Discipleship According to Jesus – Part 6
Luke 6:46-49
May 6, 2018

Well this morning we come to the conclusion of this
Sermon on the Plateau that Jesus is preaching.

THIS IS THE INVITATION.

And I don’t mind telling you, I think it is both the most terrifying
And the most penetrating invitation in the history of the world.

I find it to be the scariest passage in the entire Bible.

Because in this passage Jesus Himself reveals that
There are in fact a great number of people who Think they are saved
And who even enjoy an Assurance of salvation, but who are in fact Lost.
Their security rests upon a false profession.

That is what this passage is about.
That is how Jesus closes this sermon.
IT IS THE MOST URGENT OF WARNINGS

We are already aware of what He has been doing in the message.

He first Comforted the Committed by assuring them that their commitment to Him, although costly in this life, will be well worth the sacrifice.

He then Confronted the Comfortable by telling them that their desire to have comfort over Christ is a decision they will one day greatly regret.

But the bulk of the message has been to Condemn the Curious. He has been exposing how far they are from God’s righteous standard with the purpose of driving them to Him for salvation.

• We’ve seen Him condemn their lack of mercy
• We’ve seen Him condemn their propensity for judgment
• We’ve seen Him condemn their hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and lack of discernment

By this point they should already see their need for Him.
And it is fair to say, that MOST PROBABLY DO.

The problem is that they are seeking to respond to Him
According to their own criteria and not His.

They are willing to make a decision,
It’s just not the decision that Jesus requires.

As we work our way through the text you’ll see what I’m talking about.

2 main points this morning
#1 A PECULIAR PROFESSION
Luke 6:46

That is really a penetrating statement by Jesus.
It ALMOST comes across as a confusing reality to Jesus.

It’s not; He’s not confused.
The Bible says He knows what is in the heart of man.

It’s just that He is pointing out to them how backward
And pointless their profession of faith is.

In many ways their profession is no different than their judgment,
It is undiscerning and empty.

Now we do recognize that they DID have a profession.
They understood that much.

They did in fact call Him “Lord”
They had the outward profession.

The problem of course was that it was an EMPTY profession.
Because they “do not do what [He says]”

They call Him Lord, they just don’t obey Him as Lord.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
It means that THEIR PROFESSION OF FAITH IS A SHAM; it’s a lie.

It harkens back to the empty professions of their fathers.
Psalms 78:34-37 “When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God; And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with their mouth And lied to Him with their tongue. For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.”

The same reality is recognized by the prophet Hosea
Hosea 6:1-4 “Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. “He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him. “So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth.” What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning cloud And like the dew which goes away early.”

In other words, God can’t trust anything they say.

And I am totally convinced that this reality has been a massive problem even in our own day. When professions of faith have become more important than genuine conversion.

I don’t know what church evangelism was like when you grew up,
Or where you grew up, but I know what it was like for my generation.

The goal was simple: MANIPULATE THE EMOTIONS

The whole objective was to
MANIPULATE A PROFESSION BY APPEALING TO THE SENSES.
If it could be done through fear or joy or loss or desire it really didn’t matter, just do whatever it takes to get people to make a profession.

I’ve sat through many of them.
• Some emotion driven song service
• Followed by an emotionally charged charismatic type preacher
• Then a sad story about a tragedy that is somehow compared to the cross or
judgment,
• And then it comes.

“Everyone bow your head, and everyone close your eyes. (cue the piano softly) If tonight you don’t know for sure…raise your hand. Thank you, thank you, God bless you, thank you. If you’re afraid of judgment, raise your hand. I see you, thank you, thank you. If you want to receive the greatest love of all time, please raise your hand, thank you, thank you, wonderful, God bless you. And now, if you raised your hand I’m going to ask you to come to the front and make a profession of faith because Jesus said if you confess Me before men I’ll confess you before the Father.”

And then, just to make the decision easier, at this time counselors are trained to start coming forward, you know just to keep the aisles moving. And then as the music plays and people start to come, “Won’t you come, others are coming, why don’t you come like their coming?”

• And then everyone is asked to fill out a card stating why they are coming.
• They go speak to a counselor who verifies their information tells them they
need to go home and ask to be baptized and they mail the card to the
pastor of their church.
• And the evangelist goes to the next camp and boasts of how 172 people
were saved at the last event.

The problem?
It’s a whole lot of profession, but even time has proven that
Many times those professions never prove to produce any fruit.

THEY PROFESS FAITH, BUT THEY DO NOT POSSESS FAITH.

And this is so important.
• WE ARE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH
• WE ARE NOT JUSTIFIED BY A PROFESSION OF FAITH
Please understand that.

I remember a professor one time asking our class how we know we are saved. We all wrote various answers. I tried to list my spiritual fruit which was indicative of salvation. When we were done the teacher said, “You know you are saved because you asked Jesus into your heart.”

And that’s just false.
But I’ve heard it my whole life.

Someone will doubt their salvation and a person will ask, “Can you remember a time anywhere in the past where you made a profession of faith? Yes? Then you’re saved.”

NO!
A profession of faith never saved anyone.
It is the possession of faith that saves.

“And Abraham made a profession of faith and God credited it to him as righteousness.” No!

“Abraham believed God and God credited it to him as righteousness.”

Incidentally, this is the very issue that is so perfectly handled
In the book of James.

TURN TO: JAMES 2:14-26

The question there is so direct.
“What us is it, my brethren, if someone SAYS he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?”

James is NOT questioning SOLA FIDE or the doctrine of justification by faith alone.

James IS asking what kind of faith is the kind that saves?

And it is obviously the kind of faith which produces works.
Faith that is nothing more than an empty profession is not saving faith.

Which is the point James makes
(15-17) – Faith without substance is dead, it’s nothing.
(18-26) – We know Abraham’s faith and Rahab’s faith were real faith because they weren’t mere professions.

Their faith was validated by their works.

AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH THIS CROWD
THAT JESUS IS ADDRESSING.

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”
There’s an obvious contradiction.

If we look at Matthew’s gospel, we see this passage EXPANDED.

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.’”

From Matthew’s perspective
• Jesus spoke of people who were certain they were saved because of faulty reasoning.
• It was assurance, but it was false assurance.

• They had a profession (called Him Lord)
• They had ministry involvement
• They had miraculous participation
BUT THEY WERE NOT SAVED

Luke doesn’t include that extra info,
But Luke (as he has commonly done) is more direct with the way he records it.

Matthew seemed to hear Jesus speak of people who weren’t saved but thought they were.

Luke hears Jesus directly confront this crowd. “Why do YOU call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

They called Him “Lord” because He had something to offer,
But Jesus wasn’t just looking for a title,
Jesus was looking for disciples, for followers.

And can I just remind you here that
A profession without submission, without obedience is absolutely pointless!

Obedience is an essential element of saving faith.
In fact, as we saw with James,
If you don’t have obedience then you don’t have faith.

Listen to:
John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Do you see how John used the words “believes” and “obey” almost interchangeably?
• If you believe you’re saved.
• But he didn’t say, “if you don’t believe, you’re lost”
• He said, “if you don’t obey, you’re lost”

That’s because true belief obeys.
Disobedience proves absent faith.

Listen to how Paul described saving faith to the Romans:
Romans 1:5 “through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,”

Paul doesn’t just say he is there
To get a profession of faith from the Gentiles.

He is looking for “the obedience of faith”

Romans 15:18 “For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed,”

Again, he doesn’t boast that Gentiles are making professions.
He boast that Gentiles are obeying.

Romans 16:26 “but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith;”

There again, the obedience of faith.

And of course all of that should be obvious in the fact that in order to be saved you must confess that Jesus is in fact Lord.

Romans 10:9 “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;”

Listen to:
Hebrews 5:9 “And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,”

Who is Jesus saving? “those who obey Him”

And that’s not contradictory to what the Bible emphatically teachings about justification by faith, it’s just making the same point that genuine faith produces genuine obedience.

1 Peter 1:1-2 “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.”

Chosen to what?
Chosen “to obey Jesus Christ”

Or this one?
James 1:22 “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

• There James says people who hear but don’t obey are deluded.
• In fact they are self-deceived.
• They have convinced themselves that they are saved but they are not.

Do you see how terrifying this reality is?
Thanks to the gimmicky work of false prophets who care only about manipulating responses out of people,
We have scores of people who think they are saved
Because they’ve made some profession of faith.

What is the problem?
• They don’t obey Christ.
• Which means they don’t really believe in Him
• It means they don’t really trust Him.

And I’m telling you, this is absolutely terrifying!
It is especially terrifying based on the number of people that I know
Who will tell me they are Christians but who seem to care less about ever obeying Him at all.

Well this is how Jesus confronts this crowd.
• He has condemned their lack of mercy
• He has condemned their hypocritical judgment
• And because of that they have run to Him and called Him Lord.

But according to Jesus, that is not enough.

That is a peculiar profession
#2 AN IMPORTANT COMPARISON
Luke 6:47-49

Here we have the story that many of you are very familiar with.
We even sang songs about it as children.
But the reality is again utterly terrifying.

Let’s look at the scenarios here.
(READ 47-49)
• So we have 2 men here and they are both building houses.
• Both of these men receive the same instruction about building their house.
• It is obvious that the instruction was to dig deep and build the foundation on the rock.
• It is also clear that only 1 of those men headed that instruction.
• Both of these men experienced the same storm.
• The man who headed the instruction survived, the one who did not suffered total loss.

You know the story.

And just to make sure that we are again aware of the main point,
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO OBEDIENCE TO THE WARNING.

The surviving man (wise man according to Matthew)
Is described in verse 47:
“Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them”

Do you see that 3 things are required?
• You have to come to Christ.
• You have to hear His words.
• And you have to act on them.

John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

Same point.
And again belief and obedience are seemingly interchangeable.

Everyone in this crowd had come to Jesus.
We read it early on in Luke 6.

Luke 6:17-18 “Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured.”

What did Luke say?
That a large crowd “had come to hear Him”

THE DISTINCTION IS THAT
Some in the crowd acted on what He said, and some did not.

Those who acted on what He said, were like the man who dug deep and “laid a foundation on the rock”

Those who did not act on what He said were “like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation”

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
All you have to do is understand the symbolism of the parable.

• Obviously we (the crowd) are the men building the house.
• The house is our life / our works / our spiritual resume.
• The building instructor is Christ who tells them how to build.
• The “flood” or “torrent” is the judgment, of which all men face.
• The rock on which the wise man built is also Christ.

HERE’S THE POINT.
Jesus just preached on the necessity of righteousness and the reality of judgment.
• That’s why He lifted such a high and lofty standard about things like mercy and love.
• Those who failed to meet the standard would not survive the judgment.

He also made the distinct point that the only ones who would be rejoicing after the judgment where the ones who forsook everything to follow Him.
• Those who chose not to follow Him, but kept their comfort, would not be happy on the other side of the judgment.

NOW DO YOU SEE HOW THIS WHOLE CHAPTER
HAS BEEN FUNNELING TO THIS POINT?

There is a judgment coming. It is a flood, it is a torrent, it is a tsunami.
And you’re life will face the scrutiny of that judgment.
And no one has a good enough life to survive it.

The only house that survives that storm
Is the house that tied itself to the only thing that would survive
The rock; Christ.

Those who weren’t interested in the hardship and sacrifice required to rest on Christ;
• Who didn’t want to dig deep,
• But who just wanted their ease and their comfort;
• They will be sorry.

Those who believed the judgment was coming and knew that their building skills were not enough,
• Decided to forsake their comforts
• And do whatever it took to latch on to Christ;
• They will be so glad they did.

This is a sermon about the necessity of Christ.
And it is a sermon about the necessity of accurately responding to Him.

SO LET’S EVALUATE.
• Did this crowd recognize the warning of judgment? Sure
• Did this crowd pick up on Jesus’ warning that they needed Him? Sure
How do we know that?
Because they professed Him as Lord.

But was this crowd prepared for the judgment?
No – because it was an empty profession.

There is a difference between SAYING you’re going to build on the rock
And actually building on the rock.

Churches are full of people who SAY they understand the importance of Christ, but who never actually submit their lives to Him.

And look, KNOWLEDGE about Christ and the judgment is not enough.
It is essential, but it’s not enough.

TURN TO: HEBREWS 2:1-4
This is actually an almost identical analogy to the one Jesus just gave, only here it is described in NAUTICAL TERMS.

“pay much closer attention” is the Greek word PROSECHO, it means “to moor a ship; to tie up”
“drift away” translates PARARHEO, it refers to a ship that has been allowed to drift past the harbor.

And the writer then asks
(3) “how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”

Please understand the difference between “neglect” and “reject”

The writer was asking
If you just untie your ship and let go of the rudder, what are the odds that it will drift safely into port and anchor itself there?

None – you must take action.
Don’t neglect your responsibility.

That word “neglect” is AMELEO

You’ve seen it before too.
TURN TO: MATTHEW 22

Remember this story about the wedding banquet?
• The first group rejected the invitation (3) “unwilling”
• But the second group “paid no attention” AMELEO (neglected)

They just let the invitation sit on the counter
And they never took the time to respond or RSVP

They didn’t reject, they neglected,
And yet both had their city set on fire (judgment) in verse 7.

Jesus will speak of these types of people again later:
TURN TO: LUKE 14:15-27

The people are excited about the possibility of going to heaven.
• And so Jesus tells them a story.
• It is a story about people who both neglect and reject the invitation.
• They just never take responsibility for the call of Christ.

And they end up being judged.

And to that reality Jesus gave a warning
It is very similar to the warning that He started this sermon in Luke 6 with.

(25-27) “Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

• If you don’t want Me enough to sacrifice your life for Me, then you don’t want Me enough.
• If you don’t recognize your need enough to be willing to forsake wealth and comfort and relationships then you don’t want Me enough.

IS THE MESSAGE STARTING TO GET CLEARER?
• There are whole crowds of people who have heard about the judgment.
• There are whole crowds of people who have heard about the salvation of Jesus.
• There are whole crowds of people who have been told they must respond to Christ.

THE PROBLEM?
They give Him a profession without giving Him faith.
They call Him Lord, they just don’t obey Him as Lord.

And their refusal to obey Him or act on His words
Or forsake all to gain Him
Only proves that deep down they still think
That they can survive the judgment on their own.

That’s the only conclusion that can be drawn.
• They either don’t believe the judgment is real,
• Or they think they can survive it on their own

So despite the warning of Christ,
They just give lip service but never really trust Him.

There were some people like that in Isaiah’s day too.
To them Isaiah said:
Isaiah 28:15-19 “Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception.” Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed. “I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And the waters will overflow the secret place. “Your covenant with death will be canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place. “As often as it passes through, it will seize you; For morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night, And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means.”

Do you see the same point there?
• There is a storm coming and despite what you think, you can’t survive it on your own.
• The standard is too righteous and the storm is too terrible.
• You had better trust in the rock of Christ!

That is what Jesus has been driving it, and that is what I present to you.

What is required?
• You must hear what Jesus is saying.
• You must respond to what Jesus is saying.
• You must place your faith in Him.
• You must trust in His righteousness, not your own as that which will satisfy God.
• You must trust in His death, not your religion, as that which will appease God’s wrath.
• And if that decision costs you everything, then rejoice, you’ve got Christ!

Now, is a declaration of faith part of that? Absolutely

Romans 10:9 “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;”

But a profession without the faith is pointless.

AND THAT IS WHERE WE ARE.
• Are you trusting Christ?
• Are you obeying Christ?
• Are you forsaking the world for Christ?
• Or are you merely saying that you are?

The storm is coming, tie your house to the rock.

042 God’s Goal Is Glory
John 9:1-3
April 29, 2018

Tonight we’re going to continue with our look at SOLI DEO GLORIA
As we have said, this is the CHIEF END.
It is why we are here.

But even more than that, we are learning that God’s glory
Is the driving force behind why God does what He does.

As John Piper put it:
“God has not merely acted so as to be worthy of praise, but more, he has made it his aim to win praise. God does not merely wait to be exalted for his power and righteousness and mercy, he has taken the initiative from all eternity to exalt his own name in the earth and to display his glory. Everything he does is motivated by his desire to be glorified. Isaiah 48:11 is the banner over every divine act: For my own sake, for my own sake I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another”
(Piper, John [https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/is-god-for-us-or-for-himself])

He goes on to say:
“God is praiseworthy, we ought to praise him, we will praise him – these are common truths among Christians, and we affirm them gladly. But less often do we hear the truth that the praise of God’s glory is not merely the result of his action but also the goal and purpose of that action. He governs the world precisely to the end that he might be admired, marveled at, exalted, and praised.”
(ibid)

That is the reality we are currently examining.
God does what He does to the end that His glory might be revealed.
God’s objective is to glorify Himself.

And we have learned that this is TRUE EVEN IF that revelation of glory is achieved through UNEXPECTED MEANS.

We discussed things like the fall.
• Where we learned that God did no merely allow the fall, God ordained the fall,
• For only through the fall of man could God be revealed as the Savior.
• Only after Adam and Even stumbled and fell could God reveal Himself to them as merciful,
• Only after they fell could God atone for their sin by clothing them in garments of skin.

God ordained the fall that He might reveal His glory as Redeemer.

We discussed things like the hardening of the Jews.
• Namely that God gave them a spirit of stupor and eyes to see not,
• That God hardened their heart from believing the gospel.

And God did this that He might reveal His mercy to the Gentiles.

We discussed things like the grafting back in of Israel.
• After killing God’s Son, they certainly didn’t deserve it,
• Yet God has also ordained this, that He might reveal His glorious mercy yet again.

And it doesn’t matter if you want to talk about
• The Fall
• The Hardening of Israel
• The Grafting Back in of Israel
• The Suffering of Joseph
• The Trials of Job
• Or any other incident

We see that it is the sovereign God who ordains all these things
That He might reveal and glorify Himself.

And because this is such an UNDER-DISCUSSED TOPIC, I just wanted to hit it a little bit more this evening before we move on from it.

And I want to start with one story, and then move on to several others.

But we’ll start here in John 9.
It is the story of the man born blind.

• In John 7&8 Jesus had been confronting the Pharisees during the Feast of Booths in the temple, and it was no small argument.

• In fact it ended with Jesus claiming to be the great I Am and the Jews picking up stones to stone Him.

And chapter 8 ends with:
John 8:59 “Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.”

Following that we read:
(9:1-3) As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

So Jesus and His disciples pass by this man,
And it reminds the disciples of a situation they want an answer to.

“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”

That’s familiar to us isn’t it?
WHY THE CAUSE OF SUFFERING?

And we’ve said that many times the common evangelical answer
To the question would be for Jesus to say:
“It was actually Adam’s fault. It was all the fault of the fall. God didn’t want this, God didn’t intend this, it happened because of sin.”

And we’ve already discussed the dangers in that theology.

But the disciples actually had a different question in mind,
For they leave Adam out of the equation.

They only give Jesus two options.
Is this man blind because of his sin, or because of his parent’s sin?

Now first you need to understand that there is a theology in place here
And it is eerily similar to the one adopted by many today.
THE THEOLOGY IS THAT THIS SICKNESS IS THE RESULT OF SIN.

Evangelicals today say it is the result of Adam’s sin.
The disciples DON’T think that.
• They think it is either the man or his parents,
• But they still think the only possible reason why this man could have been born
blind is sin.

I want you to know where the thinking for this comes from.
Exodus 20:4-6 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

But their application is a little skewed,
For those verses speak in a national sense more so than a personal one.
It is obvious that if this generation blows it big time,
The next generation will suffer.
(See the Exile or the Wilderness wonderings)

In fact many passages in the Old Testament teach otherwise.
Deuteronomy 7:9-10 “Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face.”

Deuteronomy 24:16 “Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.”

Jeremiah 31:29-30 “In those days they will not say again, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ “But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge.”

Ezekiel 18:20 “The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.”

But through some perverted traditions, the disciples had come to believe
That all sickness was a direct consequence of sin.
And I think our study of the book of Job certainly reveals otherwise.

All sickness is not a result of sin.

Now it is beneficial to note that some sickness
Is indeed a direct consequence of sin.

1 Corinthians 11:29-30 “For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.”

Romans 1:26-27 “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”

Even Jesus earlier in the book of John told the crippled man.
John 5:14 “Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.”

There is a natural law that governs our universe that says
If you do stupid things, you will suffer consequences.

So in one sense there are some sicknesses that are the result of sin.
BUT ALL SICKNESS IS NOT THE RESULT OF SIN

Exodus 4:11 “The LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?”

Now granted there are some who would read that and say, “Sure God causes the blind eye, but He does so as punishment to sinners.”

And that is DEFINITELY what the disciples believed.

BUT IN THAT BELIEF THEY HAD A PROBLEM.
WHAT WAS IT?
They couldn’t figure out whose sin caused it.

HERE’S THE PROBLEM.
• Had this man been born healthy, and then become blind at some point,
everyone would have agreed that he had sinned and thus God struck him
with blindness.

But the fact that the man was born blind left it all in confusion.
That would seem to indicate that the sin occurred before he was born and thus he was blind as a result of his parent’s sin.

• But if that is true, why not make the parents blind instead of this child?
Wouldn’t that be a case of God punishing the child for the sin of the parents?

DO YOU SEE THEIR DILEMMA?

HOWEVER THE REASON THEY WERE CONFUSED IS BECAUSE THEY HAD NO CLUE AS TO WHY GOD ORDAINED SOMETHING LIKE INFANT BLINDNESS.

This sickness had nothing to do with punishment,
And everything to do with God’s glory.

(2) “Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

Contrary to their traditional theology,
This man’s sickness had nothing to do with sin, or consequences,
Or immoral living, or the sin of his parents.

This man was sick because God chose to make him sick.

God wanted to use him for the purpose of revealing His glory.
The best way this man could be used for God’s glory was to be born blind.

And there it is again.
That same truth that God ordained things which we can’t understand
And He does so for the purpose of revealing Himself and His glory.

This man was born blind “so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

In the simplest sense,
It was the “works of God” that were given to Jesus which allowed Him to reveal Himself as the One whom the Father sent to save the world.

John 5:36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish — the very works that I do — testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”

In a very broad sweeping sense, every affliction Jesus encountered
Only allowed Him to demonstrate to an even greater degree
That He was sent from God.

Every cripple, every leper, every demoniac, every illness, every affliction that Jesus addressed only granted opportunity for Him to continue to reveal Himself.

Had there been no sick when He came,
Revealing who He was would have been much more difficult.

And so in a broad sense, this man’s blindness fits right in with that.

But this man’s illness is even more specific.
This man allows Jesus to fulfill specific Messianic prophecy.
Isaiah spoke of the reigning King and the conditions of His reign.

Isaiah 35:4-6 “Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.” Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah.”

It was prophesied that when the Messiah came, He would open blind eyes.
This is precisely the purpose for this man’s blindness.

This man allowed Jesus to specifically fulfill that prophecy.

And you can try to dance around this man’s blindness if you want,
But the unavoidable truth here is that
In order for Jesus to fulfill that prophecy
There had to be at least 1 blind man.

Someone had to be blind.
God had to ordain blindness in somebody.
It had to happen.

Here we find out it happened so Jesus could glorify Himself.

NOW LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION:
SUPPOSE GOD APPROACHED YOU AND SAID, “Is it alright if I use you as undeniable proof that Jesus is the Messiah” WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?

In order for Jesus to prove He was the Messiah,
Someone had to be blind. Someone had to be lame.
Someone had to be mute.

As we have said many times: If there is no villain, then there is no hero.
• If sin isn’t there, you can’t know mercy.
• If sickness isn’t there, you can’t know healing.
• If poverty isn’t there, you can’t know provision.
• If fear isn’t there, you can’t know peace.
• If uncertainty isn’t there, you can’t know assurance

This man’s sickness was NOT contrary to the will of God,
GOD ORDAINED IT,
It was for the purpose of proving Jesus was the Messiah.

John 5:36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish — the very works that I do — testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”

Matthew 11:1-6 “When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. “And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”

Part of the purpose of God was to allow Jesus to fulfill a Messianic proof.

But I DON’T even think that was the greatest purpose.
The greatest purpose was to allow Jesus to prove a spiritual reality.

Look at how this chapter ends.
John 9:39-41 “And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘ We see,’ your sin remains.”

There is no doubt that Jesus is showing His power,
But He uses this man to fulfill Messianic prophecy in a much bigger way.

For even in those prophecies in the Old Testament,
The opening of blind eyes spoke more of spiritual ailments
Than physical ones.

Isaiah 29:17-19 “Is it not yet just a little while Before Lebanon will be turned into a fertile field, And the fertile field will be considered as a forest? On that day the deaf will hear words of a book, And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the LORD, And the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.”

Isaiah 32:1-4 “Behold, a king will reign righteously And princes will rule justly. Each will be like a refuge from the wind And a shelter from the storm, Like streams of water in a dry country, Like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land. Then the eyes of those who see will not be blinded, And the ears of those who hear will listen. The mind of the hasty will discern the truth, And the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly.”

Now we know this passage speaks of a spiritual reality,
For it CANNOT speak of a physical one.
“Then the eyes of those who see will not be blinded”

Isaiah 42:6-7 “I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.”

Isaiah 42:16 “I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone.”

Jesus was using this man to make a spiritual point.

This sickness wasn’t caused by sin, it was caused by God
To allow God to work physically and spiritually.

AND YOU SIMPLY CAN’T MISS THAT POINT.

Here we have a man who entered this world in a difficult condition
And Jesus flat out reveals that the reason God did it
Was in order to glorify Himself.

NOW THAT’S NOT ALL.
There are few more I want to show you quickly just to add to the foundation here.

TURN TO: JOHN 11:1-6

Everyone remember the story of Lazarus?
Again, the point couldn’t be clearer.

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

There is not a doubt in our mind that Mary and Martha had a very specific expectation for Jesus.
• He was the miracle worker.
• He loved them.
• Certainly if He had the power to heal Him, and if He knew He was sick,
• Then certainly Jesus would definitely heal Lazarus.
• After all, He healed so many other people.

THAT’S A COMMON EXPECTATION AMONG CHRIST’S FOLLOWERS.
• We know He loves us.
• We know He can.
• So it stands to reason that He will.

And if He doesn’t, then we think something is terribly wrong.

But again, follow what Jesus says.
(4) “But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”

Jesus didn’t say it wasn’t going to go through death,
He just said it wouldn’t stay there.

And then we get even more:
(5-6) “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.”

Did Jesus love Lazarus? Yes
Did Jesus have great plans for Lazarus? Yes

BUT THAT PLAN INCLUDED LAZARUS WALKING THROUGH DEATH.

Because the ultimate plan was what?
“that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”

Jesus certainly could have healed Lazarus at any moment,
And He didn’t even have to travel there to do it.

But the comfort of Lazarus and the expectation of Martha
Was not the goal.
Jesus purposely allowed Lazarus to die
That He might use his death to glorify Himself.

And look at how Jesus glorified Himself.
(38-45) “So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. “I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him.”

We read that “many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him.”

• These were Mary’s friends.
• These were people that cared about Mary and people that I’m sure Mary cared about.
• And God used Lazarus to glorify Jesus and save them.

I’m quite sure that those people weren’t the total reason Jesus ordained the death of Lazarus, but they were certainly part of it.

It just reinforces to us that God is using us for His glory,
BUT ALSO for our good.

And it’s NOT LIKE Christ just lets His children suffer affliction
While He walks through life without a care.

TURN TO: JOHN 12:27-28

“Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

That statement reminds of the prayer Jesus prayed in the garden.
• He is contemplating the suffering He is about to endure.
• He is about to suffer scorn and shame on the cross.
• He is about to endure the full fury of the wrath of God on sin.
• He is about to be cut off from the land of the living.

Unlike Lazarus, He knew He was being used for the glory of God
And His response.
“Father, glorify Your name.”

He knew the purpose.

Even in the next chapter,
• While in the upper room,
• After Judas departs to go and betray Him,
• And the entire process was set in motion, we hear Jesus say:
John 13:31 “Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him;”

WHY DID IT HAPPEN?
The glory of God!

And after Jesus walks through such suffering and rises from the dead
• And He calls His disciples back to Himself, we recognize this conversation.

TURN TO: JOHN 21:18-19

Here He is recommissioning Peter to tend His flock,
And then notice what He says.
“Peter, you’re gonna die,
And it’s gonna be a death you aren’t that excited about.”

John chimes in with some commentary on the situation.
“Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.”

Why would Peter die in such a way?
Why not just let the apostles rapture up into heaven?
Because through their death they would glorify God.

That was the purpose.

And listen to me, the apostles understood this.

TURN TO: ACTS 21:7-14
• Paul wasn’t running from affliction.
• Paul wasn’t grasping at any chance of comfort.
• HE KNEW WHAT THE GOAL WAS

The purpose of all his trials was the glory of God.

And this is what the apostles preached.
1 Peter 2:12 “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

1 Peter 4:16 “but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.”

• Do you not think that God could just reach down and stop the pain?
• Could God not prevent it from ever happening?

OF COURSE HE CAN!

So why does He allow it?
Because through it He reveals Himself and He glorifies His name!

It is all done for His glory.

That is why Paul wrote:
Philippians 1:29 “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,”

Two times Paul gives the purpose, just to make sure you don’t miss it.
Suffering has been granted to you by God “for Christ’s sake”

SOLI DEO GLORIA

That makes us more than just sufferers,
That makes us stewards of our suffering.

BUT THE POINT:
God ordains all things for His glory.

As John Piper said in the quote we read earlier.
“the praise of God’s glory is not merely the result of his action but also the goal and purpose of that action.”

Certainly we worship God for the revelation of who He is,
But we also understand that
Worship is the reason He chose to reveal Himself at all.

Now I’m happy to share with you, the article I read by Piper on this because he made such wonderful points.

You can simply google; “Is God for Us or for Himself?”
And the article will come up on the desiring God webpage.

But after making the claims that God does all things to glorify Himself Piper recognizes that this truth makes people uneasy.

In fact Piper calls it “God’s Cod-Centeredness”
(similar to if we said someone was self-centered)

And he recognizes that people stumble over this because
• After all we are called not to exalt ourselves
• Furthermore we don’t even like people who exalt themselves.

For people to spend time exalting themselves only indicates
A void inside them that lives and needs the approval of others.

And certainly that’s not God.
• He is all self-satisfying.
• All things come from Him and through Him and to Him.
• He doesn’t have some deficiency that needs accolades.

THEN WHY DOES GOD GO TO SUCH GREAT LENGTHS TO GLORIFY HIMSELF?

The answer is because He loves you.

Again to quote the article:
“The answer that I want to try to persuade you is true is this: because God is unique as the most glorious of all beings and totally self-sufficient, he must be for himself in order to be for us. If he were to abandon the goal of his own self-exaltation, we would be the losers. His aim to bring praise to himself and his aim to bring pleasure to his people are one aim and stand or fall together…In view of God’s infinitely admirable beauty, power, and wisdom, what would his love to a creature involve? Or to put it another way: What could God give us to enjoy that would show him most loving? There is only one possible answer, isn’t there? Himself!…For him, self-exaltation is the highest virtue. When he does all things “for the praise of his glory” as Ephesians 1 says, he preserves for us and offers to us the only thing in all the world which can satisfy our longings.”
(ibid)

The point is so true.
• God is the greatest that there is.
• We are incomplete without knowledge of Him.

The greatest thing God can give you is a revelation of Himself.
• To be able to draw near to Him through Christ is the highest honor.
• To be able to gaze upon His glory.
• To be able to meet Him behind the veil.
• To bathe in His mercy
• To stand in His grace
• To rest in His love
• To walk in His peace
• To rise in His healing
• To hope in His power
• To dwell in His comfort

These are the greatest treasures humanity can know.
And God must reveal them for us to know them.

• If God doesn’t reveal Himself, you can’t know Him.
• If God doesn’t ordain things like suffering or the fall, then He can’t reveal Himself.
• And it’s not God who misses out, for He is already fully satisfied with Himself.
• It is us who miss out.

GOD REVEALS HIS GLORY
And it is the most loving and gracious thing He can do.

Isaiah 48:11 “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.”

Discipleship According to Jesus – Part 5
Luke 6:39-45
April 29, 2018

As you know we are working through Luke’s version of
The Sermon on the Mount.

And what we have recognized is that
Luke is keenly aware of how JESUS IS CONFRONTING those
Who are in the crowd, especially those who might be considered
“on the fence” concerning Jesus.

We have called them “The Curious”
These would have been the people referenced in verses 17 and 18 of the chapter.

Luke 6:17-18 “Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured.”

The no doubt came because they had illnesses they wanted healed.
And certainly we don’t fault them for that,
As I’m sure many of us would have done the same.

It is also apparent that Jesus didn’t hold that against them either
Since He did in fact heal everyone in the crowd that day.

But once everyone had been healed Jesus then began to teach
And the thrust of the sermon has been on
THE NECESSITY OF FOLLOWING CHRIST.

The 1st group He addressed are those we called: THE COMMITTED.
• These were those who left everything to follow Jesus.
• They were first poor in spirit and then eventually actually poor.
• And Jesus said that their decision to forsake the world in order to gain Christ was the best decision they ever made.

The 2nd group He addressed are those we called: THE COMFORTABLE.
• No doubt they wanted Jesus’ healing and miraculous power,
• But they had been otherwise unwilling to forsake this world in order to follow Christ.
• Their god was their comfort,
• And Jesus said their decision to keep the world over Christ was the most foolish decision they ever made.

And then we realized that while those statements
Definitely applied directly to the groups he addressed,
Those statements were also meant to gain the attention of this new crowd

Jesus wanted these curious seekers to understand that
The decision about following Christ was no small decision.

Your entire eternity hinges upon what you do with Christ.
And because of that Jesus then began addressing this crowd.

HIS GOAL?
• To condemn them
• To expose them
• To hold up the mirror
• To lay them beside His perfect righteous standard that they might see their depravity and their total need for Him.

In short, He is showing them why they need Him.

AND YOU MAY REMEMBER THAT
He began confronting them with the concept of MERCY.

His goal was to show them that they are in fact nothing like God
And therefore they fall far short of God’s righteous expectation.

Whereas God is merciful to sinful men who do not deserve it, these people are not.
• They don’t love their enemies
• They don’t pray for their persecutors
• They don’t do good to people who hate them
• They don’t lend to people who don’t pay back
• They are not merciful just as their Father is merciful

And therefore they fall far short of the requirement of God
To gain treasure in heaven and to be considered His child.

They need the righteousness of Christ applied to their life.

Continuing on that thought LAST WEEK
We heard Jesus continue to expose their lack of mercy.

This time their LACK OF MERCY was revealed by their PRESENCE OF JUDGMENT.
• It is true that people had wronged them
• It is true that people had treated them badly
• It is true that people had hit them on the cheek and taken their coat

But Jesus’ point was that when those people return to you wanting forgiveness and mercy, then you MUST give it to them.

If you withhold mercy from someone who desires it, what does that say about your love of mercy?

Do you really want to live under a standard where everyone just gets what they deserve?

Obviously not.
Jesus was again teaching that mercy is required.

Well THIS MORNING He continues exposing this crowd.

And this time He addresses a little more
This crowd’s propensity to offer judgment instead of mercy.

AS WE NOTED, this crowd didn’t like to give mercy.
THEY LIKED TO GIVE JUDGMENT.

• When someone made a mistake and then came for mercy, they would much rather give them a lecture than mercy.
• When someone wronged them in some way and then came for mercy, they would rather make them suffer than have mercy.

In short, these people would rather be judges than be merciful.

And so after addressing their lack of mercy,
Jesus now begins to address their faulty judgment.

It would be one thing to offer judgment
If at the very least that judgment was accurate.
But these people don’t even offer accurate judgment,
And that also condemns them.

In short, Jesus is about to show them that they are guilty on 2 counts.
1) They don’t show mercy when they should
2) The judgment they offer is bad judgment

Let’s look at 3 points here.
#1 THE PARABLE
Luke 6:39-40

Jesus actually gives 2 parables here.
1) The Parable of the Ambitious Blind Man
2) The Parable of the Arrogant Pupil

Let’s look first at this Ambitious Blind Man
(39) “And He also spoke a parable to them: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit?”

NOW THE SETTING HERE
Is of a blind man who needs to cross some treacherous terrain.

• The terrain is unknown to him, and filled with danger.
• Namely there is a “pit” that he could in fact fall in to.

And because he has never traveled through this region,
It would be extremely beneficial if someone would guide him through
To keep him out of danger.

But what happens here is that ANOTHER BLIND MAN, who also doesn’t know the terrain, approaches the first blind man and says,
“Here, I’ll guide you through.”

And he grabs him by the hand and starts walking through the country.
And they “both fall into a pit”.

The emphasis here is on the audacity of the second blind man
To not only have the arrogance to think he could cross the land,
But also to be willing to drag the first blind man along with him.

Who would do such a thing?
Everyone knows that a blind man has no business
Being a tour guide through dangerous country.

And yet, this is how Jesus described the judgment this crowd was giving.
You are quick to offer your judgments to people as to what they need to do, but the reality is that you don’t know any better than them.

With our youth the last couple of weeks
We’ve been talking about the dangers of the tongue.

• We saw how the tongue is defiant and cannot be controlled.
• And we talked about how much harm it can actually cause.

To this end James gave a very strict warning.
James 3:1 “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”

And certainly this would include the office of teacher here,
But even more than that it’s anyone who feels the right to step up and offer advice or judgment to someone else.

It’s a pretty ambitious role to step into to say that you’ll give someone else advice on how to live. (but that’s what teachers do)

To find out if we are qualified for such an enterprise
James ends his section by asking us to check our wisdom.
Are you qualified to offer advice or judgment to other people?

Here is what James had to say:
James 3:13 “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.”

THE FIRST CRITERIA YOU MUST POSSESS to be counted as one qualified to teach or advise or lead or judge another person IS WISDOM.

And wisdom is proven by your deeds.
James asks, “Do you even have good behavior? Do you even have good deeds? Can you demonstrate this wisdom you’re willing to offer?”

And that’s the problem with the blind man Jesus mentions.
He can’t even cross that terrain on his own, so why in the world would he feel qualified to lead someone else across it?

The second parable is the ARROGANT PUPIL
(40) “A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.”

Here we have a “pupil”
Who does not understand the point of being a pupil.
He walks into the classroom
And instead of sitting to learn tries to stand and teach.

Why is that a problem?
Because until you’re a successful pupil you aren’t qualified to be a teacher.

I’ve heard Kermit Woolley talk about when he taught Ag.
“I know that several of you in here are smarter than me, but not one of you knows more than me.”

It’s like a tell people all the time who are going to preach or who are going to start teaching in some fashion.
• The secret to preaching/teaching is learning.
• You cannot teach what you don’t know.
• One thing I’m supremely confident is that if I don’t know what I’m talking about, you won’t either.

But this pupil didn’t want to take the time to learn, he just wanted to teach

AND THAT IS SO DANGEROUS!

In fact, the false prophets in the Bible are described in this way:
Jeremiah 23:21-22 “I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied. “But if they had stood in My council, Then they would have announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds.”

Those were people who offered knowledge they had never received
And so their advice was terrible.

In fact Jeremiah would go on to say:
Jeremiah 23:32 “Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,” declares the LORD, “and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit,” declares the LORD.”

There is no benefit in their preaching.
Jeremiah also revealed that God was against such prophets which echoes what James said about not being willing to teach and incurring that stricter judgment.

But you see the point of the parable.
In both cases we have people who are unqualified teachers,
Unqualified guides, and unqualified judges.

That’s the parable.
#2 THE PROBLEM
Luke 6:41-42

Here Jesus is about to explain where that parable
Fits in with this crowd He is addressing.

(41) “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

It is a scenario that speaks of blind judgment.
• Here you have a guy walking around with a 2×4 sticking out of his eye and he has the audacity to walk over to his brother and say, “Hey, let me operate on that splinter in your eye.”

It’s so absurd it’s actually comical, and that may have been Jesus intent.

This is problematic on a number of levels.
1) Do you really want to trust the discernment of a man who says you have speck in your eye when he can’t even recognize the log in his?

The implication here is that you
May or may not even have a speck in your eye.
Whether you do or you don’t,
This guy is the last guy that would be qualified to identify it.

I think it’s clear he is extremely lacking in the discernment department.
He obviously doesn’t even know what a speck is.

This would be like a man who walks around accusing other people of sin who obviously have no clue what sin is at all.

When I was in high school (before I was saved) me and a buddy of mine used to love it when we’d catch other classmates with car trouble. Neither of us knew anything about cars, but we didn’t mind pretending.

We’d look under the hood, move stuff around and yell, “Alright, fire her up!” The second they’d try we’d scream, “Whoa! Whoa! Kill it! Kill it!” and of course they’d immediately stop. Then we’d do the whole thing again 3 or 4 times.

Eventually we’d just tell them, “We don’t know anything about cars, would you like a ride?”

We’d have made a good illustration for the point Jesus is making here.
Even if something was wrong with your brother, you wouldn’t know it
Because you don’t know anything about what does or doesn’t please God.

And yet, even though you are clueless about what God desires
And have no discernment whatsoever,
That hasn’t stopped you from addressing the issue head on.

It is a blatant case of spiritual malpractice.

And can I tell you, our world is full of this!
I cringe much of the time when I see the various forms of spiritual advice that are handed out on social media.

• Most of the time I just want to task the people who are rendering their
judgments, “Have you ever even read the Bible?”

Mark Twain once said “it only took two characteristics to be a preacher: ignorance and confidence.”

Unfortunately, that is the same type of person Jesus is addressing here.
Their ignorance has not affected their confidence.

That is what Jesus is addressing here.
People who offer judgments and they are totally unqualified to do so
Because they lack discernment.

But that’s not the only glaring problem here.
THE OTHER IS THEIR AUDACITY.

We tend to think they have no discernment.
But if they do have discernment, then they’ve got a lot of gall.

If they are able to recognize sin and yet are willing to overlook their enormous sin in order to address their brother’s small sin,
Then that’s pretty bold.

Jesus is shocked by it asking “Why” would you do that?
• Why would you offer judgment as a blind man?
• Why would you offer judgment as an arrogant man?

The second question Jesus asked here is:
“HOW”

(42a) “Or how can you can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye?”

Here it’s not just a question of arrogance but a question of ABILITY.
I’d like to know how you think you’re gonna be able to perform that surgery
With that big old beam in your own eye?

IT AGAIN REEKS OF ARROGANCE.
Just like the blind guide and the arrogant pupil.

So Jesus addresses this crowd head on.
(42b) “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”

Now again we point out
• Jesus was NOT saying to leave the speck alone.
• If the brother had a speck it did indeed need to be removed.

But the priority is clear.
You must be willing to deal with your own sin before you can deal with the sin of your brother.
• And if you can’t see your own sin what makes you think you can see your brother’s sin?
• And if you can’t remove your own sin what makes you think you can remove your brothers?

NOW PUT IT IN CONTEXT.
We have here a people whom Jesus is asking
To show mercy and not judgment.

But these people prefer offering judgment instead of mercy and Jesus exposes them.
• FIRST by revealing that their lack of mercy is not a God-like
characteristic,
• SECOND by revealing that the judgment they love is not God-like
judgment either.

Their judgment isn’t even true.
• They are like blind men telling blind men how to walk.
• They are like pupils trying to teach a subject they obviously know nothing
about.

BUT PROVE you are a qualified teacher and then we’ll listen.
PROVE you are a qualified judge and then we’ll pay attention.

And prove it by showing us your ability to deal with your own sin.

Isn’t that what James said?
James 3:13 “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.”

So you have the parable, and you have the problem
#3 THE POINT
Luke 6:43-45

Now if you read this passage in Matthew’s gospel
It is clear that Jesus is talking about FALSE TEACHERS.

• Jesus had just mentioned the truth about the wide and narrow gates.
• And how most people think they are headed to heaven but they aren’t.
• They actually just went through the wide gate, are traveling on the wide path with everyone else, and will end up in destruction.

• And then to explain why so many would so willingly go down the wrong path Jesus warns them about false teachers.

Matthew 7:15-19 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Luke references the same statement by Jesus,
Only Luke doesn’t limit the application just to false teachers.

Luke seems to spread the application to anyone in this crowd
Who is offering bad advice or judgment.

From Luke’s perspective, anyone who would give bad judgment
Is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Luke hears Jesus rebuke and applies it to the entire crowd.

He hears Jesus address their arrogant confidence and lack of discernment and propensity to offer bad judgment AND THEN HE SAYS:

“For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.”

WHAT IS THE POINT?
You are here claiming to be a good discerning judge, but you are offering bad judgments.
Something has to give.

• If you were a good judge what kind of judgments would you give? Good ones.
• If you were a bad judge what kind of judgments would you give? Bad ones.

So the fact that you are rendering bad judgments
tells me what about you?
YOU ARE BAD

The only way to EVALUATE a tree is by the quality of the fruit it produces.
The only way to IDENTIFY a tree is by the type of fruit it produces.

So, if I were to look at you as a sort of spiritual tree.
And all I saw was bad judgments coupled with bad fruit,
WHAT TYPE OF TREE SHOULD I LABEL YOU AS?

You get the point?
• Their lack of mercy testifies against them
• And their lack of good judgment testifies against them

And that is the point Jesus makes next,
ONLY HE DROPS ALL THE ANALOGIES.

(45) “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”

Jesus removes any and all doubt or confusion.

Understand the doctrinal principle that Jesus just revealed.

“for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”

Adrian Rogers gave the best ever commentary on this verse when he said, “What’s down in the well comes up in the bucket.”

YOUR TONGUE IS AN INDICATOR OF YOUR HEART.

What is more James reminds us that the tongue cannot be manipulated or coerced, it is ALWAYS AN ACCURATE INDICATOR.
James 3:7-8 “For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.”

The tongue is always accurate.
It reveals the heart.

If lying judgments come out of your mouth,
You have a lying heart.
If non-discerning judgments come out of your mouth,
You have a non-discerning heart.
If you have no mercy in your words,
Then you have no mercy in your heart.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

Here have a people who don’t want to offer mercy to people.
• Instead when people want it all they offer is judgment.
• And to make matters worse their judgment is skewed and hypocritical and false.

And Jesus says, your fruit is your words,
And your words reveal your heart,
SO WHAT TYPE OF PEOPLE ARE YOU?

• If you were a “good man” then you’d bring “good treasure” out of your good “heart.”
• But since you bring nothing but “evil” out of your mouth all we can deduce is that you have an evil heart.

And listen, that was the same thing James was saying in his epistle.
James 3:8-12 “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.”

You may think you have a good heart.
You may think you have a merciful heart.
You may think you have a heart for God.
BUT WHAT COMES OUT OF YOUR MOUTH?

And again you see why we say that Jesus set out to condemn this crowd.
• His main objective was NOT TO convince them to be merciful
• His main objective was NOT TO convince them to stop judging
• His main objective WAS TO show them that their heart is in a pitiful condition because of their lack of mercy and because of the presence of their judgment.

His point was to show them that they needed Him.
When He called men to follow Him that they might receive forgiveness,
He also showed men why they so badly needed it.

AND THAT IS US.

And that is also what we remember this morning.

Oh friend,
• I would love to tell you that all that ever comes out of my mouth is mercy.
• I would love to tell you that I’m merciful like God is merciful.
• I would love to tell you that I never look at the speck in my brother’s eye while I have a beam in mine.
• I would love to tell you that you’ll never find a piece of rotten fruit on my tree.

But you already know, that’s just not true.

I NEED CHRIST
• I need Christ even if it costs me every possible worldly comfort.
• I need Christ even if following Him results in poverty
• I need Christ even if following Him results in hunger
• I need Christ even if following Him results in scorn and persecution

I need Him because I cannot stand before God with an evil heart like mine.

THAT IS THE POINT OF THE SERMON.

The celebration for us is, as we look at this Lord’s Supper we are about to take is that Jesus purchased our forgiveness.

• He bore the sin of my evil heart on the cross.
• God treated Him as if He judged people like I do.
• And now God treats me as if I judged people like He did.

And we partake of that sacrifice through faith.

This morning we also partake of this Lord’s Supper by faith.
• It’s not faith in this cracker, and it’s not faith in this juice.
• Those are the symbols, Christ is the substance.

We partake as an outward confession of our need for His sacrifice.
We partake as an outward acknowledgement
That my sinful heart needs this righteous sacrifice.

And therefore
• We don’t partake in arrogance
• We don’t partake in hypocrisy
• We partake in faith and in full submission to Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:23-32 “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.”

You had people there who were partaking in an unworthy manner.
That is to say they were not judging themselves rightly.

Paul said, “For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.”

That’s exactly what Jesus was talking about.
You have people here who want to partake of the Lord’s Supper and they are unwilling to admit that they have a beam in their eye.

To fail to acknowledge that
Only demonstrates a tremendous lack of discernment.

But for those who come in humility and confession and faith
Find here a communion with Christ and the blessing of assurance
As we once again focus on the Savior who bore my wrath.

That being the case, this morning, as we always do we are going to have a time of preparation.
• It is a time for you to sit and examine your own heart.
• It is a time for you to sit and examine your own fruit.
• It is a time for you to make confession before God.
• And then it is a time for us to partake in the Lord’s Supper and celebrate the atonement that comes only through Christ.

Pray

CURRENT TEAMS SIGNED UP

Holy Sox (Mosley), Smashers (Ortiz), GrandSlammers (Taylor), Psalm’s Beach (Hinson), LeftOvers (Frausto), Ralls (Clint Yokum) Mexicoons (Adam Beauchamp), Team Burton (Paul Burton)

2018 SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT RULES

We wish to STRESS that this tournament is purely for recreation and enjoyment. It was established to help raise money for the summer camps that the children and youth of First Baptist Church will be attending. These rules are given only to preserve a fair, even, timely, and fun experience for all participants. We appreciate you helping us keep it that way.

FIELDING
• Each team shall field an even number of men and women. There must be at least 5 men and 5 women in the field at all times (4 & 4 will be allowed, but there cannot be more women than men, or men than women.)
• There are no stipulations as to what positions your team members can play.
• We also keep rosters “open” throughout the weekend. Unfortunately injuries happen as well as people with prior commitments. You may “borrow” a player from another team to play your game should a member of your team have to leave and you need to field the required 10 players.

BATTING
• The batting order must alternate male and female, with no two members of the same sex batting next to each other.
• You may bat everyone on your team as “extra hitters” if you choose to do so, even if they do not play the field, but you must still maintain an even number of males and females.
• Each batter will come to the plate with a count of 1-1 (1 ball, 1 strike).
• If a male batter earns a walk, he will automatically take 2nd base. The female batter who follows will have the choice of automatically taking first base, or batting.
• If a female batter earns a walk, she will automatically take 1st base, and the following male batter must bat.
• We have a very short field, so there will be a Homerun Limit of 1 per game (with all additional homeruns posting as outs)
• There are no rules stipulating what bats may be used, but we supply all the softballs to be used. In the past we have always played with “Gold Dot” softballs, but we may even downgrade to “Gray Dot” softballs this year to keep any balls from being too hot off the bat and getting someone hurt.
• The Home Run limit will be lifted for the 7th inning.
• Pinch runners are allowed under the following stipulations. No player currently in the batting order or field may pinch run, only a player from the bench. The player who gets pinch run for must exit the game for at least 6 outs in the field and 1 at bat (1 time through the entire batting order). We don’t allow curtesy runners. I mean seriously, the fact that we’re all old and slow is part of the competition!

GAME LENGTH
• We will play a 7 run rule with runs accumulating each inning. For example if Team A only scores 3 runs in the first inning, they can still score 11 runs in the second inning, bringing their total to 14.
• Game length will be 1 hr. 15 min. or 7 innings. No new innings can be started after 70 min.
• Maintaining the schedule is essential for fun play, so all teams must be ready to play at their scheduled start time. If one team is missing players and cannot start on time, that team will automatically be the “visiting” team, will forfeit their first at bat, and the game clock will begin on schedule, with play starting when players arrive, and ending on schedule.
• If both teams are tied going into the last inning (of regulation or time limit) AND both have reached the maximum runs scored, the run rule will be removed for the final inning in order to establish a clear winner. If both teams are tied going into the last inning and have not reached the maximum runs scored limit, the game will end in a tie with the tie being broken in the following manner. The team scoring the most 1st inning runs wins, if still tied, it will move to the 2nd, then 3rd etc. If a tie still remains the winning team will be decided by coin toss.
• Tie breakers for pool play are determined by head to head outcomes. If this still results in a 3 team tie in the pool, the tie breaker is determined by points. The team which allowed the fewest points during their 3 pool games will be awarded 1st place in the pool. The team which allowed the second fewest points will be awarded second place in the pool.
• If we do not have 8 teams we cannot do pool play and will return to the previous double elimination format with a 3 game minimum.

COURTESY RULES
• This is a fun and family friendly atmosphere, so we ask all players and spectators to follow these guidelines. Blatant offenses are grounds to be removed from the park and/or tournament with a forfeiture of all fees paid.
• All umpires will be on a volunteer basis and will do the best they can, please do not harass them. (After each game the winning team is required to supply 2 umpires for the next game and the losing team is required to supply two score keepers. 1 for the book, 1 for the scoreboard.)
• This will be an alcohol free event
• Profanity while playing or watching will not be tolerated
• Above all remember, “There is no crying in baseball”
• In the event that weather cancels games, the first course of action will be to skip games 13-15 and simply let the 1st place teams from each pool play 1 championship game. The second course of action will be to reschedule the tournament for a later date.

Because Mercy Glorifies God
Romans 11:30-32
April 22, 2018

Ok, last time we met we tackled (or attempted to tackle)
A very huge and difficult issue.

We looked back at the fall of man
And asked what God’s role in all of that was.

I want to briefly recap it to make sure we are back in the train of thought.

1) We agreed that God cannot fully glorify Himself apart from redemption.
• Obviously if God never reveals mercy or grace or redeeming love or patience
then there is a whole side of God we never know.
• If God is to be glorified for those things, then He must be afforded the
opportunity to save sinners.

2) We agreed that God is sovereign over all things and that He works all things after the counsel of His will.

Ephesians 1:11 “[God] works all things after the counsel of His will”

• So we choose not to limit His sovereign prerogative in any way or in any area.
• We recognized that He is sovereign even when a sparrow falls and even over
our very number of days and habitations.

Acts 17:26 “and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,”

Psalms 139:16 “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”

So we get that God is in total sovereign control of all things.

Well, SINCE God can’t fully glorify Himself apart from redemption
And SINCE God is sovereign over all things
And SINCE works all things after the counsel of His will,
WE NEXT LOOKED AT THE FALL.

And as we said,
• This is such a difficult issue for us to swallow that
• Most of the time, in order to try and help God save face,
• People end up dumbing down God’s role in the fall and all of the suffering that now happens as a result.

We hear things like,
• “God doesn’t ordain suffering, it is sin that causes it.”
• “Sin did this, not God. God never wanted this to happen.”

I remember watching “Love Comes Softly”.
It is a story about a young woman who is tragically widowed very young
And ends up having to marry another man just to survive.

In the story, her new husband is trying to explain the presence of tragedy in our lives. Speaking about his daughter he says,
“Missy can fall down and get hurt with me standing right next to her, but that doesn’t mean I allowed it to happen. The truth of God’s love is not that He allows bad things to happen to us, but that He’s right here with us when they do.”

But again as we said, there is enormous problem found there.

To say that bad things happen to us which God did not allow
Is to strip God either of His omniscience or of His omnipotence.

The little girl walking beside her daddy may indeed fall,
• But that’s because the dad doesn’t know it’s about to happen. The dad is not omniscient.
• He is also not omnipotent and may not have had the ability to stop it.

But we say that God is both omniscient and omnipotent
So to use such logic regarding His role in our suffering doesn’t wash.

And that’s what we said it is commonly argued by antagonists.
God either can’t be all good or He can’t be all powerful
Because a good God with the power to stop evil certainly would.

That’s the logical conclusion that is reached
If you try to separate God from the fall.

Armenians who seek to absolve God of any role in the fall of man or human suffering find themselves in a theological dilemma.

This incidentally, as I was telling someone after the sermon, is where “OPEN THEISM” came from.

Open Theism is basically the belief that God does not know the future,
Nor does He ordain it. It is open.

• He’s just really good at watching trends,
• He has an uncanny ability to read and react like the greatest of super heroes to
run around and deliver us from peril.

Well the problem with Open Theism is obvious.
• There was no way to know with any kind of certainty that the cross would
occur.
• And there is no way to know with any kind of certainty that Christ will return.
• In fact, all of God’s prophecies are nothing better than educated guesses that
may or may not happen since He isn’t sovereignly causing anything.

Open Theism is obvious heresy, but at least it’s consistent.
Armenians aren’t consistent. They want an all-knowing, all-powerful God, but then want to absolve Him of any part when tragedy comes.

It’s a real dilemma, unless you understand
That God is sovereign even over the fall.

HE DIDN’T JUST ALLOW IT, HE ORDAINED IT.
And He did so that He might make His redemption,
And ultimately His glory, known.

And as we said last time,
• Not only are we now able to glorify God because of His mercy,
• But even beyond that, we as humans are even now in a more secure
condition after redemption than Adam ever was before it.

Adam was not secure in the garden, but we are secure in Christ.

Now, that is where we stopped last time. That’s a quick recap.
And now that we have a little more time tonight
I want to process a little bit more.

BECAUSE LET’S BE HONEST.
Look around the room.
• Everyone in here has a story of suffering.
• Everyone in here has a story of tragedy.
• Everyone in here has a story of some unexplained hardship that pushed you
beyond the limits of reason.

Loved ones lost, unexplained illnesses, tragically broken relationships, financial struggles.

If we took time tonight we could move this entire place to tears
If we just let everyone get up and tell their story
Of what was the hardest day of their life.

When we are talking about the fall and the suffering that has come as a result
• We aren’t talking about some small amount of suffering.
• We are talking about things harder than we could have ever imagined
• We are talking about scars that we carry to this day.

And so, to say that God not only allowed that,
But that He also ordained is A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW.

It’s a tough pill for me to swallow,
And I’m confident that many of you have suffered far greater than I have.

And so before we move on from this concept I do think it’s important
To BRING A LITTLE MORE PERSPECTIVE to the situation.
• We certainly believe God ordains all things.
• So we must believe that God even ordained the fall.
• And therefore we even have to believe that God ordained the suffering we walk through.

WHERE IS THE GOOD IN THAT?

Well let me tell you this one thing:

God’s sovereignty over affliction is the only reason you and I
Can have any hope at all that anything good will come from it.

Isn’t that what we bank on?

Do we not quote?
Romans 8:29 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;”

Or:
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

How many times have we run to Hebrews 12 in our suffering?
Hebrews 12:11 “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

All of those passages SPEAK OF A PROMISED GOOD
That will come out of our suffering.
But none of those promises are valid
If God is not sovereign over our suffering.

If God is not in control then we have no guarantee
That anything good will ever come from our tragedy.

Now think again about that hard day in your life.
• If God is not sovereign over that, if God did not ordain it, if it happened outside of God’s will,
• Then there is no hope whatsoever that anything good will come from it.
• It represents a day when God lost and who’s to say He won’t lose again?

• However, if God is sovereign, and if He did ordain it,
• Then we may not know why He did it,
• But we can rest assured that it will be for our good.
• BECAUSE the same God that ordained it is the same God that ordained good to come from it.

As children of God we do walk through some extremely hard days,
But we don’t walk through them without hope
Because we know God is sovereign over all things.

And we know that He ordains all things for our good and His glory.
Even in your tragedies I can’t tell you the number of times
I’ve heard even the people in this room speak of their hardships.

AND I NEVER HEAR YOU SPEAK ABOUT GOD’S CRUELTY.
What I continually hear is how faithful and how good
And how comforting He was during your trial.

EVEN IN YOUR TRIAL GOD WAS ABLE TO GLORIFY HIMSELF
BY REVEALING HIS GREAT COMFORT TO YOU.

Understanding God’s sovereign position
Over the fall and over human tragedy is a good thing
And a necessary thing for that is where hope comes from.

BUT, IF WE WANTED TO KEEP ARGUING
• Once could still say, “Yes, I see that God has been good to me in my affliction, but why bring affliction at all? Why introduce suffering at all?”
• After all, “If God never permits the fall then there is no need for hope in suffering because suffering would not exist.”

THAT WOULD BE THE ARGUMENT.

To which we answer.
That’s true,
• If God had stopped the fall,
• If God had never put the tree in the garden,
• If God had not allowed the serpent to enter
• It is true that we would be in a much more comfortable place right now.

But we would not be in a better place.
For we know more of the glory of God now
Than they ever did in the garden.

We now know God as a redeemer.
And as we said, “Redemption is more glorious than creation”

• I now sing about Amazing Grace that saved a wretch like me.
• I now sing Great is They faithfulness O God my Father
• I now sing Love lifted me
• I now sing mercy there was great and grace was free

And I couldn’t sing any of that if the fall had never occurred.
• Thanks to the fall I now know God as a redeemer.
• Thanks to the fall I know of God’s comfort in affliction.
• Thanks to the fall I know of God’s grace in trials.

In short, I know more of God’s glory now than Adam did.

And let me tell you why that is so good.

BECAUSE THE GREATEST THING GOD CAN EVER GIVE YOU
IS A REVELATION OF HIMSELF.

God is our glory
God is our desire
And to know Him fully is the greatest satisfaction we can ever have.

It is true that God indeed ordains hardship in our lives,
And some of those hardships are almost unexplainable,
But because God is sovereign they never come without hope,
And they always come with a greater understanding of who God is.

GOD GLORIFIES HIMSELF IN ALL THINGS.

Well, that hopefully gives a little more insight into the question of last week, but TONIGHT WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD.

We are still discussing how God glorifies Himself in Redemption.

We saw how this made the fall necessary.
Now let’s look at how this REDEMPTION
That came in as a result DOES IN FACT GLORIFY GOD ALONE.

We are looking at Romans 11:30-32

Now the backdrop to this passage is extremely important.
• It follows the section which reveals that Israel, despite enormous spiritual blessing, has been broken off by God.
• We found out that they all are not Israel who descended from Israel.
• And we learned that God broke them off and hardened their heart.

Romans 11:7-10 “What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; just as it is written, “GOD GAVE THEM A SPIRIT OF STUPOR, EYES TO SEE NOT AND EARS TO HEAR NOT, DOWN TO THIS VERY DAY.” And David says, “LET THEIR TABLE BECOME A SNARE AND A TRAP, AND A STUMBLING BLOCK AND A RETRIBUTION TO THEM. “LET THEIR EYES BE DARKENED TO SEE NOT, AND BEND THEIR BACKS FOREVER.”

• Now, following that we learned that although Israel has been broken off, that God has a plan to graft them back in again.
• Even though they are currently in a state of rejection, God is going to once again save Israel because of the promises He made to the Fathers.

Romans 11:25-29 “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” “THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

So Paul has been talking about this great mystery of
How God HAS dealt and IS dealing and WILL deal with Israel.

And then in verses 30-32 Paul gives some added insight to the situation
And more importantly for our study,
PAUL REVEALS THE MOTIVE behind it all.

READ: Romans 11:30-32

There are 3 things we see here:
#1 THE SALVATION OF THE GENTILES
Romans 11:30

You will see clearly that Paul is making an analogy here.

We recognize the “just as” in verse 30
Directly corresponds to the “so…also” in verse 31.

Paul is making an analogy.
• In this case, Paul uses a previous event to explain a future one.
• Paul uses something God did in the past to explain what God is doing in the present.

And the first thing we do is look at THE PAST EVENT,
And from Paul’s perspective that is THE SALVATION OF THE GENTILES.

Now what we know is that
• Gentiles by in large were not always saved,
• Nor were they among God’s people.
• Certainly there are a few examples of proselytes or even those known as God-fearers,
• But the main point is that Gentiles by in large were not saved.

We were categorized as those who “once were disobedient to God”

Paul says it like this in his letter to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 2:11-12 “Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands — remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

The past state of Gentiles is obvious, we were lost.

And you cannot overlook the sovereign prerogative of God in this.

It’s not that God caused Gentiles to be disobedient,
But again, God used their disobedience as a means of glorifying Himself.

Consider Pharaoh.
Romans 9:17-18 “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”

There is that compatibilism on display again.
• God didn’t make Pharaoh sin, but God didn’t soften his heart either.
• Pharaoh did exactly what he wanted in oppressing God’s people and in ignoring God’s miracles.
• God used that disobedient man to glorify Himself through the plagues and through the Red Sea.

And that is really where Gentiles settled throughout the Old Testament.
• We are seen in those foreign nations whom God overthrew.
• We are seen in those pagan idol worshipers whom God destroyed.
• We are seen in those cruel peoples whom God used to discipline His people, and then punished for their cruelty.

• We were without God and without hope.
• We were disobedient and we were objects of wrath.

And then God opened the door for Gentiles to be saved.

Paul says in verse 20, “but now [Gentiles] have been shown mercy”

That is to say that God determined to be merciful to a people
Who had previously been destined for destruction.

Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

GOD, BY HIS OWN SOVEREIGN DESIGN,
Chose to be merciful and to save pagan Gentiles who did not deserve it.

Paul even speaks of the catalyst God used to bring this salvation about.

He said that we “have been shown mercy because of their disobedience.”

What was the catalyst God used to save Gentiles?
JEWISH UNBELIEF.

Remember how it happened throughout the book of Acts?

At the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch:
Acts 13:46 “Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.”

At the synagogue in Corinth:
Acts 18:5-6 “But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

In Ephesus:
Acts 19:8-9 “And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.”

When Paul was imprisoned in Rome:
Acts 28:23-28 “When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, ‘GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY, “YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING,BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES; OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.”‘ “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.”

It was Jewish unbelief that opened the door
For the Gentiles to hear the gospel.

Every time Paul preached to Jews, they blasphemed and rejected and every time he preached to Gentiles they overwhelmingly responded in faith.
You’d of preached to Gentiles too.

What we find is that God ordained all of that.
• He is the One who hardened the eyes and minds and hearts of the Jews,
• He is the One that softened and opened the eyes and hearts of the Gentiles.

He used the stubborn rebellion of Jews to show mercy to Gentiles.

Now that is the previous situation Paul first draws reference to.
And he uses it to reveal what God is going to do in the future.

So first: The Salvation of Gentiles
#2 THE SALVATION OF JEWS
Romans 11:31

Paul uses the connecting phrase “so these also”
Which is to say, “just like God did then, He will also do again”

“so these also now have been disobedient”

Paul now is describing why God would be willing to harden Israel
And to break them off and to put them in a place of wrath.

And according to Paul, He did it so that
They would understand the mercy that you and I understand.

It is easy for Gentiles to understand mercy.
• We were pagans
• We were idolaters
• We never kept the Law, we never had the Law
• We never attended the feasts, we never saw the need

• We were outcasts in every sense of the word and yet God did the unthinkable for us, He showed us mercy by drawing us to Himself.

Gentiles understand mercy.

JEWS DID NOT. (they should have, but they didn’t)
They worked for everything they had.
• They felt as though they had earned God’s favor and deserved God’s blessing
• Because they had kept the Law and kept the ordinances and kept the feasts.

They could glorify God but very few of them glorified God for His mercy.
Perhaps they glorified Him for His justice, but not His mercy.
They felt as though they deserved all the blessing they received.

But God deserves glory for His mercy, so what did He do?
He hardened them.
• He ordained their current state of rebellion and disobedience and blindness
and rejection.

Why did He do it?
So that “they also may now be shown mercy.”

God ordained their rebellion
So that He could also give them a taste of mercy.

What will the catalyst be that draws them back?
Paul says it is “because of the mercy shown to you”

God is going to use Gentile salvation
As the catalyst to draw the Jews home.

Paul said it like this earlier in the chapter.
Romans 11:11 “I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.”

Romans 11:13-14 “But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them.”

God is going use Gentile salvation to make Israel jealous,
And to cause them to see that they are not deserving of salvation,
But rather that they are under God’s wrath.

I tend to think the rapture will be the event that will do this,
But that’s just a speculative guess.

Regardless of the event,
What it will do is open Jewish eyes to the fact that they killed God’s Son
And therefore DO NOT DESERVE His salvation.

Their heart is revealed in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 64:3-6 “When You did awesome things which we did not expect, You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence. For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. Behold, You were angry, for we sinned, We continued in them a long time; And shall we be saved? 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.”

Zechariah 12:10 “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.”

At one moment Israel will come to realize just how sinful they have been,
And what will God do then?

He will show them “mercy”.

So you have Paul saying essentially,
What God first did with Gentiles, He is now doing with Jews.

God ordained for them to walk in disobedience
That He might eventually show them mercy.

Now the question here that we are interested in is, WHY?

Because if you’re willing to see it,
It’s really no different than the issue regarding the fall.

Why even allow a period of disobedience?
Why even ordain a time of rebellion?
Because if there is no disobedience; if there is no rebellion,
THERE CAN BE NO MERCY.

So let’s look at the final point Paul makes as he explains this all.
#3 THE SOVEREIGN PURPOSE
Romans 11:32

There it is.
WHY WERE THEY IN DISOBEDIENCE?
“God has shut up all in disobedience”

WHY WOULD GOD DO SUCH A THING?
“so that He may show mercy to all.”

God did all of that so that He could make His tremendous mercy known.

• If Gentiles had never been disobedient…
• If Jews had never been disobedient…
• If Adam had never been disobedient…
THEN WE WOULD NEVER KNOW THE GLORY OF GOD’S MERCY

God has chosen to ordain even the difficult things in this world
That He might make His great mercy known.

Romans 9:22-23 “What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,”

Did you catch that?
“He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy”

God is revealing who He is to us.
You couldn’t know Him otherwise.

Now the FIRST THING we must realize about this whole concept is this:
GOD IS BRILLIANT!

Notice the doxology that Paul pens after he comes to this inspired revelation:
Romans 11:33-36 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

When Paul realized that God ordained the disobedience of every human so that He could demonstrated His great mercy to humanity, Paul just had to sit back and say, “Wow! God, there is no one like You!”

He was overwhelmed at the wisdom of God.

And let me just be emphatic here for a moment.
THIS MUST BE OUR RESPONSE AS WELL

Anyone who comes to a revelation of God’s sovereign control over all things,
And that He does all things that He might reveal His glory
Must first and foremost submit that God’s wisdom is far beyond ours.

We would have never devised a plan like that.
Only the wisdom of God could devise such a thing.

And let me tell you furthermore.
That painful tragedy in your life which you may not to this day understand.

The Bible says one day we will know fully just as we are fully known.
One day, we will stand in God’s presence and these things will be explained to us.

Currently we accept our tragedies by faith that God is good.
But one day our faith will become sight and you’ll know exactly
Why God ordained that horrible day of suffering in your life.

And I promise you as boldly
As I’ve ever promised anything in my life.
On that day when God reveals His purpose to you,
I ALREADY KNOW WHAT YOU WILL SAY.

You will say:
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

You will cry at the top of your lungs, “Oh God that was brilliant! Oh God thank you for doing that! Oh God I am so amazed at You!”

Some day when we see the full effect of why God ordained the fall,
We will praise God for the fall
As surely as we praise Him for the cross.

Of that I am supremely confident.

BUT THAT’S NOT THE ONLY THING WE MUST REALIZE.
Certainly grasping God’s wisdom is important.

But Paul goes on to say there is another thing that should occur
When we come to a realization
That God did what He did to make His mercy known.

And it is this:
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

WHY DID GOD ORDAIN A PERIOD OF DISOBEDIENCE?
So that He could reveal His mercy

WHY DID GOD FEEL THE NEED TO REVEAL HIS MERCY?
So that He could be glorified because of it.
• So that you and I would not only be overwhelmed at the wisdom of His sovereign prerogative,
• But also so that you and I could gather before Him and praise Him for His mercy,
• And so that you and I could submit our bodies before Him in service because of His mercy.

Last week I told you that God ordained the fall
“Because redemption is more glorious than creation.”

Tonight I tell you that God ordained disobedience
“Because mercy is more glorious than justice.”

What did Jesus teach us about the proportion of our love for God?

TURN TO: Luke 7:36-47

• I feel certain there were days when you experienced the justice of God and
you felt compelled to honor Him for being just.
• But I am also certain that there were days when you experienced the mercy
of God and I don’t even have to ask which day resulted in greater praise.

Do you see what we are saying?
GOD ORDAINS ALL THINGS FOR HIS GLORY

And this is why things like even the fall or the Jewish rejection of Christ
Or even your great tragedies make so much sense.

Because God is not at work just seeking to make your life comfortable and happy.
GOD IS SEEKING TO REVEAL HIS GLORY TO YOU.

He ordained disobedience that He might show mercy.
And He shows mercy that He might be glorified.

Listen to Paul:
1 Timothy 1:16 “Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.”

And by the way, nothing makes us happier than a revelation of God.

Consider these passages in closing:
Psalms 16:11 “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

Psalms 21:6 “For You make him most blessed forever; You make him joyful with gladness in Your presence.”

Psalms 43:4 “Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God.”

Psalms 84:1-2, 10 “How lovely are Your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts! My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God…For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

I bring all this up to make one main point to you.
• There are events in this world…
• There are tragedies in this life…
• WHICH HAVE NO OTHER EXPLANATION

The ONLY POSSIBLE REASON they can occur
Is because God is ordaining them to reveal the glory of who He is to you.

And what God knows is that
There is no level of loss which you can face in this life
That the resulting presence of His glory
Will not fully and overwhelmingly satisfy.

This whole thing is about SOLI DEO GLORIA
The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.