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Comprehending The Cross
Luke 18:31-34
May 17, 2020

Our Text this morning marks quite a moment in the life of our Lord.

For we read in verse 31, “Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold we are going up to Jerusalem”

To you and I this might seem like an insignificant statement
Until you realize that this is the final trip
Jesus will ever take to Jerusalem.

He has been many times before
And it seems that every time He goes He finds Himself in danger.

In October
• He went up for the “Feast of Booths” as was recorded in John 7
• Where He announced Himself to be both the fountain of living water and the Light of the World.

But by the time the feast was over we read:
John 8:59 “Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.”

In December
• He returned to Jerusalem for the “Feast of Dedication” (Hanukah) John 10
• Where He gave the sermon about being the Good Shephard and declared that He and the Father are one.

And during that feast we read:
John 10:31 “The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.”

And when we get to John 11
• Jesus receives word that Lazarus is sick and 4 days later when He determines to go to Him, the disciples strongly caution Him.

John 11:8 “The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?”

• Of course He went anyway and raised Lazarus from the dead which did not help His popularity with the religious elite.

John 11:53 “So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.”

The point is that even on a typical day
Going to Jerusalem was a dangerous venture for Jesus.
Certainly the disciples knew it.

They must have wondered
If Jesus would attempt to return again in APRIL to attend the Passover.

John 11:55-57 “Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover to purify themselves. So they were seeking for Jesus, and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?” Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might seize Him.”

No doubt the disciples themselves likely wondered
If traveling to Jerusalem was the best idea.

And yet Jesus gave this announcement.
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem”
That must have been an anxious announcement for the disciples to hear.

What they did not realize was that this trip would not turn out like the rest.
This would be the final time Jesus would go.
• For on this trip He would not escape their murderous plot.
• On this trip He would be arrested.
• On this trip He would be mistreated.
• On this trip He would be tried and condemned.
• On this trip He would be crucified.

And that is what Jesus is about to tell them.
And incidentally, this is the 3rd time
He is going to make this direct announcement.

In Caesarea Philippi He revealed to the disciples that He was the Messiah.
Luke 9:21-22 “But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”

Then later, after the transfiguration:
Luke 9:44 “Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”

Today He will tell them again,
And they still won’t get it.

Despite having been with Jesus now for 3 years
And having heard Him preach countless messages,
They still didn’t understand the necessity of the cross.

Our goal this morning is to make sure that we do understand it.

3 points
#1 A SOVEREIGN PLAN
Luke 18:31

This statement that we read here in Luke’s gospel is also quoted in Matthew and Mark, but only Luke records the second half of this verse.

Only Luke includes the phrase: “and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished.”

• Only Luke includes the statement that what is about to occur is all part of a much bigger and much older plan.

And if you are familiar with Luke’s writing, you know that
LUKE LOVES TO INCLUDE THESE TYPES OF REFERENCES.

Luke loves it when he gets the opportunity to remind His readers that the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus was part of God’s eternal plan.

Later, in the upper room, Luke records these words from Jesus:
Luke 22:22 “For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

Take for example after Jesus rises from the dead.
• Only Luke includes the story of the men on the road to Emmaus.
• You remember they are struggling with the fact that Jesus was killed.
• They aren’t sure what to do with it.
• Jesus appears (though they do not recognize Him)
• And He reproaches them.

Luke 24:25-26 “And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”

You get the idea that this was the very reason Luke included this story,
If for no other reason than to remind that all that happened to Jesus
Was part of the sovereign and eternal plan of God.

Even later in Luke’s gospel, when Jesus appears to the disciples, only Luke includes this statement:
Luke 24:44-47 “Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

Luke loves the reminder that the death of Jesus was all part of the plan.

You also know that Luke wrote the book of Acts,
Where he continues preserving these types of reminders.

When Luke recorded Peter’s sermon at Pentecost:
Acts 2:23 “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.”

When Luke recorded Peter’s sermon in Jerusalem:
Acts 3:17-18 “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.”

When Luke recorded the prayer of the church:
Acts 4:27-28 “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.”

You get the point.
Luke is fascinated with the fact that the rejection and suffering and death and resurrection of Jesus was NOT a result of chance or bad luck.

The suffering and death of Christ
Was part of the eternal and sovereign plan of God.

This event was determined long before any of it came to pass.
• The man who would betray Jesus
• The men who would arrest Jesus
• The men who would beat Jesus
• The men who would mock Jesus
• The men who would accuse Jesus
• The men who would try Jesus
• The men who would crucify Jesus

Weren’t even born when God determined that it would happen.
This event was not the result of the sinfulness of men (though they were happy to participate), this event was the eternal plan of God.

FROM THE BEGINNING GOD DETERMINED THIS.

“things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished.”

We certainly don’t have time to read them all,
But I think it only fitting to read two of them this morning.

TURN TO: PSALMS 22

TURN TO: ISAIAH 53

There are in fact many others that we could read
As there are more suffering servant passages,
But those two give us quite the story just by themselves.

THE SUFFERING OF JESUS WAS ALWAYS THE PLAN.

And beyond such specific prophecies like those…
The Old Testament is also filled with PROPHECIES OF TYPE
Which spell out the coming death of Christ.

• No sooner do Adam and Eve sin than does God clothe them in animal skins which was a picture of a blood sacrifice for atonement.
• When we get to Abraham we remember the story of Abraham being told to sacrifice his son:
Genesis 22:10-14 “Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.”

And there we learned not only the necessity of a sacrifice,
But even better that God would be the One who would provide it.

• We could go on and talk about the Passover Lamb whose blood caused God’s wrath to pass-over His people.

• We could talk about the scapegoat or the sacrificed goat on the Day of Atonement.

• Or we could talk about every other single animal that had to die either as a sin offering or thank offering or freewill offering or any other type of offering to God.

Every sacrifice merely pictured a coming atonement
Since we know that in and of themselves
NONE OF THOSE ANIMALS WERE ACCEPTABLE TO GOD.

Hebrews 10:4 “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

At best every one of those bulls or goats or doves
Was just a foreshadow of a sacrifice to come.

The point is that God had determined this from the beginning.
It was always the plan.

Luke certainly loved that reality, BUT SO DO YOU AND I.

WHY?
Because it so perfectly demonstrates for us
THE SOVEREIGN GRACE OF OUR GOD.

Here we have a God who created us, and even after the fall of Adam, and our entire race was conceived in iniquity, God continued to create us.

• He created us knowing that we were fallen.
• He created us knowing that we would rebel.
• He created us knowing that we were sinful and would need atonement.

He also knew that nothing we could do and nothing we could offer would ever be able to satisfy His holy requirement.

• In short, God knew from the beginning that if He made us, He would also have to atone for us.

And He knew from the beginning what that atonement would cost.
• It would cost Him His only begotten Son.

It’s not like God just rocked along, twiddling His thumbs
Hoping things would turn around,
And as a last-ditch effort, having been backed into a corner,
God finally succumbed to having to give Christ.

No, giving Christ was the plan was from the beginning.
IT WAS NOTHING SHORT OF THE SOVEREIGN GRACE OF GOD.

• He chose us knowing He would have to redeem us.
• He chose us knowing the cost.
• And He graciously proclaimed that He would pay it.

• The prophets announced it.
• Jesus Himself proclaimed.
John 3:16 “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.”
• And now, on this day Jesus was headed was headed to Jerusalem to fulfill it.

He was going to cash the check that God had written.

What a gracious God we serve.
Who would know what we are, and yet purposed to redeem us anyway.

A Sovereign Plan
#2 A SUBMISSIVE SERVANT
Luke 18:32-33

In case there was any confusion as to what Jesus meant
When He said all the prophets promised was about to be accomplished,
HERE HE SPELLED IT OUT.

• He wasn’t going to Jerusalem to be crowned King.
• He was going to Jerusalem to be crucified.
• AND HE KNEW IT

But despite knowing it, HE WENT ANYWAY.
Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

In full compliance He went to fulfill all that God had promised.

AND WE SEE SPELLED OUT FOR US WHAT THAT WAS.

1) “For He will be handed over to the Gentiles”

What does this mean except that He will be rejected by the Jews?

John 1:10-11 “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”

Psalm 22 and Zechariah 13 both specifically indicate that
The death He would die must be by having His hands and feet pierced.

Psalms 22:16 “For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet.”

If that is the case then we know the Jews aren’t going to kill Him.
• If the Jews had killed Him it would not have been through crucifixion.
• The Jewish method was stoning, which we already saw threatened several times.

Crucifixion was a Roman tactic.
Crucifixion was a Gentile form of death penalty.

Beyond that, Jews were not permitted to kill anyone
Since they were under Roman rule.

He had to be totally rejected so that He would be killed.
This is why He came.

John 12:27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.”

He became human and He lived on earth so that He could die.
Hebrews 2:14-15 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

And if death was going to occur,
He had to be rejected by the Jews and handed over to the Gentiles.

We also understand He had to be rejected because
He was TAKING THE PLACE OF SINNERS and sinners were rejected.

• Do we not read in the Law that sinners must be stoned?
• Do we not read in the Law that sinners must be sent away?
• Do we not read that the evil must be purged from among you?

Just as the scapegoat had to be sent away and rejected for bearing sin,
SO DID JESUS.

This had to happen.

We also see:
2) “and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon,”

Certainly the prophets spoke of this as well.
Isaiah 50:6 “I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.”

Psalms 22:6-7 “But I am a worm and not a man, A reproach of men and despised by the people. All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head,”

BUT WHY?
• Why not just let Him die in honor?
• Why not just let Him die a hero’s death?

Because He didn’t come to take the place of heroes.
He came to take the place of sinners.

And part of taking the place of sinners is that there is shame involved.
For we know that sinners aren’t just rejected,
We know they are also shamed.

Are we not told in the New Testament than when a brother or sister continues in sin that ultimately we are to treat them as a Gentile or a tax collector?

There is shame involved in sin.
Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us — for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”

If He was taking the place of sinners then He had to suffer like sinners.
• He had to be rejected.
• He had to be shamed.

Isaiah 53:4 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.”

He had to be “handed over to the Gentiles, and…be mocked and mistreated and spit upon,”

3) (33) “and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him;”

WHY DEATH?
Because the wages of sin is death.

Genesis 2:16-17 “The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

Ezekiel 18:20 “The person who sins will die…”

And it was not enough simply to bleed a little.
It was not enough simply to suffer a little.

Our sentence was a death sentence
So His sentence had to be a death sentence.

If He was going to stand in our place, then He had to be treated as we deserved.
• He had to be rejected…
• He had to suffer…
• He had to die…

And this is where Jesus was headed.

And before we get to the final reality that would occur in Jerusalem
Can we just stop here a moment and ponder
THE STEADFAST LOVE OF JESUS.

I’m always blown away by the statement in John 13:1
John 13:1 “Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”

• He loved them to the max.
• He loved them to the uttermost.

The youth have been studying the book of John.
• It is there in the upper room where Jesus lowers Himself to the point of a
servant to wash the feet of those who would betray and deny Him.
• It is there in the upper room where Jesus offers Himself to Judas and tells
Him, “what you do, do quickly”

He knew what was coming.
It would be torment so severe that we read statements like:

John 12:27 “Now My soul has become troubled…

John 13:21 “When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.”

Or the infamous:
Luke 22:44 “And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.”

And even now, He’s the only One in the group who knows what is coming And yet it is He who makes the statement “we are going up to Jerusalem”

Can we contemplate the steadfast love of Jesus?
• Can we see how committed He was to our cause?
• Can we see His devotion to bear our reproach, our shame, our sin, and our
condemnation?

There is no greater love than the love He willingly showed on our behalf.

The sovereign God of the universe
Graciously determined to sacrifice His Son to redeem us,
And His submissive Son lovingly embraced that plan.

If we were to be saved, it had to happen.

But it didn’t end in death.
4) “and the third day He will rise again.”

Of course you know this also had to happen.
If it didn’t, then we have no assurance that His death was effective.
• We know He was sinless…
• We know He was accepted by God…
• We know death was conquered…
• Because Jesus rose from the dead.

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

This also had to happen.
• But before He could rise, He had to die.
• Before He could die, He had to suffer.
• Before He could suffer, He had to be rejected.
• Before He could be rejected, He had to go to Jerusalem.

And in His great love and submission that’s exactly what He did.

Our salvation was determined by a sovereign God
And purchased through a loving Savior.

That is the truth about the cross.
• He didn’t die for His sin, He died for our sin.
• He didn’t die as a hero, but as a sinner because He was dying in our place.
• He was bearing our sin and our shame.
• He was suffering our rejection.
• He was enduring the wrath of God on our behalf.

And if we were to be saved, it had to happen.
This is what it means to comprehend the cross.

And yet we come to one final point.

A Sovereign Plan, A Submissive Servant
#3 SIMPLE-MINDED DISCIPLES
Luke 18:34

And Luke doesn’t mention it once, but three times in that verse.
• “the disciples understood none…”
• “this statement was hidden form them”
• “they did not comprehend”

The statement repeated 3 times leaves no doubt that
They did not have a clue why Jesus would say such a thing.

Now Luke does not include what they talked about next,
But Matthew and Mark do and it solidifies how little of a clue they had.

Matthew 20:20-21 “Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.”

Mark 10:35-37 “James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.”

That definitely qualifies as being clueless.

Here Jesus just revealed
• The sovereign plan of God to save sinners through the sacrifice of His Son,
• And His loving submission to that plan.

And the first response of the disciples
Is to jockey for position in the kingdom?

CLUELESS

BUT THERE IS A BIGGER ISSUE HERE
Than just disciples that don’t pay attention.

• Why is it that they did not comprehend that God had ordained for
Jesus to die?
• Why is it that they did not comprehend the necessity of Christ’s
death?

Well there are two reasons.
(and these hold true for all men)

There were two things that they could not have understood,
For if they had understood them
Then the cross would have made perfect sense.

1) THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE DEGREE OF THEIR OWN SIN AND THE DEGREE OF GOD’S WRATH UPON IT.

When Jesus speaks of the necessity of His own death they don’t get it,
But it’s only because they don’t understand
Just how much danger they are in before God.

In fact, James and John seem to think they’re the best two in the group.
(Their mother certainly thinks that)

• They were obviously clueless to how sinful they were before God.
• They were obviously clueless to how God hated their sin.
• They were obviously clueless to the death sentence they were under.

• Do they not understand that they are hell-bound?
• Do they not understand that God’s wrath abides on them?
• Do they not understand that judgment is their lot?

If they think they can go to heaven without the death of Jesus,
They obviously don’t understand the degree of their own sin.

2) THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE INEFFECTIVENESS OF THE LAW OR THEIR WORKS TO OBEY IT.

Perhaps this is why they don’t understand the degree of their sin.

They put far too much confidence both in their flesh
(ability to live righteous)
And far too much confidence in the goats and bulls they have offered.

Why else would they assume they have the right
To sit on the right and on the left in the kingdom?

They obviously have way overestimated
The value of the goats and bulls they have sacrificed.

• For if they had understood how ineffective those sacrifices were…
• If they had understood how sinful they actually were before God…
• Then the need for the cross would have been far more apparent to them.

If they think they can go to heaven without the death of Jesus,
They obviously think way too much of their ability to fulfill God’s Law.

They obviously had failed to rightly assess
The danger of their own situation.

Isaiah 53:1-4 “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.”

Isaiah said the reason people don’t get it
Is because they can’t see their own sinfulness.

John would later echo that reality.
John 12:37-38 “But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?”

People just don’t see how badly they need a savior
And so the cross makes no sense to them.

And this is interesting regarding the disciples.
• Especially since just last week we made the point about their desperation and how they had left everything to follow Jesus because they were so desperate for eternal life.

But now we are seeing more of the picture.
• They sought life through Jesus because He was the only One who could give it.
• What they had yet failed to understand is that without Jesus they not only would not have a kingdom, but they would actually have eternal judgment.

They didn’t just need Jesus to usher them into the kingdom.
They needed Jesus to rescue them from eternal hell.

Because they had yet to see that, they had yet to understand the cross.

IN ORDER TO FULLY COMPREHEND THE CROSS
You must understand that it is the only way for you to be saved.

You must understand that all of His rejection and suffering and death
Is because that is what you deserve and were destined to receive.

SOMEONE HAD TO PAY FOR OUR SIN…CHRIST DID.

That is comprehending the cross.

And this morning we come to a time to commemorate that.
• We come to the Table of the Lord where we partake of this juice and this cracker which symbolize His body and His blood.

And we partake as if to say,
“What You did, You did for me, Your suffering was my fault.”

And we partake in trust knowing that
Through His suffering we are forgiven and we are saved.

We are going to have a time of preparation, and then we will partake of the Table of the Lord.

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Entering The Kingdom
Luke 18:18-30
May 10, 2020

This morning we come across another famous story.
It is included in all 3 of the synoptic gospels.
• Matthew 19:20 calls him a “young man”
• Luke 18:18 calls him “a ruler”
• And all three accounts tell us he was “extremely rich”

So, because we’re really good at naming people,
We like to call him “The Rich Young Ruler”

Most likely he was a synagogue ruler
Which would also add to his mystique
Since that would speak volumes to his moral standing.

• He was a model citizen.
• He was a fine example of obedience and virtue.

He must’ve also been quite the example of financial success,
And of LEGITIMATE financial success as well.

By his own account he will conclude that he has kept commands like
Not stealing, not bearing false witness, and
Honoring his father and his mother all his life.

That means that unlike so many others his wealth did not come from
Theft, or bribes, or from extorting parents (like the prodigal son had done)

• His wealth was legitimately gained.
• His high position was legitimately earned.
• And the fact that he had obtained both at a young age speaks volumes about his diligence and focus.

This guy was the cream of the crop.

And yet, in all 3 synoptic gospels
He is held up to us as the GREATEST OF TRAGEDIES.

Because this man, despite all of his worldly success,
Failed to obtain eternal life.
What greater failure can a man commit than that?

Matthew 16:26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

How much is it worth to not go to hell?
Can we really call a man successful if he obtains every treasure this earth can offer, but fails to obtain eternal life?
Is that really success?

That is what makes this man’s life such a tragedy.
He had it all, except for salvation.

THIS MORNING we approach the day
That he continues to regret more than any other.

• This morning we look at the day where he chose his money over Jesus.
• This morning we look at the day when he would not deny himself.
• This morning we look at the day when he chose to keep his life and lose
eternity.

And that is where this story fits in the greater narrative of Luke.

If you’ve been with us the past few weeks
You know that Jesus has been talking a great deal about the KINGDOM.

IT BEGAN back in 17:20 when the Pharisees sort of mockingly asked where this “so-called” kingdom was.

Jesus announced that it “is in your midst”
• It is a spiritual kingdom.
• It is entered by all those who confess Jesus as their Lord and King.
• It is for all those who have submitted to Christ.
• It is a kingdom of salvation and spiritual life.
• It is here.

Jesus also then began to speak of the COMING PHYSICAL KINGDOM.
• First there would be a death (Christ’s death)
• Then there would be a departure (Christ’s ascension)
• Then there would be a time of deception (where we live now)
• And then finally Christ would return and there would be destruction.

When He comes to set up His physical earthly kingdom
It will be a time in which Christ will judge His enemies.
He will trample those who rejected Him under His feet.

JESUS HIMSELF COMPARED HIS COMING
To the days of Noah and the days of Sodom and Gomorrah
When people were living unaware and suddenly judgment fell upon them.

And when the disciples asked WHERE this judgment would occur,
Jesus answered and said:
Luke 17:37 “And answering they said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”

That is to say, the coming of the Lord will be EASY TO SPOT
By all the dead bodies and by all the happy buzzards.

And because the Lord’s coming will be such a time of judgment,
The Lord gave a serious warning.

Luke 17:31-33 “On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. “Remember Lot’s wife. “Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.”

It was the serious and sober warning.
If you are going to gain life in the kingdom,
Then you must forsake life in this world.
It is the call to DENY SELF.

And from there we entered CHAPTER 18 where Luke has provided us with 3 EXAMPLES of the type of people who enter the kingdom.

• We saw a persistent widow who walked in faith and waited patiently for justice.
• We saw a humble tax collector who cried out for mercy.
• We saw totally dependent children who had no power of their own.

AND EACH OF THESE PROVED TO BE AN EXAMPLE
OF WHAT TYPE OF PERSON ENTERS THE KINGDOM.

Regarding that persistent widow, Jesus asked:
Luke 18:8 “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

Regarding that humble tax collector, Jesus said:
Luke 18:14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Regarding those powerless children, Jesus declared:
Luke 18:16-17 “But Jesus called for them, saying, “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.”

So you see that we have been discussing
The type of people who enter the kingdom.

This story of the Rich Young Ruler is now the 4th in that list.

Like the Pharisee in the second story,
• This young man also becomes for us a negative example of one who might have expected to enter the kingdom, but will not.

The positive example in this story
• Is of the self-sacrificing disciples who left everything to follow Jesus.
• They are the 4th example of those who enter the kingdom and gain eternal life.

So with that understanding, let’s look at our story this morning.
3 main points
#1 THE APPROACH
Luke 18:18-21

We read right off the bat an important QUESTION
That really SETS THE PARAMETERS for the story.

That is to say, we know what this conversation is primarily about.
It is A SALVATION QUESTION
“A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

It is a question about salvation.
This young ruler has a burden; he has a problem.
He does not know if he has eternal life and he wants it.

And we have to say that he certainly come to the right person to ask.

John 6:27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”

Jesus is certainly the right person to ask about this.

We might also note that this is the 2nd time in Luke’s gospel that an important figure has approached Jesus with this same question.

You may remember in that story about the Good Samaritan:
Luke 10:25 “And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

IT IS THE SAME SETTING HERE.
This young man who has led others in the synagogue
Has now approached Jesus wanting to know how to obtain eternal life.

I know some have taken issue with the way he asked the question.
• Some have said that the fact that he asked, “what shall I do..?” indicates that he has “works-based” expectations.

But I don’t think he’s purposely being heretical,
I just think he’s asking the question the only way he knows how.

Incidentally, remember Pentecost?
Acts 2:37 “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?”

Rather, this is just a young man, who in sincerity
(we know that because of the grief he’ll have in a moment when he doesn’t receive it)
Is coming to the right place
To ask the most important question he’ll ever ask.

How can I be saved?

But to that question Jesus does give him A SOBERING REMINDER
(19) “And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”

Now some occults have used this verse to say that
Jesus there denied His deity in this statement.
That is NOT what is happening.

Rather, Jesus is confronting this young man’s
NONCHALANT use of the word “good”.

According to Jesus, he throws that word around far too liberally.

In Matthew’s gospel the conversation is recorded a little differently.
Matthew 19:16-17 “And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good…”

Perhaps that helps you understand Jesus’ point.
• It’s that this young man uses that word “good” far too easily without really
understanding the weight of it.

WE SEE THAT TODAY as well, as many people are more than willing to classify themselves as “a good person”.

When the reality is that “good” is a classification
That can only be applied to God.
Only God is actually good.

HUMANITY IS NOT.
Romans 3:10-12 “as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

• “Good” was the word God used to describe creation before the Fall.
• After sin entered the world the word was never again truly appropriate.

AND JESUS CLARIFIES THAT HERE.

And that is just like Jesus to insist on a proper basis for a conversation.
We remember the conversation He had with Nicodemus:
John 3:1-3 “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

• Jesus picked up on the fact that Nicodemus was interested in a teacher who
could perhaps help him “tweak” his life to be more acceptable to God.
• Jesus corrected the premise of the conversation right off the bat.
• “Tweaking” will never be enough.
• Nicodemus we need to scrap the whole thing and start over.

Jesus is doing the same thing here with this young man.
HE IS DEFINING THE TERMS.
“Good” is not an appropriate term to throw around so liberally.

THAT IS A SOBERING REMINDER.

But that wasn’t really the question.
The question had to do with eternal life.

So, from there Jesus gives A SIMPLE ANSWER
(20) “You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.'”

As John MacArthur pointed out at Camp REGEN a couple of years ago when preaching this passage.
• Every evangelism professor in every seminary in the world would have failed Jesus for this answer.
• This young man wanted to know how to have eternal life and Jesus told him to keep the commandments.
• To those of us who know we are saved by grace and not works this comes to us as the absolute wrong answer.

But Jesus said it, and you can’t really fail Jesus in evangelism.

THAT’S BECAUSE IT’S NOT THE WRONG ANSWER.
IT’S THE RIGHT ANSWER!

WHY?
Jesus simply quoted the Law of God to this young man.
• If you want to please God and gain eternal life then the simple answer is that you must be righteous,
• And the Law is where God systematically laid out His righteous requirements.

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. “But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

It was pretty clear.
• If you will obey all of God’s commands then you will get life.
• If you don’t obey all of God’s commands then you get death.

And this doesn’t change in the New Testament.

Listen to Jesus:
John 5:24-29 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”

People who do good deeds get a resurrection of life.
He just said it; good people go to heaven.

Paul would say the same:
Romans 2:3-11 “But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”

Paul said it too.
If you do good you get eternal life.

THAT IS TRUE.
NOW WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH THAT SCENARIO?
(No men are good, which we saw in Romans 3 earlier)

But this young man doesn’t know that.
Remember, he’s still liberally applying the word good to stuff.

So Jesus says, if you want eternal life
Then be good according to God’s Law.
Keep these commandments.

IT WAS A SIMPLE ANSWER.

And then we begin to see the problem.
This man gives A SELF-RIGHTEOUS RESPONSE
(21) “And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”

There he is throwing that loose interpretation of “good” around again.
• He just said, “Check, I have done that. I am good.”

Obviously he has failed to rightly apply the Law.
We are all familiar with the infamous “You have heard, but I say…” sermons.

Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”

Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Obviously this young man has failed to rightly apply the Law to his heart,
But the point is that when he measures himself by the Law,
He thinks that he is good.

Now where have we seen that before?
Luke 18:9 “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:”

• That’s right!
• Though this young man doesn’t seem to be quite so arrogant, in reality he
thinks of himself just like that Pharisee did.

Remember that Pharisee?
Luke 18:11-12 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’”

How is that answer much different from this young man’s answer here?
IT ISN’T.

This man is another example of one who wrongly evaluated his life.
• Instead of humility he has pride.
• Instead of dependence he is self-reliant
• Instead of faith he’s got works

You see that don’t you.
And that’s his approach to Jesus.
A young man, who has a distorted view of goodness and who lacks discernment in evaluating himself, has approached Jesus wanting eternal life.

The Approach
#2 THE ASSESSMENT
Luke 18:22-25

Notice the statement: “When Jesus heard this…”

Jesus immediately detected a flaw
In this young man’s theology and thought process.

This man thought himself to be complete.
Jesus is going to point out that he in fact has A DEFICIENCY

“When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all your possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Now, we need to process that verse for a second.
• Because Jesus said the man lacked “one thing”
• And then listed 3 things he needed to do.
• “sell” – “distribute” – “follow”

So which of those 3 is the “one thing” he lacked?

The answer is none of them.
Jesus didn’t say there is one thing you must do,
He said there is one thing you lack.

The one thing this young man lacked was DESPERATION

What do you mean?

1) This man wants eternal life and we know the answer to that question.
We’ve heard Jesus give it too many times.

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

If you want life then you have to “follow” Jesus.
That is simple.

2) Now, in order to follow Jesus, you must count the cost.

3) And the reality is that following Jesus will cost you everything.

That is why He said you must “deny” yourself.
You can’t keep this life and follow Jesus.

If you follow Him:
• There are relationships you will lose
• There are possessions you will leave
• There are jobs you can’t have
• There is a reputation you must forfeit

All types of cost is involved in following Jesus.

Now, for this man the cost was going to be his possessions.
WHY?

Well, you can’t very well haul all your furniture, and rugs, and livestock, and bags of money with you when you travel with Jesus. THAT’S NOT EVEN PRACTICAL.

And Jesus certainly didn’t want the money.

So, since you need to get rid of it (because you can’t bring it)
And since the poor need it, well, just sell it all and give it to the poor
And then you’ll be free to follow Me.

IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE.
Just get rid of those things that hinder.

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

That is Following Jesus 101

And certainly know that Jesus will compensate you for all you’ve lost.
• If this young man would do that he would be rewarded in the kingdom.
• Jesus promised him “treasure in heaven”.

But you can’t drag a dinette set with you while you walk all over Galilee
So sell it, give away the money, and “follow Me”.

That is the answer to the question about how to gain eternal life.
Let go of your life and run to Jesus.

And it is worth remembering WHY this is salvation.
• Because only Jesus did fulfill the Law of God.
• Only Jesus is good and righteous.
• Only Jesus will satisfy God’s wrath on sin on the cross.
• And so, only Jesus can grant sinners eternal life.

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

So if you want eternal life then you have to run to Jesus.
• You have to follow Jesus.
• And if you’re going to follow Jesus, then you have to lose this world.

The problem is that this man didn’t have what it takes to follow Jesus.
HE WAS DEFICIENT IN THIS AREA.

And we see that because of HIS DESPAIR
(23) “But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.”

Both Matthew and Mark reveal that he “went away grieving.”

• He wanted Jesus, but not bad enough.
• He saw value in Jesus, but he wasn’t desperate enough for Jesus to let go of this world to follow Him.
• He saw salvation in Jesus, but he wasn’t humble enough to embrace the loss it would require.

The one thing he lacked was the desperation or humility
To let go of everything and latch on to Christ.

Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Paul said:
Philippians 3:7-8 “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,”

This young man didn’t have that.
He lacked the necessary humility.
• The widow had it, but he didn’t.
• The tax collector had it, but he didn’t.
• Those children had it, but he didn’t.

For him the cost of Jesus was not worth the value.

And to that Jesus revealed HIS DILEMMA
(24-25) “And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

And I would remind you that “rich” there applies to more than just money.
Earlier we saw a Pharisee who had too rich a reputation to follow Christ.

It is people who have amassed too much value in anything in this life.
• Some won’t leave their money…
• Some won’t leave their relationships…
• Some won’t leave their position…
• Some won’t leave their inheritance…
• Some won’t leave their status or reputation…

And so Jesus says:
“it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

If you’re trying to figure out how to make that work you are missing the point.
IT’S IMPOSSIBLE.

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE
WHO WILL NOT LEAVE THEIR LIFE TO BE SAVED.

The Approach, The Assessment
#3 THE ANNOUNCEMENT
Luke 18:26-30

You see here THE OBVIOUS ANXIETY of the disciples.
(26) “They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”

They picked up on the problem.
If pushing a camel through the eye of a needle is easier,
Then is it even possible at all?

And the immediate answer is NO.
But Jesus gives them AN ENCOURAGING ANSWER
(27) “But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

Now that DOESN’T MEANT that a rich man who won’t leave his riches can’t be saved, but God can save him anyway.

What it does mean is this.
• No one can save themselves by their own efforts or works or riches.
• No one can.
• From a human perspective salvation is impossible.
• There is none good
• You’d have better luck pushing a camel through a needle

But, God can save sinners who cannot save themselves.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “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.”

Sinners cannot save themselves by their works,
But God can save them by His grace.

He does so by imputing their sin to Christ
Who pays their debt on the cross
And then by imputing Christ’s righteousness to them
So that they are acceptable.

AND THAT IS AN ENCOURAGING ANSWER.
• God can do the impossible.
• God can save sinners.
• God can do it through Christ,
• And that is what makes following Christ essential, even if it costs you everything.

NOW, THE STORY COULD HAVE ENDED HERE.
We could tie it up with a reminder of God’s grace
And His ability to save sinners through Christ, BUT IT DOESN’T.

Because Luke doesn’t just give negative examples in this chapter,
He also gives positive ones.

• We already saw a persistent widow
• We already saw a humble tax collector
• We already saw dependent children

NOW WE SEE DESPERATE FOLLOWERS

Notice here that we now see A NEW APPROACH
We saw the rich young ruler’s approach, but look at the disciples approach.
(28) “Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.”

Do you see the difference?
• The cost didn’t matter to them.
• They found Jesus
• They found salvation
• They were desperate.

We remember as the crowds abandoned Jesus in John 6:
John 6:66-69 “As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. “We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

Peter was desperate.
• He was desperate for eternal life and he couldn’t get that anywhere but Jesus.
• And so whatever the cost, Peter would pay it.

Do you see how different he is from the rich young ruler?
He wouldn’t part with his riches, but Peter would part with everything.

How desperate are you for eternal life?
How badly do you want to escape the judgment of hell?

Matthew 16:25-26 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Peter said, “I’ll give everything. I have given everything.”

And since Peter had a different approach, you’ll also see that Jesus had A DIFFERENT ASSESSMENT
(29-30) “And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.”

Didn’t Jesus promise to compensate the rich young ruler?
Yes, but the ruler didn’t trust Him.

Jesus also promised to compensate those who left everything for Him.

And by the way, He even included PRESENT compensation.
• Jesus said, “many times as much at this time”

Who in here who has lost anything for Jesus, can say that Jesus is cheating them, even now?

• No one can.
• Jesus is worth it.
• Certainly worth it for eternal life, but He’s even worth it in this life.

If you follow Him now so that you may enter His kingdom.
He will grant you eternal life
And He promises to compensate all that you lose.

These disciples did that.
They are the 4th positive example.

So do you want to know who will enter the kingdom?
Do you want to know who will be spared
When the Lord returns and dishes out judgment on the wicked?

It is those who left everything that they might latch on to Jesus.
• It is those who were had persistent faith like the widow.
• It is those who had genuine humility like the tax collector.
• It is those who were totally dependent like those children.
• It is those who were absolutely desperate like the disciples.

Those are the people who are saved because those are the people who want Jesus more than anything else.

And that is our encouragement this morning.
• Do you see that Jesus is your only hope of salvation?
• How badly do you want Him?
• Will you surrender this life to gain Him?

The Rich Young Ruler would not.
• And on this day, he made a decision that Jesus wasn’t worth as much as his riches.
• I can confidently say, he has regretted that day ever since and even more so after he died.

DON’T BE LIKE HIM.
If the Lord convicts your heart
And bids you to leave it behind and follow Him,
DO IT.

• Come in faith
• Come in humility
• Come in dependence
• Come in desperation

Luke 17:32-33 “Remember Lot’s wife. “Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.”

I’m sorry to be using the FBC Spur website for this, but I’m not smart enough to know how to use the Little League Website without having to pay a fee to the company that hosts that website.  So, we’re improvising.

If you registered your child for Spur Little League back in January, February, or March, would you please let us know your feelings about continuing to play.

There are a few towns in District 38 that are holding out to continue to play Baseball.  We are currently preparing for a June season with end of the year tournaments to follow.  Part of this process includes getting a new accurate count of teams and so we need your help letting us know what teams we still have available.

Thank you for hanging with us and for submitting this information.

We hope to be playing soon!

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Pray Boldly
Psalms 70
May 3, 2020

Tonight we come to an interesting Psalm.
Namely because it is one of repetition.
You have seen it before.

I would invite you to begin by turning back to: PSALMS 40

Psalms 40 is a popular Psalm and one that speaks of salvation.
I don’t want to rehash it in detail tonight,
But I would remind you of the basic outline.

1. DAVID’S DELIVERANCE (1-3) – David was saved
2. DAVID’S DOXOLOGY (4-5) – David now praises God
3. DAVID’S DELIGHT (6-8) – David’s new desire
4. DAVID’S DECLARATION (9-10) – David’s public confession
5. DAVID’S DEPENDANCE (11-17) – His new perspective in life

• Dependent on God to PRESERVE him (11)
• Dependent on God to FORGIVE him (12)
• Dependent on God to DELIVER him (13-15)
• Dependent on God to SAVE him (16-17)

We are particularly interested in those final 5 verses in Psalms 40
Because they are nearly identical to Psalms 70.

It is clear to us that David has now returned
To his former belief and confession
And is reiterating that portion of his faith before God.

• Think of it as reciting a favorite stanza of a favorite hymn to God.
• Or think of it as reciting a favorite chorus of a favorite song to God.

Certainly you love the entire song, but at this very moment
It is this verse that speaks volumes to you and which greatly fits your life.

That is where David is.
He is drawing strength from God’s hymn book and a song from his past.

Now IT IS HELPFUL TO NOTE that there are a few differences
In the final 5 verses of Psalms 40 and with Psalms 70.

These differences help us feel the difference in David’s attitude.

In Psalms 40:13 we read, “Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me”
But here in verse 1 we read, “O God, hasten to deliver me”

There is a difference in urgency.

In Psalms 40:15 we read, “Let those be appalled because of their shame”
But here in verse 3 we read, “Let those be turned back because of their shame”

Clearly now David wants them stopped.

In Psalms 40:17 we read, “Let the Lord be mindful of me”
But here in verse 5 we read, “Hasten to me, O God!”

You can feel that Psalms 70 is written
With much more passion and desperation.

It may very well be that
Psalms 40 was sung as a theological declaration before the storm,
But Psalms 70 is sung from the middle of it.

The disciples entered the boat to cross over the sea of Galilee,
• And they may very well have prayed for a safe passage and said, “Lord save us” as we cross.
• But in the midst of the storm their cry “Lord save us!” would have taken on an entirely different feel.

SO IT IS HERE.

• You have here David now reaching back to his doctrine.
• You have here David singing again that old song, but this time the stakes are much higher.

I remember in 2005 when for the first time we had gone to Africa, and one night late after showing the Jesus film several of us where crammed in the back of a small pickup driving back to the campsite.

On the way we drove through a group of men, and as we passed they started chasing us (they may have meant no harm, but it didn’t keep us from being scared). The ground was rough and the truck was moving slow and so they were catching us.

I remember someone in the truck just started singing “Jesus loves me” real loud.
I had never sang that song quite like that before.

You get the idea of what is happening here.

• In Psalms 40 David sang in confidence about how God would care for him in a future situation.
• In Psalms 70 David is in that situation and returning to that same old song.

From a Scriptural standpoint consider our lives.

How often have we read:
Romans 8:35-39 “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And we have often rejoiced in the promises
Which are laid out for us in those verses.

But would you read them differently if you were actually about to be put to death?

Your circumstances can change your attitude can’t they?

Well this is where David is.
And so tonight he returns to a previous song
And now sings it with much urgency.

When we read the Psalm there are
Some realities that seem to really jump out at us.

FIRST: We clearly see David’s URGENCY

(1) “O God, hasten to deliver me; O LORD, hasten to my help!”
(5) “But I am afflicted and needy; Hasten to me, O God!
(5) “O LORD, do not delay.”

David’s urgency is obvious.
Of all the songs he is singing, “In His Time” is NOT one of them.

David wants God to move and he wants God to move NOW!

If anything it brings to our mind the urgency of Martha and Mary.
John 11:1-3 “Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her “sister Martha. It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

We know their urgency because when Jesus didn’t fulfill their desire,
They let Him know about it.

Martha:
John 11:21 “Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Mary:
John 11:32 “Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

All the guests:
John 11:37 “But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?”

Their request was one of urgency.
This is a time-sensitive prayer.

When the disciples woke Jesus up in the boat,
It was a time-sensitive request. “We are perishing!”

We see that urgency in David.
SECOND: We clearly see David’s DECISIVENESS

David issues 5 clear requests. They all begin with the word “Let”
(2) “Let those be ashamed and humiliated who seek my life”
(2) “Let those be turned back and dishonored who delight in my hurt”
(3) “Let those be turned back because of their shame who say, “Aha, aha!”
(4) “Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You”
(4) “let those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified.”

Those are straightforward decisive requests.
• There is no ambiguity there from David.
• There is no vacillating there from him.

We don’t get any sense of “Whatever You want to do here God”.
David is spelling it out.
Do this, this, this, and this.

THIRD: We see clearly David’s DESPERATION

(5) “You are my help and my deliverer”

That is to say, MY ONLY help and deliverer.
If You don’t do it, it won’t be done.
There is a desperation in his prayer.

And if we are honest, these are the types of prayers
That routinely emerge when trials arise.

My prayer life is much more laid back when I am in a comfortable place.
But when I am in a little pain.
• When I am in a struggle.
• When I am afraid of what is happening.

How quickly my prayer becomes
More urgent, more decisive, and more desperate.
We understand that.

But the question I sort of wrestled with this week
Was what this teaches us in regard to prayer.

Let me be honest.
David’s prayer comes across PRETTY BRASS and PRETTY BOLD.

We like to lift high (and rightly so) the prayer of Jesus in the garden
• Who in one breath is praying “Let this cup pass from Me”
• And in the next “Yet not My will but Yours be done.”

And we see that as a tremendous picture of submission and faith.

David’s prayer is NOT like that.
• Answer me God and answer me quickly!
• Stop my enemies and stop them now!
• Save those who seek you, especially those who are in trouble like I am!
• And then he even repeats the urgency, “Do not delay”

And the questions I began to ask where
How are we to apply that example to our own prayer life?

Well, on one hand we know that this prayer was NOT SOME ROGUE POEM that accidentally made it in to the book of Psalms.

• This is God’s inspired word.
• It was God who not only gave David the words,
• But who also put David in the circumstances that would cause him to pray it.

God preserved this bold and urgent prayer for us in His perfect word
That the saints might have access to it as an example for all the ages.

Certainly God willed for you to know it.
Obviously God is in agreement with it.
Obviously God is not upset with it.

I mean we could ask: “Can we be so bold in our prayer?”
• “Can we cry for such deliverance from our enemies?”
• “Can we expect such an outcome if we seek God?”
• “Can we make such a demand for urgent deliverance?”

We may be tempted to think David too bold here,
But this is not merely David’s song, this is God’s song.

With that in mind I began to consider other passages on prayer.

I can’t find a passage in the Bible
Where God rebuked His people for praying too boldly.

I can however find an instruction
WHERE GOD WARNED US NOT TO BE DOUBTFUL IN PRAYER.

James 1:5-8 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

James even said that if you go to God in prayer doubting,
“that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord”

James certainly didn’t say not to be bold.
He commanded just the opposite.

Or I remember when the disciples saw the withered fig tree:
Mark 11:22-24 “And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”

I know we can get into the whole debate about treating God like a genie in a bottle
And demanding of Him to fulfill our desires.
OBVIOUSLY THAT IS A PERVERSION.

But consider David here.
• Is God not His help and deliverer? (He declares it so in verse 5)
• Is God not His avenger against his enemies?
• Is God not the Savior of those who seek Him?

So David certainly isn’t demanding God do anything
That is not consistent with God’s nature or promises.

He isn’t treating God like a genie in a bottle.
He’s just boldly asking God to be who God has said that He is.

Or we remember this story
Mark 9:20-24 “They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. “It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

Jesus actually rebuked that man for not being bold enough.

And the man knew exactly what Jesus meant
For he immediately cried out “help my unbelief”

His soft-spoken request was not politeness or good manners,
It was pathetic unbelief and Jesus called him on it.

Even recently we studied in Luke 18 THE TAX COLLECTOR who had the audacity to enter the temple and pray to God saying:
Luke 18:13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’”

Could we ever conceive of a bolder prayer than that?

This vile and sinful man had the audacity
Not only to enter the courtyard but to ask God to propitiate his sin.

And yet Jesus didn’t rebuke his brashness,
Jesus announced that he was justified.

So while prayers like this may seem bold,
I don’t find that to be a restriction given to us regarding our prayer life.

Rather I see it as an encouraged example
That God’s people should be so bold before Him.

Recently in our Ephesians devotion
We listened as Paul spoke of one of the benefits that is ours in Christ.
Ephesians 3:12 “in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.”

The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 4:16 “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Even Paul told Timothy:
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”

The point is, it may seem bizarre to be so bold with God in prayer,
But in Scripture, I don’t find that this offends God.

Rather, it is those vacillated or doubted in their requests;
It was the timid who earned the rebuke of God.

I was also curious, could we be so DECISIVE in prayer?
Could we just spell it out for God like David did?

Do this, this, this, and this.

But what if we consider the Lord’s Prayer (the model prayer)
Matthew 6:9-13 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. ‘Give us this day our daily bread. ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.[For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]”

There we find a great balance.
Certainly we pray for God’s will to be done,
But that doesn’t negate decisive requests.

• He told us to say, “give us this day (urgency) our daily bread”
• He told us to say, “forgive us our debts”
• He told us to say, “do not lead us into temptation”
• He told us to say, “deliver us from the evil one”

That’s decisive isn’t it?

We certainly DON’T FIND Jesus teaching us to make no requests to God.
That prayer is simple and clear and to the point.

And this was how Jesus taught us to pray.

Or we consider DESPERATION in prayer.

Are we to pray so desperate?
Well, again I can’t find anyone who was ever rebuked for being too desperate in prayer?

I can however find a man who wasn’t nearly desperate enough.

Luke 18:11-12 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’”

Jesus flat out taught us that that man was not justified.
There was no desperation in his prayer.
If God didn’t answer, no big deal, this man had it all under control anyway.

And I simply point all that out to you just to make the simple point that
Perhaps at times we may think we are being pious
• When we beat around the bush,
• Make no bold demands,
• Or defer everything to God’s will.

I think sometimes WE FEEL MORE SPIRITUAL when we pray that way,
But I’m not sure that’s always the model.

In fact, our timidity and lack of boldness and lack of decisiveness
And lack of desperation may not be spirituality at all.
It may be just the opposite. It may be a lack of faith.

It may be that the reason we don’t pray boldly or decisively or desperately
Is because are double-minded and don’t really believe.

THE MODEL here, and the model throughout Scripture is that
God’s people go boldly before God.

• They hold up God’s promises before God’s face and bid Him be faithful to them.
• They remind God of His perfect character and demand He show it again.
• They remind God of His role as our only salvation and expect Him to show
Himself a Savior.

Is that not what David is doing here?
God, you are my help, so help me, and do it quickly!

John MacArthur shares a somewhat shocking example of this.
“In 1540 Luther’s good friend and assistant, Friedrich Myconius, became sick and was expected to die within a short time. From his bed he wrote a tender farewell letter to Luther. When Luther received the message, he immediately sent back a reply: “I command thee in the name of God to live because I still have need of thee in the work of reforming the church…the Lord will never let me hear that thou art dead, but will permit thee to survive me. For this I am praying, this is my will, and may my will be done, because I seek only to glorify the name of God.”
Those words seem harsh and insensitive to modern ears, but God apparently honored the prayer. Although Myconius had already lost the ability to speak when Luther’s reply came, he soon recovered. He lived six more years and died two months after Luther.”
(MacArthur, John [The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series; Ephesians; Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL, 1986] pg. 103-104)

Indeed these are types of bold prayers that we saw
• From Jacob as he wrestled with God.
• This is Moses declaring that God cannot destroy the Israelites.
• This is Abraham interceding for the righteous at Sodom.

IT IS A BOLDNESS IN PRAYER
And I have a hard time finding God rebuke it in Scripture.
Rather we see Psalms like this one which God has preserved for us.

Now, that being said, tonight we look at this bold prayer of David.
And it won’t take us long to look at it.

As we said, it begins and ends with a bold cry to God
With urgency that God would deliver.

(1) “O God, hasten to deliver me; O LORD, hasten to my help!”

(5) “But I am afflicted and needy; Hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.”

David is boldly coming to God, who is his only hope,
And demanding that God come and deliver and do it quickly.

• He is resting upon who God revealed Himself to be when David was saved
• And now in his moment of need he is calling God to be faithful to His revelation.

He is boldly praying.

Perhaps the easiest way for us to examine the Psalm
Is to look at the 5 requests of David.
As already noted, they are distinguishable because they begin with the word “Let”

#1 LET MURDERERS BE SHAMED
Psalms 70:2a

David prays, “Let those be ashamed and humiliated who seek my life;”

• It is those who practice lethal force.
• It is those who would lift up their hand to strike David down.
They are his persecutors.
They are those who would kill him if they had the chance.

And David prays that God would make them “ashamed and humiliated”

There are any number of ways in which God could accomplish this,
And David doesn’t concern himself with the means.

David’s only concern is the end.
God, however You see fit to do it, just do it.

Humiliate them in their efforts
And make them ashamed of their incompetence.

How many times did the religious leaders set traps for the Lord
And try to arrest Him before His hour had come
And they were left only in shame.

• We see the elders of Nazareth seeking to throw Jesus off a cliff, only to have Him walk right through their midst.
• Their plans failed and they looked incompetent.

This is the prayer of David.
There are those who would kill me, shame them.

It is a bold and clear prayer.
#2 LET MEANNESS BE STOPPED
Psalms 70:2b

“Let those be turned back and dishonored who delight in my hurt.”

These are not people with the backbone
To actually lift up their hand to David,
But they are those who would certainly rejoice if someone else did.

They are his enemies and his opponents.
• They love to see him attacked…
• They love to see him mocked…
• They don’t have the gumption to directly take on the giant-slayer themselves, but if someone else would do it, they would love it.

They are simply mean-spirited men.
They are schemers who sit in the shadows and hope for your fall.

His bold prayer is that God would stop them.
Let them be “turned back and dishonored”

Let their cowardice and their scheming become known to all
And let them run with their tail between their legs.

It is a bold prayer to be sure, but it is the prayer which David brings to God.

#3 LET MOCKERS BE SILENCED
Psalms 70:3

“Let those be turned back because of their shame who say, “Aha, aha!”

These are simply those who sit silently and wait.
You won’t know they are your enemies until the day you fall.

They may even pretend loyalty and pretend friendship.

But on the day of your folly, and on the day your foot slips,
They are the first to run to the world and announce your blunder.
They hold up a magnifying glass so the world knows that you blew it.

And then they become a voice of mocking.
• They are cowards…
• They are hypocrites…
• But their attack is painful none the less…

And David prays that God would silence them.
They look for the opportunity to say, “Aha, aha!”
But don’t give them that opportunity.

Let them also “be turned back because of their shame”

Turn the tables on them and let them be mocked.

It is certainly a bold set of prayers, but again we must ask.
• Does vengeance not belong to God?
• Has He not said that vengeance was His?
• Is He not the avenger of His children?
• Did Jesus not teach us that He will bring about justice quickly for His elect who
cry to Him day and night?

What reason would David have to NOT be bold?

God has already revealed His role for the protection of His children.
David now runs to God in that confidence.

I’ve told you many stories about my dad,
Mostly about his temper or his creative horse training methods.

But one other thing about my dad was that
HE WAS A FIERCE PROTECTOR OF HIS FAMILY.
We knew that.

I still remember as a young kid, we were at the Brownwood horse sale and we loved that horse sale because of the long cat-walk system there and we could play on it as kids.

• But one day Alaina and I were down in the alley.
• I think we might have been putting horse back in the pen.
• And the old man running the alley ran some horses down the alley right by Alaina. It could have been a bad deal.

I certainly told my dad.
But the point here is that I already knew how he would respond
Before I told him because I knew my dad.
(I knew I was requesting according to His will)
I was bold in my declaration to him because I knew who he was.

DAVID IS THE SAME.
He has no problem boldly telling God to deal with his enemies
for David knows his God.

David also knows his God is a Savior.
#4 LET SEEKERS BE SATISFIED
Psalms 70:4a

“Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;”

While David tells God to silence his enemies,
David also reminds God that those who seek Him are never disappointed.

God’s children in this world are attacked,
But THEIR ONE REPRIEVE is that in calling God into their battle,
Their cry can quickly turn into rejoicing.

We see that again the final request.
#5 LET THE SAVED BE SINGERS
Psalms 70:4b

“And let those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified.”

That’s a far cry from “Those who love Your salvation having to sit on a rock trying to explain why God didn’t deliver.”

David boldly tells God to save His children
That they might sing of His great deliverance.

And again, it is a bold prayer, but is God not the savior of His own?
• Has God not promised to satisfy those who seek Him?
• Has God not promised to put a song of praise in the mouth of those who cry to Him for salvation?

Have we not read?
Romans 10:13 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

Romans 10:11 “For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

You just see here that David’s boldness is not irreverence.
David’s boldness is faith.

Tonight I would encourage you in your prayer life
To confidently go to God in prayer.

Do not hide in doubt and fear and pass it off as piety or respect.
The great men and women of God in Scripture
Evidenced their faith by their bold prayers.

• The heard who God revealed Himself to be and they held God to that in prayer.
• They boldly approached the throne.
• They wrestled with God.

And they did so because they knew Him.
• They knew His promises.
• They knew His character.

And they knew His desire for them to place all their hope in Him.

That is a good reminder for me, I hope it is for you.

James 1:5-8 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

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To Such As These
Luke 18:15-17
May 3, 2020

We have been now on quite a lengthy section here in Luke’s gospel
That primarily concerned itself with the truths about the Kingdom of God.

The Pharisees started it by asking Jesus where this kingdom was.
• Jesus revealed to them the spiritual kingdom which they should repent and enter

Then He spoke to His disciples about the coming physical kingdom upon the world.

We’ve covered that.

As we have also said, the CHAPTER BREAK into chapter 18 is regrettable
Since it gives the appearance that the sermon ended. It did not.

WE NOTED, THE FIRST 8 VERSES
• The story regarding the persistent widow
• Is given to directly instruct disciples as to how they should live in an evil world where they long to see the days of Jesus, but do not yet see them.
• The answer was that we should be persistently pray to our Father and trust that He will certainly give us justice once all of the elect are safely home.

WE NOTED THAT VERSES 9-14
• The story of the Pharisee and the tax collector
• Is given specifically to those who failed to listen to the Lord’s requirement that they must lose their life.
• He gave a story to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous.
• And the warning was that only the humble end up being justified before God and therefore will be safe from judgment when the Lord returns.

And now, we move to yet another story that directly links to the sermon.

We know that because of what Jesus says in verse 17, “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

Now, I don’t know if this story actually happened
Right at the same time as the giving of the previous parables.

What is clear is that regardless when it occurred
Luke purposely included it here because
It answers another very important question regarding the kingdom.

That is: WHO WILL ENTER THE KINGDOM?

We are aware that there will be those who are judged when the Lord returns, but who will actually enter the kingdom?

This story answers that question about as easily as any could.

Jesus will reveal to us that the only people who will enter the kingdom
Are those who will “receive the kingdom of God like a child”.

And if they do not, Jesus says that they “will not enter it at all.”

And so the point of the story is clear, even as it relates to the kingdom.
“the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Let’s look at the story together.
There are 4 points to be made here.
#1 A PARENT’S DESIRE
Luke 18:15a

“And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them,”

In a cultural sense this is not uncommon.
• Jewish families were actually highly encouraged to take their children to rabbis to have them prayed for.

Every parent in here understands
The responsibility that God outlines for their children.

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

And this is important to God.
In a very real sense, that CHILD DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU.

They may have your eyes or your nose or your temper, but they aren’t yours.

THEY ARE GOD’S, AND HE HAS ENTRUSTED A STEWARDSHIP TO YOU
YOU ARE TO GUIDE THEM TO KNOW HIM.

And this is a very serious responsibility.
Proverbs 22:15 “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.”

Scripture indicates that children are born foolish and naïve and gullible
God entrusts them to us that we will remove that foolishness from them
And guide them in the truth.

The New Testament explicitly entrusts this duty to FATHERS.
Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Fathers are commanded not to discourage their children
But to encourage them to know and trust God.

MOTHERS are also a vital part of this role.
• Commanded in Titus 2:4 to “love their children”
• And in: 1 Timothy 2:15 to embrace the role to raise them.

1 Timothy 2:15 “But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.”

Paul actually places the primary role of the mother in the home
To raise children by being an example of
“faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.”

IT IS IMPORTANT TO GOD
That the children He entrusts to us are guided in the right path.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “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. “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

The implication there to BE THOROUGH as you train your children
Deuteronomy 31:12-13 “Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town, so that they may hear and learn and fear the LORD your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law. “Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live on the land which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.”

It is clear that God has ALWAYS BEEN CONCERNED
About the training up of children.

He loves them, He created them carefully, and He entrusted them as a rich blessing to us that we would train them to know Him.

And so this is not a new practice by any means.
AND THAT SHEDS LIGHT ON WHY THESE PARENTS ARE HERE.

1) These parents understood their responsibility to their kids.

They must have understood that they were responsible
For the direction that their kids went.

Otherwise why bother with taking them to a rabbi at all?

2) They realized they needed help beyond themselves.

They understood that in order for their kids to reach what God had in store for them; then DIVINE HELP was in order.

They needed someone to pray.
They needed someone to guide.
They wanted blessing on their child.

3) They realized the help they needed was SPIRITUAL HELP.

That is why they sought blessing and prayer.

These parents understood that their children were not perfect,
But were in fact sinful beings in need of divine help.

Psalms 51:5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.”

And by that David doesn’t mean that his mom was cussing when he was born.
David rather speaks of the depravity of man.
It is that inherited sin nature.

Man is not born righteous and perfect,
Only to be corrupted and then in need of salvation.

Even the sweetest most beautiful baby in the world has a sinful nature.
• They will cry when they don’t get their way,
• They are completely unconcerned about the lack of sleep of their fathers.
• They have no problem making a mess that you have to clean up.

Children are born in sin.

And that means that every child,
Regardless of his atmosphere needs spiritual help.

These parents understood that.

Parents today need to understand that.
Your kids need to be brought to Jesus.
• They are not as good as you think they are.
• They need the spiritual help that only Jesus can provide.

“And it is amazing to me that parents
• Will enroll their kids in every event under the sun,
• And pay any amount required,
• And drive miles and miles and sit for hours
• To involve their kids in the most useless of activities.

And yet be completely apathetic
When it comes to bringing their kids to Jesus.

• We have certainly done our fair share of youth sports.
• AND WE CERTAINLY ENJOY IT

But if we will invest money, and time, and gasoline
Into something like baseball or basketball,
We must recognize that getting them to Jesus is more important.

So I like the desire of these parents.
They were bringing their kids to Jesus, “so that He would touch them”
Matthew’s gospel says so that He “would lay hands on them and pray.”

It is just parents who understood the spiritual need of their children.
There is nothing in the world wrong with that.

But that was NOT the view of the disciples.

A Parent’s Desire
#2 A DISCIPLE’S DISDAIN
Luke 18:15b

“but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them.”

Now, I can’t be too hard on the disciples here.
I’d be lying if I said that there weren’t times on a Wednesday night
That I didn’t feel the same way about all the kids running around.

There were times when I wanted to rebuke a few parents
For bringing their child up here to church.

“the disciples…began rebuking them.”
• The word there indicates a continual rebuke.
• The disciples were trying to get control of a situation that they viewed unnecessary.

Jesus was a busy man,
In their minds He didn’t have time to sit down and listen
To all the stories about your kids or to pray for each one of them.

In this culture children were deemed insignificant.
They weren’t front and center.

In the disciples mind there was more important ministry to be done.

In reality it only indicates that the disciples still didn’t get it.

It is worth noting that the disciple’s mindset
Was NOT the mindset of God.

Scripture doesn’t see them as a bother, Scripture sees them as a blessing

Psalms 127:3-5 “Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate.”

Scriptures says children are a blessing of God,
A valuable treasure delivered from God.

Just ask Sarah, or Rebekah, or Rachel, or Hannah, or Elizabeth
Those women understood the blessedness of children.

Children are a blessing
Because they are a precious gift in the sight of God.

Psalms 139:13-16 “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”

David understood that children were not accidents.
David knew that the only way a child enters this world
Is under the creative hand of God.

• He forms them
• He weaves them together
• He makes them with fear and wonder
• And He ordains their days

In short God puts great care, design, and forethought
Into every child He creates and He calls those blessed
Who He entrusts to care for them.

But the disciples didn’t see that.
To the disciples they were a bother and they needed to leave.

A Parent’s Desire A Disciple’s Disdain
#3 A TEACHER’S DIRECTIVE
Luke 18:16a

“But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them,”

Well that is certainly a beautiful picture.
We love that Jesus loves children.
• It is a blessing to us that He delighted in taking these kids onto His lap and listening to their stories and praying for blessing in their lives.

• We are thankful for a Savior who wasn’t so consumed with “important” ministry work that He didn’t have time to stop and listen to the curiosity of a child.

• We are enamored with a Savior who was genuine enough that when He said He loved humanity, it wasn’t just the ones He could immediately use for His service.

• We are humbled by a love so genuine that Jesus knew it was impossible to preach love to a parent while rejecting their child.

We love that Jesus loved children.

For certainly we know that Satan hates them.

WANT PROOF?
Exodus 1:22 “Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.”

Matthew 2:16 “Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.”

Ezekiel 16:21 “You slaughtered My children and offered them up to idols by causing them to pass through the fire.”

Jeremiah 32:35 “They built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.”

Throughout Scripture Satan delighted in killing children,
He delighted in the mass execution of kids.

Satan hates them.
AND THAT HATRED CONTINUES TODAY.

Today we have legalized and promoted abortion.
People actually fight in the courts and in the media to protect their right
To invade a mother’s womb and cut a child to pieces.
That is satanic at its core.

Beyond that we have Sexual perversion and pedophilia throughout our culture and those who willingly and purposely prey on our children.

Beyond that look at the clothing industry and see the types of clothes that stores sell to 10 year old girls, the whole idea is to make the physically desirable.

Face it, the days of frilly dresses and pig tails is all but gone.
Society starts young on our daughters.

Other attacks on our children are seen in their education.
• Satan delights in having your children taught evolution
• Satan delights in having your children taught sex education
• Satan delights in having your children taught that cultural perversion is
biological and normal

It is an attempt to deceive children.

And so Jesus is a much welcomed contradiction
To a world which is influenced by Satan.
Whereas the world uses and abuses children, Jesus loves them.

“Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them”

WE ALSO SHOULD DISCUSS THAT THIS VERSE IS REALLY THE FOUNDATIONAL VERSE FOR CHILDHOOD SALVATION.

Now first, let me clarify that there is no record that any child got saved on this day, there is no record of any baptisms occurring.

In fact there is no record of any child being saved anywhere in Scripture.
So using this passage as a defense of childhood salvation is a bit of a stretch.
The fact is that in all likelihood many of the children being brought here
May have even been infants.

This passage isn’t really about whether or not children can be saved.

WELL DO YOU NOT THINK CHILDREN CAN BE SAVED?
Of course I do.

This passage certainly doesn’t say they can’t,
Nor does any other in Scripture.

Obviously children can be saved.
• Now we certainly don’t agree with the manipulative tactics that are so often used today to coerce children into making decisions.
• And we are not quick to take a child’s interest in Jesus and immediately declare them saved until we can discern the Holy Spirit in their lives
• For far too many live under the false assurance of decisions they made as children which have born no fruit in their adult lives.

But we have no problem whatsoever with the truth of this passage.
If a child wants to come to Jesus, “do not hinder them”

If a child wants to come to Jesus, by all means let them.
Does that mean we run after them and assure them that they are saved
And rush them to the baptistery?

No.
Let God prompt that too.

But the simple point is if a child feels the need
To draw near to Jesus, encourage them to do it.

If a child feels the need to commit to Jesus, encourage them to do it.
If a child feels the need to pray to Jesus, encourage them to do it.
You don’t know when it is saving faith occurring.

So we understand what is going on here.
• Parents are fulfilling their role to care for the spiritual needs of their children.
• Disciples are walking in the flesh not realizing what is going on.
• Jesus is being Jesus, welcoming these children to Himself because He loves children.

And that in and of itself is a heart-warming story.
BUT THAT IS NOT WHY LUKE INCLUDED IT.

There is a reason why Luke included this story
And it is because of what Jesus says next.

Parent’s Desire, Disciple’s Disdain, Teacher’s Directive
#4 KING’S DECREE
Luke 18:16b-17

After calling the children back to Himself, Scripture says that Jesus said, “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.”

Throughout Scripture there are two things
That God most likes to compare His people to.
1) Sheep 2) Children

We know of the children of Israel, the children of God, the children of the kingdom, etc.

And He compares us to children
For much the same reason that He compares us to sheep.

It is a living analogy of
• Our weakness compared to His strength,
• Our ignorance compared to His wisdom,
• Our depravity compared to His righteousness.

He uses children as an analogy on purpose.

Now, we do see children used as various examples in Scripture.

They are seen as innocent…
• Often referred to in the Old Testament as “the innocent”
They are seen as lowly…
• Matthew 18 uses them as an example of the least. Certainly that was true in their culture.
They are seen as naïve…
• Paul tells us not to be like children in our thinking.
They are seen as trusting…
• We’ve all heard of child-like faith

And here He uses children for a specific reason.
CHILDREN WERE CONSIDERED TO BE TOTALLY DEPENDANT.
(you might say helpless)

Is there a creature on earth that is more dependent than a newborn baby?

We marvel at newborn animals.
• In just a matter of weeks a newborn puppy is ready even to leave its mother.
• Animal babies are very quickly walking on their own, eating on their own, and in some cases even quickly reproducing.

But a human infant is totally dependent.
• It will be a few weeks before it can even lift its head.
• A few more weeks before it can roll over.
• It will take months for it to be able to crawl, and around a year before it can walk.
• It should be able to talk within a second year
• But it won’t be able to be left alone for several years due to a severe lack of discernment.

If a child is to survive,
It will be totally dependent on someone else to care for it.

AND THIS IS THE IMAGE THAT JESUS HAS IN MIND HERE.

Jesus says “the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
• God’s kingdom is not inhabited by self-sufficient people, but by dependent people.
• God’s kingdom is not for those who can do it on their own, but for those who can’t.
• God’s kingdom is not for the strong, it is for the weak.

THAT ALONE IS A VERY INFORMATIVE TRUTH.

If you think that you are good enough or smart enough or strong enough
To enter the kingdom on your own without any help from Jesus,
YOU HAVE TERRIBLY MISSED THE POINT.

We certainly remember that it is just the opposite in Scripture who are saved.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

BUT JESUS TAKES IT EVEN A STEP FURTHER
When He issues what amounts to A KINGLY DECREE.

(17) “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

Consider that statement for a moment.

FIRST OF ALL, The kingdom of God is not something to be obtained or to be earned, but rather Jesus says it is to be RECEIVED.

Perhaps you remember Jesus’ teaching from earlier in Luke’s gospel.
Luke 16:16-17 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.”

• The implication there was that people were seeking to force their way into the
kingdom.
• And the means of forcing was to nullify the requirements of the Law.

God laid out His Law as the perfect description of practical human righteousness,
And a man must fulfill that requirement in order to enter God’s kingdom.

But men could not and thus did not fulfill that requirement so they attacked the Law and mutilated the standard that they might force their way into the kingdom.

AND OF COURSE IT DID NOT WORK.
You don’t force your way into the kingdom.
You don’t work your way in either.

If we learned anything from the parable we looked at last week,
We know that religious activity was less than impressive to God.

That Pharisee could fast and tithe all he wanted,
But he could not earn entry into the kingdom.
The only way entrance into the kingdom is granted is if it is received.

And this certainly is a child-like attribute.
• Children don’t earn anything.
• In meritorious sense, children don’t deserve anything.
• Everything they have is only because someone who cares for them has determined to give it to them.

The kingdom must be received.
And thus received “like a child”.

WHEN WE DESIRE TO ENTER THE KINGDOM
• WE DO NOT approach the king with our resume of good works like the Pharisee did. He will not be impressed.
• WE DO NOT seek to overthrow the king and abolish His requirements and force our way in. He will not be overthrown.

THERE IS BUT ONE WAY TO ENTER.
It is when we recognize both our lack of worth and our lack of ability
And we come to Jesus like a helpless infant
Trusting in Him to grant us the kingdom.

A better word for this might be HUMILITY
(Just as we saw last week)

In fact Jesus says, if you don’t approach Him like that
You “will not enter it at all.”

No one will ever enter God’s kingdom based upon his own merit.
No one will ever enter God’s kingdom based upon his own efforts.

EVERYONE WHO ENTERS WILL ENTER:
• Like a hopeless widow who can only plead for someone else to give her justice.
• Like a sinful tax collector who can only hope that mercy is available.
• Like a helpless infant who can only depend on someone else to take care of them.

Those are the examples of the chapter that should be etched in your mind

God is not looking for powerful people,
• He is looking for people with faith like that widow.
God is not looking for good people,
• He is looking for people with humility like that tax collector.
God is not looking for worthy people,
• He is looking for people with dependence like these children.

Matthew 5:3-6 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Do you want to enter the kingdom?
Do you want to be one of those who is saved from the wrath to come?

Then humble yourself.
• Let go of any notions of worth or merit.
• Cast yourself at the mercy of the King.
• Trust Him to care for you and to accomplish for you what you cannot accomplish on your own.

That is what it means to be “receive the kingdom of God like a child”

If you have never done that, I invite you to this morning.
• To see that on your own you will never enter, But through the gracious offer of
Jesus it is available.
• I would invite you to let go of your pride, To let go of your accomplishments, To
let go of your ego and humbly throw yourself at the mercy of the King.

And if you will, like the people in these stories.
• You can expect justice DESPITE your weakness…
• You can expect justification DESPITE your sin…
• You can expect entrance into the kingdom DESPITE your lack of having
done anything to earn it…

That is the truth of the gospel, and it is the truth Jesus preached here.