Frustrating Jesus
Luke 9:37-45
November 18, 2018

We are rapidly approaching the Christmas season,
Where the church focuses on the reality that Christ came into the world
And with that we also focus on WHY HE CAME.

For us today, it is clear.

Matthew 1:18-21 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Jesus came to save sinners.

John 3:16-18 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Luke 5:32 “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

He came to be the Savior that the world so desperately needs.

1 Timothy 1:15 “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”

Jesus came to live a righteous life and die an atoning death
That He might redeem sinners back to God.

Everything about His life was ultimately for this purpose.
His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His preaching, His resurrection,
IT WAS ALL ABOUT HIS ATONING DEATH.

That is why He came,
And apart from that death, no man can be reconciled to God.

• We now understand the necessity of the cross.
• We now understand why the cross is the priority of all Christian
understanding.

WE KNOW THAT NOW.

But getting that truth into the hearts of people in Jesus’ day was not easy.
Men wouldn’t see it Men couldn’t see it

They DIDN’T UNDERSTAND why they needed the cross
It certainly was NOT WHAT THEY WANTED

And it didn’t seem to matter how many times Jesus mentioned it,
People just failed to see it.

THEY KEPT MISSING THE POINT.

In Jesus’ own words the generation Jesus ministered to
Was “unbelieving” and “perverted”

They were backward about everything.

It certainly must have been FRUSTRATING for the Lord.
He must have felt like
He was beating His head against a wall over and over again.

And this morning that frustration even manifests itself.

If I may remind you of THE SETTING.

• 9 days ago Jesus solidified His identity with the disciples.
• He is in fact the Christ of God; the Messiah; the Savior of the World.

• He then told them not to go out preaching that message because
reigning as King on the earth, was not the immediate plan.
• He had come to suffer and be rejected and be killed and be raised.
This would be the message.

• The disciples however were grieved by that announcement (Peter
even rebuked Him)
• And so Jesus had to clarify with them that His death was a certainty
• He also had to clarify that anyone who wanted to follow Him had
better come to grips with that.

He wasn’t here to give people their best life now.
He had come to call sinners to forsake their life
That they may gain life eternal.

That is hard for us to hear today,
You know it was hard for those who heard it for the first time
Back when Jesus introduced it.

But that was the message Jesus announced
Just 9 days ago to the disciples.

ONE DAY AGO (yesterday) Jesus had Peter, James, and John up on the mountain with Him
• And He revealed to them His glory,
• Emphasizing that the kingdom of Heaven is in fact real.

BUT ALSO ON THAT MOUNTAIN
The message and necessity of the cross was once again solidified
As Peter was rebuked by God and emphatically told to listen to Christ.

And now, Jesus and those 3 disciples are headed down the mountain.

MEANWHILE DOWN IN THE VALLEY…
• The other 9 disciples are in a bit of a dilemma,
• And the situation they are facing, along with their response to it
• Is about to cause the frustration of Jesus to manifest.

Jesus is dealing with unbelieving, perverted, and ignorant people.

They are a people who refuse to see the truth,
And it provides yet another opportunity
For Jesus to address their Messianic Misconceptions.

Let’s work our way through the text.
#1 THE REQUEST
Luke 9:37-40

We read “On the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him.”

What is not explicitly stated, but apparent is that
• Jesus and His disciples have now made their way back from the desolate region of Caesarea Philippi,
• They have come back across the Sea of Galilee and are once again in the populated region of Galilee.

And here, after ascending the mountain and being transfigured,
Jesus has now returned and “a large crowd met Him.”

Luke then adds that, “a man from the crowd shouted, saying, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only boy, and a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth; and only with difficulty does it leave him, mauling him as it leaves.”

Mark’s gospel adds
• That it is “a spirit which makes him mute” (9:17)
• And that during his episode he “grinds his teeth and stiffens out.” (9:18)
• And that “From childhood [the spirit] has often thrown him into the fire and into the water to destroy him.” (9:21-22)
Only Luke includes the father’s statement that “he is my only boy”

And so it’s obvious that not only is this a tragic situation,
But also one meant to pull a little at the strings of your heart.

If you’ll remember Luke has included another story thus far about Jesus addressing a parent whose only son was afflicted.

Luke 7:12 “Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her.”

It’s obvious Luke is making the connection here
Of the expected compassion that would overtake Jesus
When faced with such a tragic reality.

And now that Jesus has descended the mountain
• The man cries out to Jesus
• Because the disciples have been unsuccessful in their efforts

(40) “I begged Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not.”

Granted now, that comes to us a little peculiar
Since we already witnessed at the first of the chapter that Jesus had given these same disciples authority over the unclean spirits.

Luke 9:1 “And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.”

So we’re already a little perplexed with the problem that’s occurring,
But at the very lease we see yet another desperate situation,
With yet another person begging Jesus for relief from their affliction.

THAT IS CLEAR.

NOW, WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO, is to take all your expectations in your mind that you have developed about what you think about Jesus,

And looking at those 4 verses I want you to develop
What you think Jesus is about to do.

• I mean, we know Jesus right?
• Full of compassion, full of mercy.
• We’ve seen Him dealing with the sick and afflicted.

I think everyone at this point most likely expects Jesus to be overcome with sympathy and to say something like,
“O you poor thing, come here and let me fix that!”

Well, hold on because His response is going to be a bit of a shock.
The Request
#2 THE REBUKE
Luke 9:41-42

This point really should be called “the rebukes”
Because there is going to be more than 1 handed out.

But this boy’s father approaches Jesus who begs Jesus to look at his son in hopes that Jesus will deliver him.

And the response of Jesus is this:
“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.”

Now be honest, is that what you expected to hear?
You can sense His frustration can’t you?

A statement like “how long shall I be with you and put up with you?”
Can’t really be interpreted any other way.

Jesus is clearly frustrated.

In fact, He calls them an “unbelieving and perverted generation”

“unbelieving” is APISTOS
(pistis) is the word for faith or belief, the “a” makes it a negative like an “a” theist.

Jesus says that this is a generation that has no faith.
They have no belief.

He then calls them “perverted” DIASTREPHO
“Dia” = through
“Strephos” = to turn

Literally it means “to turn through”
(as in to make crooked, to twist inside out) ultimately to mislead.

Jesus says that this is a generation that does not believe the truth
And one that distorts, twists and perverts the truth they do have.

And because this is who they are,
Jesus asks “how long” does He have to put up with them?

Someone might be tempted to ask if Jesus is just having a bad day.

To understand His frustration you need to see the whole story.

TURN TO: MARK 9:14-32

Here is the same incident in Mark’s gospel.
(READ 14-18)

Already the story is clearing up for us.
• While Jesus was on the mountain revealing His glory the other 9 disciples were in the valley
• And they were approached by a man whose son was demon possessed.
• Luke’s gospel indicates that the man “begged” them to cast it out.
• Mark’s gospel merely says that he “told” them to do it.
• Either way, the man approached the 9 disciples wanting his son to be delivered.

And we know that the disciples could not do it.

Now there is the first problem.
Why could they not?

(READ 28-29)
I like the statement, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”

Now, I don’t know what the disciples were doing,
But I know what they weren’t doing. They weren’t praying.
They weren’t seeking God’s help in the matter.

Matthew’s gospel gives even more insight here.
Matthew 17:19-21 “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. [“But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”]

Their problem was a “littleness” of faith.
Expressly revealed in their lack of prayer.

The indication is that the disciples
Tried to deliver this boy by their own strength.
They tried to deliver this boy by their own works.

I don’t know what that looked like for them.
I KNOW TODAY we see people rebuked, slapped on the forehead, punched in the stomach, and many other manners of ridiculous attempts, and it’s all foolishness.

But that already explains part of Jesus’ frustration.
He has just expressly laid it out for the disciples what is expected of them.
• Namely the preaching of the cross, and ultimately faith in Him
• And it’s apparent that the disciples have missed it on both counts.

And when this man approached them this demon kicked their tail.
Jesus was clearly frustrated with the disciples misunderstanding
Of their purpose and the source of their power.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL.

By the time Jesus arrives a crowd has already gathered
According to Mark’s gospel “they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him. And He asked them, “What are you discussing with them?”

Are you starting to understand what’s going on?
• These disciples tried to deliver this boy in their own strength and failed.
• And their failure looked like the just the open door that the scribes wanted to try and discredit Jesus.

And by the time Jesus arrives there is already a debate,
No doubt dealing with what a sham Jesus is.

And when Jesus shows up, they put Him on the spot
Wanting Him to prove He can do what His disciples claim.

So when Jesus asks what all the argument is about,
IT IS THEN that this man speaks up and says, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute…I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not.”

The disciples have just entered Jesus in a demon fight.

Does that make sense?
• He just came down off the mountain where His mission on the cross was reiterated by Moses, Elijah, and the Father
• And now He finds that the other 9 disciples have entered Him in a battle against a demon that they couldn’t defeat.

And it is apparent that the crowd, (even the father), are SKEPTICAL.

Look at Mark 9:21-23

Did you catch the father’s immediate statement?
“But if You can do anything…”

You can hear the skepticism of the crowd
Even coming through the request of this desperate father.

So maybe now Jesus’ frustration seems a little more legitimate.

His disciples have totally disregarded the truths Jesus has just revealed back in Caesarea Philippi
• They have entered a battle, which they lost.
• They then got into an argument that Jesus could do it, and in effect entered Him into a battle with this demon

The crowd is skeptical and the scribes are no doubt spreading the word that Jesus can’t do a thing.

And after all that does His rebuke seem a little more fitting?
“You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”

He came down off this mountain
And was instantly greeted with unbelief and perversion.

Is He compassionate? Yes (He’s going to heal the boy)

BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE THAT HE IS FRUSTRATED
By both the crowd and the weak faith of His disciples.

This is NOT what His ministry is supposed to look like.
• He is not in this thing to prize fight against demons.
• He is here to save the lost through the preaching of repentance and through an
atoning death.

The disciples and the crowds have distorted all of that.
And so they earn a rebuke.

That’s the first rebuke.
The second rebuke is for the demon.

(42) “While he was still approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy and gave him back to his father.”

Now this scene is actually a little comical.
• Apparently after defeating the disciples
• And getting pumped up by the skepticism of the crowd,
• This demon is ready for a fight.

The demon even puts on a little display (like a pompous wrestler entering the ring) “the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion.”

The demon in effect flexed his muscle.
Then comes the fight, but it’s not exactly Rocky II

“But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy and gave him back to his father.”

Battle over.

Mark’s gospel gives a little more detail.
Mark 9:26-27 “After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up.”

It is once again the tremendous power of Jesus.
• He never raised a finger.
• No headlocks, No kidney punches, No body slams,
• Just a rebuke and this heralded demon was gone.

It is yet again the tremendous power of Jesus.
What is far too much for humanity is not even difficult for Jesus.
His authority is not pretend, it is real
His power is not over-hyped, it is legitimate

Certainly the disciples new that,
But they had totally missed the point of His prior warning
To leave that part out and to go and preach His cross.

Instead they entered Him in a fight in order to prove how powerful He was.
Do you see why they got a rebuke?

The Request, The Rebuke
#3 THE RESPONSE
Luke 9:43-45

And here we could also call this “the responses” because there is actually 3 here.

You get:
• The Response of the Crowd (43)
• The Response of Jesus (44)
• The Response of the Disciples (45)

Now this is important.
• The disciples entered a Jesus in a demon fight,
• The crowd did not think He could win it, they were unbelieving.
• And yet, Jesus overwhelmingly defeated the demon.

And here’s what we read about the crowd.
“And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.”
Luke also adds that “everyone was marveling at all that He was doing”

They were “amazed” and they were “marveling”

“amazed” is EKPLESSO
It means “exceedingly struck” or today we might say, “blown away”

They just couldn’t believe what they just saw.

“marveling” is THAUMAZO
It means “to wonder” or even “to admire”

So stop there for a second.
• These disciples just entered Jesus in a battle with a demon in order to defend His power and maybe even His divinity.
• And Jesus won the battle and all the crowd was blown away and admired Him.

They, in effect, lifted Jesus on their shoulders
And carried Him around hailed Him as the champ!

BUT STOP!
Jesus already expressed the problem of the crowd.
What was it?

They were “unbelieving”
Does it say that now they believed? No, they were just blown away.
Does it say they denied themselves and followed Him? No, they just admired Him.

Can I again state the obvious to you?
• OUR GOAL IS NOT TO JUST AMAZE PEOPLE WITH JESUS
• OUR GOAL IS NOT TO JUST CAUSE THEM TO BE BLOWN AWAY WITH ALL HE CAN DO

Hell will be full of amazed people.
Hell will be full of demons that are blown away at the sight of Jesus

The requirement for salvation is NOT that you are AMAZED with Jesus,
• It’s that you believe in Jesus.
The requirement is NOT to ADMIRE Him,
• But that you deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Him!

And no doubt someone in our culture would say: “But don’t you think that showing off how powerful Jesus is will cause people to believe?”

(That’s what so many in our world seem to think)

Well, you tell me.
• Did it work for this crowd? No
• In fact, I can’t see that it really ever worked.

Jesus said:
Matthew 12:38-39 “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;”

This is why we are not trying to push signs and wonders.

What does cause people to believe?
Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

Romans 1:15-16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

It is the preaching of Christ that leads to faith.
Isn’t that what Jesus has been saying?

And yet even Jesus’ disciples seem adamant
That they just want to put Jesus in situations
Where He can put His power on display,
Thinking that will be more effective than preaching the cross.

Incidentally Paul addressed this specifically to the Corinthians.
(Remember they were caught up in mystical signs and wonders and especially a desire to speak in tongues)

Here is what Paul wrote to them:
1 Corinthians 14:23-25 “Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.”

It’s not the demonstration of powerful signs and wonders that leads men to faith in Christ, it’s the preaching of His gospel.

THIS IS WHAT JESUS HAS BEEN SAYING.

But the disciples haven’t wanted to hear that!
• They don’t want to hear about Jesus suffering and dying
• They don’t want to hear about following Him to death
• This is why Peter rebuked him back in Caesarea Philippi
• This is why Peter spoke up on the mountain

They would much rather convince people to follow Jesus
By reason of His tremendous miraculous power.

That’s what the disciples want,
AND HERE they even defiantly pursued that course with this crowd,

And it didn’t work.
• The crowd was amazed
• The crowd marveled
• But they did not believe
• They did not submit

Woe to us if all we do is produce a multitude of people
Who are amazed with Jesus but who do not believe in Him.

That’s the response of this crowd,
And their response brings about then A RESPONSE FROM JESUS.

(43b-44) “He said to His disciples, “Let these words sink into Your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”

What a statement!
“Let these words sink into Your ears”

• You can hear His frustration again.
• You guys just aren’t getting it!

Might I say that what Jesus says here to the 9 disciples
Is precisely what God the Father had said to Peter up on the mountain.
LISTEN!

“the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”

• It doesn’t matter how much you think that popularity is the goal…
• It doesn’t matter how effective you think a publicity stunt can be…
• None of that changes the fact that the ordained plan of God is that I suffer and die on the cross.

We’ve said it over and over now for the past month.
The Cross – The Cross – The Cross

That’s where Jesus is going
That’s where His followers are going
That’s what we preach

Don’t get sucked in to thinking that
• This world can somehow be redeemed just by making Jesus famous.
• This world can somehow be saved if we can just show them how powerful Jesus is.
• If we just tell the world that Jesus is powerful and can heal all their diseases and solve all their problems that it will somehow lead the world to believe.

IT WON’T!
The plan has always been the cross and the preaching of the cross
“Let these words sink into your ears”
(i.e. “get it through your thick skulls”)

What a message for the church today.

But then we come across THE RESPONSE OF THE DISCIPLES, and it is both peculiar and disheartening.

(45) “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.”

Well FIRST WE RECOGNIZE that despite the emphatic statement,
They still didn’t get it.
It’s not registering to them that the cross is the only way of salvation.

But the peculiar part is the statement which says, “and it was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it”

Our first question would be: Who concealed it?
Well, there’s only two options.

SATAN:
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.”

But that one seems a bit unlikely since the disciples do believe.
They have faith, granted Jesus just exposed it as little faith, but they do have faith.

Well then the only other option is GOD
But why would God conceal something from the disciples when Jesus just told them to let it sink into their ears?

We have been told why God does this before.
Matthew 13:11-13 “Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”

• There are truths that people will not see and so God makes it where they cannot see.
• There are truths that people will not hear and so God makes it where they cannot hear.

The apparent truth here is that
While Jesus was emphatically telling the disciples
To embrace the message of the cross
That the disciples still did not want to hear it,
And so it was concealed from them where they could not hear it.

And all they were left with was fear.
“they were afraid to ask Him about this statement.”

The disciples had every opportunity to graduate to the next level of ministry.
• They had rightly been shown that Jesus was the Messiah.
• And they had been told of His plan of atonement through the cross,
• But because they didn’t want to see it they couldn’t see it and the training continues.

It is just another incident where Luke reveals to us the tremendous MESSIANIC MISCONCEPTIONS of the disciples.

They still didn’t get it.

THE CROSS IS THE MESSAGE
• Don’t fight it when Jesus reveals it
• Don’t reject it when Jesus requires it
• Don’t omit it when seeking to minister

But the disciples are still stuck in their refusal to die to self and embrace the cross and follow Jesus, so the education must continue.

What is clear is that their unwillingness to yield is frustrating to Jesus.
“How long shall I be with you and put up with you?”

Friends, that is not where we want to land as the church.
• I don’t want to be the church that frustrates Jesus.
• I don’t want to be the church that Jesus must reluctantly tolerate.

LISTEN TO WHAT HE IS SAYING.
• The cross is the means of salvation for the world
• The cross is what Jesus came to do
• The cross is what we embrace
• The cross is what we carry
• The cross is what we proclaim

Getting sidetracked with other things
Is to miss the point and to frustrate Christ.

The Song of the Saved – Part 1
Psalms 18 (1-3)
November 11, 2018

Tonight we come upon the 18th Psalm,
And you are already aware that it is a bit of a lengthy Psalm,
And so it will likely take us more than one week to cover it.
(But because it will be about 3 weeks before we return here,
You get to study it on your own)

We also recognize that it is a Psalm which indicates its context.

The subtitle says, “For the choir director. A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD, who spoke to the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said,”

And we do need to take note of this,
For a definite key to interpretation of this Psalm is found here.

Let’s take then some parameters.
1) “For the choir director”

• While it is most certainly a song that David wrote for the LORD,
• And while it was born out of David’s personal walk with the LORD,
• It is ultimately intended to be a song for the church.

David wrote it, but God inspired it,
And He did so with the intent that
The church would declare it for ages to come.

More than merely a personal reflection,
This is an inspired hymn of truth that the church must learn and sing.

2) “A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD”

This comes to us in almost New Testament fashion
As we are accustomed to reading in the epistles how Paul or Peter or James identified themselves as “bond-servants” of Christ.

David here is identified in the same manner.
• He doesn’t refer to himself as the King or the Shepherd or even the Musician.
• David is nothing here but a servant.

He is in subjection to the LORD.

That tells us then HOW we are to sing this song.
• We sing it with the heart of a servant,
• We sing it with the heart of one who is in submission to the LORD.

• It is not sung for show
• It is not sung in pride
• It is not sung in hypocrisy

This song is the song of a grateful and devoted servant.

3) “who spoke to the LORD”

This answers the question as to who this song is for.
It is sung “to the LORD”

• It is NOT for primarily intended for men, though we all learn it.
• It is NOT sung that we may garner applause
• IT IS SUNG FOR THE LORD’S ENJOYMENT.

It is sung to Him as a song of praise from a humble servant.

4) “the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.”

This tells us WHEN we sing it.
It is a song which reminisces of salvation.

David’s life had many enemies.
• He warred beasts
• He warred giants
• He warred kings
• He warred kingdoms
• He warred usurpers
• He warred marauders

David fought many battles,
And this song was sung from the peace which was obtained
By the LORD at the end of all those battles.

This song is sung at the occasion of salvation.

SO WHEN DO WE SING IT?
Ultimately a song best sung from the glories of heaven when our salvation is totally complete.

BUT CERTAINLY WE SING IT IN EVERY PHASE OF SALVATION.
You understand the phases of salvation.

We begin with JUSTIFICATION,
• Which occurs the moment in which you call upon the Lord and you are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and you are justified before God.

Certainly we sing this song on that day
Because we have been saved from our sin.

Next comes SANCTIFICATION
• Best referred to as “the process of you becoming what you are.”
• It is where you begin to kill off the old man and to walk in the new man.
• It is the process of you becoming more and more practically righteous in your living.

And though this life is filled with battles
Against the flesh and temptation and sin,
Each time the Lord gives us victory in one of those areas
We sing this song again.

And finally comes GLORIFICATION
• Which occurs when the flesh is utterly gone either by death or rapture.
• The body of sin is completely done away with,
• The flesh no longer has a pull
• And you live in perfect holiness and righteousness.

While this song is sung by the saved of earth,
It is ultimately a song which is sung by the glorified of heaven.
They sing it in gratitude, we sing it in faith.

That’s the song of Psalms 18,
• How it’s sung,
• Who it’s sung to,
• When it’s sung
• Even why it’s sung.

It is a song that recounts the deliverance of God.
It is the song David sang when he was fully delivered
And the song he taught the church to sing for the same reasons.

So it is “The Song of the Saved”

But as we said, it is somewhat lengthy.
It is 50 verses long and this makes covering it a bit of a challenge.

My main struggle with this Psalm this week
Was in determining how to present it to you in a way
Where you understand the point and what your expected response is.

So, we’re going to take a unique look at this Palm.
(not the way we customarily do it)
But I think this will help you grasp it better by the time we are done with it.

Obviously here we are dealing with a song,
And so we are going to study it as such.

Now in doing that, I want you to think for a moment about the very basic and simple elements that are contained in a song. (at least lyrically speaking)

If a song comes on the radio there is PORTION OF THAT SONG
That is meant to be emphasized and grasped over every other element.

That portion of the song is THE CHORUS

The chorus of any song is its heartbeat.
• The chorus is the main point that the song writer is seeking to emphasize.
• It is the portion you sing over and over.
• It is purposely the most memorable, the clearest, and the most concise.
• It often comes with the catchiest portion of music and is often the easiest part to sing.

This is what the writer wants you to get and learn
If you get and learn nothing else.
It is the main message.

For example, take the song “Here I am to Worship” (a fairly common praise song.)

The chorus of that song is the main point.
“Here I am to worship, Here I am to bow down, Here I am to say that You’re my God. You’re altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to me.”

That’s the main message that the song-writer wants you to grab.
It’s the main point he gives over and over and over.

He wants you to get that
• God is worthy of worship
• That He should be worshiped
• Because He is lovely and worthy and wonderful.

That’s the point.
It is the heartbeat, it is the Chorus.

And then with a song we also deal with THE VERSES

What is the purpose of the verses?
• The verses are there to articulate the facts which emphasize the chorus.
• The verses tell us why the chorus is true.
• The verses give depth to the chorus.
• The verses motivate you to sing the chorus.

Take the same song we just looked at. that God is worthy of worship.

The verses drive you to that conclusion.

“Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness, opened my eyes made me see. Beauty that made this heart adore you, hope of a life spent with you.”

“SO HERE I AM TO WORSHIP…”

“King of all day, O so highly exalted, glorious in Heaven above. Humble You came to the earth You created, all for love’s sake, became poor.”

“SO HERE I AM TO WORSHIP…”

Those verses articulate why God is lovely and worthy and wonderful.
He stepped out of heaven and came to this earth
And opened my eyes and became poor that I might be saved.

So absolutely I can agree with the chorus that He is worthy of worship.
That’s what the verses do.
They help you understand the chorus, and motivate you to sing it.

And then we are also commonly introduced to another aspect in our songs. I usually hear it referred to as “THE BRIDGE”

The Bridge can serve various purposes.
• It can add a point, or correct a possible misconception.

But mostly it is used as a summation of all the apparent truths.
• It is highly motivational in nature.
• It is the strongest appeal of the song to get you to sing that chorus.
• It enhances everything (and at times crescendos)
• It is for reflection

And the idea being that
If those verses have not yet motivated you to sing,
Then this bridge will push you over the top.

In the song we are looking at we hear:
“And I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross. No I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.”

“SO, HERE I AM TO WORSHIP, HERE I AM TO BOW DOWN…”

Now I tell you that because I want you to approach Psalm 18 as a song.

• I want you to grasp that there is a CHORUS which is the heartbeat.
• I want you to grasp that there are VERSES which explain the chorus.
• I want you to grasp that there is a BRIDGE which enhances everything and drives you to sing that chorus.

And now, let me quickly lay out this Psalm for you
So that you can see where this all fits
And then we’ll come back and start working through it.

THE CHORUS (1-3)
• This is the heartbeat of the Psalm
• This is the main point
• This is what you get if you get nothing else

THE VERSES (4-45)
• Verse 1 – “David’s Deliverance which God Executed” (4-19)
• Verse 2 – “David’s Devotion which God Empowered” (20-29)
• Verse 3 – “David’s Dominion which God Established” (30-45)

And you could imagine that the chorus could be sung
After each one of those verses.

THE BRIDGE (46-50)
• Where David sums the point and gives his most passionate plea for us all to sing that chorus to God.

SO THAT IS HOW THIS SONG LAYS OUT.
Perhaps that will help us work through it with a better understanding.

With all that being said,
Tonight we want to cover that main point of the Psalm.
Tonight we want to cover THE CHORUS

So that would be the first point:
#1 THE CHORUS
Psalms 18:1-3

As we said, this is the heart of the Psalm.
• This is the main thrust of what David wants to express to the LORD
• This is the main point that David wants to instill to the church as he calls for the choir director to lead this song.

• Everything in this Psalm points to our understanding of these 3 lines.
• Everything in this Psalm points to our singing of these 3 lines.
• Everything in this Psalm points to our doing what David is doing here.

This is the heart

And for better understanding,
We can break down what David is doing here into 3 statements or actions.

1) I LOVE YOU, O LORD, MY STRENGTH (1)

Now that point we just take verbatim
Because it is incredibly clear and concise.

But we do need to look a little closer at it.

2 words here we want to define are “love” and “strength”

What is interesting is that neither of those words are common words.

Well actually the word for “love” is a common word
It’s just that this is the only time it’s every actually translated “love”

Thy typical word for love is AHEB, but that is NOT the word David uses.
(That would be like the “love the LORD your God with all your heart” word.)

The word here is RACHAM
And most of the time it is translated “compassion” or “mercy”

Psalms 103:13 “Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.”

What we are dealing with here in verse 1
Has more to do with the concept of “CHERISHING” or extremely valuing.

John MacArthur commented like this: That the word David uses is “intended to express very strong devotion. Like when Peter reminds the Lord that he loves Him in John 21:15-17”
(MacArthur Study Bible Notes)

Whereas we all understand that the word love is first an action,
Here David chooses a word that denotes more of the EMOTION.

• David isn’t just loving God in a covenantal commitment sense.
• David actually cherishes God
• David actually values God
• David is devoted to God

The other word we see is “strength”
It is the word CHEZEQ and this is the only time it is ever used in the Bible.

My Hebrew Lexicon tells me that
It refers to strength in the sense of receiving help.

Those are two words you need to understand,
But the MOST IMPORTANT WORD in the verse is the word “my”.

• God is not just a help
• God is not just a strength
• God is “my strength”

There is a personal nature in which David reflects.
He cherishes God for helping him.

Now put that together and we understand
Why David cherishes and values God so much,
And it is because God is his help.

• It is God who comes to David’s aid
• It is God who never fails him
• It is God who can always be counted on

This is the day in which David has achieved victory over all of his enemies
And the first thing David does is GIVE CREDIT
TO THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT of those victories.

• In every battle…
• In every conflict…
• In every situation…

There was one thing that David cherished more than anything.
THAT WAS GOD.

And just those words are a good encouragement to us.
To look back over the battles in our lives
And to be able to recognize that God alone
Was the essential piece, our essential help, our essential strength.

THERE IS CERTAINLY A TEMPTATION AMONG MEN
To examine their lives and the battles they have fought
And to assume that their victory was secured
By some great ability of their own.

• It’s because I’m so smart…
• It’s because I’m so fast…
• It’s because I’m so strong…
• It’s because I’m such a good speaker…

On the day when David’s battles were done,
He didn’t cherish any of those things as the essential piece of his victory.

He didn’t say, “I love you slingshot! I could never have done it without you!”
He didn’t say, “I love you strong arm!” or “I love you brilliant mind!”

For even in that famous battle,
David knew where the help was coming from, and it wasn’t his sling.

1 Samuel 17:45-47 “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. “This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD’S and He will give you into our hands.”

David knew what the essential piece of the battle was.
And it was God that David cherished.

• What do you cherish?
• What do you lean on?
• What do you boast in?

Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.”

• When you go to work, what is it that allows you to be successful?
• When you parent your children, what is it that allows you to succeed?
• When you minister to the lost, why is it that you are effective?

DAVID HAD NO DOUBT
What the most important tool in his belt was, it was God.
• God was his help
• God was his strength
• And David now cherished God more than any other

You can see that
“I love You, O LORD, my strength.”

2) I PRAISE YOU, O LORD, MY STRONGHOLD (2)

(2) “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Now first of all, YOU DON’T SEE
The element of praise expressly mentioned in verse 2,
That actually comes in verse 3
When David says that the LORD “is worthy to be praised”

But what you have occurring here is
David putting on a display
Of all the reasons God should be praised.

He goes on a synonym rush trying to encapsulate all that God is to him.

And David actually assigns 8 distinctions to God.
• “my rock”
• “my fortress”
• “my deliverer”
• “my God”
• “my rock, in whom I take refuge”
• “my shield”
• “the horn of my salvation”
• “my stronghold”

All of those terms have military implications.
All of them have to do with deliverance in battle.

“my rock” CELA in the Hebrew and it speaks of “a crag, or a cliff, or a rock”

Judges 15:8 “He struck them ruthlessly with a great slaughter; and he went down and lived in the cleft of the rock of Etam.”

This then speaks of God as the place where David is secure.
A place where he can go and hide.

“my fortress” This is a word that speaks of a mountain fortress or castle or stronghold.

When David fled from Saul we read:
1 Samuel 22:3-4 “And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother come and stay with you until I know what God will do for me.” Then he left them with the king of Moab; and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.”

That is the same word translated “fortress” here.
David saw God in that same sense, as a place of security for him.

“my deliverer” is a word that speaks of escape.

Psalms 17:13 “Arise, O LORD, confront him, bring him low; Deliver my soul from the wicked with Your sword,”

We understand the concept from passages like:
1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

That is how David saw the LORD
As one who could provide for him the way of escape.

“my God” it is the word EL here. And certainly it refers to God but even more so in the sense of the “mighty one” or “strength” or “power”.

It is not just the One David worships,
But the One who actually performs as a God on David’s behalf.

“my rock, in whom I take refuge”

It is a different word for “rock” than used earlier, but they are synonyms.
It still speaks of a cave or cliff or a giant rock, and David says here that this rock is a place of “refuge”

That is a word that means “to trust”
He is a trustworthy rock
He is a trustworthy hiding place

“my shield” – it’s a word that means just that.
God is One who shields and protects David from all the fiery darts of the enemy.

“the horn of my salvation” – this is the reference really to the only offensive weapon in the list.

“the horn” is like that of an ox, which the ox uses for defense.
David says that God is his “horn”
God is the weapon that delivers and saves him.

“my stronghold” – this is a word that means “high place” or “a place of refuge”

Now clearly you see here that the focus
Isn’t so much on the diversity of those phrases,
But rather their similarity.

David is rattling off every word he knows to describe exactly who God is
And for David God has been (if we could sum it up) a stronghold.

God has been his main defense.
God has been his main shield or protection or cave or deliverance

And in that we certainly understand why David would want to praise God.

• HE CHERISHED GOD BECAUSE God was always his personal help
• HE PRAISED GOD BECAUSE God was always his source of safety
and protection

HERE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT SECURITY.
Someday when this life is over and you set foot in heaven,
Will you pat yourself on the back for having been so steadfast to keep from falling?

Of course not!
• We know who has protected us
• We know who has shielded us
• We know who has kept us

John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

John 6:39-40 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

Jude 24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,”

We praise God for our security.
We praise God as our stronghold.

That is what David is doing.
• He didn’t win because of his own strength
• He didn’t survive because of his own endurance

ALL OF THAT WAS GOD.

I Love You, O LORD, My Strength
I Praise You, O LORD, My Stronghold
3) I TRUST YOU, O LORD, MY SALVATION (3)

“I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.”

Do you see the certainty and the conviction here?
• He doesn’t call on God because he knows God can save.
• He doesn’t call on God because he knows God has saved others.

He knows that when he calls on God that God saves him.
“I am saved from my enemies”

There is certainty and conviction in that statement.
Romans 10:9-13 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

When I call on God, He saves me.

And of course then you understand that when we talk about calling
We are talking about faith or trust.

In short, David trusted God.
He praised Him for all that He had done in the past,
But THAT TRUST HAD NOT EXPIRED.

I know the Psalm says that David sang this “in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul”

And that’s true, so far as David knew it.
But how was David to know if another enemy might spring up tomorrow?

HE DIDN’T.
But he did know that even if another enemy would arise,
He knew who he was going to call on.

It was the absence of worry and the presence of faith.
• God had never failed to help him
• God had never failed to defend him
• And David would never fail to call on God

These are the truths bound up in passages like:
1 Peter 5:6-7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

Philippians 4:4-6 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

That is what David is talking about here.

So put those together and you hear
What David wants to express to God now that all of his battles are over.

I Love You, O LORD, my Strength
I Praise You, O LORD, my Stronghold
I Trust You, O LORD, my Salvation

So on the day when David is fully delivered
This is the song that David sings to the LORD

And this is the song that David appoints for the choir director to teach to the congregation.

Namely that we should:
• Cherish God who will personally help us
• Praise God who alone is our victory in battle
• Trust God who is a sure salvation when we call on Him

NOW THAT’S THE CHORUS
That’s the heart
That’s what we sing over and over and over

The rest of this song is to drive you to see why David sings it,
And to convince you to sing it as well.

The Transfiguration
Luke 9:28-36
November 11, 2018

If you’ve been with us the last few weeks
Then you know we’ve been covering
An especially difficult portion of Scripture.

Jesus has taken the disciples to Caesarea Philippi and there He revealed to them exactly who He was.
• He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and the disciples acknowledged their understanding of that truth by making a public confession to that extent.

However, as soon as the disciples solidified that truth, Jesus immediately warned them not to tell anyone what they knew.
• Instead of going out and proclaiming Him as the Messiah and Reigning King, the disciples were instead told to embrace His suffering, His rejection, His death, and His resurrection.

To men who expected Him to rule immediately
That was a shocking message.

Matthew’s gospel even tells us that
Peter pulled Jesus aside and rebuked Him for saying it.

But Jesus was sincere. His death was a certainty.
• And that meant that anyone who was following Him should also brace themselves for that reality.

Which is why Jesus went on to say:
Luke 9:23 “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

Perhaps this is why the disciples struggled so much with Jesus announcement of His own death…THEY WERE FOLLOWING HIM.

• It’s one thing to follow someone who says they are going to glory.
• It’s quite another to sign up to follow someone who is headed for death.

But that is exactly what those who follow Jesus must understand.
And so in order to follow Him Jesus outlined some realities that all of His would-be followers must accept.

1) SELF-DENIAL – You can’t follow Christ for selfish reasons, and you can’t follow Christ banking on your own goodness. To follow Him you must totally disown yourself.

As Martin Luther wrote in his famous hymn:
“Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also, the body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.”

2) SUFFERING DAILY – Anyone following Him would take upon themselves the suffering and shame of the cross.

3) SACRIFICIAL DESTINATION – the call to follow Jesus was a call to death. Jesus was headed to glory, but He was headed there by way of crucifixion. Anyone who followed Him had to understand that.

Those are difficult realities.

And Jesus understood the difficulty of making such a decision
So He continued with His reasons as to why a person should follow Him to self-denial, suffering and death.

Luke 9:24-26 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

• You should follow Jesus even with the cost because otherwise you go to hell. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it”

• You should follow Jesus even with the cost because keeping this life won’t be worth it in hell. “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?”

• You should follow Jesus even with the cost because He will return and will judge those who don’t, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Song of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory.”

Following Jesus is a difficult concept
A person must indeed count the cost of following.

However, Jesus gave ONE MORE REASON to follow Him despite the cost.

Luke 9:27 “But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

Jesus said that you should follow Him despite the cost
Because the kingdom He is leading you to is real.

In fact, He promised to show it
To some of these very disciples before they died.

It is true that they were facing
Hardship and suffering and death for following Christ,
But they were gaining the kingdom of heaven,
And Jesus promised to let them see it.

And that is precisely what we see in our text this morning.
Jesus is about to show some of His disciples
The glory that awaits on the other side of suffering.

• Certainly it is meant to encourage them
• Certainly it is meant to persuade them to follow
• Certainly it is meant to solidify their hope
• But it is also meant to settle in their hearts the necessity of His death.

And you’ll see that as we get into it.

4 things
#1 GLORY REVEALED
Luke 9:28-29

“Some eight days after these things, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.”

I don’t really know why Jesus picked these three,
Except that it was evident that these three had a more personal
And intimate relationship with Jesus than the rest did.

These were the same three that accompanied Him further in the garden.
• It could very well have been that these three were the leaders.
• Most certainly He needed three to fulfill the O.T. requirement of witnesses.
• Deuteronomy teaches that on the testimony of two or three witnesses a matter is to be confirmed.

So Jesus takes these 3 with Him up the mountain.
(29) “And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming.”

We are all aware of what took place when Jesus came to this earth.

Philippians 2:5-7 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”

From eternity past Jesus “existed in the form of God”,
But for the last 30 or so years He existed “in the likeness of men.”

Jesus did not cease to be God when He came to earth,
But He did cease to receive the glory that God deserves.

He relinquished His glory, and He came in the form of a humble servant.

But on this day, the real Jesus stepped out.
All this world had ever seen was the costume He was wearing.

Isaiah 53 described the costume:
Isaiah 53:1-3 “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.”

Isaiah depicted the costume Jesus had been wearing.
• It was not stately…
• It was not majestic…
• It was not attractive…
• It was full of sorrows and woe…
• It was not esteemed, in fact it was despised…

But on this day the costume was removed.
On this day, for just a few moments the real Jesus stepped out.

And the result?
“the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming.”

What tremendous glory He has!

In fact, the world has never seen anything like it.
You may remember that Moses took on himself the glory of God, but do you remember what Moses did?

Moses hid it behind a veil.

But no veil could hide this glory, for even “His clothing became white and gleaming”

It is certain that Jesus was a beacon on this mountain top.
He had a glory no garment could cover.

And we are reminded of a very important fact,
And that is that his suffering and humiliation is only temporary.

We tend to think more of Jesus as the suffering servant
Than we do as the glorified king.
(Namely because so much of Scripture deals with His suffering)

But rest assured His humiliation is the strange part.
His glory is the norm.

Hebrews 1:3 “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

THE NEXT TIME this world sees Jesus, it will be in this type of glory.

Remember how John saw Him?
Revelation 1:12-16 “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.”

Remember the vision of the 2nd Coming?
Revelation 19:11-16 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

This is the normal Jesus.
This is the expected Jesus.
The veil of flesh was temporary, it was the costume.

And on this day, for just a moment, the real Jesus shined through.
He was transfigured and His glory shown forth!

That is why John was able to say when he wrote His gospel:
John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John said, we saw His flesh, but rest assured He was full of glory.
John knew, because on this day he saw it.

So the glory of Jesus was revealed.
Glory as bright as the sun, glory that no garment could contain.

This is the real Jesus!

Glory Revealed
#2 CROSS REINFORCED
Luke 9:30-35

“And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah.”

We know who they are, and in a moment you’ll see why they are here.
(And this was not a vision, these men were really there)

Together they are representative of the Law and the Prophets.
And so here on the mountain we have the Written Word,
The Spoken Word, and the Incarnate Word

WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT is that when this representative of the Law
And this representative of the prophets and this Incarnate Word
Get together; notice the subject they are talking about.

“speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem”

“departure” there does not indicate His ascension.
It speaks of His death.

Peter uses the same word in his epistle to speak of his own death.
2 Peter 1:15 “And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.”

Furthermore the term “accomplish” speaks of victory
Over and through a suffering.

1 Peter 5:9 “But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”

Jesus, Moses, and Elijah had convened on this mountain top in their glory
And were speaking about the coming crucifixion of our Lord.

This was not a “nice to have you back conversation”
This was a conversation about what He was about to endure.

And so Jesus, even though temporarily out of his shell,
Is still looking to the cross,
It was the message of the Law, it was the message of the prophets
And it is obvious all of heaven anticipates it with Him.

When they speak with Jesus, it is NOT that He should avoid the cross
As Satan suggested in the wilderness and as Peter suggested earlier.

They are speaking of all that He will “accomplish” through the cross.
• On the cross, He will fully satisfy all of God’s wrath against all of those who would ever believe.
• On the cross, He will purchase the remnant, the elect, the children of God
• On the cross, He will purify His bride
• Through death He would conquer the grave and put an end to the power of the enemy

Hebrews 2:14-17 “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. For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”

Moses and Elijah show up to give Him the encouragement that He needs.
Moses and Elijah are already glorying in the cross.

This is certainly the song of Heaven:
Revelation 5:8-10 “When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

Moses and Elijah are the first to sing it!
They are rejoicing in all that Christ will “accomplish”

But it is at this point that Peter jumps in.

(32) “Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.”

NOW LET THE SCENE SINK IN.
• Jesus took them up to pray and they had no idea what was coming.
• During the prayer time they fell asleep (not the only time we see that)
It doesn’t mean they were bored or disinterested,
The Scripture says they “had been overcome with sleep”.
Their weak flesh couldn’t fight it any longer.

• They had fallen asleep.
• But something woke them up.
You and I both know what it was, it was the light of His glory!

And “when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.”

SO LET ALL THIS SINK IN.
The last week has been a difficult week for the disciples.
• They just learned definitively that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, the
Savior of the World.
• But they were told not to tell this to anyone.
• And then Jesus immediately started introducing them to the reality of His
suffering and death, and calling them to follow Him to the same fate.

Don’t assume that this was an easy week for the disciples.
There was a lot of soul searching going on.

I would imagine that even the prayer time Jesus had led them to
Had much to do with facing the promised suffering.

But now, after they wake up,
They see something they most certainly had not expected.
“they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.”

They see Jesus glorified, and He is standing there with Moses and Elijah.
(No doubt Jesus had to introduce them)

And they were talking about Jesus death on the cross.
• And I’m sure that while the conversation was taking place the disciples were just quiet bystanders.

BUT SOMETHING HAPPENS.
(33) “As these were leaving Him…”

NOW THINK ABOUT IT.
For the first time Peter is finally seeing what he really wanted to see
Remember it was Peter who actually rebuked Jesus
For even insinuating that death on a cross was necessary.
• Peter wanted to see the glorified King!
• Peter wanted to see the glorified Son of God!
• AND HERE IT IS!

But now, Moses and Elijah are leaving
After reconfirming that Jesus is going to die on the cross.

AND PETER INTERVENES
“Peter said to Jesus, “Master it is good for us to be here;”

IN OTHER WORDS,
• “This is good; now we’re talking; this is what I’m talking about!”
• “Glad to see we’re past all of that suffering talk, this is the way You need to present Yourself to the masses!”

Could you imagine if Jesus revealed Himself to the Jews in glory
And with Moses and Elijah standing on either side of Him?

Wow! What a message that would be!

But now Moses and Elijah are leaving.
And Peter, in a fleshly impulse speaks up.
“let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”

A tabernacle was a tent or house of sorts.
• Peter wanted them to stay.
• Peter wanted this to be permanent.
• Peter wanted Jesus to remain in glory and for Moses and Elijah to stay with Him.

To which Luke adds that Peter was “not realizing what he was saying”

I mean, imagine the implications here if Jesus takes Peter’s advice.
(Incidentally, this was the same advice of Satan in the wilderness;
Skip the cross, go straight to glory)

If Jesus takes Peter’s advice then every single human dies
And goes to hell because we have no one to atone for our sin.

Peter didn’t have a clue what he was talking about.

My dad has said, “Peter was always broadcasting when he should have been tuning in.”
Man is that ever true.

(34) “While he was saying this…”
• That means that Peter had more to say, but God interrupted him.

“While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!”

So while Peter is still in the middle of telling Jesus
What He ought to do next, God intervenes.

He reminds Peter of 2 things.
1) “This is My Son, My Chosen One”

That is to remind Peter of Jesus’ status.
Jesus, not Peter, is the Son of God. Jesus, not Peter is God’s Chosen One.
And Jesus, not Peter will make the plans.

2) “listen to Him!”

God told Peter it was time for him to stop talking and start listening.

For the past week Peter has had this idea
That Jesus didn’t need to go to the cross,
And despite the messages of Jesus
It is apparent that Peter still wanted to get his point across.

At this point, God from heaven intervenes and says, “Peter, enough is enough, quit talking and start listening.”

I don’t know if God has ever told you to shut your mouth,
But He did here to Peter.

Jesus was here for one purpose, and that was the cross.
Peter didn’t like it, Peter chose to argue with it,
And God finally put a stop to it.

On this mountain, not only was the glory of Jesus revealed,
But His cross was reinforced.
Jesus was here to suffer and die.

Glory Revealed, Cross Reinforced
#3 HUMILITY RESUMED
Luke 9:36a

“And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.”

Now here Matthew’s gospel adds:
“When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified.”

I can picture James and John holding their hands over Peter’s mouth.
“Quit talking Peter before He kills us all!”

These men don’t know what is about to happen.
“And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” And lifting their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.”

That’s what Luke says as well, namely that “Jesus was found alone”
• It was a nice moment.
• It must have felt good to wear the glory for a few more minutes.
• But now, it is back to the focus.

The glory is once again concealed it is normal Jesus.

Once again Jesus tells His glory “good-bye”.
Once again He veils Himself in human flesh.

And that is a very dramatic point to be made to those who are watching.
There is no doubt they saw His glory
And there is no doubt they wanted it to remain.

But after a stern rebuke from heaven that the cross comes first,
They now see Jesus back in humble form.

It should have really sunk in at this moment what He was here to do.
No more arguing, no more manipulating, no more discouraging.

This is the plan of God and it is time to get back to it.

Glory Revealed, Cross Reinforced, Humility Resumed
#4 TRUTH REALIZED
Luke 9:36b

So the event has occurred,
Jesus has done just as He said He would back in verse 27.

These men saw His glory before they tasted death.

And finally it appears that they are starting to get it.
“And they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.”

What you see there is that the disciples finally beginning to understand the point Jesus had made back up in verse 21.

Remember it?
Luke 9:20-22 “And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.” 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.”

That seemed so strange, it is apparent that they hadn’t fully agreed.
They hadn’t fully understood…UNTIL NOW.

Now they are beginning to get it.
• The cross is the plan of God.
• The cross is the means of atonement.
• I’m not sending you out to preach glory, I’m sending you out to preach My suffering and rejection and death and resurrection.

“They kept silent, and reported to no one in those days”

The purpose of this event
Had certainly been to confirm the hope of glory,
But it had also been to solidify in the disciples minds that
The cross was the means of glory.

They had never seen it that way before.
• All that Jesus said about suffering and death seemed wrong.
• But now they are starting to understand.

The question is: DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
• Do you understand why the Son of Man must suffer and die?
• Do you understand why we follow Him there?
• Do you understand why we go out and preach the cross?
• Do you understand why our focus is not on proclaiming some prosperity gospel message?

• The central them of all Scripture is the cross of Jesus.
• The focus of heaven is the cross of Jesus.
• The calling we accept is to embrace the cross of Jesus.
• The message we preach is the cross of Jesus

And we embrace this message because through the cross glory is certain.

And that is an encouraging truth!

In fact, at the end of his life,
• Peter wrote an epistle to suffering believers.
• He wanted them to stand fast, he wanted them to endure.

And do you know what story he told them to encourage their faith?
2 Peter 1:12-18 “Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind. For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased” — and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”

Peter said that this is for you.
• And it was not a cleverly devised tale.
• This glory is real, Peter says, I saw it.

The death of Christ was necessary.
Following Christ is costly.
You will be required to deny yourself to follow.

BUT…
• Glory awaits!
• Heaven awaits!
• Salvation is real!

Jesus showed it to the disciples to encourage you to look past the suffering to the glory that follows.

Incidentally, He would do the same with Paul.

Remember?
2 Corinthians 12:1-4 “Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago — whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows — such a man was caught up to the third heaven. And I know how such a man — whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows — was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.”

Paul says that he saw great things that he can’t even speak about.
How does that help us?

Well listen to the encouragement Paul is able to give because of that:
Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

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.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

It was the encouragement that we can embrace the suffering that is required because the glory that follows is real and so worth it.

And so as the reality is sinking in to the disciples,
Let it sink in to you as well.

We are called to deny self, take up the cross and follow Jesus.
No, it won’t always be pleasant, yes some of it will be hard.

But it is the call none the less.
We must choose to follow anyway,
Knowing that the glory that follows will be worth it.

Luke 9:24 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.”

Taking Refuge
Psalms 17
November 4, 2018

Many times in our studies of these Psalms we’ve talked about
The reality of taking refuge in God.

Psalms 2:12 “Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”

Psalms 5:11 “But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You.”

Psalms 7:1 “O LORD my God, in You I have taken refuge; Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,”

Psalms 11:1 “In the LORD I take refuge; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain;”

Psalms 14:6 “You would put to shame the counsel of the afflicted, But the LORD is his refuge.”

Psalms 16:1 “Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.”

It’s clearly a common mindset of David as he writes the Psalms.

And as we have looked at it, we have often drawn the parallel
To the New Testament term “In Him”.

We, as believers in Jesus, are those who are “in Christ Jesus”
• He is our refuge, He is our hiding place, He is our strong tower.
• We are saved from the wrath of God in Him.
• We are clothed in His righteousness.
• He is that rock of ages and we hide ourselves in Him.

And so clearly the term “refuge” is an important term for us.

That term is made even richer in our Psalm tonight,
As we glean a significant theological statement here.

(7) “Wondrously show Your lovingkindness, O Savior of those who take refuge at Your right hand, From those who rise up against them.”

I’ve told you before that it is a wonderful practice
To read the Psalms and write down something new you learn about God.

We read the Psalms looking for who God is.
It’s not just a theological truth we seek,
But in reality we are seeking the very face of God.

Who is He?

And Psalms 17 makes one of the most definitive
And beautiful statements that we have seen yet.

That God is the “Savior of those who take refuge at [His] right hand.”

We see in verse 17 that familiar word “lovingkindness”
Which we recognize as CHECED or “loyalty”.

And we are again reminded of what David is talking about here.
• God is loyal to His elect.
• God is loyal to those whom He has chosen.
• God is loyal to those who take refuge in Christ, who is at His right hand.
• God is loyal to save them.

David even goes so far in verse 18 as to call those who take refuge in Him
• “the apple of the eye”
And those who are
• Hidden “in the shadow of Your wings”

Those statements bring to mind
Some very vivid and beautiful truths.

It is about Israel that we read:
Zechariah 2:8 “For thus says the LORD of hosts, “After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.”

It is a picture of God’s great care for His elect.
• An enemy had sooner poke God in the eye as to attack His precious ones.

The term “shadow of Your wings” is also a rich term,
Used several times in the Psalms.
It is a picture of a mother eagle protecting her young.

Both phrases have their root in the song of Moses to the children of Israel
Deuteronomy 32:10-11 “He found him in a desert land, And in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye. “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, That hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions.”

It just reminds of the tremendous reality of God as the Savior of those who take refuge in Him.
• He guards them
• He guides them
• He is loyal to them
• He saves them

This is the role of God for those who take refuge in Him.

And I think we can all agree yet again that
Taking refuge in God is a glorious and wonderful thing.
Refuge in God is a glorious position to be in.

But tonight in our Psalm I want to get A LITTLE MORE PRACTICAL
Than just to talk about how good it is to take refuge in Christ.

Tonight I want to show you
What it looks like when you do take refuge in Christ.

Or in other words: What taking refuge looks like.

It is important to understand that
There is a difference between knowing the value of taking refuge and actually taking refuge.

It’s like we have also said about faith.
There is a difference between a professing of faith and possessing faith.

There’s a difference between knowing the value of taking refuge,
And in actually taking refuge in the Lord.

So, while we understand the value of taking refuge in Christ,
Tonight I simply want to show you what it looks like when you do.

I want to give you the example of David.
• David didn’t just understand the value of taking refuge,
• David took refuge.

Tonight we get to look at his life and measure ours by his.
Make sense?

What we also find in this Psalm is
DAVID YET AGAIN IN A DIFFICULT PREDICAMENT.

Again, we don’t know the specifics, just the general dangers that he faces.

We already saw David’s request in verse 8, “Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Your wings”

David knows he is the apple, David knows he is hidden.
The request is that God would keep him there.

WHY?
(9) “From the wicked who despoil me, my deadly enemies who surround me.”

The English word “despoil”
• Means “to plunder, or rob, or deprive.”

The Hebrew word here is SHADAD
• Which means “to violently destroy, ruin, or devastate”
• Most of the time in the Old Testament the word is translated as “destroy”.

I think that paints a pretty good picture of David’s predicament.
He is surrounded by those who want to violently destroy him.

(No wonder he wants to be kept as the apple of the eye
And to be hidden in the shadow of the wing)

David continues in his description of them in verse 10.
(10-12) “They have closed their unfeeling heart, With their mouth they speak proudly. They have now surrounded us in our steps; They set their eyes to cast us down to the ground. He is like a lion that is eager to tear, And as a young lion lurking in hiding places.”

Those are some pretty powerful descriptions given of this enemy.

David says “they have closed their unfeeling heart”
• Which indicates that there is no reasoning with them.
• There is no integrity or compassion to appeal to.
• Destroying you doesn’t prick their conscience or give them pause.
• They are callous and cold about it.

David says “with their mouth they speak proudly”
• This of course speaks to their arrogance, their boasting, and their confidence.
• They know they can destroy you, and won’t hesitate to do it.

Add to that the fact that David again mentions that they have surrounded him and that they “set their eyes to cast us down to the ground”
• Which is a picture of death.

And then to finish the picture David describes them as “a lion that is eager to tear, and as a young lion lurking in hiding places.”

So picture yourself in the wilds of Africa
Being hunted by a rogue male lion looking for food.

Are you going to come out of your hiding place and say, “Now wait just a minute Mr. Lion, I’ve got a wife and 4 kids and you just can’t eat me.”

He doesn’t care, he won’t hesitate, he’ll kill you without any remorse.

This is how David describes his current enemy.
So you understand why David feels such need to take refuge in the Lord.

I show you that at the beginning because
I want you to understand here that pretense at this moment
Won’t do David any good.

Knowing that God is a trustworthy refuge won’t help David here.
David’s only hope is to actually take refuge in the Lord.

If he can successfully do that, then he can survive the danger.
If he does not, he’s dead.

We all see that.
So Psalms 17 is labeled as “A Prayer of David”
• It is a very good picture of what it actually looks like when a person genuinely takes refuge in the Lord.

So now that you understand something of the purpose and the setting,
Let’s look at the Psalm.

And I want you to see 3 characteristics of a man who is taking refuge in Christ.
#1 HE CRIES TO GOD WITH A SINCERE HEART
Psalms 17:1-5

Now obviously we are going to focus in on the sincere heart part,
But don’t overlook also the reality that
Taking refuge in Christ includes crying out to Him.

David cries out to God.
(1-2) “Hear a just cause, O LORD, give heed to my cry; Give ear to my prayer, which is not from deceitful lips. Let my judgment come forth from Your presence; Let Your eyes look with equity.”

When you sort of zoom out and look at those 2 verses
You can see The Courtroom Analogy emerge.

• David appeals to the LORD as though He were a righteous and uncompromising Judge,
• And David is appealing to Him to take his case.
• He is not seeking to waste the Judge’s time with frivolities and things of a trivial nature.
• Nor is he seeking to stand before this Judge and try to pull the wool over His eyes.

David comes to Him with “a just cause”
This is precisely the type of case that this Judge should hear.

And so David says, “give heed to my cry”
• Not just my prayer, but my “cry”.
• There is a desperation there.

It brings to mind that afflicted widow
Who kept coming back to the unrighteous judge wanting legal protection.
She had a valid case and he was her only hope.

That is how David comes here.

And when he comes, ALL HE WANTS IS JUSTICE.
“Let Your eyes look with equity.”
• He’s not asking for favoritism.
• He’s not asking for tilted scales.
• He just wants the righteous Judge to make a righteous ruling.

Now, at this point, we state the obvious.
• If you’re going to approach a righteous Judge
• And if you’re going to ask him to make a righteous judgment,
• Then you had better make sure that you are in the right.

Only a fool would come in deception…
Only a fool would come seeking to hide iniquity…

And that is why David then states his credentials.
(3) “You have tried my heart; You have visited me by night; You have tested me and You find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.”

Now don’t misunderstand David there.
He’s not making a claim to absolute sinlessness in his life.

What David is saying is that he is totally upright in this matter.

IT’S LIKE WHEN WE DEAL WITH OUR KIDS.
(I realize my kids are the only ones who fight)

Zech may come running into the room in tears saying,
“Zek just hit me for no good reason.”

That would be the claim.
• It is Zech saying, “I want a just ruling from a just judge.”
• He is also saying, “I am totally innocent here, and I want you to deal with it.”

Well, if you’re gonna enter that courtroom and make that claim,
Then there had in fact better be “no good reason”.

Because when we cross-examine Zek we’re going to find out,
And if you brought it on yourself
Then might I remind you that YOU CAME ASKING FOR JUSTICE.

Well David here comes before God and basically says that
“His enemies have no good reason”
He’s not saying he is always perfect or innocent, but he is in this matter.

And then he opens his life to the cross-examination and scrutiny of God.
“You have tried my heart;”
• Which speaks of all the motives and internal desires.

“You have visited me by night”
• Which is to say you’ve seen me when I was alone and accountable to no one

“You have tested me”
• Saying that God had in effect cross-examined and investigated the situation.

And what is the answer?
“You find nothing”

I am innocent in this matter.
“I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress”

That is how David comes.

Furthermore, he reminds this upright Judge
That it has always been his deepest intent
To follow the rules of this Judge,
Despite the temptations around him.

(4-5) “As for the deeds of men, by the word of Your lips I have kept from the paths of the violent. My steps have held fast to Your paths. My feet have not slipped.”

Judge, you know me.
• You know how often I go against the flow to do things your way.
• You know my track record.
• You know my innocence in this regard.

Now, in light of David’s danger.
And in desperate need of God’s refuge.
THIS IS HOW DAVID APPROACHES THE LORD.

HE CRIES TO GOD WITH A SINCERE HEART

Taking Refuge in the Lord for David meant
Continually living in a manner that pleased the One
He was counting on for deliverance.

We know David counted the LORD to be his refuge,
Because in all of David’s daily dealings and decisions
David was aware that he must not offend the God he trusted.

Does that make sense?

• If I’m claiming to take refuge in Christ, but I’m living in a way that is offensive to Christ, am I really taking refuge in Him?

• If I count the righteous Judge to be my deliverance, but I don’t walk in righteousness, can it really be said that I am trusting in that judge?

It would be foolish
To walk in sin and then approach a righteous judge for an upright ruling.

If I’m leaning on the righteous Judge for my deliverance,
Then at the very least, I should be living in a manner
So as to be able to appeal to that Judge for deliverance.

And so that is our first measuring stick.
• Can I claim to be taking refuge in Christ, if I’m living in a manner that is offensive to Christ?

Can I say with David, “You have tried my heart; You have visited me by night; You have tested me and You find nothing;”?

Want me to give you AN EXAMPLE
Of people who cry to the Lord without sincerity of heart?

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.’”

Or how about:
Luke 6:46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

Or:
Luke 13:24-29 “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘ I do not know where you are from.’ “Then you will begin 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.’ “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. “And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.”

Do you see the problem there?
They claim the Lord as their refuge,
But their claim is proven insincere by the sinfulness of their lives.
(They weren’t really counting on Him as a refuge,
If they had been, they would have obeyed His commands)

People who really take refuge in the Lord, cry to Him with a sincere heart.
#2 HE CRIES TO GOD WITH A SINCERE HOPE
Psalms 17:6-12

We already looked at the last few verses of this section as we chronicled David’s current dangerous predicament.

But what I want you to see here are those first few verses
Where David reveals what a trustworthy refuge that he believes God to be.

Here we read why David chooses to appeal to God and God alone.
The first reason is found in verse 6
(6) “I have called upon You, for You will answer me, O God; Incline Your heart to me, hear my speech.”

Why does David cry out to God?
Because God “will answer”

David believes God to be a sure and steady hope.
David believes God to be a reliable refuge.

If a lion is hunting you, you aren’t just looking for a patch of grass to lay down in. That’s not a reliable refuge.

You want something that will work.
• Give me a tree to climb
• Give me a cave to hide in
• Give me a thicket to stay in

POINT BEING, you really know what a person thinks about their refuge when the danger is really present.

People may make claims all the time
About how much they trust God until the going gets tough
And then we find out whether or not we are really taking refuge in Him.

DAVID REALLY BELIEVED GOD WAS A RELIABLE REFUGE.

Again I remind you what David believed about God.
(7-8) “Wondrously show Your lovingkindness, O Savior of those who take refuge at Your right hand From those who rise up against them. Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Your wings”

We see those continual themes.
• God is loyal, David speaks of “Your lovingkindness”
• God is a “Savior” a qualified deliverer of His people
• God can “Keep me” in danger
• God can “Hide me” when trouble comes

If you ask David, “Do you really think God is a trustworthy refuge?”
David would say, “Yes”

How do we know David believes that?
Because when his life is in danger, that’s where he goes.

David’s hope in God was a sincere one.
David really trusted God.

And there is the second truth by which we measure our lives.

Where do I run when trials come?
• Where do I run when danger abounds?
• Where do I run when the situation is spiraling?

THE ANSWER IS: You will run to your refuge.

And that is why we can ask
Do you really take refuge in the Lord?

Again, it’s one thing to say we know that Christ is a refuge,
It’s another thing to actually take refuge in Him.

We are talking about having A SINCERE HOPE (a genuine faith)

This was one of the main points of the writer of Hebrews
To those he confronted.
They were in danger, they were in persecution, they were in turmoil, and they contemplated forsaking Christ and returning to Judaism.

To them he wrote:
Hebrews 10:36-39 “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”

He reminded them that they should not leave their refuge for another.
And then he gave the faith chapter with example after example
Of people who also had a sincere hope.

Christ was their refuge and they proved that in times of trouble.

WE MEASURE OUR LIVES BY THAT.
• Do I have A SINCERE HEART when I cry out to Christ?
• Do I have A SINCERE HOPE that Christ is in fact a reliable refuge?

#3 HE CRIES TO GOD WITH A SINCERE HUNGER
Psalms 17:13-15

Here we find David crying to God with YET ANOTHER REQUEST.
“Arise, O LORD, confront him, bring him low; Deliver my soul from the wicked with your sword,”

And that’s NOT a peculiar statement to us at all.
• Since David is really taking refuge in God,
• And God is really his source of protection
• That request makes perfect sense.

• God, I’m counting on You to win this battle for me.
• You have to go out and face that lion and kill him.
• You have the sword, You need to work the deliverance.

But there is more here that becomes very telling for us.
• We already saw a general description of the danger of the wicked up in verses 9-12.
• We already know how lethal they are.

What we DON’T KNOW is the type of wickedness they possess.
Who are these people?
• Satan worshipers?
• Pedophiles?
• Al Queida?

Who are they?
(14-15) “From men with Your hand, O LORD, From men of the world, whose portion is in this life, And whose belly You fill with Your treasure; They are satisfied with children, And leave their abundance to their babes. As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.”

I’m betting you didn’t see that one coming.

Do you see who these wicked are that David wants refuge from?
• They are “men of the world”

What do you mean by that David?
They are men “whose portion is in this life”
• Which is to say they have no care for eternal things.
• It’s all about how much of this world can they get.

They are men “whose belly You fill with Your treasure; They are satisfied with children, And leave their abundance to their babes.”

WAIT! WHAT?
David’s enemy are simply people who love the world
And use God as a means of obtaining more of it?

YES

And David even allows that God seems to go along with their plan.
• All they want is worldly wealth,
• That’s all they ask for,
• That’s all they seek,
• And God even goes along with that desire for a while.

They just want to get rich, they want to enjoy a life of comfort,
And they want a leave a big inheritance to their children.

David calls them “men of the world” (a.k.a. “the wicked”)

Of these men, Spurgeon wrote:
“Their sensual appetite gets the gain which it craved for. God gives to these swine the husks which they hunger for. A generous man does not deny dogs their bones; and our generous God gives even his enemies enough to fill them, if they were not so unreasonable as never to be content. Gold and silver which are locked up in the dark treasuries of the earth are given to the wicked liberally, and they therefore roll in all manner of carnal delights. Every dog has his day, and they have theirs, and a bright summer’s day it seems; but ah! How soon it ends in night! “They are full of children.” This was their fondest hope, that a race from their loins would prolong their names far down the page of history, and God has granted them this also; so that they have all that heart can wish. What enviable creatures they seem, but is only seeming! “They are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.’ They were fat housekeepers, and yet have no lean wills. Living and dying they lacked for nothing but grace, and alas! That lack spoils everything. They had a fair portion with the little circle of time, but eternity entered not into their calculations. They were penny wise, but pound foolish; they remembered the present, and forgot the future; they fought for the shell, and lost the kernel. How fine a description have we here of many a successful merchant, or popular statesman; and it is, at first sight, a very showy tempting, but in contrast with the glories of the world to come, what are these paltry molehill joys. Self, self, self, all these joys begin and end in basest selfishness; but ho, our God, how rich are those who begin and end in thee! From all the contamination and injury which association with worldly men is sure to bring us, deliver thou us, O God!”
(Spurgeon, C.H. [“The Treasury Of David – Volume 1” Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA] pg. 220-221)

I think if David had elaborated, that is probably how he would have said it too.

These are the wicked, these men of the world,
Who love the world and hoard the world.
And these are the threat that David seeks to be delivered from.

And all of a sudden we see David’s danger in a whole new light.
These aren’t people threatening to kill David’s body,
These are people threatening to tempt his soul into spiritual death.

These are the Jones’s that everyone seems to be trying to keep up with,
And David knows that there is nothing but death in their path.

He is here running to his refuge
For deliverance from such a dangerous temptation.

That is why he makes this wonderful confession at the end of the Psalm.
(15) “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.”

God, all I want is You and righteousness.
• God, I don’t want their worldly riches…
• God, I don’t want their worldly fame…
• God, I don’t want to be trapped and ensnared by their lusts…
• I am coming to You, my refuge, asking for deliverance from their temptations and honestly confessing that all I want is You.

THAT IS WHAT WE CALL A SINCERE HUNGER.
David hungers and thirsts for righteousness, which is found in His refuge.

Does that make things even clearer now?

IT IS ANOTHER MEASURING STICK FOR US.

In Christ, our refuge, we are clothed in His righteousness.

But can I really claim to be taking refuge in Christ,
If the world and not righteousness is really my aim?

Let me take you to a New Testament passage that fits this Psalm to a “T”
(We read it this morning)
TURN TO: PHILIPPIANS 3:17-21

Hopefully you recognize Philippians 3 as that passage from Paul about how he lost all things and considered them rubbish so that he could gain Christ and be found in Him.

That was Paul speaking of the day that he entered Christ, his refuge.
• He had a sincere heart
• He had a sincere hope
• He had a sincere hunger

He only genuinely wanted Christ and Christ’s righteousness
And he believed that Christ and Christ alone could supply it.

Now look at the end of that chapter,
When Paul stops his testimony and starts his sermon.

(17) “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.”

This is Paul saying, “Take refuge in Christ like I take refuge in Christ.”

Why?
• Because there are many who say they take refuge, but they don’t.
• They do not have a sincere hunger for Christ’s righteousness.

They are actually men of the world.

(READ 18-19)
• Does that not sound like those men that David spoke of in Psalms 17?
• And Paul calls them enemies of the cross.
• All they want is to satisfy their fleshly lusts.

• Paul says “their god is their appetite”
• David said, “whose belly You fill with Your treasure.”

AND THEN THE REMINDER.
(READ 20-21)

We aren’t looking for this world, we are looking for the next.
Take refuge in Christ!

And that is the point of Psalms 17 as well.

We all understand the necessity of taking refuge in Christ.
THE QUESTION IS: Are we taking refuge in Christ?

And to find out we ask ourselves 3 questions
That we learned from listening to David’s prayer.

Do I have a sincere heart?
• Do I just call Him Lord, or do I obey Him too?

Do I have a sincere hope?
• Do I really believe He is a reliable refuge, and do I prove that by running to Him in danger instead of other safeties?

Do I have a sincere hunger?
• Do I really want Him, or do I just seek to use Him to gain more of the world?

Being in Christ is the most valuable thing we can hold.
David here helps us to see whether or not
We are actually taking refuge in Him.

Choosing To Follow Jesus
Luke 9:24-27
November 4, 2018

If you’ve been following along with us the last few weeks in Luke’s gospel
Then you know that we are currently in a segment that we are calling “Messianic Misconceptions”

It is a segment where Jesus is correcting some of the misconceptions
That His disciples had about the role and ministry of the Messiah.

And thus far we have seen that the biggest misconception
Was that the Messiah would come and instantly
Make all of our struggles disappear.

While Jesus will one day return and reign upon the earth and usher in total peace, that is NOT what He came to do at first.

Jesus warned the disciples NOT to go out and preach that message.

What the disciples had failed to understand is that
Jesus had come to Suffer and be Rejected and be Killed and be Raised.

Of course we know that this is essential to the salvation of man,
But the disciples did not yet know that.

The reason it was important for them to hear it now is because
JESUS WAS ABOUT TO CALL MEN TO FOLLOW HIM,
And the disciples needed to know exactly what that meant.

If your belief is that Jesus is the Messiah and that the destiny of the Messiah is comfort and riches and glory and fame then following Him is a no-brainer.
Who wouldn’t follow the king to glory and comfort?

But before Jesus would receive glory and honor and a throne,
He would first receive scorn and shame and a cross and a tomb.

And anyone who is following Him should know that first and foremost.

Perhaps that is not what the disciples had expected.
But in verse 23 (which we saw last time) Jesus laid it out for us all.

Luke 9:23 “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

They are the three requirements for everyone who would follow Jesus.

1. Self-Denial – you must disown yourself; your works and your flesh.
2. Suffering Daily – you are embracing the cross and the shame that comes with it.
3. Sacrificial Destination – The recruiting of Jesus is a recruitment to death. That is where He went, and that is where those who follow Him go.

IT IS DIRECT, AND IT IS DIFFICULT TO GRASP.
But everyone must come to grips with this.
We must acknowledge that this is the requirement laid out by Jesus.

If you submitted to some lesser requirement, I’m sorry, you were lied to.
• This is what Jesus requires.
• This is what Jesus demands

Salvation requires the denial of self, the daily suffering of bearing the reproach of the cross, and the destination of our Lord,
Which was death at the hands of godless men.

There’s no way around this requirement.
You are either following or you aren’t.

We looked at that last week, and I know it’s hard to hear. In fact, I’m well aware that some probably refused to hear it.
• In some cases that seed fell on the road and Satan already took it away.
• I understand that some most likely chose to convince themselves that even though they won’t follow there, they are still saved in spite of what Jesus said.

I’m aware of that.

But I’m also aware that some no doubt had ears to hear.
• I’m aware that some were willing to deal with that verse.
• Some have internalized it and that seed is in the soil taking root.

But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to swallow.

And so the OBVIOUS QUESTION after such an intense statement by the Lord is this: Why would anyone submit to the requirement of Luke 9:23?

Why would anyone follow Jesus if following Him requires denying yourself, suffering daily and ultimately death?

And the answer to why they would still follow Him:
TO BE SAVED
Jesus requires this because this is the only way for man to be saved.

A few years ago one of mission teams listened to a sermon called “Ten Shekels And A Shirt”. In that sermon the preacher asked:
“Why should a person come to the cross? Why should a person embrace death with Christ? Why should a person be willing to go in identification down to the cross and into the tomb and up again? I’ll tell you why. Because it’s the only way that God can get glory out of a human being!”

We submit to this requirement because it is the requirement of salvation.

TURN TO: JEREMIAH 21:1-10
The setting here is simple.
• After God gave Israel the Promised Land, they embarked in so much idolatry and rebellion against God, that God has determined to judge Israel by removing her from the land for 70 years.

• He has raised up the nation of Babylon to come and overthrow Judah, to burn the city of Jerusalem, and to deport the survivors to Babylon that they might be taught to seek God.

• The immediate scene is that King Nebuchadnezzar is outside of the city wall and those who are holed up in the city want to know what to do.

(READ Vs. 1-2)
There’s the question.

Well, God sends an answer.
He is about to destroy the city of Jerusalem and all who dwell in it.
(READ Vs. 3-7)

And as we said, this is judgment for the sin of Judah.
• They have spurned God,
• They have broken the covenant,
• They have bowed down to other gods,
• They have committed spiritual harlotry,
• They have profaned the Sabbath,
• They have abused the poor,
AND GOD HAS HAD ENOUGH.

It is time for judgement on their sin.
Babylon is here to destroy their city and kill all who are there.

However, God is by nature a Savior.
And so God graciously gives provision for salvation
Even from this horrific judgment.

Here is the option, here is the way of salvation.
(READ Vs. 8-10)

You have a choice.
• You can choose to stay in this city, and keep your life and you will die.
• Or you can leave this city and your life, and present yourself to the King of Babylon and you will live.

• Will you be a slave? Yes
• Will you suffer hardship? Yes
• Will you have to go out in faith that God will protect you? Yes

But that is your only option for salvation.

Now, had you lived in Babylon in that day,
There is no doubt you probably would have raised your hand and said, “What about option 3?”

You know, the option where we get to keep our life here in Jerusalem,
But we don’t die with the sword, how about that option?

Now, why was that option not available?
Because they had sinned and sin requires consequences.

And when you understand that sin demands consequences
Then you understand that the offer to go
Present yourself to Babylon was actually an offer of grace.

God had every right to just kill them.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And perhaps that story helps you understand
Why it can appear like we only have 2 bad options.

The reality is that it is only by grace that we even have this option of Christ.
• God does not owe any of us salvation through Christ.
• He only owes us judgment.

Christ however has arrived to be a way of salvation for us,
His offer is not cruel, it is an offer that provides a way to be saved.

But one thing is true.
SALVATION REQUIRES A DIFFICULT DECISION

I know we are those who believe in the sovereignty of God in regard to salvation.
We talked about it in our study of The Doctrines Of Grace.

Namely that REGENERATION is a monergisitic work.
• God must do it all.
• Man is dead in sin and incapable of choosing Christ on his own, so God must breathe life into that man.
• It is a work God does apart from any help from man.

However, the work of JUSTIFICATION is a synergistic work.
• It is a cooperative work.
• You must choose to give the faith God has granted

And we see that throughout the Scriptures
That man is commanded to choose and to choose correctly.

Jeremiah 21:8-9 “You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. “He who dwells in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty.”

Deuteronomy 30:19 “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,”

Joshua 24:15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

What Jesus commands here is a decision that you must make.
You must decide to deny yourself, take up your cross daily,
And follow Him.

This morning, Jesus is going to tell us
WHY WE SHOULD MAKE THAT DECISION,
Even though it is difficult.

There are 4 points to be made this morning.
#1 A DOCTRINAL TRUTH
Luke 9:24

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.”

First I want to make sure that you DON’T JUST SEE THE NEGATIVE here.

What cannot be missed in this statement is that
JESUS OFFERS TO US A WAY TO BE SAVED.

“whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.”

What must be acknowledged is that
God has made a way of salvation possible
And He most certainly was under no obligation to do so.

John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

Romans 5:7-8 “For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

People in our condition ought not squabble about the means.
The fact that salvation is even available is a miracle of divine grace.

There is a way! (Hope is not lost!) And Jesus already gave us that way.

Luke 9:23 “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

Disown your life, embrace the suffering of the cross of Christ
And follow Him to the point of death and beyond.

All Jesus is doing here in verse 24 is telling you
WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE THAT WAY; why you should accept that offer.

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it”
• If you choose not to deny yourself.
• If you choose not to disown yourself.
• If you choose that you want to keep all your plans and works and treasures and not disown it all for Jesus.

Then you can do that, for a while.
But ULTIMATELY you will “lose it”

What is Jesus speaking of?
Revelation 20:11-15 “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Be sure and notice that statement, “This is the second death”.

If you choose not to die to yourself here,
Then you have just solidified your appointment with the second death.
In short, you lose life eternal.

However, you do have a choice.
“but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.”

And “loses his life” is another reference
To that denying of self and taking the cross and facing death.

If you will do that for Christ, then you “will save” your life.

Jesus speaks of these people too:
Revelation 20:1-6 “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.”

There we see the phrase, “This is the first resurrection”
And “over these the second death has no power”.

See the difference?

The first reason you should follow Jesus to the cross:
BECAUSE OTHERWISE YOU WILL GO TO HELL.

The fact remains, you cannot save your own life.
• You are not strong enough
• You are not wise enough
• You are not good enough

If you reject Christ’s offer and choose to keep your own life
With your own resume and your own plans you will end up in hell.

God will not accept even your best efforts.
Isaiah 64:6 “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

Paul said it like this:
Romans 8:12-14 “So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

Get the point?
• Only in Christ is salvation possible,
• And the cost for this salvation is to forsake this life.

• That was true of the disciples
• That was true of the Rich Young Ruler (who rejected it)
• That was true of Paul
• That is true of you and me

If you want eternal life then you must surrender this one.
That is a Doctrinal Truth
#2 A PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTION
Luke 9:25

“For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?”

Here Jesus is simply asking you to do an appraisal.
• Look at the value.
• See what’s in it for you either way.

So, let’s say that you decide to keep what you’ve got.
Your plans – Your reputation – Your possessions
You want to keep it all, and not forsake it to follow Jesus.

BUT JESUS DOESN’T EVEN SAY THAT,
• He actually exaggerates it a little,
• For He speaks of a man who “gains the WHOLE world”

So, let’s push it even further.
• It’s not just keeping your plans, now we’re talking about fulfilling your wildest
dreams
• It’s not just keeping your reputation, now we’re talking about world-wide fame.
• It’s not just keeping your treasures, not we’re talking about “the whole world”

I mean, let’s not even evaluate losing what you’ve got,
Let’s assume that in this life you’ll get everything.

Everything you’ve dreamed of
Everything you’ve ever wanted
You obtain it all.

BUT: In the end you go to hell.
AND THE QUESTION IS: Is that worth it?

IT’S A VALUATION YOU HAVE TO DO.
Now, let me also be very clear at this point.
NO ONE says, “Yes” to that question, (at least not with their mouth.)

People who say “Yes” to that question say “No” with their actions.
They agree that all the treasure in the world is not worth going to hell,
BUT THEY STILL NEVER LEAVE their treasures.

Philippians 3:17-21 “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

Those people AREN’T enemies of the cross because they verbally deny it.
They ARE enemies of the cross because they actively deny it.
All they can think about are the things of this world.

Jesus is not just asking if you know the answer to that question.
Jesus is asking you to act on the answer to that question.

Remember the Rich Young Ruler?
Matthew 19:21 “Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

There were no hypotheticals there with him and there are none with us.

Jesus DIDN’T ASK the Rich Young Ruler, “Would you say that keeping all your money is worth going to hell?” (I’m sure the man would have say no.)

Jesus simply asked the man to leave his money,
And his actions answered the question.

Either you acted on the truth or you didn’t.
• Those in Jerusalem had to leave Jerusalem and present themselves to the King of Babylon, not just agree that that was a better option.

“For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?”

Matthew’s gospel adds a follow up question.
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?”

We see first the same question: How much would you take to go to hell?
(Everyone says “nothing” to that question)

But the second reverses it a bit: How much would you give to stay out of hell?

That’s the question the Rich Young Ruler wouldn’t answer.

And I get it, it’s a hard decision.
Matthew 19:22-24 “But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. 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.”

I agree, it’s hard to disown yourself and your flesh to follow Christ,
But don’t let the fact that it’s hard; cause you to doubt that it’s true.
THAT IS STILL WHAT IS REQUIRED.

So do you see the second reason you ought to follow Jesus?
BECAUSE SAVING THIS LIFE WON’T BE WORTH IT IN HELL

A Doctrinal Truth, A Philosophical Question
#3 AN UNAVOIDABLE REALITY
Luke 9:26

Here Jesus reminds of a coming reality.
Some at this point have chosen to change the stakes.
• Well, what if hell never happens?
• What if Jesus never returns?
• What if the judgment is a myth?

That’s how some people cope with this doctrine,
They just seek to nullify the reality of hell and say it just won’t happen.
I may not deny myself, I may not follow Jesus, I may not forsake this life,
But I don’t think God will really judge people and send them to hell.

(The people who died in the flood or the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah)
MIGHT BEG TO DIFFER WITH YOU
But none the less that is a thought.

So here Jesus reminds of AN UNAVOIDABLE REALITY.
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

Let me remind you of something here.
THE SON OF MAN IS COMING

And just in case you aren’t clear on WHY He is coming,
Matthew’s gospel adds a little more insight:
Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

He’s coming to repay

Have we not read about this day?
Revelation 19:11-16 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

If you want to see that same day from a different perspective, here it is again:
Revelation 14:14-20 “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, ” Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.”

He’s coming back and He’s coming to judge His enemies.
He’s coming to judge anyone who is “ashamed”.

But also please notice that He lists TWO AREAS OF SHAME here.

1) OF ME
“whoever is ashamed of Me”

2) OF MY WORDS
“whoever is ashamed of…My words”

THE FIRST targets those who refuse to take His reproach upon themselves.
THE SECOND targets those who refuse to take His gospel upon their lips.

Does that surprise you?
The Lord institutes the same judgment for those who refuse to proclaim His gospel as He does for those outright deny Him?

LISTEN: There are 2 ways in which you can show shame of Jesus Christ.
1. Is by not identifying with Him
2. Is by not proclaiming His truth

Both indicate shame, and both invite the judgment of the Lord.

Consider now the call of the apostles:
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

2 Timothy 1:8 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,”

2 Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

Do you see that?
Being ashamed of Christ’s gospel
Is just as bad as being ashamed of Christ Himself.

And the main reason people refuse to preach the gospel is because preaching the gospel is costly.
• It will cost you your reputation
• It will cost you your safety
• It may even cost you your life

But you cannot claim that you are not ashamed of Christ
If you are unwilling to testify of Him.

And here Jesus reminds that all who carry that shame
Will in fact be judged when He returns.

You want another reason why you should follow Jesus?
BECAUSE JESUS WILL RETURN AND JUDGE THOSE WHO DON’T.
Plain and simple. It’s an unavoidable reality.

Matthew 24:36-44 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

A Doctrinal Truth to Accept, A Philosophical Question to Ponder
An Unavoidable Reality to Expect
#4 A CERTAIN HOPE
Luke 9:27

Now I get questions about this verse all the time.
Someone will be reading through one of the gospels and read this verse and then call me and say, “What in the world did Jesus mean?”

The answer is simple: Keep Reading
Next is the Transfiguration where 3 of the apostles
Did in fact see the glory of Christ before their death.

But there is more going on here than just that.
What you ALSO MUST SEE by Jesus statement is this:

1) THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS REAL
Salvation is real

Jesus endorses that the kingdom is real
And that some will see it even before they die.

This call of Jesus is not a call to bling suffering with a fool’s hope.

We aren’t just denying ourselves and following Christ
And hoping that He isn’t pulling our leg about salvation.

THE KINGDOM IS REAL – HEAVEN IS REAL – SALVATION IS REAL
In fact, He’s about to show it to 3 disciples ahead of time.

Jesus has promised that
• If you will deny yourself and take up your cross daily and follow Him, you will enter the kingdom of heaven.
• If you will lose this life for His sake, you will find it.

There is no profit in keeping this world and forsaking eternity,
But there is tremendous profit in forsaking this world for eternity.

This is real, this absolute.
First, see that.
2) NOT EVERYONE WHO FOLLOWS WILL IN FACT FACE THE PENALTY OF DEATH

That’s true as well isn’t it?
Not every Christian dies the painful death of a martyr.
• Not every Christian actually has to leave their father and mother
• Not every Christian has to leave the family business
• Not every Christian has to give up all their possessions
• Not every Christian suffers physical persecution or martyrdom

WE KNOW THAT TOO.

Remember the conversation with Jesus and Peter after the resurrection?
John 21:18-23 “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!” Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”

Peter WAS facing death, John WAS NOT facing immediate death.
John was going to live to an old age before he was killed.

We often speak of the Rich Young Ruler and how Jesus told him to give up ALL that he owned.

But what about Zaccheus?
Luke 19:8-10 “Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

The DISCIPLES HAD TO LEAVE THEIR FAMILIES and their homes to follow Jesus, but do you REMEMBER THE DEMONIAC?
Mark 5:18-19 “As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”

AND HERE’S THE POINT
Jesus asks everyone to forsake it all and follow Him,
Even though He may not actually require all of that from everyone.

But you still have to offer it.
Picture it like the men and women who sign up for the military.
They all, at the time they enlist, MUST FACE THE REALITY of separation, of injury, and of death.
• Will they all get injured? No
• Will they all die? No
• They won’t all even be sent overseas.

But every one of them signs up for that when they enlist.

And this is the truth regarding following Christ.

One last passage to consider before we close:
TURN TO: LUKE 14:25-35
• Notice here that Jesus is NOT simply addressing the disciples here.
• He is speaking to “large crowds”

And Jesus reminds them of the very same cost involved.
• Will everyone find animosity with their father and mother for following? No, but some will.
• Will everyone find animosity with their wife for following? No, but some will.
• Will everyone find animosity with their siblings for following? No, but some will.
• Will everyone die or following Jesus? No, but some will.

And you have to sign up for that before you follow.
Which is why Jesus tells us to count the cost.

In fact, in verse 33 He says, “So then, none of you can be My disciples who does not give up all his own possessions.”

Is that true? YES
Jesus might give it back or tell you to hold on to it or like the demoniac just tell you to go home for the time being, but you can’t sign up while withholding.

And that explains that parable at the end (34-35)

WHAT GOOD IS TASTELESS SALT?
• About as good as someone who wants to follow Jesus but unwilling to forsake this life to do so. (Do you hear Him?)

And there is the simple reality.
It is a costly decision to follow Jesus, WHY SHOULD YOU DO IT?
• Because otherwise you will go to hell
• Because saving your life won’t be worth it in hell
• Because when Jesus returns He will send to hell all who don’t follow Him
• Because heaven is real for all who do follow.

SO, CHOOSE CHRIST.
“deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Him.”