The Sovereignty of God and the Sinfulness of Man in the Death of Christ

Luke 22:1-6

Introduction

Human Condition

In our fallen state as humans, we have two very vital truths to learn and to place into practice as we live our lives in this world.  If we are going to honor God and bring Him glory, we must grasp these two truth and bring them to weigh on our souls: God is sovereign and man is a sinner.

If we grasp the truth of God’s sovereignty over all events and people we will ascribe glory and honor to His name.  If we understand than man is utterly depraved and helpless before Almighty God, this too brings God glory because God alone saves man from his sin.

The two biggest dangers we must guard against is to think God is like man and man is like God.  It’s utter suicide to our souls to bring God down to human standards and to elevate man to God’s position, that’s exactly what we do when we deny God’s sovereignty and deny man’s sin and utter depravity.

Primary Claim

God had planned the death of His Son from before the foundation of the world. Continue Reading

The Destruction of the Temple and The End of The Age (Part 2)

Luke 21:25-38

Introduction

Last week we learned that Jesus gave His followers signs to look for that would indicate that Jerusalem was about to be a very dangerous place.  Our Lord’s desire was that His followers be able to escape the coming massacre that took place in 70AD when the Temple was torn down and OT worship ceased.

We also learned that while there were preliminary signs to allow God’s people to escape destruction there will be no preliminary signs for the Lord’s return.  Please don’t misunderstand; there will be signs that usher in the Lord’s return but not signs that alert us for the purpose of escaping.  For believers, the return of Christ is our great hope and one of the greatest events we’ll experience should we be the generation alive and the one Jesus speaks of in the later part of our text today.

Part of the reason that the earth and the heavens react the way they do with these signs is that creation is also waiting for the Lord’s return.  Creation heralds and shouts the Lord’s return with roaring waves and signs in the heavens.

Notice in the text that when these signs begin, we are to look up because our redemption will be near.

The reason there will be no signs to alert God’s people beforehand like with the destruction of the Temple is because we are not looking to escape but to meet Jesus in that day.  Our Lord’s desire is that His people live everyday in anticipation of His return.  The other reason there will be no signs is that there are no need for signs to indicate beforehand our Lord is coming back…His coming will be unmistakable.  No one alive on the face of planet earth will miss it or be able to miss it.  The very earth will throb and quake as its Maker returns.

Remember what we learned from…

Luke 17: 20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed,

21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them.

24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.

Primary Claim

Christ’s second coming is certain and when it takes place everyone will know and everything will change. Continue Reading

The Destruction of the Temple and The End of The Age (Part 1)

Luke 21:5-24

Introduction

This past week, Hurricane Sandy brought our first snow of the season.  I like snow; in this case it was the high winds I could live without.  I always like snow.  To wake up on a snowy morning and look out at the trees, everything looks different.  White is everywhere.

In our text today, Jesus and His followers are walking through the temple and then down the steps of the entrance, they were pointing out to Jesus just how beautiful the temple was.  The key word was…it is no longer standing.  In fact, the temple has not been standing for almost 2,000 years.

Luke’s third prediction of Jerusalem’s fall is by far the most detailed (the others come in 13:34-35; 19:41-44).

Josephus the Jewish historian, who wrote one of his works called Jewish Wars written 73 AD, gives a detailed description of the temple in all its splendor.

Now the outward face of the temple in its front wanted nothing that was likely to surprise either men’s minds or their eyes; for it was covered all over with plates of gold of great weight, and, at the first rising of the sun, reflected back a very fiery splendor, and made those who forced themselves to look upon it to turn their eyes away, just as they would have done at the sun’s own rays. But this temple appeared to strangers, when they were coming to it at a distance, like a mountain covered with snow; for as to those parts of it that were not gilt, they were exceeding white. [1]

What was also impressive were some of the marble stones, which were over 40 feet long, and weighing hundreds of tons.  Not only was this massive structure impressive to see but it had much history surrounding it.  Some of the names associated with the temple were none other than King David, King Solomon, Hezekiah, Josiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezra and Nehemiah just to mention some.  It was the temple that a traveling Jew or one in captivity would face to pray daily.

It should be noted that King Herod had remodeled this temple in a building project and during the time of Jesus, it was still in the process.  Actually, the building project wasn’t finished until 66AD. Continue Reading

Luke 20.41-44 click for audio

King David’s LORD

Luke 20:41-44

Introduction

King David was a little like John.  The Apostle John was given the extreme privilege to see and hear what was taking place in heaven when he wrote the Book of Revelation.  David was given the privileged to overhear a conversation between God the Father and God the Son in eternity past as he wrote Psalm 110.  David hears the conversation and then writes it down for us to read.

Psalm 110:1 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

What wonder and awe must have been in King David’s heart as he contemplated this divine truth.  His Lord would soon be seated next to God the Father.  Not only seated but seated on the right hand side, showing majesty and power.  David goes on in that Psalm to describe One who is his sovereign superior.  His description matches only One Person.  Only One Person qualifies as the One David is speaking of in Psalm 110…Jesus Christ. Continue Reading

Luke 20.27-40 Click For Audio

The Glorious Age to Come

Luke 20:27-40

Introduction

I’m always amazed when opponents to Christianity bring up hypothetical questions in order to disprove the Bible, Jesus, or a vital doctrinal believe of Christianity.  If all a person has is some extreme rare hypothetical argument, they’re on very shaky ground to begin with.

For example, I am prolife.  The simple truth, apart from political agendas is that whenever an abortion takes place the baby (regardless how far along in his/her development) who was once alive is now dead.  A human heart was alive and beating and healthy and now it is dead and lifeless.  There is no getting around the fact that abortion is killing another human, one that is completely innocent and helpless.

Today, these brutal murders are clothed in language intentionally used to conceal the reality of the process.  The term prochoice is used, arguing that it is somehow the right of the mother to do whatever she choses with her own body.  When pressed, the pro-abortion side will offer extreme hypothetical arguments.  Well, what about in the case of a pregnancy that came about through rape.  We have you there!  What is your answer to that argument?

For example, it is commonly assumed that rape victims who become pregnant would naturally want abortions. But in the only major study of pregnant rape victims ever done prior to this book, Dr. Sandra Mahkorn found that 75 to 85 percent did not have abortions. This figure is remarkably similar to the 73 percent birth rate found in our sample of 164 pregnant rape victims. This one finding alone should cause people to pause and reflect on the presumption that abortion is wanted or even best for sexual assault victims.[1]

I bring this to your attention because these types of situations even in abortions are not the most common.  However, even in this example the argument falls flat on its face because 4/5 women who are pregnant from a sexual assault don’t want to get an abortion in the first place. Continue Reading

Luke 20.19-26 Click for audio

Jesus Stays On Course

Luke 20:19-26

Introduction

Jesus had just spoken the parable of the wicked tenants and the religious leaders knew that He was speaking against them.  They knew that they were the ones entrusted with the vineyard and that they were the ones killing the prophets and the ones about to kill the Beloved Son.  Yet their hearts were hard and because of their hard hearts they were about to commit the most wicked murder the world has ever seen.

We know the murder of Jesus was within God’s perfect plan, providing salvation for His people and yet those who commit the crime are in no way excused of their actions.  Why were they so antagonistic against Jesus?  Mainly, they were out for fame and fortune and they were much closer to achieving their goals without Jesus than they would be with Him.  Their purpose now is to remove Jesus from the picture.

These wicked rulers understand that they cannot capture Jesus using a frontal assault.  They know that the people love Jesus and to seize Him in public would turn the people against them.  So, they continue their game of scheming and plotting.   Their plan is to place spies in the midst of Jesus, posing as His followers.  These spies begin to ask Jesus loaded questions hoping to catch Him in an answer that would either be heresy, blasphemy, or an answer in which Rome would take offense.

Jesus takes their question and answers it in such a way as to silence those spies and teach His true followers.  His answer is so remarkable and simple, all His accusers fall silent and again His authority is seen. Continue Reading

luke 20.9-19 click for audio

The Beloved Son, Sent and Killed

Luke 20:9-19

TT- God is extremely patient when people oppose Him but rejecting His Son, brings about swift vengeance.

Introduction

Our Need Addressed in this Text

Our Lord loves His followers.  His concern, even with His death hours away, is that His followers not become overwhelmed with grief or overwhelmed with fear once He is gone.  With this concern in mind, He tells a parable showing the vital need for everyone to rejoice over the Son not reject the Son.  To reject the Son of God is to count yourself among those unworthy of eternal life.

Our need today is to be reminded that our eternal destiny hinges on Jesus Christ.

Jesus has just cleared the Temple of its sinful practices and now has begun to teach and preach the Good News to all the people.  As usual, the people listened very closely while the leaders schemed and planed Jesus’ death.

As part of the teaching of Christ in the temple all three synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke have this parable recorded.

To understand this parable correctly we must discern Jesus’ meaning.  Here, He is warning the people not to follow the religious leaders of Jerusalem and He’s also warning the leaders that unless they repent, they will perish.

In this parable, Jesus is using slightly veiled allegory.

Allegory- A story which reveals a hidden meaning.

We know that…

The Vineyard is Israel

The Planter is God

The tenants are the Religious Leaders

The Servants are the OT Prophets

The Others are the Apostles

The Son the tenants rejected and the Stone the Builders Rejected is Jesus

The Point of this parable: God is extremely patient when people oppose Him but rejecting His Son, brings about swift vengeance. Continue Reading

Luke 19.45.20.8 click here for audio

Authority to Cleanse the Temple

Luke 19:45-20:8

TT- Jesus Christ has all authority in Heaven and on Earth and all people either submit to Him or perish.

Introduction

Our world is a world that resists authority.  We seek to throw off all ties that bind us.  We resist authority on all fronts.  The authorities in our lives are resisted.  Bosses, Teachers, Parents, Police, and the list could go in.  It’s also our human reaction to resist God.  We try to convince ourselves that we are in charge.  We don’t need God and we can do everything our self, just like the small child trying to tie their shoes who would rather trip over their shoestrings than have their parents help them.

There is however, one authority we will reckon with…the authority of Jesus Christ. Continue Reading

luke 19.28-44 click for audio

The True King Enters His City

Luke 19:28-44

Introduction

28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples,

30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here.

31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’”

32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them.

33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.”

35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.

36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.

37 As he was drawing near–already on the way down the Mount of Olives–the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,

38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”

40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,

42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side

44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

1. Exactly as He Said (Luke 19:28-34)

28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples,

30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here.

31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’”

32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them.

33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.”

This little seemingly insignificant event of the disciples going on into the city to get the colt is not unimportant.  Luke reports this event in a way as to show us that this small event that takes place just as Jesus said it would is a marker.  It marks the fact that our Lord, King Jesus, who will ride this virgin, pure colt into Jerusalem knows even in small details what must take place in this great city.  Jesus is omniscient.  He knows the past the present and the future in minute detail.  He is Lord of Heaven and earth.  He is Creator of the cosmos.  And He knows exactly what He’s doing and what will happen in the next few days.  Continue Reading