Salvation Numbers According to Jesus
Luke 13:22-30
October 27, 2019

This morning we come across an interesting text.
It is the day when someone actually asked Jesus
About actual salvation numbers.

This is certainly a conversation we can wrap our minds around
Because numbers have become an all too important aspect
Of how churches today measure ministry success.

Now to be fair, it’s not like the Bible excludes numbers altogether.

After all at Pentecost we read:
Acts 2:41 “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.”

Even later in the account of Acts we read:
Acts 4:4 “But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.”

We could even point out that there is an entire book in the Bible called “Numbers” which I’m sure you all read this past week.

So we don’t just throw out any and all discussion about numbers,
But certainly in our day we have SEEN AN OVER INTEREST in the issue.

It was Charles Finney
• In the late 1800’s was credited to be the leader of the second great awakening
• And even often called “The Father of Modern Revivalism”
• Finney was a lawyer who did not believe in the depravity of man,
• But saw salvation as purely a decision to be made by sinners on behalf of Christ.
• He was the first to use the modern day “altar call” or public invitation.
• He was the first to really measure meeting success based upon the number of decisions he could coerce.

And there was something so appealing to other ministers about this tactic
That the public invitation took hold,
Counting decisions became the standard,
And the American church never looked back.

It is certainly worth stating that even Finney at the end of his life
Was forced to admit that most of the decisions he solicited
Did not result in genuine salvation.

In fact Finney’s circuit was the American North East, which came to be known as the “burned over district” referencing all the supposed fiery revivals Finney held and now it remains one of the most spiritually hardened regions of America.

But the appeal of numbers as a measure of success
Is a tactic that has remained.

And today we’ve all heard the boasts of ministers about the number of decisions that were made at previous meetings.

Zek and I sat on an airplane flying from Malawi to South Africa this summer and listened to a Baptist evangelist boast about all the places in Malawi he had visited and the many thousands of decisions he had seen at every place.

Even Zek, saw the problem in the boasting, as we all realized that coercing a kid in Malawi to come forward and agree to something would not be hard at all.

We’ve all seen the exploitations…
We’ve all seen the manipulation…

But probably the most troubling thing for me has been that
In the desire to have a numerically successful ministry
We have all seen ministers inevitably widen the gate, lower the bar,
And eliminate standards required for salvation.

• I’m talking about people who aren’t willing to repent, but who are willing to go to heaven so some minister declares them saved.

• Or some person not willing to obey Christ, but is willing to admit they are sinful and the minister declares them saved.

And so much of it is done because of the desire to be able to say,
“We had 17 decisions for Christ.”

I see it as a major problem
Because it deals out false assurance to so many.

Well, in our text this morning Jesus is actually confronted with a question
About how many people are actually being saved.

(22-23) “And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?”

Again we see Jesus in His typical ministry role.
• Travel from town to town
• Speak in the synagogue
• Work a validating miracle
• Move on

Only this time we see that His earthly ministry is nearing an end
As Jesus is now working His way toward Jerusalem.

So we have Jesus here traveling from town to town offering salvation
While He Himself is on His way to purchase it.

It’s actually a remarkable reality if you think about it.
• Every time Jesus offers salvation…
• Every sinner He declares forgiven…
• Is in reality another debt He is agreeing to pay before God

Watching Him offer forgiveness while knowing that He will bear the wrath for every sin He forgives is really a remarkable thing to behold.
But that is what the Lord is doing.

And on this day He receives a question that caught Luke’s attention.

“And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?”

• We don’t know who asked this question.
• We don’t know what prompted them to ask it.

But it is apparent to us that
• Whatever the Lord was preaching,
• And whatever the Lord was asking,
• And however the people were responding
Caused this person to wonder if many people were being saved at all.

• Perhaps this person realized that what Jesus was asking was not going over
well with the crowds…
• Perhaps this person noticed that some were balking at His claims and
departing from following Him…

Whatever it was it prompted this person to ask Jesus
If salvation was only for a few.

Now you may understand that not everyone is being saved
But this was a tricky issue for the Jews.

The Jews undoubtedly assumed that as Jews they were all being saved.

In and through the confines of Israel the expectation was certainly
That everyone was being saved.

We listen to John the Baptist confront the Pharisees who assumed salvation simply because they were Abraham’s descendants.

Luke 3:8 “Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.”

Jews thought they were all going to enter God’s kingdom.
But Jesus’ preaching caused this person to wonder if that is true.

• Jesus is talking an awful lot about the necessity of repentance…
• Jesus is talking an awful lot about the realities of judgment…

Just recently we read as Jesus compared Israel to a fruitless fig tree
That was about to be cut down.
Those are strange sermon topics if everyone in Israel is being saved.

And so this man asks the question that perhaps everyone was wondering.

“Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?”
• Jesus, do You not think we’re all saved?
• Jesus, do You think some of us are going to hell?
• Jesus, do You think most people are going to hell?
• Jesus, do You think that only a few people are actually being saved?

(That is certainly the vibe they had picked up while listening to Him preach)

SO THAT IS THE QUESTION.
The remainder of our text is Jesus’ answer to that question.

And I don’t mind telling you that I find Jesus’ answer to be
A much needed correction to the prevailing ministry mindset today

As we have said, so much is made about numbers in regard to ministry.
• Ministers are so eager today to declare people saved and thus congratulate their ministries.
• Many have certainly become guilty of lowering the standard and widening the gate so that they can declare people saved.

I can give you one alarming story to this end.
• In 1994 a group of evangelicals and Catholics got together to try and hammer out unity; to sort of heal the scars of the Reformation.
• They published a document called “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” (ECT).
• It understandably had its opponents.
• One of those opponents was John MacArthur who gave his account of a meeting that took place with the evangelical signers afterward.

Here is his account:
“Not too many years ago, some evangelical Protestants got together – Chuck Colson and some others – Bill Bright and some others – and they met with some Roman Catholics, and they came up with a document called “Evangelicals and Catholics Together.” And in that document, they celebrated a common faith and a common mission. And they said, “We need to embrace each other and carry out this gospel mission together.” This was shocking, to put it mildly, to many – to all of those people who affirm clearly a biblical gospel. And there was immediately a counter to that and all kinds of things brought to bear upon the signers of ECT. Perhaps the most notable, at least in my experience, was a special private session called in Florida, where I was locked up with a very formidable group of people for a period of seven hours, including those on the other side – J. I. Packer, Charles Colson being the notable ones – Bill Bright from Campus Crusade. There was myself and R. C. Sproul, Michael Horton representing the biblical side and reformed theology. And for seven hours we talked about this. What is the gospel? Are the Catholics saved or not saved? That’s really important. It became a discussion of are the Anglicans saved or not saved? Is everybody who’s within quote-unquote Christendom automatically saved? Are they saved because they’re baptized? Are they saved because they quote-unquote believe in Jesus? It was a very heated discussion at many points.
What was at stake? I’ll tell you what was at stake. What was at stake is whether or not we evangelize Roman Catholics. That’s what’s at stake. One billion of them in the world. Are they a mission field, or are they our co-laborers for Christ. That changes everything. Everything.
On the other side, one of the leading evangelicals said, “I think it’s so wonderful that we can now see Catholics as Christians because that means millions and millions of people are Christians,” as if somehow by them deciding they were Christians they became Christians. I was absolutely incredulous; I almost fell off my chair.
It was like, ‘What a monumental meeting this is. We just redeemed millions of people without leaving the room.”
https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/90-291/~/about

That is alarming.
A group of men got in a room,
Decided that all of a sudden Catholics are saved.

Just like that.
• No one changed their theology
• No one repented
• No one clarified the true gospel
• They just all decided that they would agree that both were saved

That’s a scary reality.

And I’m not saying that no Catholics are saved,
• But as we have said many times before Catholics that are saved are saved in spite of Catholic doctrine, not because of it.
• And so to make a sweeping judgment that all Catholics are saved is foolish.

But here you have men who are willing to widen the gate, declare people saved, and then rejoice in it.

It is a clear indicator that the church today
Needs to hear how Jesus answers this question:

“Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?”

I want you to hear Jesus’ answer.
• Now Jesus doesn’t give a simple yes or no answer.
• He doesn’t give a percentage or a number.

What He does do is give the realities about salvation
And allow you to answer the question for yourself.

As if to say:
“Well, here is the truth about who is saved and who is not. Now you tell Me if you think that is most people or just a few.”

So we have here from Jesus the realities about salvation
And whether or not that is most people or only a few.

And we can examine Jesus answer in 3 truths about salvation.

#1 TRUE SALVATION HAS AN UNACCOMMODATING ENTRANCE
Luke 13:24

What I mean by saying that salvation has an unaccommodating entrance is that IT IS NOT EASY TO ENTER.

This alone may cause some red flags to go up
Because we have certainly been taught how easy salvation is.

Salvation is commonly described with terms like
“free” and “simple” and “open” and “easy” and “available”

Many a preacher has stood at an invitation and assured people that
• Entrance into the kingdom is free and easy
• And all you have to do is raise your hand or pray this prayer
• Or sign this card or walk this aisle and you will be saved.

We’ve heard it all.

But that doesn’t sound anything like what Jesus said.

Look again at what He said:
“Strive to enter through the narrow door”

Stop there for a moment.

“Strive” It is the Greek word (A-go-need-zo-my) AGONIZOMAI
It is where we get our word for “agonize”
It is also translated “Fight” in the New Testament

And Jesus says that is what is required “to enter”
• It is a struggle.
• It is a fight

That is a far cry from calling salvation easy.
Jesus didn’t say it was easy; Jesus said it was difficult.

And the reason salvation is difficult is because the door is “narrow”.

IT IS HARD TO GET THROUGH.
• You don’t skip through it.
• You don’t walk through it with all your friends.
• You don’t carry all your stuff through it.

You have to squeeze and fight and agonize to get through the door.

It reminds us of some of the other times our Lord spoke of salvation.

We remember Jesus telling the Rich Young Ruler that he had to sell all his possessions and give it to the poor and he went away sad.

And Jesus said:
Matthew 19:23-26 “And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Again I say to you, 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.” When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

• There Jesus used the word “hard” to describe salvation.
• And the disciples picked up on the analogy asking “who can be saved?”
• Jesus even said as far as man is concerned, it is “impossible”

Those aren’t words that speak of salvation being easy or simple.
It is hard. It is a struggle.

Or we could read the parable of the soils and see that of the 4 types of soil, only 1 is saved; 3 are lost.

Or we could go to the sister passage of our text this morning and read:
Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

And Jesus there describes salvation again as “small” and “narrow”
And that it is only found by a “few”.

JESUS MOST CERTAINLY DOES NOT PAINT SALVATION AS EASY.
HE SAYS IT IS HARD.

In fact, He says, “many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

Jesus says there’s going to be a lot of people
Who want salvation, but who will not obtain it.

There’s going to be a lot of people who, like the Rich Young Ruler,
Will want to go to heaven, but who won’t make it.
WHY?
BECAUSE SALVATION IS HARD, NOT EASY.

Is that a startling revelation to you?
Does that go a little against what so many preachers and evangelists have told us over the years?

Let me explain it to you.
Jesus said that the door is narrow.

Well, we know who the door is.
John 10:7-9 “So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

Jesus also described Himself as the “way”
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

And some would say, “Oh, I get it. Jesus is talking about how salvation is impossible if you try to earn it yourself.”

Well certainly it is, but that’s NOT what He is talking about.
Jesus is the door and Jesus said that the door is “narrow”.

That is to say that the “door” doesn’t let everyone through.

What we are talking about is
Jesus’ requirement for salvation.
AND IT IS HARD.

Many today seem to think Jesus just lets everyone in.
IS THAT TRUE?
• Did He let the Rich Young Ruler in?
• Did He let the Pharisees in?
• Did He let that guy who only wanted to follow after collecting his inheritance in?

JESUS REQUIREMENTS ARE HARD REQUIREMENTS.

May I remind you?
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.”

• Jesus called for death to self.
• Jesus called for abandonment of our own life.
• Jesus called for cross bearing.

• Jesus called people to forsake their comforts.
• Jesus called people to forsake their families.
• Jesus called people to forsake their reputations.
• Jesus called people to forsake their occupations.
• Jesus called people to forsake their lives.

That is not easy.
And when Jesus says you have to fight to enter
(Well everyone in here who has been saved likely knows that fight all too well.)

I hope I don’t embarrass Cheyenne, but that is what she spoke of in my office.
• She was baptized as a child, but never met Jesus, she just walked an aisle and got baptized.
• But when Jesus confronted her last year and wanted her to leave her sin and leave her life and deny herself and give it all to him, that is when the battle started.
• She fought for a year.
• Her flesh didn’t want to die.
• Her flesh didn’t want Jesus to be in charge.
• It was a struggle to kill it off.

Many of you remember that battle in your own life.
That is what Jesus is talking about.

He is the door, but following Him costs you everything.
• You are acquiring the treasure in the field, but it costs you everything to get it.
• You are acquiring the pearl of great value, but it costs you everything to get it.

Paul said:
Philippians 3:8 “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,”

And that is why so many won’t enter.
• They want to go to heaven, but they are not willing to forsake this world to obtain it.
• That is why the Rich Young Ruler wouldn’t enter.

SALVATION IS HARD.
It has an unaccommodating entrance.
• Salvation won’t let you enter on your schedule.
• Salvation won’t let you enter on your terms.
• There is no negotiating your surrender.

True Salvation has an unaccommodating entrance.
#2 TRUE SALVATION HAS UNCOMPROMISING REQUIREMENTS
Luke 13:25-27

What you see there is that the requirements of salvation
Are NOT UP FOR DEBATE.

People who do not submit to the requirements of the Lord
To deny self and take up the cross and follow Him
Are ultimately excluded from the kingdom.

They are SHUT out. They are KEPT out.
There is not bargaining.
There is no negotiating.
There is no probationary period.
The standards and requirements are rigid.

And the deadline is set.
There is coming the day when the offer of salvation leaves the table.

It is the day “when the head of the house gets up and shuts the door”.

And on that day, it is over.
And many will be shut out.

Even those who hoped that
A superficial association with Jesus would be enough.

Did you catch that?
There were many who failed to fully submit to Christ, but who hoped that simply being associated with Him would be enough.

And that is what they cry on the day of judgment.

(25) “Lord, open up to us!” And then He will answer and say to you, “I do not know where you are from.” Then You will being to say, “We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.” And He will say, “I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.”

• These people were well acquainted with Jesus.
• These people recognized Jesus.
• These people knew about Jesus’ preaching.
• These people may have even fellowshipped with Him.

And yet, they were still shut out in the outer darkness.

And notice how direct and confrontational Jesus is in this answer.

(26) “Then YOU will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence…”

He doesn’t say, “Then they will begin to say…”

Jesus takes this truth and directly confronts this specific crowd with it.

He is speaking to a religious Jewish crowd
Who was more than aware of who He was
And what He did and what He taught.

And yet Jesus tells them that despite their association with Jesus,
They are still lost, and they are shut outside.

It is the reminder that true salvation has Uncompromising Requirements.

When the Day of Judgment comes there is no negotiating.
• It is holy or bust.
• You are either declared righteous by God or you are shut out.

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

• Those who have left everything and pursued Christ are those who are then clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
• Their sin is imputed to Him and He pays their penalty.
• His righteousness is imputed to them and they are accepted by God.

Anything less than this is shut out.

He doesn’t say, “Well, you aren’t righteous, but come on in, I guess we’ll look over it.”

If you aren’t righteous (as righteous as Jesus) you don’t get in.
Matthew 5:20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

• There is no compromise here.
• There is no grading on the curve.
• God has said, “You shall be holy, as I am holy”.
• If you are not, you are shut outside as an evildoer.

He doesn’t accept them based on their knowledge of His preaching
He doesn’t accept them based on their ministry involvement.

Remember:
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

All of those things may be good things,
But on their own they are not nearly enough.

Only Jesus is acceptable to the Father.
Only being clothed in the righteousness of Christ will do.
• You DON’T get in just because you fellowshipped with Jesus.
• You DON’T get in just because you took notes on one of His sermons.
• You ONLY get in when you deny yourself, take up your cross, and run to Jesus.
• You ONLY get in when you forsake your own righteousness in order that you might be clothed in His.

God is uncompromising in that way.

Arthur Pink said:
God never forgives sin, He judges it
“Because God is holy He hates all sin. He loves everything which is in conformity to His laws, and loathes everything which is contrary to it. It follows, therefore, that He must necessarily punish sin. Sin can no more exist without demanding His punishment than without requiring His hatred of it.
God has often forgiven sinners, but He never forgives sin; and the sinner is only forgiven on the ground of Another having borne his punishment; for “without shedding of blood is no remission” (Heb. 9:22).”
~Arthur Pink, “The Attributes of God (Holiness)”

Think about that for a moment.
It is a true statement.

We stand as forgiven sinners, but our sin was not overlooked.
Our sin was imputed to Christ for which He paid the penalty in full.

For sinners to assume then that they can stand before God
Without having come to Christ is a foolish notion.

In that day
• Knowing about Jesus will do no good.
• Knowing what Jesus taught will be of little comfort.
• Only those who are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus will be saved and that standard will not change.

Salvation is hard.
• It has an Unaccommodating Entrance
• It has Uncompromising Requirements

#3 TRUE SALVATION HAS UNEXPECTED RECIPIENTS
Luke 13:28-30

This must have been a shocking statement
For the Jews in Jesus’ audience to hear.

First Jesus reiterates the utter horrors of hell.
It is described as a place where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”

There will indeed be many things in hell that will cause a man to weep,
But the one Jesus mentions here is this:

“when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out.”

That is a horrible thought.
That is a predicament worth weeping about.

• Not all Jews will go to heaven.
• Many a Jew rejected Jesus and will thus be kicked out of God’s kingdom.

That alone would have been a surprising statement to many of these Jews; that Jesus said not all Jews were saved.

Well if that was shocking,
The next statement must have made them gasp for air.

(29) “And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.”

Not only will some Jews be kicked out,
But God is going to bring some Gentiles in.

Are you kidding me!
Jews excluded and Gentiles added.

How could this be?
It only points to the reality that
They did not understand the requirements of salvation.

Matthew 5:3-9 “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. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

• It wasn’t the religious that were saved, it was the humble.
• It wasn’t the moral who were saved, it was the mourners.
• It wasn’t the confident who were saved, but those who hungered for righteousness.

It is the shocking reality that so many Jews failed to understand.
• They put so much stock in their religious achievement.
• They put so much stock in their knowledge of God’s Law.
• They put so much stock in things like their circumcision.

They failed to realize that God wanted
Humility, brokenness, meekness, and faith.

And the fact is that many in Israel failed to give Christ these things,
And yet the Gentiles did.

Romans 9:30-33 “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

And that’s not all:
(30) “And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”

The simple point here being that God’s evaluation
May not match human evaluation.

We don’t have time, but if you remember Matthew records an entire PARABLE by Jesus on this very subject, it is found in Matthew 20.

• It is the one about the slaves who wanted to work and some were hired at 9am and some and noon and some at 5pm.
• At the end of the day the vineyard owner paid them all the same.
• And if you will remember those who worked longer were angry because they felt like they deserved more.

But remember His answer:
Matthew 20:13-16 “But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? ‘Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. ‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’ “So the last shall be first, and the first last.”

The vineyard owner reminded that salvation isn’t handed out by merit.
Salvation is handed out by grace to the humble.

The kingdom of God will be filled with people that
The religious Jews would have never considered.

Because God’s criteria is about humility and repentance
And self-denial and faith in the work of Christ.

People who do that will be saved,
• Even if they were pagan and immoral Gentiles.
• Even if they were prostitutes and tax collectors and great sinners.

So when Jesus was asked about salvation He gave some important news.

• True Salvation has an Unaccommodating Entrance
• True Salvation has Uncompromising Requirements
• True Salvation has Unexpected Participants

Now, go back to the question.
“Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?”

And what is the Lord’s answer?
• Yes, because most people are not willing to enter through Christ.
• Yes, because most people are only willing to associate with Christ not follow Him.
• Yes, because most people think their goodness is good enough and do not humble themselves before God.

In our day salvation is so often talked about
As that which is easy and free and of not cost, etc.

But if I were you I’d listen to what Jesus said.
• And then I’d forsake my religious works…
• I’d humble myself before God…
• I’d let go of this world…
• I’d run to Jesus with everything I had…
• I’d beg to be clothed in His righteousness…
• And I’d trust Him to atone for my sin…

Is that easy? No, it’s a massive fight with the flesh.
But it is the only way of salvation.

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

An Encouraging Response
Luke 13:10-21
October 20, 2019

Well, if you were with us over the last several months
As we worked through that sermon of Jesus to the massive crowd.
You know that it had to be a frustrating time for Jesus.

This giant crowd showed basically no interest in the truths of salvation or the kingdom.
• Instead they had ignored the testimony of the Holy Spirit
• At least some were only concerned with money
• At the same time they seemed oblivious to the coming judgment
• And they were totally undiscerning concerning their own sin and danger

I’ve preached enough sermons to know that
Jesus must have left that event
Feeling like He was beating His head against a wall.

MINISTRY IS TOUGH
If you’ve ever embarked on it at any level then you know that.
• If you’ve ever taught a Sunday school class…
• If you’ve ever been a small group leader…
• If you’ve ever witnessed on the street…
• If you’ve ever preached…

You know that ministry is hard.
The challenge at hand is daunting.

Paul certainly voiced his frustrations at times.
1 Corinthians 4:10-13 “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.”

2 Corinthians 4:7-11 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

2 Corinthians 11:2-3 “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

2 Corinthians 12:20-21 “For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances; I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have practiced.”

Or even in his letter to the Galatians:
Galatians 4:8-11 “However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.”

And we even learn that at the end of Paul’s life
This faithful apostle was basically rejected by everyone.

In his last letter he wrote:
2 Timothy 4:16 “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.”

MINISTRY IS TOUGH.

Certainly we can see this as well IN THE LIFE OF JESUS.
Just looking at Luke’s gospel we remember things like:

• Luke 4 when His own home town tried to throw Him off a cliff.
• Or in Luke 5 when He was accused of blasphemy because He forgave the paralytic.
• Or in Luke 5:30 when they accused Him of being an immoral man because He ate with tax collectors and sinners.
• Or in Luke 6 when He restored the withered hand of the man in the synagogue and they began plotting His death.

Ministry is frustrating.
It’s no wonder we read statements like this:
Luke 7:31-35 “To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? “They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ “For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ “The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ “Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

• In Luke 7:36 we remember Jesus being invited to a Pharisees house where He was offered no kiss, no anointing, or no water to wash His feet, but only to be trapped and accused.
• In Luke 8:10 He lamented a crowd who must be taught in parables because while they had ears, they could not hear.
• In Luke 8:52 He was actually laughed at for claiming that Jairus’ daughter was only sleeping.

It’s no wonder we see incidents like that of the demon possessed boy:
Luke 9:41 “And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”

Later in Luke 9 we realize that even His disciples don’t get it.
Luke 9:44-45 “Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement.”

• In Luke 9:57 He is confronted by half-hearted followers who only want to follow if there is comfort, or if they can first bury their father, or if they can first get the approval of their friends.
• In Luke 11:14 He was accused of casting out demons by the power of Beezebul

It’s no wonder Jesus exposed the crowd:
Luke 11:29-32 “As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. “For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. “The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

• In Luke 11:37 another Pharisee would invite Him to eat and seek to condemn Him for not ceremonially washing.

And it all ends up in one of the most frustrating laments of all time.
Luke 19:41-44 “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

And that is just accounts we read in Luke’s gospel.
• The gospel of John records even more frustrating conversations.

Or we haven’t even covered all of Luke’s gospel yet.
• Still to come are things like the hypocritical praise at the triumphal entry,
• Betrayal of Judas,
• The desertion of all the disciples,
• The denial of Peter,
• The corrupt trial,
• The crowd yelling crucify…

Ministry is tough.
Ministry can be frustrating.

We are those who have been commissioned
To take words of life to those who are dead.
We are called to speak the truth to those who cannot hear.

And we realize the battle we are fighting when we do this.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

MINISTRY IS HARD
And at times it is human nature to just want to throw in the towel.

This is why it is also important that we learn
Where to find encouragement to continue on.

It is important that we learn what to look at
To give us the boost we need to push forward and keep going forward.

Our text this morning provides one such encouragement.

It is a somewhat routine story for the work of Jesus,
But it is the response of Jesus to what occurs that teaches us
Also to be encouraged even when ministry is frustrating.

LET’S LOOK AT THE TEXT TOGETHER.
The text begins with another ROUTINE MINISTRY STORY from Jesus.

You may remember that early on in the book of Luke we established a definite ministry pattern from Jesus.
• He would enter a city, and ultimately synagogue.
• He would preach a sermon on salvation.

We saw one of those sermons in Luke 4
Luke 4:17-21 “And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

• He would preach a message about man’s need for salvation and how He was that Savior.
• He would then work a miracle of give a sign of some sort to authenticate His message.
• And then He would move on to another synagogue or another city.

In fact we read:
Luke 4:42-43 “When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them. But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.”

That was really the ministry pattern of Jesus.
He was just trying to spread the gospel throughout Israel.

This story in Luke 13 really fits along that mold.

He starts by preaching.
(10) “And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.”

• It’s not uncommon.
• It’s rather routine.
• Jesus is just doing what He came to do.

And after the sermon, an opportunity presents itself
To validate His message with a miraculous sign.

(11-13) “And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.”

Not a lot is given to us about this woman except that
• We have here a woman who was bent over and could not straighten up.
• We find that she had been in that condition for 18 years.
• And we find that in her case it was caused by “a spirit”. (later Jesus will say that it was Satan who had bound her)

Now certainly we don’t believe that all sickness or disease
Is a result of demonic affliction, BUT HERS WAS.

• We aren’t told how she came to be in that condition.
• We aren’t told anything about her past or her lifestyle.
• We aren’t even told if she had faith or if she repented or asked or anything.

All we read is that “When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.”

Jesus simply made a sovereign decision
That on this day that woman would be set free.

Again, He mentioned nothing about her faith or repentance
Or really anything regarding the behavior of the woman.
It’s just that on this day Jesus decided to validate His sermon.

He routinely preached that he came “to proclaim release to the captives”
And on this day this woman became “Exhibit A”.

Jesus put His money where His mouth was.

(13) “He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.”

Honestly for Jesus, it was ministry as usual.
Preach about the kingdom, and show the power of the kingdom.

• We see again Jesus’ power over sin and sickness and Satan.
• We see again that Jesus is the One who has power to reverse the curse.
• We see again that Jesus is the One who can save.

Certainly this woman becomes yet another analogy of salvation.
• She was bound in sin, she was unable to be free.
• Jesus was the One capable of setting her free.

She was a living picture of the salvation that Jesus came to bring.
• He is the One who can overcome the power of the enemy.
• He is the One who can save from sin.
• He is the One who can reverse Adam’s curse.

And honestly, it happened so much in the gospel accounts,
That this story isn’t even considered one of His more famous ones.

Jesus did this sort of thing all the time.
He is the Savior.
It is ministry as usual.

UNFORTUNATELY there is another thing
That has also become quite common
And that is the frustrating response of the synagogue official.

(14) “But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, “There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”

Nothing like a kill-joy to throw a wet blanket
On what was clearly meant to be a day of rejoicing.

The Son of God, clothed in human flesh, just entered that synagogue.

(When Carrie and I lived in Crawford the President of the United States would at times visit one of the local congregations in the area. You can only imagine the mood if that happened)

Well here God in human flesh entered this synagogue.
• He then offered salvation to everyone in that room.
• And He put His power on destroying the work of Satan in the life of a woman.

That is a good day…

Unfortunately we find that
The woman was not the only one Satan had a grip on.
Apparently he had a handle on the synagogue official too.

Because this man immediately rebukes the crowd.
“There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”

Now that is interesting.
Where does it say that this woman came to be healed?
• She didn’t approach Jesus, Jesus called her over.

Furthermore, where is the evidence that “work” was done?
• I read that Jesus “called her over”
• And I read that Jesus “laid His hands on her”
• But show me where the work was.

It is obvious that this man is just another of those frustrating types that Jesus had encountered His entire ministry.
• Those with eyes that refuse to see.
• Those with ears that refuse to hear.
• Those with hearts so hard that they can’t see God at work.

Men who would rather see a person suffer in sin
Than to see Jesus be glorified.

And yet again we see the FRUSTRATION OF JESUS come forth.
(15-16) “But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him? “And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

You can feel His frustration again can’t you?
What this man says is nonsense.

And Jesus immediately exposes him.
“You hypocrites”

Again, it is HUPOCRATES the word for an actor or a phony.
• Jesus calls this synagogue ruler out in front of everyone that he is a sham and a phony and an imposter and a pretender.
• He is not a true child of God, nor a servant of God.

And his thought process and belief system is absolutely absurd.

“does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him?”

Of course they did,
• The traditions of the elders did not prohibit leading your animals to drink so long as they didn’t carry a burden when you took them.
• They all would do that.
• They had all probably already done that on that very day.

And the implication is:
HOW MUCH MORE IMPORTANT IS THIS WOMAN THAN A DONKEY?

“And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

Wow, what a question!
So it’s ok for a donkey to be untied on the Sabbath,
But not for a child of God to be untied?

This is not the first time Jesus has had to confront such foolishness.

Luke 6:6-11 “On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him. But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward. And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?” After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored. But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.”

In Matthew’s gospel we read:
Matthew 12:11-12 “And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? “How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

In John 5 we read about Jesus healing the man at the Bethesda pool, and we learn that He did that on a Sabbath.
John 5:16-17 “For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”

The point I am making is that this fight must have gotten old by now.

• One can only imagine how many synagogues Jesus had preached in.
• One can only imagine how many people had been healed on the Sabbath.
• One can only imagine how many times Jesus has had to deal with hypocrisy
like this from the religious leaders.

A day that should have been pure rejoicing and certain revival
And it turns into an argument with a hard-hearted synagogue ruler.
MINISTRY IS FRUSTRATING

HOWEVER, ON THIS DAY THE STORY CONTINUES.

Here Luke includes one more thing.
(17) “As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.”

At this occasion Luke includes THE FINAL VERDICT of the conversation.
• We don’t always see that.
• We don’t always see how the debate or the rebuke turns out.

But here Luke shows it to us.

And on this day, after the rebuke we find that Jesus won this crowd.
“all His opponents were being humiliated”
“and the entire crowd was rejoicing”

On this day, and in this synagogue, the crowd saw, heard, and believed.
• They rejoiced.
• Their eyes were opened.
• Their ears were opened.
• Their hearts were softened.

Satan didn’t just lose the battle for the woman,
He also lost the battle for this synagogue.

Certainly it didn’t always happen like this.
• We saw in Nazareth how they tried to throw Him off a cliff.

But on this day, there was a victory.
On this day it ended as intended.

And that brings us to the response of Jesus.
• This is what I want you to see.
• I want you to see that ON THIS DAY JESUS WAS ENCOURAGED.

After so many days of frustration,
On this Sabbath Jesus was encouraged.

A very important word is given in verse 18, “So”

It is the Greek word OUN, (oon)
Most of the time it is translated “therefore”.

The point being, the truths Jesus gives in verses 18-21
Are in direct response to the event He just encountered.

• It is because of the humiliation of the synagogue ruler…
• It is because of the rejoicing of the crowd…
That Jesus gave this statement.

And I tend to think it is meant to be a message for His disciples
And one that is intended to encourage them.

The Lord gives two analogies here, and really, though they differ slightly, THEY REALLY TEACH THE SAME TRUTH.

(18-21) “So He was saying, “What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? “It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree, and THE BIRDS OF THE AIR NESTED IN ITS BRANCHES.” And again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? “It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.”

• The first is regarding a mustard seed.
• The second is regarding leaven.

Matthew’s gospel gives a bit more detail,
But the point is clearly seen here in Luke’s gospel.

What both of these parables have in common is the FINAL RESULT

You have a mustard seed (Matthew reminds us that it is the smallest seed)
• But you have a seed that is thrown into the ground, but the key phrase is “and it grew”

Then you have leaven (think yeast)
• Which a woman hid and then we read the key phrase “it was all leavened”

So in both cases you have what begins a seemingly insignificant,
But which eventually grows and spreads and affects everything.

If we wanted to split hairs and reveal the differences in the two,

With the mustard seed we could talk about THE GLORY OF THE KINGDOM
• Since it begins small, but becomes the largest garden plant so much so that
other nations (birds) rest in it’s branches.

We could look at the leaven and talk about THE GROWTH OF THE KINGDOM
• Since it doesn’t grow by military conquest or booming event, but by influence
and a gentle spreading.

But really here the parables are simply meant to have the same meaning
That what was small, and hidden,
Was working and would produce the desired effect.

• A farmer takes a seed and hides it in the ground and hopes it is growing.
• A woman takes leaven and hides it in flower and hopes it is spreading.

And there may be some frustration involved but:
• How wonderful it is on the day when you see the plant sprout through the ground!
• How wonderful it is on the day when you see the dough begin to rise!

Now a plant pushing through the soil is NOT A FINAL CROP,
BUT IT IS an encouraging sight that the harvest is coming.

And dough beginning to rise is NOT A FINISHED MEAL,
BUT IT IS an encouraging sight that the feast is on its way.

That is what just happened here for Jesus
And that is what He is pointing out to His disciples.

• They had followed Jesus in hopes of finding the kingdom.
• They were looking for the day when Israel would once again be the premiere
nation of the world.
• They were looking for David’s descendant who would reign on the throne.

And in Jesus, they believed they had found that Messiah.
• He certainly talked right…
• He certainly had power…

BUT LET’S BE HONEST,
Currently His kingdom in the world is unimpressive at best.

• Most of the time the people want to kill Him.
• Most of the time the people fail to believe.
• Most of the time they just want to use Him to satisfy their own carnal desires.

Even Jesus at times was frustrated with the stubbornness of the people.

THE DISCIPLES MUST HAVE WONDERED

But on this day they saw a small plant break through the soil…
On this day they saw the dough begin to rise…

And Jesus stopped to make sure that we saw
That even though it was small the kingdom was growing.

And then He reminded us of the harvest that is coming.
• One day this tiny seed will be the largest of all plants.
• One day this tiny lump of leaven will spread across the world.

THAT IS THE ENCOURAGEMENT.

One day this kingdom will dwell on the earth
And it will be the premiere kingdom and no one will dare rebel against it.

Just as Gabriel told Mary
Luke 1:31-33 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Just as Isaiah saw:
Isaiah 9:6-7 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

Perhaps you remember that statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of all the kingdoms.
• You may also remember that there was a stone that was not cut with hands that struck the statue on its feet and crushed it.

Daniel 2:44 “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.”

Those promises have not been forgotten.
• At times they may seem impossible.
• At times ministry may be way too frustrating.

But Jesus was encouraged when He saw
This simple response in this random synagogue.

It was a reminder to Him that the kingdom will endure.
It was a reminder to Him that the kingdom is coming.

TURN TO: REVELATION 11:15-18

During the timeline of the end, this is just before the end.
• The seventh angel is sounding which is unleashing 7 bowl judgments that culminate with the return of the Lord and the setting up of His earthly kingdom.

And when that final trumpet sounds, listen to the response of heaven.
(READ 15-18)

IT’S COMING.

The kingdom of God may seem small now.
Ministry may be frustrating now.
But the kingdom is coming.

1 Corinthians 15:20-28 “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.”

The kingdom will come.

And of course Paul ends that chapter by saying:
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

And this morning I simply remind you that

Jesus looked at this tiny victory in this synagogue
And allowed Himself to be reminded that despite the opposition,
The kingdom is coming and it will be glorious.

That is a good encouragement for you and me.
• Ministry is frustrating.
• It seems like we deal with way more frustration than we do victory.
• But keep sowing the seed.
• Keep spreading the leaven.

Thank God for the small glimpses He gives,
Like a youth being baptized, or a door opened for a spiritual conversation.

Physical farming is hard work. So is spiritual farming.
• Learn to be encouraged when you see a small plant break through.
• Learn to be encouraged when you see the dough begin to rise,
• It is all a reminder of the great harvest and the great feast that is coming.

Keep pressing on.
Keep doing the work of the Lord.
Keep enduring.

The Kingdom is coming and it will cover the earth.
Habakkuk 2:14 “For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.”

Our Disciple Now weekend is in the books! What a wonderful weekend we had! If you want to relive it or perhaps check out what was taught, here are the sermons from the weekend.

THE INFAMOUS RULES VIDEO

https://youtu.be/R8U0aspLzbM

THE HIGHLIGHT VIDEO

https://youtu.be/zclz6xq-DT8

Sticks and Stones
Psalms 52
October 6, 2019

We were all taught the phrase as kids,
“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.”

It was our parent’s way of teaching us to be tough,
To not wear our feelings on our sleeves and to not be overly sensitive.

I certainly grew up in that type of atmosphere.
• Ridicule and sarcasm and joking and humiliation were love languages in our
house growing up.
• You learned to develop thick skin quickly or else you didn’t survive.

And yet, I have been forced to learn many times over upon being grown
That not everyone was raised to be as resilient in that area as I was.
Many times Carrie has had to remind me,
“Rory, not everyone was raised with Bryan Mosley.”

You’ve certainly noticed it, but it seems that in recent years there has been a rise in sensitivity in regard to words that are spoken.

ON ONE HAND we’ve got the false teachers who have embraced the “Word Faith” movement who ascribe all sorts of power to our speech.

• Their warped mentality is based upon the fact that since God spoke the world into existence that we too now have the power to create our own destinies with our words.

• This is the theological basis behind ministries like that of Joel Olsteen who has fully embraced the secular beliefs of the power of positive thinking and the power of positive speech.

Certainly the world has taken a notice of things like that.

Even reading about African cultures
• I’ve learned that in many parts of Africa losing your temper or getting angry is considered a very terrible sin because in your anger you might say something negative about a person and thus bring a curse upon them.

We are starting to see that type of mentality in our day.

OF COURSE WE ARE ALSO BOMBARDED NOW WITH what we might call the “Words Hurt” movement.

• It is our hyper-sensitive culture to anything that might be deemed offensive or hurtful or racist or sexist or homo-phobic or controversial or whatever.

• A culture with thin skin that needs a safe space or a cry room when people say “mean things” to them. And anymore things that I never thought of as mean are even being added to those categories.

That is where all the hate-speech laws are beginning to come from.

But you can see that we have a culture that has become
Overly sensitive both to the power and to the pain of our words.

Now I don’t want to downplay the importance of our words.
• Certainly even the gospel message of God has been ordained to be spread through the use of words.
• Certainly Jesus even reminded that every careless word we speak we will give an account for it on the day of judgment.
• Certainly many a false prophet is responsible for much innocent blood because of their false words.

So we are not downplaying the importance of words.

But at the same time we do recognize that perhaps our culture
Might have become a little hyper-sensitive.

Well, if you are one who is easily offended by what people say…
Or if you are one who is easily hurt by mean words…
Or if you are one who lives in fear of reckless curses being cast…

Tonight it might do you some good
To tune in to David’s message of Psalms 52.

It, like the previous Psalm, is one that comes to us with a context.
“For the choir director. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

Well, before we dive into the text, let’s check out this context.
TURN TO: 1 Samuel 21

Now as you turn, I would bring to your mind the events of 1 Samuel 20.
• It was in 1 Samuel 20 that David suspected that Saul was out to get him and Jonathon did not quite believe it.
• So they concocted a plan where David would skip supper and Jonathon would attend and find out Saul’s true intentions.
• Jonathon learned that Saul did indeed want to kill David
• And we got that story about Jonathon shooting an arrow and telling the lad to run further which was a hint to David to flee for Saul wanted to kill him.
• So David fled.

And then we come to 1 Samuel 21.
(READ 1-7)

So you see now understand at least part of the setting.
• David has fled
• He fled to Nob
• He ate the consecrated bread
• And there we see he was discovered by a man named Doeg the Edomite.

If you go on in the chapter you find that David took Goliath’s sword and fled Gath where he had to feign insanity just to escape.
(Incidentally that incident inspired both Psalms 34 and Psalms 56)

Now look at 1 Samuel 22

(Read 1-10)
• There is the incident regarding Doeg.
• In an attempt to gain favor with Saul and no doubt profit from the news Doeg actually ratted out David and slandered Ahimelech the priest.

The result?
(Read 11-19)
• And so for Doeg it wasn’t just slander, but also murder as he had destruction in his heart all along.

(Read 20-23)

And there we have the setting now for the writing of the 52nd Psalm.
David has just received word about this new executioner for Saul
Who is breathing out threats and attacking the people of God.

I’m sure Abiathar was distressed.
I’m sure David’s men are concerned.
David was clearly angry about it.
AND TO THAT DAVID WRITES THIS PSALM.

It is a Psalm that deals with the lies and threats
And destructive plots of the enemy.

So, if anyone has ever
• Said “mean things” to you
• Or given you “threats”
• Or “hurt your feelings”,

Pay attention to Psalms 52
Where we learn how God’s children handle such things.

There are 3 points here.
#1 DAVID’S REBUKE
Psalms 52:1-4

The rebuke here is simple.
It is a rebuke of anyone and everyone who would “boast in evil”

It is against anyone who supposes themselves to be a “mighty man”
And who would let their mouth run loose.

Certainly Doeg was on David’s mind,
But the Psalm would certainly reach farther than just him.

And to this man David has a question:
“Why do you boast in evil, O might man?”

The insinuation of David is that it is a foolish thing.
• Perhaps Doeg was uttering more threats…
• Perhaps Doeg was bragging about slaughtering the priests…
• Perhaps Doeg was lying about what actually happened when he saw David…

It doesn’t matter.
THE POINT IS that David questions the wisdom in such a boast.

Because: “The lovingkindness of God endures all day long.”

There is that favorite word CHECED again which speaks of God’s loyalty.

It’s foolish to attack God’s people
When God remains loyal to them at all times.
It’s foolish to run your mouth about the people God loves
When God maintains loyalty to them.

That is David’s point.
Doeg, you’re not making a very wise decision here.

Doeg was bosting in evil.
David then goes on to describe what he means.

This is what boasting in evil looks like.
1) IT IS TO DEVISE DESTRUCTION (2)
“Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit.”

It speaks of using the tongue to bring about the destruction of a person.
Was this not what Doeg did regarding Abiathar?

Surely Doeg would eventually kill him,
But first Doeg used his tongue to get Saul to give the order.

It was his slander, it was his testimony that first condemned Abiathar
Before he was allowed to kill him.

That is what slander does.
• It sets out to destroy.
• It certainly sets out to destroy the reputation of another if not their life in total.

And David says that is what it means to “boast in evil”

2) IT IS TO DESIRE DECEPTION (3)
“You love evil more than good, Falsehood more than speaking what is right.”

This person just enjoys lying.
• It doesn’t matter if it is about something important or something little.
• They just enjoy the art of deception.

It can be outright lying to someone’s face
Or it can just be the subtle art of exaggeration.
The truth is too boring so the story is embellished to make it even better.

And when you take a person like that
Who is also bent on destruction
Then the condemning evidence is hard to overcome.
(Just look at our political world for an example)

3) IT IS TO DEVOUR THE INNOCENT (4)
“You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue”

They just use their words to swallow up the innocent.
They conquer their victims through their deceptive words.
It is slander in its most intense form.

And David says this is what it is to “boast in evil”

This made Doeg feel like a “mighty man”
When he could lie and deceive and consume the priests of God
Through his slanderous lies.

And of course we are reminded that
This sort of mindset and behavior is nothing at all like God.

We studied a couple of Sunday nights ago in Psalms 50
Psalms 50:20-21 “You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son. “These things you have done and I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.”

Clearly such behavior is not like God, and we would not defend it.

The New Testament even reminds believers
That such speech must not be a part of the Christian life.

Colossians 3:8-10 “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him”

Ephesians 4:29 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

Ephesians 5:3-5 “But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

James 3:5-12 “So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.”

Clearly we understand that such boasting in evil is not a trait of godliness.

What you should also realize is that it is actually a trait of Satan.

SATAN DEVISES DESTRUCTION
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

• Or we could read about the temptation of Jesus where Satan actually tried to get Jesus to throw Himself off the temple or even bow down and worship him.

• Or we could go to Eve in the garden and listen to Satan give Eve counsel only meant to destroy her.

SATAN DESIRES DECEPTION
John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

• Jesus said you can’t listen to anything that comes out of his mouth. He prefers lying to truth.

SATAN DEVOURS THE INNOCENT
Revelation 12:10 “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.”

• He constantly accuses and seeks to turn God against the innocent.

That is what Doeg was doing and David tells him it is foolish
Because all the reckless boasting and lies and slander
Will not change the loyal love of God.

Remember Romans 8?
Romans 8:33 “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;”

It’s hard to condemn someone with slander to God
When God was the One who justified them when they were a sinner.

It’s just a foolish effort.
And that is what David says first.

It is a rebuke of Doeg and anyone who would use their tongue
To try to destroy or deceive or devour someone else.

And that is not all.
First was David’s Rebuke
#2 DAVID’S REVELATION
Psalms 52:5-7

David wants Doeg and anyone like him
To understand where this is headed.

David pulls no punches when he says, “But God will break you down forever; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent, And uproot you from the land of the living.”

I even like that David puts “Selah” at the end as if to say,
“meditate on that!”

In other words, God will kill you.
I don’t care how smooth your tongue is, you won’t survive this.

It does us good to remember that on the day of judgment
Our tongue will not be enough to save us
Though it will definitely be enough to condemn us.

How many do we see promised that on the day of judgment they will start begging and pleading and making excuses but none of them work.
Matthew 7:22-23 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

Their words won’t save them, but their words might condemn them.
Matthew 12:36-37 “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Revelation speaks of those excluded from heaven as:
Revelation 22:15 “Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

And David wants Doeg and all those who are like him
To know that their fate is a dark one.

(6-7) “The righteous will see and fear, And will laugh at him, saying, “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, But trusted in the abundance of his riches And was strong in his evil desire.”

What a remarkable reality.
Not only will you be judged, but the righteous will see it, be in awe of it, laugh at it, and even mock you on that day.

Is that not remarkable?

We see this other places.
Psalms 2:1-6 “Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

Psalms 37:12-13 “The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming.”

God reserves the last laugh.
God reserves the last boast.

Beyond that, I remind you that our final words have been ordained.
Philippians 2:10-11 “so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

God has already ordained the speech of your tongue.

Did you know that even Satan will be mocked for his deceptive ways?
When you read Isaiah 14 we get there a picture of the work of Satan who has controlled numerous if not all world governments.

Isaiah 14 pronounces judgment on him.
Isaiah 14:12-20 “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit. “Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’ “All the kings of the nations lie in glory, Each in his own tomb. “But you have been cast out of your tomb Like a rejected branch, Clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit Like a trampled corpse. “You will not be united with them in burial, Because you have ruined your country, You have slain your people. May the offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever.”

Did you catch the mocking?
Even Satan, the chief slanderer and liar
Will be mocked on the day of his judgment.

And certainly we can learn here of the dangers of being a liar
Or slanderer of one who devours others with our tongue.

Far from being like God, it makes us like Satan,
Far from being the victors it sets us up to be the one who is ultimately mocked.

And so we could (and should) certainly stop and give a little thought
To the foolishness of using our tongues for evil.

This is not how God would have us live.

Psalms 34:11-14 “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.”

But, even as important as that personal application is,
That is not really the thrust of this Psalm for us.

For David DOESN’T write this Psalm lamenting his own tongue
(he does in other Psalms like 39:1-6)

David writes this Psalm
• As a warning to his enemy who is doing all the talking.
• For the benefit of men like Abiathar who barely escaped from the slaughter of Doeg and who no doubt threatened them all.
• To show his faithful followers that they should not fear the slander and destructive threats of the enemy.
• For the benefit of those who have been mocked and slandered and threatened and lied about.

He wants the faithful to know that
The threats of the enemy cannot overcome the loyalty of God.

• Just because the enemy says he’s going to do it does not mean he can.
• Just because the enemy is lying about you does not mean he will succeed.
• Just because the enemy is laughing now he will not be laughing last.

God is loyal to His own.
God will destroy the liars and slanderers and gossips.

And it is that truth that catapults David into this final stanza.

David’s Rebuke David’s Revelation
#3 DAVID’S RESOLUTION
Psalms 52:8-9

What you will notice here are four commitments David makes
In the midst of this onslaught.

• David is being slandered.
• David is being lied about.
• David is being mocked and laughed at.

But David could almost say,
“Sticks and Stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.”

And in that confidence we see David’s resolution.

There is four of them.
1) I WILL THRIVE (8a)
“But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;”

This analogy of a thriving tree is often used to speak of God’s people.

Speaking of the righteous we read:
Psalms 1:3 “He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.”

Jeremiah said:
Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.”

This is David’s mentality.
There is a difference between the enemy’s threat
And God’s promise.

David stands up in this cave in the midst of his men,
Having received news of all the threats of the enemy
And David boldly proclaims to all that the abuses of the enemy
Cannot nullify the promises of God.

• God has promised that I will endure.
• God has promised that I will be fruitful.
• God has promised that He will care for me.

Why would I be discouraged or upset at the verbal attacks of the enemy?
If God is for us, who can be against us?

2) I WILL TRUST (8b)
“I trust in the lovingkindess of God forever and ever.”

Again, it is a reference to God’s CHECED or loyalty.
David reminded his people that God is loyal to them.

It is more than just being faithful, it is being loyal.
• Faithful indicates the guarantee that promises will be kept.
• Loyal indicates the assurance that promises on my behalf will be made.

You don’t just know that God will always do what He says,
You also know that God will always work for what is good on your behalf.
HE IS LOYAL TO HIS OWN.

David’s companions may say in this cave, “But David, God has made no promises regarding Doeg to us. God is not bound at all to deliver us from him.”

And David could say, “True, but God is for us, and He is loyal to us, and I have the utmost confidence that He will show up for our victory.”

That is David’s way of saying that
He is not going to get all disturbed by the threats of the enemy,
He’s just going to keep trusting God.

Sound like anyone else?
1 Peter 2:23 “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

Remember Psalms 3?
Psalms 3 “O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.” Selah. But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the LORD with my voice, And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me round about. Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.”

David also reveals
3) I WILL THANK GOD (9a)
“I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it,”

When David wrote this Psalm deliverance was still in the future,
But David was so confident that it was coming
That he was already singing about how thankful he was going to be.

He knew God was going to deliver.

Remember this example in Scripture?
Acts 9:1-2 “Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.”

Do you remember what happened next?
The Lord confronted him from heaven and totally changed him.

God has the ability to win every battle
According to His sovereign prerogative.
Focus on that coming victory.

4) I WILL TESTIFY (9b)
“And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.”

David was going to do his thriving and his trusting
And his thanking in the presence of God’s people
So that they may also be encouraged.

He wanted God’s people to be strengthened by his example.

And think about that for a moment.
• In our hyper-sensitive world where people are so easily hurt.
• In a day when people get so easily offended.
• And they either lose their temper…
• Or they get emotionally wounded and need a safe space…
• Or they pout or whine or whatever…

David gives God’s people and different example.
• When the enemy verbally assaults and attacks…
• When the enemy lies and slanders…
• When the enemy laughs and threatens and humiliates…

Don’t get angry
Don’t get weepy
Don’t pout and whine
TRUST GOD

Focus on His loyalty to you and not the enemies threats.
When the enemy makes his assaults please understand:
THEY ARE JUST WORDS.

Be an encouragement to God’s people.
• No one ever heard someone whining or saw someone complaining and
said, “Wow, what great faith they have!”
• No one ever heard someone whining or saw someone complaining and
said, “Wow, they serve an awesome God!”

BE AN ENCOURAGEMENT.

I want to close with one more story.
TURN TO: ACTS 4
• The scene in Acts 4 is set up by the fact that in Acts 3 Peter and John healed a cripple in Jesus’ name.
• They were then preaching about Jesus in the temple and it irritated the priests and the Sadducees so they surrounded Peter and John and tried to intimidate them.
• The intimidation didn’t work, Peter kept right on preaching.

Let’s pick up down in verse 15.
(READ 15-22)

So Peter and John are certainly resolute,
But you’ll notice that it did not come without a threat.
(18) “they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus”

The church had been warned and threatened.

Now look at how Peter and John handle this.
(READ 23-31)

That’s how you handle the threats of the enemy.
(29) “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence…”

I fear that today in the church that story might often read differently.

It might say something like:
• Peter and John got on social media and told everybody about what happened.
• Peter and John went back to the church and asked for therapy as their feelings were hurt.
• Peter and John decided to quit talking about Jesus because the danger was real and they just decided to only do good works and let that be their ministry.

The fact is, we can at times
Give way too much credit to the words of the enemy.
Don’t let his accusations and lies and slanders rattle your ministry.

God’s church is going to thrive regardless of the threats.
Trust God and give Him thanks.
And be faithful to continue to testify.

That is what David said,
That is what the early church did.
That is what we are commanded to do as well.

1 Peter 3:14-16 “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.”