Bible Text: Matthew 18:21-35 | Speaker: Jake Presley |

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August 4, 2024
“Do I Have To?”
Matthew 18:21-35
   

Four Facts About Forgiveness:

Jesus _________________ us to forgive
Matthew 18:21-22

Jesus __________________ forgiveness for us
(Matthew 18:23-27)

Unforgiveness is _________________
Matthew 18:28-30

Unforgiveness becomes a __________________
Matthew 18:31-35

                                     Jake Presley

Bible Text: Luke 24:44-47 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke |

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July 28, 2024
“Jesus Fulfilled All the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms”
Luke 24:44-47
    

Read Luke 24:36-44 (pp. John 20:19-21)… 

This occurs on the day Jesus rose from the dead and He appears in a house where ten of the Twelve disciples (Thomas absent) are gathered (verse 19) “…the doors [large, solid doors] were shut [locked or secured],” nearly impossible, to break down.

Jesus passed through walls like a spirit, yet He had a body and was able to eat?

Read Luke 24:45-47…  Jesus then opened their minds to understand all that had been written about Him in the Old Testament that must be fulfilled.  The OT has three major Divisions: the Law (The Pentateuch: Genesis-Deuteronomy), the Prophets (Historical and Prophetic Books: Joshua-Esther, Isaiah-Malachi), and the Psalms (Poetical and Wisdom Books: Job-Song of Songs).

The OT Prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah, God’s Son, Lord and Savior, Who would fulfill hundreds of prophecies, to be fulfilled in the NT:

He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1-6).

      He would come through the Tribe of Judah, from the line of David

(Jeremiah 23:5; Acts 13:22-23).

He would be born to a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25).

He would be Prophet, Priest, and King

(Deuteronomy 18:17-19; Psalm 110:1-4; Acts 3:20-23; Hebrews 7:17; 8:1)

He would be announced by John the Baptist, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord,’” (Isaiah 40:3-4; Matthew 3:3; Luke 3:2-5).

      He would make a “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem “mounted on a donkey, on a colt , the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1-9).

He would die by crucifixion (Psalm 22:16-18; 34:20; John 19:18-37).

He would take the punishment for all sin upon Himself

(Isaiah 53:4-12; 1Peter 2:21-25; Hebrews 9:11-12, 27-28; 10:4-7, 10, 14-18).

He would be buried in rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60).

He would rise from the dead

(Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:24-32; 1Corinthians 15:3-8; Revelation 1:8, 17c-18b)

Although one man might fulfill one or two of the prophecies that were foretold, to fulfill all of them would be impossible but by the plan, purpose, and power of God.  Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies concerning the Messiah, for He is the Lord God Almighty, Savior, Redeemer, Prophet, Priest, and King, to Whom every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that He alone is KING of Kings and LORD of Lords

(John 1:1-4, 14, 18; 11:25-26; 14:6-7; Philippians 2:8-11).

Read Luke 4:15…  Jesus’ priority and practice was to teach at the synagogues throughout Galilee’s some 200+ towns/villages [the requirement for a synagogue was a minimum of 10 Jewish men. Synagogues were built of stone, and oriented toward Jerusalem].

During the time of Christ, Jerusalem had over 400 synagogues.  The purpose of the synagogue was to provide instruction from the Law and the Prophets.  Most synagogues didn’t have a full-time pastor/rabbi, but there was always a ruler of the synagogue and a council of the leading men [elders] in the town/village.

Larger towns had a Sanhedrin [court, assembly] consisting of 23 elders/judges, and the ruler of the synagogue; whereas the Great Sanhedrin [Supreme Court] in Jerusalem had 71 elders/judges and the current Chief Priest, so 72 members.  This was Israel’s Supreme Court for all civil and religious matters.

Read Luke 4:16-21…  Jesus returns for the first time to His boyhood home, about 1.5 years after beginning His ministry.  Jesus is now grown up, affirmed by God the Father, empowered by God the Holy Spirit, He enters the synagogue in Nazareth, on a Sabbath, and is handed the scroll of Isaiah to read the text from Isaiah 61:1-2.

Jesus declares His mission is to preach the gospel to those who are spiritually poor, i.e., those who are without the knowledge of salvation and the forgiveness of sins.  Jesus came to proclaim release [lit. forgiveness] to all who are captives of sin.  To give sight to those who are spiritually blind and set free those who are spiritually oppressed.

Psalm 82:5, “They do not know nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness.”

Jeremiah 5:21, “O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see; who have ears but do not hear.”

John 3:19-20, “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

2Corinthians 4:4-6, “The god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

in John 8:12, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

Jesus came to save us from the spiritual darkness of the devil, for the devil takes captive and corrupts the hearts of those who reject God’s Son.

Jesus came to free us from the condemnation and judgement of hell, He came (Luke 4:19) “To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

We were all doomed apart from Christ’s coming, through Him we receive God’s gift, the forgiveness of sins, that we might live for Him.

Ephesians 2:1-10, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 5:7-10, “For you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.”

See again Luke 4:20…  After reading the text, Jesus hands the scroll to the attendant, then sits down.  Rabbis stood, everyone in the synagogue stood, when the Scripture was read; then they sat down, at which time the teacher would explain the passage.  But Jesus simply says (Luke 4:21), “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing (ears),” Jesus basically says, I AM HIM!

Read Luke 4:22…  At first, everyone is amazed at the manner and the message of Jesus’ teaching.  No one had ever taught with the authority, wisdom and power, that Jesus displayed.

Read Luke 4:28-30…  It would appear that the people in the synagogue know exactly what Jesus is saying.  The crowd became so enraged that they charged Jesus and drove Him to the edge of the cliff, on which Nazareth was built.  Their intent was to throw Him to His death, but He passed “through their midst.”  Several times the religious leaders attempted to capture Jesus (cf. John 7:30; 8:59; 10:39), but He hid Himself, and went on His way, “His hour had not yet come.”

The people in Jesus’ hometown rejected Him as their Messiah; they remained spiritually poor, blind and deaf, captive to sin, unwilling to believe in Christ to receive forgiveness for their sins and eternal life.

In Matthew 16:13-14 we are told, “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, Who do people say that the Son of Man is? And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”  Then Jesus asked them the question that every person will have to answer on this side of heaven and hell.

Matthew 16:15, “But who do you say that I am?” To which Simon Peter answered, Matthew 16:16, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus was asked on several occasions

(Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-28), by the Pharisees, the Scribes, and the Teachers of the Law: What is the Greatest Commandment?  What does God require of us to inherit Eternal Life?  Jesus 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 you will [love] your neighbor as yourself.’ Do this and you will [have eternal life].”

Jesus’ response is from, the Great Shema [listen intently, understand with your heart and mind, obey and do what pleases the Lord] (Deuteronomy 6:4-7), “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”

Hebrews 1:1-3, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” 17c-18b, “I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.”

John 20:31, these “have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing you may have life in His name.”

Do you know for sure that you have received forgiveness for your sins and eternal life?

1John 5:11-13, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Do you believe in Jesus Christ: crucified, resurrected, and coming again?  Have you asked Him to forgive your sins?  If you haven’t why haven’t you.

Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Law, and the Prophets, and the Psalms, i.e., He is the fullness of God in human flesh, the complete and eternal revelation of God to all humanity, for it is, in and through His own sacrificial death and sovereign resurrection, that we have been granted forgiveness for sins and eternal life.

Romans 10:9-10 says,“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.” Romans 10:13, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord [for the forgiveness of sins, believing in Him] will be saved.”

 
Pastor Mike Hale
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Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale |
 

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July 21, 2024
“Childlike Faith is Heavenly”

Mark 10:13-16,
“And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, ‘Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.’ And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.”

Luke 18:16-17,
“Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

Mark 9:36-38,
“Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, ‘Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.’”

Jesus loved children, and they responded to His love.  But, what is Jesus saying? Jesus tells the disciples unless they are changed [converted] and become like a child they won’t get into heaven.

But children aren’t sinless, they are self-centered and self-consumed from a very early age.  Some of their first words are “mine!” “no!” and “I want!”  The sinful nature is clearly expressed in children, so what is Jesus saying here?

Children are also vulnerable, naive, trusting of others, their minds haven’t become fully polluted yet by the godless world around us, a world that strongly encourages a sense of  self-importance and entitlement!

But children are usually more easily frightened, ordered about, and humbled as a result of their own insignificance. In order to enter heaven, Jesus says we must turn from self-reliance and self-importance to relying on God alone to save us.

Jesus says we must become humble, we must be converted; we must turn away from any sense of self-importance or self-sufficiency, and realize our great need for Jesus Christ, to receive God’s love and forgiveness, to become His child.

It is the one who humbles himself, like this child being held in the arms of Jesus (Mark 9:36), there in Peter’s house, in front of the disciples; this child is safe and secure in the arms of God, what could be any better than that?

Many of you may not the name Helen Keller, but she was born in 1880, in West Tuscumbia, Alabama; and was a normal baby until about 18-19 months of age, when she contracted scarlet fever, and she became deaf, blind, and mute.

Her family hired a woman (Anne Sullivan) who would be her first teacher and caregiver, through whom Helen learned how to communicate via touch, and eventually she learned to talk, read and write.

After an education at both specialist and mainstream schools, Keller attended Radcliffe College of Harvard University and became the first deafblind person in the United States to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Keller became a prolific author, writing 14 books and many essays, and gave many speeches campaigning for those with disabilities, for women’s suffrage, for labor rights, and for world peace.

Helen Keller was a devout Christian and later in her life, looking back on her years of silence and darkness, she wrote, “I always knew [God] was there. I just did not know His name.” (The Story of My Life [New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1905], pp. 368-74) wow!

God’s general revelation of Himself has be clearly seen, long before telescopes and microscopes gave us glimpses into the micro and macro world around us, God had wonderfully displayed Himself throughout the universe, we just need to open our eyes, ears, and heart, to all that is around us.

Psalm 19:1-4,
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

Romans 1:18-20,
“The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

There is a preponderance of evidence of God displayed in creation.  God wants us to know Him.
The writer of Hebrews says (11:6), “Without faith it is impossible to please [God], for he who comes to God must believe that [God] is [has always existed] and He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

Jeremiah 29:11-12,
“For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”

1Timothy 2:3-4,
“This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all [people] to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

Matthew 19:14,
“Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Back in 2015, the National Association of Evangelicals discovered from one of their surveys that the largest percentage of Christians accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior between the ages of 4-14.

Since it is children between the ages of 4-14 who are more likely to embrace the gospel, we have to make sure that ministry to children is a priority.

Tomorrow we begin VBA 2024.  Our Trinity Baptist Church family has come here for the purpose of bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the kids in our community.  We have prayed many months for this week, and we look with anticipation at what God is going to do in the hearts of many children.

God’s love is freely given and freely received, at the moment of genuine belief God becomes the Father of those who believe in Him

(Romans 3:10-12, 23-24; 6:23a; 5:8; 6:23b; 8:1-2; 10:9-10, 13). 

God provides forgiveness and eternal life (cf. John 14:6), Jesus is the only way to God, the only truth of God, and the only life with God, and God lovingly and freely reveals this to little children.

Jesus loves little children, their tender hearts and minds; a child may easily trust in Jesus, where as an adult is much more reluctant to respond because they lack the innocent faith and trusting nature of a child.  It was God’s desire and pleasure to provide His gospel of salvation to trusting, believing, and receptive hearts:

VBA starts tomorrow, the children who come will be told about Jesus Christ all through the week; and for many of them it may be the very first time they have been introduced to the God Who loves them so much, that He laid down His own life in order to save them.

All true believers and followers of Christ will sincerely desire that children hear the good news and come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

It is our deepest prayer that nothing will hinder the children who come to (VBA) Vacation Bible Adventure this week, and that they will be led to saving faith during this God-given opportunity for children to come to know God’s Son.

Please be praying for all of those who are serving this week at VBA, sharing the Love of God in multiple ways, at various times, with these little ones who come.

Please be praying for the children, that their hearts might be tender and receptive, and that they will hear and believe the Good News of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior, Who loves them now and forever.

     There is a song that speaks of Jesus’ love for children, for you, and for me,
it is called, Jesus Loves Me, and it has been sung by children (and adults)
since it was written in 1860 by Anna Bartlett Warner.
The lyrics of this song express God’s deep deep love for all of us, but especially for children.
The words are in your bulletin, would you please sing them with me.

Verse 1,
“Jesus loves me! This I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; they are weak, but He is strong.”
Refrain: “Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.”
Verse 2,
Jesus loves me this I know, as He loved so long ago, taking children on His knee, saying  ‘Let them come to Me.’
Refrain: “Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.”
Verse 3,
“Jesus loves me still today, walking with me on my way, wanting as a friend to give light and love to all who live.”
Refrain: “Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.”
Verse 4,
Jesus loves me! He who died heaven’s gate to open wide; He will wash away my sin, let His little child come in.”
Refrain: “Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.

Benediction
Matthew 18:4-5,
“Whoever humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me.

” Luke 18:16-17,
“Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

 
Pastor Mike Hale
 

Bible Text: Matthew 3:11 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale |

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July 14, 2024
“Why Water Baptism?”

Water baptism is the opportunity for a person to publicly identify with, and to declare their faith and belief in, Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins (past, present, future) and the provision of eternal life.  Baptism is an external immersion in water, symbolizing an internal spiritual cleansing by God’s Holy Spirit.

In Matthew 3, John was baptizing those who came to him at the Jordan River, as they acknowledged their sins against God (Matthew3:11), “I baptize (Gk. Baptizo = immersion) you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I; …He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire”

Three elements of baptism are mentioned above: water, Spirit, fire.

Water symbolizes a cleansed conscience, as we repent of our sin and express our desire to please God.

The Holy Spirit symbolizes rebirth, for by the Spirit of God each genuine believer is placed into the eternal family of God.

Fire symbolizes judgement, those who do not have the Holy Spirit are condemned to an eternity in hell.

See 1Peter 3:18-21, “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; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Baptism does not symbolize that somehow sins can be washed away, like the removal of dirt from the body; it symbolizes a person’s pledge of trust and belief in God and a desire to obey Him.  Water can’t cleanse a person’s heart, mind, or soul, but genuine repentance, our response to God’s Spirit convicting us of our sins, will bring about a changed [cleansed] heart, mind, and soul.

Noah and his family were saved from drowning because they got into the ark; they were saved from the curse of sin because they believed God and obeyed Him.

Jesus is the ark of salvation for all who trust in Him; He alone can forgive sins and guarantee our safe and supernatural arrival in heaven.  Baptism is not essential to produce salvation, it is essential to proclaim salvation — salvation through Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection from the grave.

See Romans 6:3-11, “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

Dead people can’t sin!  Water baptism represents our desire to leave the old life behind, just as physical death separates a person from physical life, so baptism symbolizes our putting to death the old life of sin, in order to live our new life in obedience to and for the praise, honor, and glory, of Christ the Lord.

Paul put it this way (Galatians 2:20), “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

        See 1Corinthians 15:1-4, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 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.”  

Jesus said (Matthew 28:18-20), “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”

Acts 2:36-38, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

Notice, true repentance from sins, was followed by a public identification with Christ through water baptism.  At the moment of a person’s genuine belief in Jesus Christ, God places His Spirit in that person, marking them His child for eternity.

Ephesians 1:13-14, “In [Jesus Christ], you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

John 1:12-13, “But as many as received [Jesus Christ], to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Water baptism symbolizes the willingness and desire of a true believer and follower of Jesus Christ, to be brought under the total control and authority of, God’s Word, in all things pertaining to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Water baptism declares that the change which has occurred inside a person, through the power of God, will be clearly revealed on the outside, through the life of each and every genuine Christian (2Corinthians 5:17), “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Water baptism doesn’t save you, it declares that you have been saved!  Water baptism is your public confession that you have repented of your sins, trusting God’s Son for forgiveness; and that you personally identify yourself as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ who, “died for your sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

1John 5:11-13, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

If you have repented of your sins, confessing Jesus Christ as Lord, believing in Him as Savior, you should be baptized; not in order to secure your salvation, but as a testimony of your desire to obey and serve the One who has saved you, Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior.

Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:17-18, “I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.”

“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and to our God, to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing, forever and ever. Amen”

 
Revelation 4:11
Revelation 5:12
Revelation 7:12
Pastor Mike
>’(((><

Bible Text: Luke 12:8-10 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke |

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July 7, 2024
“What does it mean to “Confess” Jesus?”
Luke 12:8-10
    

Read Luke 12:8-10…  What is Jesus saying here?

Matthew 10:32-33, “everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”

What does the “Son of Man” mean?

Jesus’ humanity (cf. 1John 4:2), His humility (cf. Philippians 2:5–8).

Jesus ability to forgive sin (cf. Matthew 9:2-8), to give up His life, and rise from the tomb (cf. Matthew 28:1-8; Romans 1:3-4), to appear to His followers over 40 days, after which He ascended into heaven (cf. 1Corinthians 15:1-6).

Jesus renders judgment (cf. John 5:26-27); and is the sovereign ruler of an everlasting kingdom (cf. Daniel 7:13–14; Matthew 16:28).

The human Jesus, is the divine Christ, God the Son in the flesh of a Son of Man; He came to show us the Father, save us from sin, and grant us eternal life (cf. John 1:1, 14, 18 10:30; 11:21-27, 38-44; 14:6-7; Hebrews 9:27-28; 10:1-18).

Back to Luke 12:8-9….  Those genuinely unwilling to acknowledge Christ to friends and family, are not saved (1John 4:15), “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God [lives] in him, and he in God.”  Jesus is talking about a person who rejects God’s Son, and does not have the Spirit of God.
See Luke 12:4-7…. True believers fear nothing!

See Romans 8:31-39; 1Peter 3:14-18…

Paul writes (Romans 10:9-10), “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.”

2Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

The object of your confession and belief is Jesus Christ, God’s Sovereign Message and Messenger, the Messiah, Lord and Savior, God in the flesh of a man; fully God, and yet fully Man, who can understand it?

See 1Corinthians 2:9-16…

2Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Romans 8:1-2, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

No wonder Paul writes (1Corinthians 15:57), “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2Corinthians 9:15), “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

Many call themselves Christians, yet they don’t confess Jesus (Galatians 2:20), “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

      Read again Luke 12:10…  To speak evil against the Son of Man’s humanity, will be forgiven; but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit of God will not be forgiven!

Jesus asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit, to indwell those who belong to Him, as God’s possession (cf. John 14:15-17; Ephesians 1:13-14); but also to convict unbelievers of the unforgivable sin (cf. John 16:8-9), to reject God’s Son.

The Scriptures repeatedly declare (John 20:31), “these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name,” (Romans 15:13), “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

2Corinthians 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?:

J.C. Ryle writes, “There is such a thing as a sin which is never forgiven. But those who are troubled about it are most unlikely to have committed it.”

Everyone is born a sinner, unacceptable to God (cf. Romans 3:10-12, 23-24). The penalty for sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).  All who confess God’s Son as Savior, are eternally forgiven all their sins [past, present, future], having been justified by the Spirit of God (cf. Romans 8:1-2), there is no longer any condemnation for those who belong to God through Christ!

1John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1John 5:1, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God,” 4-5, “[Whoever] is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 11-13, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 
Pastor Mike Hale
 

Bible Text: Luke 12:1-7 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above are the links to today’s audio and YouTube recordings.

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June 30, 2024
“What Does Leaven Have to do With Anything?”
Luke 12:1-7
   

Read Luke 12:1…

The Greek phrase translated “under these circumstances,” is better understood as, “at that time” or “meanwhile,” i.e., it was during the same time period as the other events of chapter 11, that Jesus spoke this to His disciples.

Jesus had been condemning the Pharisees and scribes as godless fools, evil and wicked men who were void of any true knowledge of God.  And it would appear that myriads of people were trying to get closer to Jesus to hear what He was saying to those who opposed Him.

Jesus turned to the crowd speaking to His disciples, but all heard Him saying, “Beware of the leaven [yeast] of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
In Mark 8:15,
Jesus says, ”Watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

The use of the word leaven or yeast is metaphorical, it signifies the influence or effect that someone can have upon others, like the effect yeast has when it is mixed in with the flour, causing the loaf to rise.  You can’t see the yeast in the dough, but you can see the result of it as the dough expands.

The Pharisees were dangerous because they taught false doctrine and influenced the people to religiously perform rituals and keep laws that had absolutely no ability to make them righteous in the eyes of God.

Herod was an immoral and corrupt man who was having an adulterous affair with his own brother’s wife (Herodias), and she pressured Herod into having John beheaded
(cf. Matthew 14:3-10)..

Back to Luke 12:1…

Jesus’ very presence was a threat to the Pharisee’s control over religious Israel; and also to the arrogant immorality displayed by Herod’s aristocratic family members and their followers (Herodians).

The Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees were self-righteous hypocrites who taught false doctrine and practice, and the Herodians were godless politicians who ruled over Israel for a hundred years.

No wonder Jesus said (Matthew 5:20),
“Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Just as a small portion of yeast has an impact on all the flour it is mixed into, false teachings, godless piety, and flagrant sinfulness, like that of the Pharisees, influenced Israel away from godliness.

The Religious Leaders and the Herodians, often joined forces against Christ

(Mark 3:6),
“The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against [Jesus], as to how they might destroy Him.”

Jesus warns His own disciples and all those in the very large crowd, that the Pharisees are enemies of God and of the gospel of Christ.

Read Luke 12:2-3….

The Church of God is not a secret club with hidden agendas

(1Peter 2:9), “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light,”

(Ephesians 5:8-13),
“You were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), >>>>>> trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light.”

Light exposes what is hidden in the dark, it reveals all that the light uncovers.  Light is synonymous with God’s righteousness and truth; darkness refers to all that is false, all that is void of the character and nature of God.

John 12:46,
“I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.”  Darkness represents the unbelieving world, void of God’s presence.

Jesus is saying (Luke 12:3),
all that He reveals to us we are to make known, to proclaim, i.e., to shout it from the roof tops!  In Jesus’ day, a person shouting from their housetop could be heard a great distance away; in fact, in the Talmud (the Jewish book of civil and ceremonial law, and legend) it tells of rabbis blowing trumpets from the rooftops, as a means of announcing the beginning of religious holidays.  In Muslim cities, people are called to prayer (5 times a day) from towers (called minarets) high above the mosques, from which Muslim worshippers are summoned to come and worship the false God Allah.

      Read Luke 12:4-5… 

Our love and reverence for God should override any fear we have of what those who oppose Christ might do to us.  God is the Creator, Life Giver, Sustainer, and Judge over all, and He considers us to be much more than mere creations to serve Him, for He calls us His friends.

Jesus said, (John 15:9),
“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you,”

(John 16:27),
“the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.”

John wrote (1John 3:1),
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.”

Please turn to John 15:12-15…

Jesus commands His disciples to love one another with the ultimate expression of love, giving one’s life for another, just as He would soon lay down His own life for them, and for us.  At this point in the narrative, Jesus is just hours away from the Cross, where He will die for the sins of all who will believe in Him as Savior.

Humanity’s greatest need is forgiveness for sin, Jesus laid down His own life to pay for our sins, setting us free from sin’s penalty

(1Peter 3:18),
“Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God.”

See Romans 3:10-12, 23-24; 6:23; 8:1…

When you hear the message of Christ and believe it, you are saved
(cf Romans 10:9-10, 13),
no one is rejected.

1John 5:1,
“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.”

      Our love from and for God is expressed in our love for each other

(John 13:35),
“All men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Read John 15:15…

In the OT, the Hebrew word for slave is ebed, and several men are described as slaves of God:

Moses (Numbers 12:7),
Joshua (Joshua 24:29),
David (2Samuel 7:5),
Isaiah (Isaiah 20:3),
and the Messiah (Isaiah 42:1).

In the NT, The Greek word for slave is doulos, and several men are called salves of Jesus Christ:

Paul (Romans 1:1),
James (James 1:1),
Peter (2Peter 1:1),
Jude (Jude 1),
and John (Revelation 1:1).

The Greek word doulos, translated slave in the NT, describes a Christian who desires and demonstrates a life that is in total submission and service to God.

Normally a master did not confide in their slaves, he merely told them what to do and when to do it.  But as slaves of God in Christ, we can know our Master’s plan, purpose, and will; in fact, we are called His friends, and He tells us what the Father wants us to know

(1Corinthians 2:10), “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.”

1Corinthians 2:14, “But a natural man [one without the Spirit of God] does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

1Corinthians 2:16, “But we have the mind of Christ.”

It is only believers, friends of Christ, who are told the deep mysteries of God, those things which were hidden in the past and are still unknowable to unbelievers.

What things am I talking about?

The mystery of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 13:11).

The mystery of God’s will (Ephesians 1:9).

The mystery of a Savior, born to a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:21).

The mystery of Immanuel [God with us] (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23).

The mystery of spiritual birth as children of God (John 1:13; 3:3-8).

The mystery of God living in us (Colossians 1:26-27).

See again Luke 12:4-5…

In a parallel passage (Matthew 10:28) Jesus says,
“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

The word translated “destroy,” means extreme loss or great ruin, it does not mean annihilation or extinction.

All human beings will exist forever, either with God in Heaven (eternal life) or apart from God in Hell, the lake of fire (eternal death). 

Satan will eventually be thrown into the Lake of Fire

(Revelation 20:10),
“And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever,” along with all those who reject God

(Revelation 20:15),
“And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

All true believers who have died, along with those who remain alive at Christ’s return, will be raised to new life to live with God in heaven (1Corinthians 15:54), “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”

Jesus encourages true believers that He will not allow any permanent harm to come to them as they serve Him, and that goes for us as well, for God’s people have nothing to fear!

Read Luke 12:6-7…

Matthew 10:29 says,
“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.”
Here in Luke 12:6, you can get five sparrows for two cents.

Sparrows were plentiful and were often roasted and served as cheap finger food, as appetizers.

One “cent” was the smallest denomination of money during Christ’s time, equal to one-sixteenth of a denarius (average laborers daily wage); and yet, God knows when every one of these inconsequential birds falls from a tree to the ground.

We are also told that the number of hairs on our head are numbered.  The average person has about 140,000 hairs on his/her head, and God knows that number?  What does that really have to do with anything?

Listen, God placed a billion galaxies with a billion stars each in the universe and

(Psalm 147:4),
“He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them.”

And yet, here in Luke we are talking about sparrows and hairs on our heads?
I believe these seemingly insignificant facts about God’s knowledge express how important we are to God.
Out of all of creation, we alone were formed out of the dirt of the ground by the hands of God and He then breathed life into us.

All who belong to God the Father, through God the Son, confirmed by God the Holy Spirit, are provided for and protected by God, and there is absolutely nothing in this world or the next for us to fear, but everything to gain

(2Peter 3:13-14)
for, “according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless.”

The only way anyone can have God’s peace and be considered spotless and blameless before Him, is to have received forgiveness for all their sins (past, present, and future) and eternal life, these are the greatest rewards, belonging to every believer and follower of Jesus Christ.

As a Christians, we are promised an eternity with God in a universe with everything having being made new, like it was in the Garden of Eden, before sin’s curse entered.

We are told, in John’s vision

(Revelation 21:1-5),
“the first heaven and the first earth passed away… And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’ And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new,’”

(Revelation 21:12),
“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done,”

(Revelation 22:20-21),
“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. [GRACE is an acronym for God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense, everyone who believes in Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior, receives forgiveness for all sin (past, present, and future) and eternal life with God in heaven.

1John 5:11-13,
“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 
If you have any doubts or questions about this, please contact me, at the following:
Pastor Mike Hale
Cell: (541) 270-6734
Email: mhale1949@gmail.com

Bible Text: Luke 11:37-54 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above are the links to YouTube or audio recordings.

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June 23, 2024
“Woe to You Pharisees: Part Two”
Luke 11:37-54
    

See Luke 11:41…  Being charitable, merciful, and caring about others, are the attributes and actions that should be expressed in the lives of all those who belong to God, especially toward those who are in desperate need, like the poor, the fatherless, and the lost.

If a person is born of God, having been born-again by God’s Spirit, that person will love others; in fact, if we genuinely love God, and have the love of God in us, we will fulfill the supreme commandment of God, which is (Luke 10:27) to, “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 [to love] your neighbor as yourself.”

Your “neighbor” is anyone who is in need of mercy and kindness.

Micah 6:8, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

When a person is living to love [obey] God and love [show mercy to] others, then all things are honorable, acceptable, permissible, even beneficial, because (Romans 8:1-2), “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

         As we studied last week (Luke 11:37-41), the Pharisees were external worshippers of God, they were not born-again of God’s Spirit, so their worship was unspiritual, unpleasing to God.  Therefore, Jesus confronted them, saying they were foolish and wicked men who were pretending to be righteous [right with God].

Read Luke 11:42….  This is the first of three woes directed to the Pharisees.

Woes are a declaration of judgment (cf. Isaiah 5:18-22; 29:15).  Jesus condemns the religious leaders of Israel with divine judgement, because they reject Him.

Jesus uses sarcasm here to express how these “religious” leaders complied with minor and obscure commands, while failing to honor God with their hearts.

Tithing, or giving one-tenth of something to the Lord, is clearly taught in the Old Testament (Leviticus 27:30-33; Deuteronomy 14:22-29): 1/10 of all seed, grain, fruit, livestock (herd and flock), was to be given to the Lord

Read Luke 11:43-44…  The Pharisees love to show off and be honored by men.  They expected to have the best seats, those reserved at the front of the room facing the congregants who had come to the synagogue to hear the Rabbi’s teaching, most of whom would be sitting on the floor or standing at the back.

The Pharisees expected to be placed next to the host at banquets and weddings, wearing colorful and expensive robes, as if they were royalty.  They also liked to be called Rabbi, although Jesus commanded (Matthew 23:8-12), “Do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”

Spiritual leaders are to serve with humility, for all Christians [believers and followers of Jesus Christ] our brothers & sisters; and although we may have different roles and functions, we are all equal in value, loved the same by God, and have the same ultimate purpose: to do justice, show kindness, and walk humbly as we love God and love others on His behalf.

As God’s children, we have one Father Who is in heaven, and we are not to give a title of spiritual superiority to any man.

Pharisees and scribes loved to be called “father” [source of spiritual life]; the Pope’s title “holy father,” is a designation that belongs to God alone.

The Pharisee’s prideful attitude was antithetical to true spiritual leadership.

The final woe to the Pharisees reveals their evil nature and influence, for Jesus compares their outward false humility and holiness to concealed tombs that people walk over without knowing it, making themselves unclean ceremonially.  The graves in Israel were clearly marked so that no one would inadvertently touch them and so defile themselves, i.e., the Pharisees are like unmarked graves that defiled those who came into contact with them.

Read Luke 11:45-46…  Jesus has just finished condemning the Pharisees, when one of the scribes or lawyers tells Him that what He said has also insulted the expert teachers of the Law.  It was the lawyers who really developed the religious system in Israel, and it was the Pharisees who governed and applied these teachings for the people to follow.

Jesus now turns His attention to the lawyers with the first of three woes!  Using the rabbinical interpretations of Moses’ teachings of the Law and the “traditions of the elders,” the lawyers imposed religious burdens upon the people that they themselves could not even keep.

The lawyers themselves were void of both mercy and grace, and they showed no love for the people who sincerely wanted to honor and worship God.

Jesus said (Matthew 11:28-30), “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. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

False religion can not bring people into a right relationship with God, for false teachers have no spiritual knowledge, but are like blind guides (Luke 6:39), “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit?”

The truth is, Pharisees and teachers of the law are blinded to the truth of God (2Corinthians 4:4-6), “The god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

The religious leaders of Israel, like all unbelievers (Romans 3:12), “have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.”  Jesus said (Luke 18:19), “No one is good except God alone.”

Read Luke 11:47-51…  These false teachers are (Ephesians 2:1), “dead in [their] trespasses and sins, and (Romans 8:8), “cannot please God!”

In both the Old/New Testament’s, unbelieving Israel rejected the prophets and the Messiah who they spoke of Who was to come in the person of Jesus Christ.  The present generation, during Jesus’ life, rejected the teaching of the prophets concerning God’s Son, Messiah, and yet they decorated and beautified the tombs of these same prophets, and in so doing brought judgement upon themselves.

Matthew 23:29-30, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’”

The truth is, these religious leaders were even more guilty than their fathers, for the rejected, and then had the Savior put to death!

See again Luke 11:49…  Jesus says, that God, in His wisdom sent forth prophets and apostles, knowing the religious leaders would persecute and kill them. Scripture records they did just that to John the Baptist (Matthew 14:3-12), Stephen (Acts 7:58-60), the apostle James, the brother of John (Acts 12:1-2), James the Lord’s brother (whose death was recorded by Josephus, a 1st century Jewish historian), and we know that Peter, John, Paul and the rest of the apostles were persecuted, just as the Old Testament prophets were, by the religious leaders!

See again Luke 11:50-51…  Jesus says they are guilty of the shed blood of all the prophets from Abel, the first person to be murdered (by his brother Cain, who was jealous that Abel obeyed and was accepted by God), to Zechariah the prophet (Matthew 23:35), “the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.”

Jesus charges His own generation with the cumulative guilt for the deaths of all the Martys since the very beginning of time!  The reason being, they have all the writings of the prophets, and yet they reject the One who was to come for the purpose of dying for their sins, so that they might believe in Him and be save; and yet, they rejected and killed the very One who had been sent to save them; therefore they are without excuse, they have condemned themselves.

Read Luke 11:52-54…  The truth is, the teachers of the law, like the Pharisees, never had the Holy Spirit, therefore they were unable to interpret the Scriptures, as they did not have the “key of knowledge.”

Not only were they unable to enter the kingdom of heaven themselves, but because of the lack of knowledge and their lack of a right relationship with God, they only hindered those who were genuinely seeking to have a right relationship with God the Father, through God the Son, made effectual by God the Holy Spirit.

The Pharisees and scribes rejected the warnings of Jesus, Who was giving them a last chance to repent and be saved; instead, they became very hostile [lit. Holding on to a grudge] because Jesus had exposed them for who they were (verse 54), “plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say.”

Jesus was innocent of any crime, there was no deceit in Him and He was without sin, yet these wicked enemies of the gospel hated Him and ultimately were used by God to bring Jesus to the cross, where He would die for the sins of everyone who would believe in Him for salvation.

As Jesus began His ministry, John the Baptist declared (John 1:29), “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Peter, on the day of Pentecost, declared (Acts 2:22-24), “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”  36, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Jesus Christ Crucified, Resurrected, and Coming Again, is the message we must continue to proclaim; for not is the only message from God that brings salvation.

Therefore, we must rebuke and remain vigilant to expose false teachers, for these are the men of whom Jude warns us (Jude 4), men who “have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” 16, “These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage. 19-21, “These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.” 24-25, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

 
Pastor Mike Hale
 

Bible Text: Luke 11:37-54 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above are the links to YouTube or audio recordings.

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June 16, 2024
“Woe to You Pharisees: Part One”
     

         Read Luke 11:37-41…. Jesus just finishes His instruction about Light and Darkness; God’s Children verses those belonging to the Evil One, Satan.  A Pharisee invites Jesus for lunch and Jesus accepts; but when the Pharisee notices Jesus has not performed the normal ceremonial washing prior to the meal, he is surprised that Jesus had not observed the cleansing according to the “tradition of the elders.”

Who were the “elders”?             The elders were the adult men, usually older, who were responsible for making decisions in a local family or village.  Although the term elder could refer to someone older, most often At referred to a man who was recognized as a leader in a local community.

We see an example of elders as leaders in Genesis 50:7, “So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household and all the elders of the land of Egypt.”

In Exodus 3:16 Moses was instructed, “Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.”  Later, in Exodus 12:21, “Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb.”  I

In Numbers 11:16, God told Moses, “Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers and bring them to the tent of meeting, to take their stand there with you.”

Elders held a recognized place of leadership throughout the Old Testament era, including the Israel’s return to Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah.

In the New Testament era, elders continued to lead in communities, and in many cases they served with pastors in local churches.  Qualifications for elders who teach, lead, and govern, in the church, are given in 1Timothy 3; Titus 1.

Back to Luke 11:38…  The “washing” spoken of here was as follows: someone pours water over your hands, with your fingers pointing up, allowing the water to drip off at the wrist; then, water is poured over your hands with the fingers pointing down; after which each hand is rubbed with the fist of the other hand.

The Law of Moses gives no instruction about washing hands or body prior to eating, except for priests who are washing before eating holy offerings at the Temple, if they had become unclean (cf. Leviticus 22:1-9).

The “elders” of Israel had added hundreds of “to-dos” that were not given by God; these additions given orally, were eventually written down in the Mishna (the book of Jewish religious law, which was considered to be supremely authoritative).  And so, man’s laws are added to those of God’s Word.

This is now and has always been a problem, as can be illustrated by the following religious groups who, although they use the Bible, they add additional teachings and requirements based on human instruction, not God’s; and so, it becomes the Bible plus something else that was not given by God.

Mormons use their Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, which teach that Jesus was the older brother of Satan, and He became a god, and they teach that we also can become a god.  Jehovah’s Witnesses use their New World Translation of the Scriptures that teaches Jesus was not God, but instead was Michael the Archangel, in the flesh.  The Church of Christ, Scientist, uses their book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, in order to teach that Jesus is not eternal or sovereign, nor is He One with the Father. Seventh Day Adventists use their book, Conflict of the Ages by E.G. White, which teaches that Sabbath-keeping was not abolished or fulfilled when Jesus was nailed to the Cross, and therefore, those who don’t keep the Sabbath are condemned to hell.

         No wonder Paul exhorts us (Colossians 2:8-10), “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority,” (16-17), “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.”

         Back to Luke 11:39…  Speaking of the spiritual uncleanness of the Pharisees, who took great confidence in their rituals and law keeping, so as to look like they were righteous before God, Jesus confronted their unbelief and their lack of justification before God; for their religious acts were nothing more than an external coverup of what was really inside their hearts.

See Mark 7:3-8, “(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?’ And he said to them,‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

The Pharisees ask why Jesus’ disciples aren’t keeping the “traditions of the elders,” not the Law of Moses, or the Commandments of God, but the traditions of men.  They accuse His disciples of eating with impure or unclean hands, implying that Jesus, as their Master, had taught them to disobey these traditions.

Jesus responds (verses 6-7) quoting Isaiah 29:13; saying that the actions and words of these hypocrite Pharisees reveals the true condition of their hearts.  Their worship was superficial and external, whereas, inside they are full of pride and self-condemnation.           The Pharisees and scribes (verse 8) had not only abandoned the teachings of God’s Word, but they had inserted the teachings and traditions of men in the place of God’s commands.

Look again (Luke 11:39), Jesus says they are corrupt and full of robbery [lit. plunder that they have pillaged from others, for they were damning people to hell with their false religion] and wickedness [lit. evil, depravity].

In Matthew 23:15, Jesus says,  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”

In Matthew 23:27, Jesus says, “You are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”

Look again at Luke 11:40…  Jesus is addressing His host and the other religious leaders as fools!

David defines what a fool is in Psalm 14:1-3, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

The Jewish Religious Leaders were more concerned about their external rituals and practices then they were about being cleansed of sin and made holy in the sight of God. They were indeed fools!

Paul was a Pharisee, a son of a Pharisee, a Hebrew who was zealous for the Law, and yet, even so, he said (Romans 2:28-29), “[A man] is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”

See Philippians 3:1-11, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; for we are the true circumcision, [we] who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: [for I was] circumcised [on] the eighth day, [I am] of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” 

         Paul had credentials of the highest degree, for he had attained the epitome of human greatness, and yet he considered it all rubbish, next to his knowledge of Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

Back to Luke 11:40…. Jesus is saying that these orthodox religious elite, who play at being righteous and serving God, are actually Godless!  These men are ignorant, blinded by their hypocrisy, so that they can’t see the vile condition of their own hearts.

In Matthew 23:10-11, Jesus rebuked the false teaching of the Pharisees and scribes, and then (Matthew 23:12-14), “[His] disciples said to Him, ‘Do You know that the Pharisees were offended [by what You said]?’ But He answered saying, ‘Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

See again Luke 11:41…  Being charitable, merciful, and caring about others, these attributes and actions should be expressed in the lives of those who belong to the God, especially concerning those who are in desperate need, like the poor, the fatherless, and the lost (1Peter 4:8), “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.”

The religious extremism of the Pharisees blinded them to the reality that it was more important to God for your heart to be cleansed by God’s Spirit who indwells you, then to perform rituals by which you try to make yourself acceptable to God.

1John 4:7-11, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

If a person is born of God, having been born-again by God’s Spirit, that person will love others; in fact, if we genuinely love God, and have the love of God in us, we will fulfill the supreme commandment of God, which is (Luke 10:27) to, “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 [to love] your neighbor as yourself.”

When a person is living to love God and love others, then all things are clean, acceptable, permissible, even beneficial, because (Romans 8:1-2), “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death,” as Paul declared, the reality is (Galatians 2:20), “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me,” and so (Philippians 4:8-9), “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

 
Pastor Mike Hale
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Bible Text: Luke 11:33-36 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above is the link to YouTube or audio recordings.

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June 9, 2024
“Children of Light”
Luke 11:33-36
    

Read Luke 11:33-36…  We understand and have all experienced both light and darkness, in the physical realm; but here Jesus is using light as a metaphor for divine truth, and darkness as a metaphor for the absence of divine truth, i.e., light reveals, where as, darkness conceals.

Ephesians 4:17-18, “Walk no longer as the [unbelieving] walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart.”

Ephesians 5:8-13, “You were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.”

Read Luke 11:33…  Light exposes things, it reveals all that is in the area on which the light is shining.  And so, light should be held up, put up on a stand, so that everything might be made visible by it.  Can you imagine someone covering the lamp in their room with a large box, or turning on a flashlight in a dark room, only to put the flashlight into a thick bag so that its light can’t be seen?

1John 1:5 declares, “God is light,” in Him there is no darkness.  “Light” is synonymous with God’s righteousness and truth; “darkness,” refers to all that is false, all that is void of the character and nature of God.

Hebrews 1:3 declares God’s Son to be the “radiance of God’s glory,” the very “Light” of God; so if Christ is in you, God’s light will shine through your life.

So what is the major deterrent keeping a person from receiving and being able to show God’s Light?

2Corinthians 4:4-6, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

In Matthew 5:14-16, speaking of those who believe in Him, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” 

Individual believers are like lamps in each house, providing light to those who would otherwise be in darkness.  God’s Church is to be like a lighted city on a hill, serving as a beacon to travelers in the valley below or on hills far away.

Christians are to shine God’s light, for we were all, at one time, living in darkness, guilty of sin, separated from the Light and Life of God.

Believing in Christ brings you into the light, where you receive life from God.  Our purpose as Christians, is to let God’s light shine so that those living in darkness might find their way to God’s love and forgiveness.

From the very beginning God separated light from darkness.

Genesis 1:1-4, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.”

God will one day remove all darkness forever.

Revelation 21:3-5, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is among men, and He will live among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’

And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’”

23, “And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.”

22:3-5, “There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.”

      Jesus said (John 12:46), “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.”

      In 2Corinthians 6:14, Paul exhorts us, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? What fellowship can light have with darkness?”

1Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

Read Luke 11:34…  Light enters your brain [and your whole body] through your eyes, for the eye is the lamp of the body; if something is wrong with your eyes, you don’t see so well.  The same is true with spiritual light, knowledge of God’s revelation concerning His Son, Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior.

Jesus spoke about those with hardened hearts [toward Him], as those who remain in darkness (Matthew 13:14), “You keep on hearing, but will not understand; You keep on seeing, but will not perceive.”

      The self-righteous religious leaders of Israel and all those who are unresponsive or indifferent toward Christ the Lord, remain in darkness.

John 3:16-20, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

Read Luke 11:35…  Jesus warns of the deception that causes a person to refuse to acknowledge and repent of sin and receive forgiveness; that person is deluded into thinking that they are good enough to go to heaven just as they are, perhaps because they are a Jew, or are very religious, or keep the Law, or have some how by their own merit become acceptable and pleasing to God.

We must plead with unbelievers (2Corinthians 5:20), for we are “ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

The truth is, there is absolutely no one who is righteous, no one who is good, no one who is acceptable to God, based on any inherent human quality, characteristic, attribute, or acquisition (cf. Romans 3:10-12, 23-24; 6:23; 5:8; 8:1).

      Read Luke 11:36…  Jesus said (Mark 10:18), “No one is good except God alone.”  We are only Good if God is in us, we can only experience and be full of the Light of God if we have been born again by the Spirit of God, having been made righteous by God, having been justified in His presence [just if I’d never sinned], now and forever.

Romans 10:9-10, “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.”

13, “for, ‘Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”

To all those who will repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, God has granted eternal life, having placed His own Spirit in us and marked us as His very own possession for all of eternity.

Ephesians 1:13-14, “In [Christ], you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

      Paul writes (2Corinthians 5:21), “ He [God the Father] made Him [God the Son, Jesus Christ] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

      Jesus died for our sins, paying our penalty to God for all our sins [past, present, and future], so that all who believe in Him will not be condemned, but instead we share in the righteousness that belongs to God alone, having been born-again by God’s Spirit, becoming children of God!.

John 1:12-13, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God [meaning, born from above, born of the Holy Spirit, i.e., born again].”

      Jesus said John 3:3, “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

6-8, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. You must be born again, born of the Spirit.”

The aged Apostle John summed up the testimony of God’s Word concerning God’s Son, and what all those who believe in Him have received.

1John 1:1-5, “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete. This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”

1John 5:11-13, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

It is my deepest prayer that you will acknowledge, confess, believe in, and serve Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, so that the Love and Light of God will show in your life, where others will see it, experience it, and then perhaps ask you to tell them about the marvelous gift of forgiveness and eternal through God’s Son who was crucified, buried, resurrected, appeared to hundreds of His followers over a 40 day period, after which He ascended into heaven, from where He will return, to take all who believe in Him to be with Him in heaven, forever.

 
Pastor Mike Hale
 

Bible Text: Luke 11:29-32 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above are the links to our audio and YouTube recordings.

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June 2, 2024 (AM insert notes)
“This is a Wicked Generation!”
Luke 11:29-32
     
Read Luke 11:29-30…  Luke tells us that the crowds following Jesus were getting larger, and these crowds were made up of mostly common people, but also Religious Leaders (Chief Priests, Levites, Sadducees, Pharisees and Scribes) who were looking for a reason and an opportunity to arrest Jesus and remove Him from influencing the Israelites away from Orthodox Judaism’s sacrificial-ritualist system.

Jesus says those who reject Him are part of the “wicked generation” who seek a sign, but He tells them, “no sign will be given but the sign of Jonah. The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

The Jews expected miracles from every true prophet of God; but Jesus had already healed countless numbers of people from every illness and disease, casting out demons, calming the wind and the waves, even raising the dead back to life.

Jesus says His final sign will be the sign of Jonah, who was three days in the belly of a great fish, i.e., Jesus would die for our sins and be three days in a Tomb, only to come out alive, demonstrating, proclaiming, and providing eternal life.  As Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so is God’s Son to the wicked generation of the last days.

Read Luke 11:31…      Jesus says the Queen of the South will stand in judgement against the Jews who reject Him as Messiah.  Also known as the Queen of Sheba (1Kings 10:1-10; 2Chronicles 9:1-9), she came to hear God’s wisdom through Solomon and gave him countless riches.  This Arab woman came, “from the ends of the earth” (1200 miles SE of Israel, an area now called Yemen).  That would be like going from Portland to Tijuana.

Solomon was the wealthiest and wisest man on the earth that time, but Jesus says, in these last days, “One greater than Solomon is here.”  What did He mean?

There are many prophecies in the OT foretelling the birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection, of God’s One and Only Son, who would come to save us from sin.

Isaiah 9:6a, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us…”  This speaks of God’s divine provision of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior.

Isaiah 9:6b, “And the government will rest on His shoulders…”  This speaks of God the Son’s Ultimate, Universal, and Unilateral Authority on earth.

Isaiah 9:6c, “And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor…”  This speaks of God the Son’s Supernatural and Eternal Wisdom.

Isaiah 9:6d, “And His name will be called Mighty God…”  This speaks of God the Son’s Sovereign, Eternal Power and Strength.

Isaiah 9:6e, “And His name will be called Eternal Father…”  This speaks of God the Son’s Eternal, Intrinsic Nature, as the Creator and Sustainer of Life.

Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23, “the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”  When Jesus was born, Luke 2:11 records, “today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  Joseph, at the time of Mary’s conception, was told by the angel Gabriel (Matthew 1:21), “[Mary] will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Jesus is not only greater than Solomon, He is the greatest person who will ever be born, being fully God and also fully man, He alone provides forgiveness for sins and eternal life.  His own people, the Jews, rejected Him, refusing to believe in and receive Him; and yet, God shows mercy to all who will receive and believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, who is both Savior and Lord.

Read Luke 11:32…  Jonah lived in the late to mid 700’s B.C., during the reign of Jeroboam II (cf. 2Kings 14:25).  Israel was plagued by attacks from Syria and Assyria, whose capital was Nineveh, a very large and culturally advanced city located on the east bank of the Tigris River.  Archaeologists have estimated that it would take about three days to walk from one side of the city to the other.

Read Jonah 1:1-2… God called Jonah to go preach repentance to Nineveh.

Read Jonah 1:3…  Jonah, like the rest of Israel, hated all non-Hebrews and didn’t want them to repent and receive God’s blessings, so instead of heading for Nineveh (550 miles away), he set sail for Tarsus (2500 miles in the opposite direction.

Read Jonah 1:4-10…  God brought a great storm upon the ship Jonah was on, endangering all who were on it.  The captain and those on the ship realized it was because of Jonah that they were in danger, for Jonah was disobeying his God, running away from doing God’s will.

Read Jonah 1:11-16…  Jonah admitted his wrong doing, and told them to throw him into the sea so that the storm would be calmed.  The ship’s crew prayed to Jonah’s God, for they feared for their own lives, but did not want to be guilty of Jonah’s death.  However, they threw Jonah overboard, then they offered a sacrifice and made vows to God, so as not to incur God’s wrath.

Read Jonah 1:17…  God brought a great fish to swallow Jonah, and he was three days and three nights in the belly of that fish.

Read Jonah 2:9-10…  Jonah called upon God to forgive him, vowing to complete his given task; so God caused the fish to vomit Jonah up on the land.

Read Jonah 3:1-3…  God again calls to Jonah, and this time, Jonah obeys.  It takes three days for Jonah to walk through the city of Nineveh proclaiming God’s message. Wow! Three days praying in the belly of a whale, three days preaching in the midst of Nineveh; that was, no doubt, the longest week of Jonah’s life!

Read Jonah 3:4-10… Jonah gives a simple message and the people of Nineveh repent; they call upon God to save them, and God has mercy on them.

Read Jonah 4:1-3…  Jonah’s Hebrew heart was so prejudiced against non-Jews, that he didn’t want these enemies of Israel to be saved; he’d rather die than have it known that he had part in the salvation of Israel’s enemies.

Read Jonah 4:5-8…  Jonah watches to see if God will really save these Gentiles?  God then provides a plant to protect Jonah from the scorching wind and heat, only to then cause the plant to shrivel up.  Again, Jonah asks to die!

Read Jonah 4:9-11…  Jonah was angry at the plant’s destruction, while not being concerned in the least with more than 120,000 people who would have been doomed to hell without a knowledge of God.  Jonah was more concerned about the death of a plant than he was about all those people dying in their sins.

In Luke 11:32, Jesus tells the self-righteous religious leaders of the Jews that, “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

What does Jesus mean, “something greater than Jonah is here.”

Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:17-18, “I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.”

God’s greatest sign was the death and resurrection of His Son, yet the majority of the Jewish people did not believe in Him (and they still don’t).  Jesus said (Luke 16:31), “they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

As I taught last week, salvation is made effectual by believing in God’s Son as Savior and Lord (John 1:1-4), “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” (John 6:14), “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 6:18), “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” (6:29), “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” (40) “For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life,” (8:24) “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the One I claim to be,” (10:30), “I and the Father are One.” (14:6-7), “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you really knew Me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him,” (10-11), “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.” (14:20), “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you,” (20:30-31), “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name,” (1John 5:13), “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

1Corinthians 15:1-5, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 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”

It is a wicked and corrupt generation that rejects God’s Son.  What does a generation like that look like?

2Timothy 3:2-5, “Men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.” 12-13, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly [lives] in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

We are living in the last days, in the midst of a wicked generation; but we must put away our prejudices and even give up our comforts, if necessary, in order for people to hear God’s message of hope, love, forgiveness, and salvation.

God has commanded us (Matthew 28:19-20) to take the message of Christ to all people; wherever we are, whatever we are doing, ready and willing to be used by God to share the message of Christ with anyone who will listen.

God is through sending prophets, apostles, and the divine revelation from God to all of humanity that they proclaimed in both written and spoken word.

Hebrews 1:1-3, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

Listen!  Salvation, the forgiveness for sin and eternal life, cannot be acquired, attained, purchased, or procured through miraculous signs, mystical experiences, ancestral heritage, religious rituals, animal sacrifices, good works, wealth, or power.  The only hope we have is Jesus Christ: crucified, resurrected, and coming again!

So that (Romans 10:9-10), “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 fact (13), “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord [for the forgiveness of their sins] will be saved.”

 
Pastor Mike Hale
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