the direction the disciples need to go and Jesus comes to them during the Fourth Watch of the night okay what’s the Fourth Watch well think back then for soldiers and Sentinels Knights were divided into watching periods of three hours each so starting at 6 PM you would have two watches between six and midnight and then two watches between midnight and 6 00 am this was military distinction but this type of language became common among the regular people as well so if Jesus comes in the Fourth Watch of the night what time is it approximately say it again please that’s right through it three a.m to 6 a.m so early morning could still be dark or maybe just a little bit of light is beginning to show and the disciples have to be exhausted by this point they’ve been rowing nearly all night I can’t use the wind to propel them and they’re making little if any progress in their Voyage but then they see a man walking toward them on the sea imagine you’re on a lake or an ocean at night and all of a sudden you see a man walking towards you on the water what would you think how would you respond Tex says the disciples were terrified and they said it’s a ghost also could be translated in Apparition or a Phantasm and they cried out in fear there were cries of Terror coming from the boat as Jesus approached but immediately and notice that phrase in the text but immediately as Jesus heard their cry what does he do he speaks to them he says take courage I imagine he shouted this considering the distance since they didn’t recognize him it must have been some distance away and there’s the noise of the wind and the waves so he probably shouted to them take courage it is I do not be afraid Peter wants more proof and he comes up with a somewhat odd test if it’s really you Lord command me to come to you on the water apparently Peter believed that a ghost or Mirage or some other kind of spirit he wouldn’t give Peter such a command but Jesus agrees with Peter’s test and He commands Peter saying come now imagine again you’re there the wind and the waves are still Furious there’s this man standing on the water claiming to be your teacher and he’s just commanded you to walk on the water to him would you hoist yourself over the side would you go out there and walk to him but Peter does he begins walking on the water and he comes toward Jesus but then it says he saw the wind and Peter became frightened and he begins to sink and if Peter sinks he’s probably done for the sea as difficult as it is the boat and the men in it probably won’t be able to get to him Peter’s going to drown so he cries out Lord save me and again immediately appears in the text I’m not told how far Jesus is from Peter at this point but whatever the distance Jesus is the only one able to save Peter he rushes to him or he simply stretches out his hand to Peter and he grabs hold of him but then he asks Peter you have little faith why did you doubt they both then get back into the boat and when they do the wind and presumably the waves they stop in fact the other one of the other gospels in its record of this instance says that the boat immediately arrived at the destination they realized oh we’re there and notice the reaction of the disciples they worshiped Jesus confessed him to be God’s son that’s another title of messiahship with these observations let’s consider interpretation again why did did the disciples cry out in fear when they thought Jesus was a ghost What’s So Scary About a ghost possibly I mean they think it’s a spirit of some kind if you were to encounter a ghost not that we believe that ghosts exist but why would that be scary what are you supposed to do like a year and a half like you know what they’re going to do to you or yeah yeah multiple reasons why we would find encountering a ghost scary first of all it’s very unnormal you’re encountering basically an alien creature you don’t know anything about it you don’t understand it and there’s nothing so fearful as things you don’t understand and you don’t know what its intentions are and when we think about ghosts we usually think of malevolent intentions this ghost does not have my good in mind you can point to any number of modern horror movies to talk about how just evil ghosts are or how how much how much we think as a society the ghosts have our ill will or they have ill will towards us so if this is a ghost or Spirit you don’t know its intentions you don’t understand it and it might do you harm so they were afraid and they shouted they screamed but Jesus tells them not to be afraid I’m no ghost I don’t come with evil intent I’m your teacher I’m Jesus whom you know it’s me Jesus actually tells them to do the opposite take courage why should seeing Jesus cause the disciples to take courage oh first of all yeah it’s not a ghost so alleviation of what they did fear but why else should they take courage at seeing Jesus even Jesus walking on the water well they think about who they’ve come on to understand Jesus to be he is the holy one who has the power of God but he’s also full of goodness he hasn’t come to destroy he hasn’t come to terrify he’s come to help and Save he’s on the side of his disciples he’s not there to harm them but to help them even in the midst of this storm his power is on display and it’s going to be a power on their behalf they can take courage at seeing Jesus they don’t have to be afraid by going out to Jesus on the water what was Peter displaying that’s Faith right I mean we we knock Peter for what he does later but we got to give him credit for going out on the water none of the other disciples did that he says I’ll walk on the water to Jesus because I believe Jesus I believe in his goodness and Power but why does Peter begin to sink yeah Mary he got scared and what did being frightened cause him to do yeah he may have taken his eyes off of Jesus but in a more metaphorical way what does he do he doubts Jesus he either doubts Jesus power or Jesus goodness he sees the wind the text says which must imply that there’s some danger in the situation that has caused him to no longer trust his savior sees the wind he sees the situation he’s afraid of it he thinks he’s in danger and so he no longer trusts Jesus to take care of him and note the irony in all this when Peter simply trusted in Jesus when he exercised faith he wasn’t in danger at all he was actually walking on water but when he began to doubt Jesus that’s when he really was in danger and he began to sink what does Jesus Rescue of Peter show us about Jesus yeah again we see his goodness right see his Mercy he doesn’t just say bye Peter should have trusted more it’ll be an example to the rest no he’s he reaches down he may have even rushed over to Peter grabs him he saves him what are you gonna say Ron all right you’re drawing some application out there is a sense that yes it salvation doesn’t depend on us it’s on Jesus we know though that it is by means of Faith so um we can’t say that there’s no faith involved we know the means is faith but Jesus Does noticeably act and save Peter here even though Peter’s faith is imperfect he says you have little faith he did demonstrate some faitha coming on the water but he quickly doubted she says why did you doubt you didn’t have reason to doubt stinkers who I am Jesus walking on water was clearly a miracle it demonstrated that Jesus is both good and powerful and in doing this what natural laws was Jesus overriding if you’re gonna walk on water what natural principles are you violating yeah so it’s a combination of laws about gravity and density things sink because they’re more dense than water Jesus is more dense than water but he doesn’t sink he’s able to walk right on the water moreover as soon as he gets into the boat the wind stops Jesus is showing not only power over water molecules but also the air air currents and the behavior of the Wind so he’s demonstrating overriding command ability over multiple aspects of nature considering the actions of the disciples in verse 31 whom do they understand Jesus to be based on this Display of Power yeah Mary the Son of God that’s what they say and again that’s a word that denotes messiahship and even deity they worship him now here again this is this is important this may even be a mark of the development of their understanding they worship him they realize this is more than just only teacher more than even the Messiah that is a king he is God deserving of worship now do they understand that to the full extent yet no probably not but they’re getting there they’re seeing this displays of authority and they’re realizing who this person that they’re dealing with actually is we’ve of course sampled a number of only a few instances of Jesus showing power over nature in this lesson let’s now think about why the gospel writers record these events Jesus didn’t do these miracles to bless the disciples financially or to give them a thrilling experience why did he do these things why did he multiply the fish repeater why did he walk on water and stop the wind what was it to show yes say that again more loudly please uh it does display his glory and that’s an ultimate purpose of it but before we get what’s the middle step between showing his glory what else does do these things these kinds of Miracles display about Jesus yeah Steve yeah so it that’s another part of it it shows that he is from God he has God’s stamp of approval his words must be accepted because God is clearly validating him through these miraculous works and that’s going to be true of the Apostles later and it was true of the Old Testament prophets as well these are sign gifts validating the message of Jesus but also as we’ve emphasized in in our interpretation steps of these two Miracles this is about showing Jesus’s Authority it’s about showing his power even his messiahship and deity this is not merely to benefit people this is to show who Jesus is and the validity of his message besides believing correctly in the savior how would these Miracles encourage the disciples they see who he is see his power why should that encourage them yeah Roy um yeah that’s well said Roy this is this should cause the disciples to trust Jesus to believe him and his words not just because he’s a representative of God but because he has the power to keep his word notice the connection in both of these Miracles between Jesus power and then the actions of the disciples Jesus tells the disciples that they will catch Men by his power Peter’s able to walk on the Water by Jesus power is it any wonder that Jesus says later in Matthew Matthew 21 verses 21 to 22 truly I say to you if you have faith and do not doubt you will not only do what was done to the Fig Tree as the one that Jesus cursed but even if you say to this mountain be taken up and cast into the sea it will happen and all things you ask in prayer believing you will receive Now understand it’s not that Faith itself is powerful but the one in whom they have faith is powerful Jesus Jesus didn’t do these things and say these things so they could claim lay claim to whatever they wanted to by faith health wealth prosperity rather it’s so that they would believe him and claim anything from him and from the father that Jesus Promised and that the father willed for them Christ promises to his people never will fail and why not because of what we see here he is both powerful and merciful he is both authoritative or he has Authority and he has goodness he is both able and willing to act on behalf of his own he is the Messiah he is God and if Jesus the king and Son of God is on your side and why should you ever fear why should you ever be anxious about your needs you can’t believe his promises you can trust him so this leads us right into our third step today application what how should this word affect us as Jesus disciples today a couple things to mention first if you’re a believer oh I already mentioned that okay if you’re a Believer what sort of promises can you confidently claim based on God’s power and goodness what’s a promise you know Jesus will keep but the father will keep to you based on his own power and goodness yeah for sure he said I’m not going to leave you so we can hold on to that Jesus don’t leave me you promised you wouldn’t anyone because he’s caught what else he’ll save us right that’s a really important one if he says believe me and I’m your savior then we can believe him to totally accomplish our Salvation you want to say I don’t know if Jesus is really going to save me I don’t know if I need to add to it he says no believe me I’m powerful I’m good I will do this what else foreign say that again yeah scripture is totally trustworthy you’re never wrong Jesus does make some specific statements about the scriptures that men will pass away but God’s words will never pass away everything in the world will pass away his word is trustworthy that’s a that’s something we can cling to we don’t have to say oh Jesus I don’t or would come to a certain scripture or something that you just said would say I’m not sure if this is true or this is believable Jesus says know all of it all of it is from God and can be held onto we could point to many other promises as well that God will provide for our physical needs that he will Deliver us from our enemies that even if their means is by Death that he will grow us he will use his word through us to save others he will use us to edify the church he’s given us gifts that’s promised in the scriptures he will build his church which is a great promise if you’re working and part of that you say I don’t know if this is going to be worth it I don’t know if this is actually going to help Jesus says I’m going to build my church and you’re my means his word would prove ultimately effective he will establish justice on the earth no one will get away with evil he will always be with us he will enable us to endure any kind of suffering and he will answer our prayers these are all promises so we can grab hold of these we can bring them before God and say God you promised these things therefore I’m holding you to this I’m gonna lay I’m gonna go out on a limb based on these things because I know that you’re powerful and good you won’t fail and that gives glory to God when we say God I’m going to rely on you on what your word says God is pleased with that because it shows that he is great so do we take advantage of this should we take advantage of Jesus power and love for us do we believe him do we wait on him or like Peter do we turn from Jesus as soon as danger arises thereby putting ourselves in real danger you know what’s the most dangerous place for any of you to be in the place where you stop trusting Jesus you stop trusting God that’s the place of real danger you’re not in danger Even If you experience a sudden difficulty in your life or you have somebody who hates you or speaks against you you’re not really in danger but you are in danger if you turn your eyes from Christ not in danger of losing your salvation if you’re if you’re actually saved but you’re in danger of falling into a snare giving yourself grief suffering needlessly coming under God’s chastening now do we realize that we can actually believe this is along the same lines do we realize that we can actually be greatly used by God if we actually believe in him not because we are great but because he is he’s promised to use us he’s promised that he glorifies himself through weak clay pots do we believe that now another question clearly we will receive anything that Jesus has promised to us but what about the things he has not specifically promised to us things like being healed from a particular sickness or seeing a certain people or a certain person revived and saved if we pray for these things and we can what should be our attitude yeah Rob yeah I think you hit the two elements of it based on Jesus power and his heart we ought to still pray for these things because we say God I know you can do it God I believe this is consistent with your heart you are a saving God I desire to see this person saved please save him but God I acknowledge this isn’t something that you specifically promised therefore God I submit to your will not my will but yours be done so on the one hand we want to expect great things from God to borrow a phrase from the missionary but we also want to let God have his way we acknowledge the power and goodness of God but we also acknowledge that we don’t necessarily know his perfect wisdom in a certain instance remember we saw this not too long ago with Daniel’s three friends well they were threatened with the fiery furnace remember their attitude they said we believe our God will Deliver Us from you and from this fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar but if not we’re ready for God not to do that know that we will not bow down to your statue so when we pray for healing when we pray for God to bring a spouse to us when we pray for the Salvation of a particular person or anything else not directly guaranteed by God we need to believe that God is able to Grant what we ask after all he is God it’s powerful and good but we also need to let him do according to his good will we also should pray even as we make those requests that he will enable us to endure and remain joyful and even to make his name great whether he grants that specific request or not now these things that I’ve mentioned these are applications who are for those who are actually Disciples of Christ if you’re not a true follower of Christ remember there are many false followers realize that Jesus power and goodness are not working on your behalf they’re actually working against you Jesus goodness and his power will not allow any secret sin to go unpunished even yours after all he is the Son of God he has Authority he loves Justice he is zealous for his own Glory he is incensed at how you have Dishonored him and his father by ugly hypocrisy and sin therefore if you have not yet surrendered to Jesus Christ if you have not yet repented of your sins you’ve got to escape from the powerful Wrath of God’s Messiah he will one day rule the nations with a rod of iron and shatter into pieces his enemies you will throw all stubborn Rebels into the Lake of Fire to be tormented forever including you if you have not yet repented as we said last week do not dare reject such a precious savior sent from God indeed these powerful signs that you might believe he was no mere man he was the god man the Messiah the Son of God who is currently sitting at God’s right hand therefore you don’t know Jesus leave your worthless and poisonous sins behind give everything to Christ do what the disciples did let him make you into a new creation is Jesus your master have you encountered Jesus the same way that Peter did aware of Jesus Holiness and power while being aware of your own sinfulness in either case take courage Jesus heart is good and merciful as displayed in both of these passages so that if you will turn she will save you and never cast you out it will actually make you like the apostles into a useful fissure of man any final comments or questions based on today’s lesson okay you think of anything you can always email me next week we look again at Jesus Authority but this time we’re going to talk about his authority over diseases let’s pray as we close our great God we thank you for Jesus Christ the great revelation of God fully showing us the father the brightness of the glory of God oh Jesus thank you for your kind heart your merciful heart that you came to save that for all those who turn from their sins run to you put themselves at your feet you won’t cast them out you will save them you will help them you will be with them and you will keep every promise that you need but oh God I pray that you would protect anyone at Calvary anyone in the world who believes himself to be a Christian and actually isn’t oh God you know the deceitfulness of our own Hearts so I pray that there’s anyone in that state that they would repent and turn to you God let us not walk saying thinking one thing but actually doing another we know God if we really believe you it will manifest itself in our actions God please be merciful to Calvary grow your people God forgive us for where in light of such power and such promises where we don’t trust you well we assume that somehow not believing you will make us in less danger than believing you when we’re in your hands God nothing can harm us there’s no real Danger God I pray that that people that would be so imprinted on the hearts of the people of Calvary today and anyone else who’s listening that when they’re in your hands it doesn’t matter it doesn’t matter what kind of dangers or hostility comes upon them in their lives because you’re powerful you’re good we thank you for your protection and for your love I pray that the people of Calvary rejoicing in that today as they continue to Worship in Jesus name amen all right see you all next week you’re welcome

  • Jesus Grows Up

    Jesus Grows Up

    Answers Bible Curriculum Year 3 Quarter 1 Lesson 10

    This week in Sunday school, we look at Luke’s account of Jesus growing up and being left behind in Jerusalem. How did Jesus get left behind? How is it that the Son of God needed to learn wisdom or increase in favor with God? What does this account reveal to us about Jesus? We’ll consider these questions and more.

    Our main text for Sunday school will be Luke 2:39-52.

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    Note: This rough transcript was automatically generated by YouTube’s AI algorithm. We provide it here for your convenience, but know it will surely contain errors as it has not been proofread or edited by a human.

    now end with every area of Our Lives lest we be found to be outside of his kingdom and subdued wrathfully by the king as Rebels trying to hold on to the rule of our own lives will not work but if we take upon ourselves the Yoke of the mighty but gracious King Jesus will obtain eternal life now up to this point we’ve only been looking at Jesus life as a baby and as a toddler through the unique accounts given to Matthew and Luke but today move forward in time to the only count of the only account of Jesus as an older child almost a young man there’s so much that our minds Wonder regarding the growing up of Jesus what was it like being his parents how did his later siblings regard him what did Jesus what did Jesus do all those years that he was growing up Bible doesn’t answer many of these questions and a bunch of false gospels that don’t don’t really shed light on that but God’s spirit did determine that one particular childhood event aside from what already happened with the wise man was necessary for us to know about and to take the heart so once again we’re turning back to the Gospel of Luke to get a unique account from him about one special visit of Jesus to Jerusalem why did God want us to know about this event of Jesus life does Luke’s account show us about our Messiah how does Luke’s inclusion of this account further Luke’s main purpose in his gospel what difference should this account make to our lives today we’re going to investigate those questions and we’re going to be following our basic order with the inductive Bible study method we’ll observe the passage interpret the passage and then close by considering application for ourselves let’s pray before we go on God thank you for this word thank you for all that you have revealed I pray that it would have its perfect on us tell me to be able to explain it help them be able to understand it appreciate it worship you for it in Jesus name amen open your Bibles please the Luke chapter 2.

    we’ve been in the Luke 2 but now we’re at the latter part of this chapter our section of text is not that long today but we’re going to read it carefully to understand exactly what God’s spirit intended us to know so look down to chapter 2 verses 39 to 52. if you’re using a few Bible page 2021 right on the edge of the page right before we go to the next one Luke Chapter 2 verses 39-52 before you read it let me just briefly reintroduce the context earlier in this chapter Jesus was born in Bethlehem and acclaimed by the Shepherds in the middle of the chapter Jesus was brought to Jerusalem by his parents to be dedicated as the firstborn and from Mary and Joseph to offer the necessary sacrifice of purification on Mary’s behalf while there two old righteous individuals Simeon and Anna prophesied regarding Jesus future Redemption and spoke to all those who are in the temple about this very special child let’s pick up the narrative starting in verse 39 now please fall as long as I read one they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord they returned to Galilee to their own city of Nazareth the child continued to grow and become strong increasing in wisdom and the grace of God was upon him now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover and when he became 12 they went up there according to the custom of the feast and as they were returning after spending the full number of days the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem but his parents weren’t aware of it but supposed to be in the Caravan and went today’s Journey and he began looking for him among their relatives and acquaintances when they did not find him they returned to Jerusalem looking for him then after three days they found him in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers both listening to them and asking them questions and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers when they saw him they were astonished and his mother said to him son why have you treated us this way behold your father and I have been anxiously looking for you and he said to him why is it that you were looking for me did you not know that I had to be in my father’s house but they did not understand the statement which he had made which he had made to them and he went down with them and came to Nazareth and he continued in subjection to them and his mother treasured all these things in her heart and Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God amen okay let’s follow our inductive Bible study method and begin with simple observations notice that verse 39 says that after Joseph and Mary finished the necessary presentations at the temple according to the law the couple returned with the newborn Jesus to Galilee and Nazareth to their own City Nazareth Nazareth is where Joseph and Mary were originally from but remember what we learned last week to where did Joseph and Mary technically return after first going to Jerusalem not Nazareth but but where Bethlehem yeah we have to have the visit of the Magi in Bethlehem they couldn’t have gone back to Nazareth after this first presentation they went back to Bethlehem but they do end up in Nazareth Matthew explains more specifically in his gospel how the couple ended up in Nazareth we didn’t read that whole explanation last week but some of you may remember or some of you may know how did the couple end up not in Bethlehem but Nazareth well they have the visit of the wise men in in Bethlehem and then as soon as soon as the wise men leave God says to Joseph get up and leave why age he has to go to Egypt because Herod is going to try to kill the child so they leave Bethlehem and go to Egypt they stay in Egypt for some time we don’t know how long but then when Herod dies they return to Israel but they don’t return to Bethlehem Matthew actually tells us why why not yes Steve Harrah’s son was screwing in his place that’s right herod’s son archalayas was ruling over the area of Judea that they formally were in in Bethlehem and Joseph was afraid to go there and then God warned him don’t go there go back to Nazareth and that’s what they do just to get a little more background on this to show you some maps here upon the death impaired in approximately 4 BC herod’s kingdom was split up four ways you can see different colors here on the left and the writing might be a little bit hard maybe you can see it better on the TV screens but we actually have his kingdom divided up among three sons and then some things become independent we have the one son Herod archelaus he receives Judea this be this green section here Judea Samaria and edumia see that the west and south of herod’s original Kingdom another son though Herod Herod Philip II received golonitis which would be the top top right the brown section on this left map or gallonitis over there on the right map he received the area Northeast of the Sea of Galilee and then the third son Herod Antipas received Galilee and perea so that would be this blue section on this left map Galilee and Peru are not quite next to each other but they were both given to him this son Herod Antipas is the main Herod that we see in the rest of the gospels he’s the one who steals his brother Philip’s wife he’s the one that imprisons and beheads John the Baptist and he’s the one that administers Jesus second Roman trial Herod answer this and then the last division is this yellow section the decapolis area was granted Independence as a group of city-states no no leader was governing all of them they were autonomous this was a heavily Gentile region with temples to Greek and Roman gods and later the emperor cult so we have it divided up three ways among the Suns and then the decapolis region now you may ask why are all haired Sons named her Herod also well either Herod really liked his own name or the name Herod became a surname adopted by his sons it’s confusing for us yes but it was not too unnormal for the time especially for Great Men they all do have Herod in their name but if the territory of Herod the Great was divided this way why did God direct Joseph and Mary to settle in Nazareth and Galilee when that was under control of another one of herod’s sons you were afraid to go to Judea because arcadeus was there but there’s another son in Galilee why is that any better well probably this is because Herod archalayas was already engaging in brutal acts at the very beginning of his Reign just as his father had while Herod Antipas was not as noticeably brutal according to Josephus remember he’s the first century Jewish Roman historian archalayas had 3 000 Jews killed in Jerusalem before he had even received officially his new title as or his new title as ruler from Caesar Augustus so in 4bc he’s already massacring juice in fact archeles rule was so ineffective that just nine years later ad6 Caesar Augustus revoked arcelius’s Kingdom and sent him into Exile in Gaul that would be modern France So you you’re not allowed to rule anymore his old area rule was given over to Roman governors which is why later on in the gospel we see the Roman Pontius Pilate passing judgment on Jesus and ruling over Judea and not someone from the herodian dynasty this later development by the way was very loathsome to the Jews they would have preferred a client King that they somehow could have claimed was one of their own rather than be ruled by a gentile remember even though herod’s house was idumian from Edom they obstensibly they claimed to be Jews they followed the Jewish religion nominantly so they kind of were Jews but a Roman Governor that was a direct reminder that the Jews were not independent and they detested that that’s the situation we see in the rest of the Gospels but back here to verse 39 and Luke Chapter 2 Luke skips over the events he skips over the events that caused Mary and Joseph to end up in Nazareth and he simply reports in this verse that the couple eventually came to Nazareth he says returns but he’s just skipping over some information notice also going on notice that verse 40 says that Jesus grew both in strength and in wisdom and that the grace of God was on Jesus now notice verses 41 to 42 they said it was customary for Jesus parents to go up every year to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover why would they need to make this trip why go up to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover they may have had relatives in Jerusalem that’s right this is actually according to the command of the law of God according to the Books of Moses there were actually three feasts that all the males of Israel were supposed to present themselves before God in Jerusalem or the other two feasts if you remember Tabernacles very good those are actually the same these are Tabernacle and Boos are the same what’s the other one at least the first fruits yeah Feast of first fruits they go by different names so it can be a little bit confusing but you have the Feast of Passover or the Feast of unleavened bread then you have the Feast of first fruits also called The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost and then you have the Feast of in gathering or the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of boots those are the three different Feasts and if you according to according to the law of Moses every male of Israel was to present himself in Jerusalem for those feasts and they often brought their families now these feasts were a big deal with emphasis on big could you imagine something similar in our own time if every male in New Jersey bringing their families suddenly gathered in one city that would be a ton of people yet there was something like this in the situation of Israel for the feasts you’re talking a massive influx of people a tripling or quadrupling of Jerusalem’s normal population and many people coming from outside Israel that’s what they’re doing here by going up to the Passover feast Passover feast began with a celebration of Passover itself on a certain day and then followed it was followed by the Feast of unleavened bread six days of eating only unleavened bread in your homes and a seventh day of Sabbath and solemn assembly to altogether eight days now Luke tells us that when Jesus was 12 the family went up to celebrate the Passover feast and they spent the number of the the customary number of days in Jerusalem eight days but notice verse 43 while the rest of the family was returning Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem and his parents were not aware instead his parents thought he must be somewhere in the Caravan I noticed that the family had traveled with a whole group of relatives and acquaintances to Jerusalem this makes sense considering what we just said many others from Nazareth would have needed to be in Jerusalem as well for the feast and traveling was seen essay for a more enjoyable when you did it with people you knew the Caravan goes a Day’s Journey from Jerusalem back to Nazareth and Joseph and Mary are checking for Jews among their relatives but they soon realize he is not there now can you imagine their feeling not only are we missing our child but this child is the messiah you mean you lost or left behind the Messiah they returned to Jerusalem to look for him there but where do you begin looking for your child in such a large city with so many people where could he be after three days they find Jesus in the temple complex sitting with a bunch of Jewish teachers I notice what the text says Jesus is doing he’s listening asking questions and apparently also answering questions or at least replying to the teacher’s answers since verse 47 says that all who heard him teach him bystander were amazed at Jesus’s understanding and his answers notice what Jesus is not doing he’s not anxiously searching for his parents he’s not crying and he’s not otherwise showing any agitation about being left behind notice that Joseph and Mary were astonished at seeing Jesus and what was happening in the temple and Mary says to Jesus Son why have you treated us this way what is implied in this question what is implied in this question yeah that Jesus like did something wrong with his parents right that Jesus has potentially done something wrong either he’s done something wrong or if not he better have a good explanation for why he didn’t do something wrong because it sure looks like it notice that neither Mary nor Joseph apologize for their actions a question from Mary assumes that if anyone has done wrong it’s Jesus and Mary adds behold your father and I have been anxiously looking for you and notice the phrase your father whom does marry me Joseph and notice Mary plainly admits what their emotional state has been as they’ve searched for him we have been anxious on your behalf we’ve been worried we’ve been flustered we’ve been agitated so explain yourself son Joe just noticed Jesus’s response and these are the first words from Jesus in The Gospel of Luke he says for what reason were you looking for me didn’t you know that I had to be in my father’s house and notice that house may be italicized in your Bibles this indicates that the word is not in the original text but has been supplied by the translators to help get us help give us a sense of the meaning this is necessary because the text literally reads in the Greek in the of my father there’s no noun in me of my father what does he mean well the noun has to be inferred from the context and the phrase could be understood as in the things of my father and that’s the way that the King James version and the new King James version take it they actually translate it just slightly differently but in the things of my father meaning in the business of my father or about my father’s business notice though that when Jesus says my father whom does he be he means god so there’s a direct contrast here between the Mary’s use of your father and Jesus’s use of my father notice also the contrasting word but in verse 50. it says Luke says but they his parents they did not understand what he was telling them and that’s all the conversation we get because verse 51 moves on Jesus goes back with them to Nazareth and he continued in subjection to them now this phrase he continued what does it imply about Jesus objection I heard someone say something that’s right in the past he has been subject and now he’s just going back to that very good he previously was subject notice then that the Son of God sorry if my mic’s doing weird things he noticed that the Son of God and Messiah continually subjected himself to two common and imperfect human parents while he was in their household and note Mary’s reaction she treasured all these things in her heart now the idea of the word treasure here is that she continually and carefully kept these things in her mind she was taking in all these events and holding on to them by the way this phrase may sound familiar to you because we just look back and captures one and two of Luke we’ve seen this before after the greeting of Gabriel to Mary Luke 1 29 says but she was very perplexed at this statement and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was or Luke chapter 2 verse 19. after Mary hears the words from the Shepherds and about the newborn Jesus Luke says but Mary treasured all these things pondering them in her heart here for the third time we hear Mount Mary continually and carefully pondering what she has seen and heard then verse 52 Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and in stature where translated stature could refer to age or height but then the last line in verse 52 Jesus kept increasing in favor with God and Men we’ve made our observations let’s ask interpretation questions now how did Jesus end up staying behind in Jerusalem how did that happen the text doesn’t tell us exactly how but we can say one thing about look what we say about how it happened yes Steve well they were in Jerusalem anyway so I can I can’t put myself in the position of the Son of God but you know you could kind of say he was I mean the reason I’m confused is this hypostatic Union of God and man you know and that’s really what I think it all boils down to is that you know you have Jesus being perfectly human and perfectly God and so he he’s growing as he would a human being and so then his curiosity would be to where he would go to where the wisdom or the scriptures would be dispense which would be where Chief Priests of the leaders of the temple is that okay that that could be part of the solution here but we are going to talk more about the hypostatic union the idea of Jesus being fully gone perfectly gone perfectly man fully man and there may be something too that Jesus was drawn to learning more about God as a man and growing in wisdom we’ll say more about that also but what we characterize was that Jesus curiosity it was it kind of like he knew what his parents were doing but he’s like I’m gonna do my own thing because you know I’m just so curious well we have to be a little bit guarded because whatever the explanation is we know that Jesus did not sin Jesus did not it couldn’t have been the case that Jesus knew his parents were leaving and he ran away from them in order to hang out at the temple or to learn more about God if such were the case then Jesus could be blamed for showing lack of concern to his parents for not being submissive for being rebellious now Jesus being left behind is must have been accidental in some way we don’t know exactly how but it must have been accidental and probably simply based off of a wrong assumption made by his parents that’s the only detail we get in the text they supposed him to be in the Caravan I made a wrong assumption now why did they make that assumption why didn’t they keep better track of Jesus again we don’t know you’d think that they had some decent reason to believe this like some relative claimed to go collect Jesus but didn’t end up doing that or Mary and Joseph saw Jesus with a certain relative and assumed he was still with that same relative nevertheless going a whole Day’s Journey Without Really knowing if you brought the Messiah child back with you does seem like a bad idea yeah I’ve been there wait can you say that again that’s true it isn’t the first time they’ve gone to Jerusalem it’s not the first time Jesus has gone to Jerusalem so yeah and they may have figured all right let’s just do our thing it’s time to leave Jesus and they assume he would be with them yeah the fact that he was 12 years old growing up a little bit more so maybe he had the parents felt a little less responsible for that kind of care because he’s little during his going with a larger group of family and relatives that’s true too that’s a good point Danny he’s 12. he’s almost a man in Jewish Society the bar mitzvah takes place around 13. so yeah they assumed he he’s responsible enough when we say it’s time to go Jesus they assumed you would be with them yeah so it’s hard to say exactly what happened but there somehow was a miscommunication or an accident Jesus didn’t sin he wasn’t being mischievous he wasn’t being rebellious but somehow he ended up getting left behind now how many days were Joseph and Mary searching for Jesus in Jerusalem well it says they found him three days later but how long was the actual search for Jesus in the city probably it was just one because it says they went a Day’s Journey from Jerusalem before they realized he wasn’t with them which means to get back to Jerusalem it would have taken another day and then once you’re in Jerusalem another day to search for Jesus so most understand this three days description to be a sum total it wasn’t they were searching for him three days in Jerusalem but on the third day after they had left Jerusalem they found him now how did Jesus sustain himself while he was waiting for his parents in Jerusalem we don’t know doctor doesn’t tell us but we don’t see him being agitated and we do see that he is a wise child who knew who his true father was Jesus then no doubt acted similarly until he did to how he does in the rest of the gospels he did not worry but he relied upon his Heavenly Father for provision perhaps someone gave Jesus food and drinks we may have gone himself to a local water fountain where did he sleep well I did with a family that offered to take him in for the night or in a relatively safe spot outside this would have taken place in the spring so probably wouldn’t have been that bad sleeping outside this time of year however it happened Jesus was he was okay now what did Jesus mean when he said in thee of my father did he mean house or didn’t mean business well this is a debated Point among biblical Scholars but the most widely held views that which is translated here in The New American Standard house did you not know I would be in my father’s house that’s the view I favor as well and the reason is because for this phrase for Matthew to make any sense for him to leave out a word like that it’s supposed to be obvious from the context it’s supposed to be obvious that he doesn’t need to supply it in there so if we’re looking for the most obvious idea from the context Jesus is in God’s Temple God’s house so that seems to be the most ready word to supply in that phrase did you not know it’s supposed to be in my father’s house so what is Jesus communicating then by saying this to his parents why is it that you were looking for me did you not know that I had to be in my father’s house all the two statements together are revealing certainly Jesus could not be asking why are you looking for me at all well their parents have good reason to look for him since they had lost him and they needed to find him again so that’s the responsibility as good and loving parents Jesus why question could not have been about the act of searching but instead the manner of their search why were you looking for me all over the city didn’t you know where I would be why have you been so anxious in your search wasn’t it obvious where I would be you didn’t have to worry of course I would be here in my father’s house but Jesus doesn’t mean Joseph when he uses the phrase my father what does this statement reveal about Jesus own knowledge he knows that God is his father he knows that he is the son of God and this doesn’t seem to be a truth that his parents have taught or emphasized to him because when he says this to them they don’t understand but Jesus knows and he knows with confidence nevertheless the text says that there are other things that Jesus didn’t know verse 40 and verse 52 say that Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and one of the actions Jesus is doing in the temple is he’s asking questions so Jesus apparently needed to learn spiritual truth what does this demonstrate about Jesus he was human and we already alluded to this fact but this is showing that Jesus is a true human just like us a human child or a human man must learn about life they must learn about God Luke is especially Keen to emphasize the humanity of Jesus but all the gospels affirm this Truth where else in the gospels do we see Jesus affected by human limitations it’s another example he gets tired you remember when he calms the storm for the disciples what was he doing he was asleep he was fast asleep in the middle of the storm that’s only possible if you’re tired and you have total confidence in God what else he got hungry he got hungry multiple times we hear him getting hungry and when he’s in the wilderness fasting for 40 days it says at the end of that he got hungry or when he’s at the well with a Samaritan woman he asked the disciples about food and they go to get some and when he later on in the gospels approaches a fig tree says he came to it because he was hungry and then he noticed it didn’t have any figs so yeah what else yeah Amy yeah good question we’ll come back to that in just a bit how omniscient was Jesus but where else do we see human limitations hungry got tired okay so we know that there were times where we clearly didn’t know things uh even here in Luke we saw that he was growing in wisdom but he does say later on no one knows the day of my coming not even the Sun but only the Father in heaven and perhaps there’s another instance whenever Jesus is traveling through a crowd and the woman with the bleeding issue touches him he says who touched my garments now maybe you could say well he was just trying to draw her out okay perhaps but it may be that he actually didn’t know we see other instances of Jesus’s Humanity he gets thirsty on the cross he’s cried out I thirst he gets physically stressed in the garden his sweat drops became like drops of blood and he was exposed to temptation most notably in the wilderness so we see these human limitations throughout the gospels but we also see Jesus’s superhuman or Supernatural ability he does Miracles he has knowledge of other people’s thoughts his knowledge of divine truth that apparently was not given to him by any human he’s transfigured before the disciples so how how do these things fit together I’m going to borrow from the John McArthur Study Bible here in their description these phenomena these supernatural phenomena are rather than saying that Jesus was drawing upon the power of the father rather the father was unveiling certain aspects of Jesus’s deity that was present the whole time but normally unused so God says I’m going to give you some of the knowledge that you already have in this instance I’m going to unveil that part of your knowledge so that you know what people are thinking or I’m going to unveil some aspect of your power so that you can do this miracle that’s one way to describe what’s going on and that’s why to get back to your question Amy that’s why we can say Jesus needed to learn but as sometimes he knows things that nobody else could tell him one way to describe that is that the father is unveiling lifting the veil on certain aspects of Jesus’s deity for a Time now even though Jesus is the son of God he continually subjected himself to his Earthly parents why is such action significant Steve I mean to be the perfect servant you’d have to follow the laws that God had set down so that one would be you know children over your parents yeah yeah it’s a mark of the humility of God and it’s another instance of Jesus fulfilling all righteousness even as a child he was perfectly submissive to his parents this then affirms the godliness of obeying and honoring parents I know this is the adult Sunday school class but this is the true principle if the Son of God had obeyed and honored his imperfect Earthly parents then certainly all children should do the same of course accepting if your parents tell you to sin now why does Luke another question here why does Luke keep mentoring Mary’s pondering and treasuring does this very noticeably and always seems to be married why does he keep mentioning what are some possible reasons that’s Mary keep treasuring and pondering multiple things we could say one this emphasizes how amazing all these events are Jesus I mean I’m sorry Mary is treasuring and pondering but and she often gets astonished but she’s not the only one lots of people who are observing what’s going on are hearing what’s going on they they become amazed they are astonished in Mark’s gospel we saw that especially people are just constantly amazed at what’s happening what Jesus is doing so when Mary is pondering or wondering treasuring what’s happening around her this shows how amazing these things are it also emphasizes that these events should be considered and thought about if it’s so amazing they’re worthy for anyone to ponder but also in emphasizes how Mary herself did not completely understand what was taking place try to keep thinking about it didn’t quite get it and we’ll see the same thing with Jesus’s disciples as we move to the gospels they understand some things but they don’t fully understand Jesus will make certain statements and then you know the writer will say and they kept asking or talking about what did Jesus mean it’s only after Jesus ascends and we get to the day of Pentecost that we have a more confident understanding from the disciples yeah you get a sense from the text I am your father looking for him and then she says slave they were astonished it’s almost get a sense marries acting more like the mother of her child yeah so maybe she’s pondering you know rethinking some of those things too yeah yeah I think it’s totally possible Danny just repeat your comment that with Mary’s question you know why did you do this to a son how could you do this to us and the way she refers to Joseph as your father yeah it doesn’t sound like she has the Virgin birth the Son of God all that understanding Forefront in her mind but considering what takes place in this passage yeah maybe that’s part of what she’s pondering later on hmm maybe I need to rethink re-categorize in my mind what exactly is happening he’s not simply my child he’s not simply the Messiah he is the son of God he refers to God even as his own father so certainly those things are probably part of it now we come to one of the one of the most intriguing statements In this passage and that’s where it says Jesus increased in favor with God how could that be possible this is a mysterious statement but it must be related to the earlier statements that we’ve considered about Jesus growing in wisdom because Jesus was a man he not only grew in wisdom but also in favor with God his father his Heavenly Father became more and more pleased with the son’s actions while on Earth because he was a man but you may ask how can this be was not the father already infinitely pleased with the Sun oh yes but the Incarnation adds another mysterious element to the trinitarian relationship all right we’re just gonna Wade a little bit into this issue this is difficult to describe territory difficult to understand territory uh but let’s see if we can describe what’s going on without drifting in air God was always unendingly pleased with the Sun before the world began that God had existed perfectly together outside of time there was no such thing as a journey Pastor eternity future there wasn’t even time it was just timelessness and he was totally unendingly pleased with the Sun the father already knew all that the son would accomplish in history and in a sense Redemption was already accomplished before the foundation of the world because after all there is no time so there’s no way that the father’s Joy or pleasure in the sun could be increased but nevertheless having the sun enter time allowed the father to become increasingly pleased with the Sun as that son was within time try and describe this concept in a concept another way Jesus Incarnation allowed the father to become increasingly pleased with what Jesus was accomplishing in history in the same manner and that God was already pleased in eternity with what Jesus was going to accomplish in history so in one sense God’s pleasure in the son was increasing but in another sense God’s pleasure in the son was the same as ever it’s the same with Jesus Glory did Jesus Incarnation increase the glory of the son all in one sense yes since the state of the son at the end of his mission as Redemption was clearly different than at the beginning he had taken on human nature he had paid the penalty for sin he had honored himself even to the point of death none of these things were true before about the Sun so God highly exalts the Sun for accomplishing all these things moreover Jesus failed as Heavenly majesty and power to come to the Earth so that he could truthfully say while on the earth the father is greater than not you know this was one known by the trinity in eternity the son was already infinitely glorious for what he would accomplish in time so it was actually accomplishing it did not increase his glory That Glory already belonged to the Sun and even though Jesus veiled certain aspects of his deity he never stopped being God in any way he never really lost his glory he never really lost his majesty his power his omniscience Etc even though he was not using or fully displaying these things while he was on the Earth you see God could never have been deficient in any Glory neither could any person of the Trinity be deficient in any Glory otherwise they would be violating their own nature as God so when we consider the Incarnation of redemption accomplished by God we both see that these acts brought New Glory to God and they did not bring new glory to God they were merely new manifestations of the glory god always had now you’re saying I still don’t get it well that’s that’s okay this is hard to understand and part of this is really too wonderful for us as David says in the Psalms I’ve still in quieted my soul like a weed child with his mother I don’t try to contemplate things that are too wonderful for me but we can nonetheless affirm what Luke says here Jesus as a human increased in favor with God while understanding as God Jesus always had God’s full and infinite favor all right that’s that’s the best I can do with that issue for right now one final interpretation question why does Luke include this account why is he the only one why did he feel the need to tell us rather the spirit through him to tell us about Jesus being left behind in the temple in this one instance why include this what does it show us that would be in accord with Luke’s main purpose for this book yeah remember the thing the purpose statement that I’ve given you for the Book of Luke Jesus is the man who came to save all men well for Jesus to truly do that he has to be a true man and so Luke is showing us look he is a true man he had to grow in wisdom he had to grow in stature he was asking questions in the temple he had to learn more about God and about life but what else does this passage show us about Jesus though he was holy man going back to what you said Steve he was at that same time fully gone and he always understood who he was and what his mission was already at age 12 Jesus is clear about who he is and why he’s here he came to accomplish the salvation of all men and remember this relates to Luke’s overarching purpose between the two books Luke and ax Luke wants to show that God’s gospel plan has always been set it has never changed the message has never changed neither during Jesus lifetime nor during the ministry of the Apostles Jesus did not need to discover his identity or learn of God’s plan and then adjust himself he always knew these things and was always intense on accomplishing a Salvation mission questions about what we’ve seen or discussed today from this passage yeah not sin but also there’s a positive righteousness that you can see is he grew in favor with God and man he loved his neighbors himself love God will his heart soul mind strength and loved his neighbor so you would see him growing in favor with man with that kind of that kind of righteousness yeah that’s the good point Danny yeah to repeat your comment we also have the phrase besides he grew in paper with God but he also grew in favor with man which emphasizes the positive righteousness of Jesus he wasn’t simply refraining from sin but he was actually doing all that God commanded in his law he was loving his neighbor as himself he was being kind to consider it so if we think about like oh how did Jesus treat a symbolism what was that like well we can infer from this statement that Jesus was treating them with love he was being totally righteous to his siblings and to his parents and to all those that met him and when you are near someone who is displaying that kind of righteousness you can’t help but show favorites now can’t help but have a more favorable disposition now now it’s true that some of that righteousness just convicts you and that makes you resent that person but Jesus kindness his righteousness it was causing him to increase in favor with men as well that’s a good point Danny yeah Steve do you think you’re mentioning on the fact that he was 12 years old is more independent but the fact that he was 12.

    um uh you know just shows that he’s still in subjunction to his subjection to his parents and he’s at that cusp of you know yeah that’s a good question Steve is the mention of mentioning of Jesus being 12 right before the age of manhood is that really significant I think it is significant I’m not sure all the ways that it is significant because you’re right it’s kind of like he is very close to manhood he has matured he has become more responsible but he’s still a child and he is in subjection to his parents I’m not sure what all the implications of that are but I think both sides of his being almost a man but also being a child are present in him being 12 years old it is interesting that Luke doesn’t say he was around 12 like he does later you know we said this before when he does later he was about 30 years of age when he began his ministry now says when he became 12 or other translations he was 12. so Luke was rather sure that that was the age of Jesus at this time it may simply be a historical detail but I think there is a shade there’s a shade of oh keep in mind that he has developed to a certain point at this time other questions or comments all right so what are some takeaways we can see from our observation and interpretation of this passage I’m going to go to the final step of our inductive Bible study method now and talk about application I thought of at least three three things for us to take away from this passage first of all Ponder Ponder again the amazing facts of Jesus Incarnation and Redemption some of this is beyond us even as we’ve talked about today but God revealed these things so that we might continually and carefully consider them as Mary had so let us treasure God’s work of redemption as we consider its astonishing nature again this is not some sort of tradition that we rehearse as part of our culture this is history this is what really happened number two recognize recognize Jesus as both fully God and fully man throughout church history various Cults and heresies have demoted Jesus on one side or the other oh he wasn’t really a man he just appeared as a man or he wasn’t really God he was a created being people have often claimed he wasn’t fully human or he wasn’t fully God but we must recognize that both are amazingly and mysteriously true the theological term that we use to describe it as the hypostatic union there was a perfect Unity between Jesus’s two Natures his hundred percent manness it’s 100 godness it’s more it’s difficult to describe but it was perfect it was not a mixture it was not 50 50.

    it was 100 both and what you need to affirm both of those things if we are to affirm the God and savior who truly is and finally and this goes with the other two leave believe in God’s forever known salvation plan God the son taking the place of sinful man nor that whoever repents and believes in him might be reconciled to God and receive eternal life from God that’s one of the reasons why we’ve been given these gospels so that we might believe so that we might become confident more confident in our belief now that’s it for this week next week is a special Sunday school and the week after that I’ll be back with you looking at Jesus’s Temptation in the wilderness let’s suppose in prayer our great God it is just so mysterious and amazing what is actually true God that you sent your son who became a man who grew up as a man needed to learn as a man and yet was slowly God the entire time had his omniscience available and that father you gave him omniscience about certain things at certain times it was God he was man he is God and he is man he is our high priest and our intercessor he’s our savior I thank you for doing this thank you for doing this for unworthy man this is your glory on display you’ve always been glorious but we didn’t know it we didn’t see the great the Grandeur of it but she revealed it to us not only by accomplishing what you did but telling us about it what do we know we cannot neglect so great of salvation Lord we know that we cannot walk unworthily of this salvation so help us by your spirit help us to walk worthy help us to meditate on these things help us to apply them into our lives help us to be in so much awe about what you’ve accomplished and help us to tell others about it because they need to know they need to know all that you have done oh God that they might be saved I pray that you would help us do this Deliver us from our weakness by your strength and by your goodness in Jesus name amen