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Faith Beyond Circumstances
Psalms 74
June 14, 2020

Tonight we come to the 74th Psalm.
It is yet another Psalm of Asaph.

• I love the Psalms of Asaph because there is a real raw honesty that comes forth in them.
• Just as we saw last time in that infamous 73rd Psalm when Asaph took you into the depths of his doubt and struggles and his near apostasy.

The 74th Psalm is no different.

And as an intro into this Psalm I’d like to just approach the question:
WHAT DOES YOUR FAITH REST IN?

Now on one hand it’s really easy to answer that question.
• We’d say, “God”
• Or “God’s Word”
• Or “Jesus Christ and Him crucified”

We know the answer.

And yet, sadly in our culture we see times
Where these claims are proven false.

A couple of weeks ago the lead singer of a well-known contemporary Christian band called HAWK NELSON…

Songs like “Drops in the Ocean” where they sing:
“If you want to know how far my love can go, just how deep, how wide? If you want to see how much you mean to me look at my hands look at my side. If you could count the times I’d say you are forgiven. It’s more than the drops in the ocean.”

They’re not a band I’d necessarily endorse,
But at the very least they were labeled as a Christian rock band
That sought to spread the love of Christ.

A couple of weeks ago their lead singer, Jonathon Steingard, wrote an article that he NO LONGER BELIEVES IN GOD.

“After growing up in a Christian home, being a pastor’s kid, playing and singing in a Christian band, and having the word ‘Christian’ in front of most of the things in my life — I am now finding that I no longer believe in God,”… As an adult, he began questioning what he saw as contradictions within his religion. He wondered why evil and suffering occur throughout the world if God was truly “all loving, and all powerful.”
https://www.insider.com/jon-steingard-hawk-nelson-lead-singer-doesnt-believe-in-god-2020-5

He mentions a few other things,
• Like how the Old Testament and the New Testament seem to be at odds, specifically that God would call for the genocide of a people in the Old Testament and command love in the New.

And we’ve heard those types of arguments many times before.
• “If God is good, then why does He allow suffering?”
• “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
• “How could God command all the Canaanites to be killed?”

You’ve heard them.

But it is a little more unsettling when those arguments come from
The mouth of a pastor’s kid and professing Christian
Who has made a career out of singing songs about the love of Christ.

It is the sin of apostasy, and it is unsettling.

But stories like that are why I ask you:
“What does your faith rest in?”

When people make arguments like those of Jonathon Steingard
What they reveal is that their faith rests in their circumstances.

To put it a little simpler.
It’s easy to trust God when good things are happening.
• When God satisfies your expectations of love
• When God satisfies your definition of goodness
• When God operates within your framework of what is right

At those moments it’s easy to trust God.
• It’s easy to sing about God.
• It’s easy to love God (because He is acting consistent with your expectations)

But what about when God doesn’t?
• What about when God allows the suffering?
• What about when the young mother dies?
• What about when the child is not protected from the abusive father?
• What about when the sickness doesn’t go away?

And the struggle for so many has been
In trying to maintain this view of God being good and loving
When the things He allows don’t fit our definition
Of what is good and loving.

First of all I would remind you of what the Bible says.
• God is good
• God is love

If what God does doesn’t fit your definition of good and love
Then change your definition.

God is not defined by those terms, He defines them.
• We know what is love by looking at God.
• We know what is good by looking at God.

We don’t force God into our definition.

But beyond that, I JUST BRING THAT STORY UP
To remind you of the danger of letting your faith rest on circumstances.

Because I can promise you that in this life you are going to face things
That will not feel like love or goodness,
And if your faith is resting only on your circumstances you are quite likely to follow that apostate pathway and walk away from God.

I want to remind you that your faith must rest on one place
And that is on the revealed word of God.

We trust God is who He says He is,
Even when circumstances make it hard for us to see that.

I give you that as an intro because Psalms 74
Is A GREAT EXAMPLE of the kind of faith I’m talking about.

It is the faith of Asaph that goes beyond what he sees or understands.

Now, if you were with us two weeks ago
Then you know that Psalms 73 could be lumped into this category as well.
• After all, the faith of Asaph nearly failed because circumstances didn’t match
his expectations.
• He couldn’t figure why the wicked who spurned God could have such blessing
in life while the righteous could suffer so much.
• He nearly walked away from the faith.

But we read:
Psalms 73:16-17 “When I pondered to understand this, It was troublesome in my sight Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end.”

Asaph had been looking at the circumstances,
But he hadn’t been looking at the whole story.
He was looking at the present, not at the end.

And when he returned to the sanctuary and heard the word of God,
His faith moved beyond his circumstances and actually led to
One of the great confessions of the Bible.

Psalms 73:25-28 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”

Well, Psalms 74 has a similar feel.
• Only the dilemma in Psalms 74 is NOT the wealth of the wicked.
• The dilemma of Psalms 74 IS the perceived defeat of God.

There are 3 main points we see in the Psalm tonight,
And we’ll break them down a little more than that.

#1 ASAPH’S LAMENT
Psalms 74:1-11

Basically what is occurring here is Asaph laying out before God
All the issues that are causing him confusion and pain.

• These are his list of irreconcilable dilemmas.
• These are the circumstances that he has no answer for.

If someone were to approach him and ask him why these things happened, Asaph wouldn’t know what to say.

We can understand them easier, but breaking them down into 4 real problems for Asaph.
1) THE ASSUMED REJECTION OF GOD’S PEOPLE (1-2)

“O God, why have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture? Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, Which You have redeemed to be the tribe of Your inheritance; And this Mount Zion, where You have dwelt.”

As we work our way through this Psalm you will recognize that
The event in view here is
The destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.

And the FIRST QUESTION Asaph gets to the heart of that.
“O God, why have You rejected us forever?”

To that I would add that this was more than a feeling on Asaph’s part.
• Ezekiel actually showed us God’s glory departing from the mercy seat, then
from the temple, and ultimately from the city altogether.

Ezekiel 11:23 “The glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood over the mountain which is east of the city.”

The rejection of God was far more than just Asaph being dramatic.
There was a sense in which God did reject His people.

• Now it was NOT “forever” as Asaph assumed,
• NOR was it TOTAL as he likely also assumed.

BUT THERE WAS A REJECTION.

He would also ask, “Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?”

This is likely a reference to the smoke rising from the burning city of Jerusalem.
It was just a graphic picture of God’s anger toward His people.

And the struggling thing for Asaph was that this seemed out of character.

For Israel was the people whom God had saved and redeemed.
(2) “Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, Which You have redeemed to be the tribe of Your inheritance; And this Mount Zion, where You have dwelt.”

• These people were God’s “congregation”
• These people were “purchased of old”
• These people were “redeemed to be the tribe of [God’s] inheritance”
• This location is “where You have dwelt”

I mean, these things were supposed to be eternal.
We weren’t supposed to be rejected by You.

But to Asaph that’s what it looked like.

Now we have the luxury of history on our side
So we know that the rejection was temporary and partial.
• In that not all of them were rejected, several lived in Babylon and were greatly cared for by God (Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-nego, Esther, Mordecai)
• The rejection was not forever, but only for 70 years.

But if you put yourself in Asaph’s shoes it must not have felt that way.
Circumstances looked bleak.

But that’s not all he laments.
2) THE APPARENT VICTORY OF GOD’S ENEMIES (3-8)

Here Asaph just sort of chronicles the audacity of the enemy
And what they did to God’s city and God’s house.

THEY INVADED THE CITY AND THE TEMPLE
(3) “Turn Your footsteps toward the perpetual ruins; The enemy has damaged everything within the sanctuary.”

THEY MOCKED GOD IN HIS OWN TEMPLE
(4) “Your adversaries have roared in the midst of Your meeting place; They have set up their own standards for signs.”

Not only blasphemous words,
But actually flying their flags of their pagan deities in God’s temple.

THEY DESTROYED GOD’S ALTARS
(5-6) “It seems as if one had lifted up His axe in a forest of trees. And now all its carved work They smash with hatchet and hammers.”

You’ve likely read it in Exodus or in 1 Kings; those long segments where the detail of all the altars and tables and candlesticks, etc. are described.

And yet the Babylonians chopped them all apart with axes
So that they might take the gold off of them back to Babylon.

THEY BURNED GOD’S TEMPLE
(7) “They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground; They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name.”

THEY TOTALLY DOMINATED GOD’S PEOPLE
(8) “They said in their heart, “Let us completely subdue them.” They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land.”

Now to get inside Asaph’s head here you need to zoom out
And take an honest look at what this looks like.

• A foreign army, following pagan deities
• Just entered the Holy City and the Temple itself.
• They tore up everything, mocked God, stripped it bare,
• Burned it, and took all the people captive.

And might I remind you that this sort of thing
WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO HAPPEN.

• I mean do we not remember Aaron’s sons being consumed by fire for offering strange fire before God?
• Do we not remember Moses not being allowed into the Promised Land for failing to treat God as holy in the midst of the people?
• Do we not remember Uzza being struck dead for touching the Ark?
• Do we not remember Uzziah being turned leprous for entering that temple?

Many of you will remember that this reality was the hope of Israel.
They didn’t think anyone could come into Jerusalem and mess with them
Because God’s temple was there.

That was actually their boast:
Jeremiah 7:4-7 “Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’ “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.”

You see that this temple was their ace in the hole.
No one was going to come in here and overthrow God.

And yet, that’s exactly what Babylon did.

What does it look like?
It looks like God lost.

Let me give you an opposite account to further my point.
TURN TO: 1 SAMUEL 5

Remember that story?
• That story makes it look like God is far more powerful than the Philistine gods (and indeed He is)

Well, if that story makes God look like the stronger God,
Then what does this story look like?

It gives the appearance that God lost.

That is the conclusion you come to
If you are only looking at the circumstances.

Of course God’s word tells us that
• God did not lose,
• Rather God Himself brought Babylon here and strengthened them
• To do all that they did as punishment for the idolatry of His people.

But if you are only looking at the circumstances
You can see how bad this looks.

The Assumed Rejection of God’s People
The Apparent Victory of God’s Enemies.
3) THE ABSOLUTE SILENCE OF GOD’S PROPHETS (9)

(9) “We do not see our signs; There is no longer any prophet, Nor is there any among us who knows how long.”

Now again, to be fair, that’s not exactly true.
• Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel all prophesied that this would happen.
• Jeremiah even prophesied that it would last for 70 years.
• Isaiah named the king who would send Israel back.

But we’re talking here about perception in circumstances.

At that time in Israel, no one was listening to the prophets.
• Regarding the prophecy of Jeremiah that it would last 70 years,
• Daniel was the first to discover that, and it wasn’t until the 67th year of the exile.

And here we are talking about perceptions.
We are talking about circumstances.

And the circumstances are that no one had an answer for this.

It only added to the perception that perhaps God was not real,
Or perhaps God did not actually love His people,
Or perhaps God had been defeated.

Asaph is just calling it like he sees it.

There is one more perception here in this lament.
4) THE ABSENT RESPONSE OF GOD (10-11)

(10-11) “How long, O God, will the adversary revile, And the enemy spurn Your name forever? Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? From within Your bosom, destroy them!”

To make matters worse, God doesn’t seem to be doing anything to answer the doubt.
• God is not responding.
• God is not doing anything.

His people are suffering, the enemy is looting, the prophets are silent, and God isn’t giving any explanation at all.

It doesn’t appear that He is doing anything more
Than all the false gods of the nations.

And if you stop there, and look only at the circumstances,
You can see why so many would have faith that failed.

You’d understand why someone would say,
• “I guess God isn’t God after all.”
• “It looks like He doesn’t care for us like we thought He did”
• “Apparently God isn’t hearing our prayers”
• “I guess God’s word doesn’t have the answers”

And you would be able to see why people, whose faith rests on circumstances, might then turn and say, “I no longer believe in God”
• “I used to believe in Him, but after what happened in Jerusalem, I don’t
anymore.”

That’s precisely the type of defection we see in that singer.
• He just couldn’t rationalize the perceived injustice around him.
• He just couldn’t explain the suffering or the “bad” in the world.
• And so, he determined that God is not real.

And this is why our faith does not rest on circumstances.
If it does, you will face realities that will rattle you too.

Our faith rests upon who God has revealed Himself to be,
And we trust that, even when we don’t understand.

Well in Psalms 73 Asaph told us that he nearly walked away from God.
But in Psalms 74 that is not the case at all.

In fact, Asaph handles these negative circumstances like a champ.
He gives us a great example of faith that is greater than circumstances.

His Lament
#2 HIS DECLARATION
Psalms 74:12-17

Don’t you love that first line!

“Yet God is my king from of old”

I’m not looking at what I see today anymore.
(that was the mistake of Psalms 73)

I’m looking much deeper.
• In Psalms 73 he learned to look past the present to the end.
• In Psalms 74 he learned to look deeper than the present and see the beginning.

Remember who God is and has always been
And don’t allow present circumstances to change that.

“Yet God is my king from of old”

And what is the main truth he knows about God?
“Who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth.”

• God is God
• God is King
• God is My King
• God has always been King
• And GOD IS A DELIVERER

HE ALWAYS HAS BEEN.

Instead of looking at today’s headline and wondering where God is,
Asaph looks back through the pages of history
And chooses not to let present circumstances upset his faith.

God has always delivered His people,
Even from the most desperate and dark situations.

CONSIDER:
(13-14) “You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters. You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.”

What is Asaph referring to?
The Exodus from Egypt and the subsequent crushing of the Egyptians.

Why bring that up?
Well, if you’ll remember that appeared to be
A pretty hopeless time too didn’t it?

Exodus 2:23 “Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God.”

• 450 years of slavery, watching Egypt worship false gods.
• It must’ve felt like God had forever rejected His people or that perhaps He was not as powerful as they thought.
• And yet God raised up Moses.

And when they left Egypt, they ONCE AGAIN WERE IN A DESPERATE SITUATION as they were pinned up against the Red Sea.
Exodus 14:10-12 “As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? “Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

• That was a pretty dark day too, and yet God delivered.

When Asaph sees the temple going up in smoke,
He doesn’t lose faith, he just goes in his mind back to the Exodus
Where God delivered before.

AND THAT’S NOT THE ONLY PLACE.
(15) “You broke open springs and torrents; You dried up ever-flowing streams.”

Here he remembers the Wilderness Wanderings where circumstances again looked bleak.
• When it appeared that the people would die of thirst in the desert, God opened
up a spring of water from a rock.
• When the Jordan river prevented them from crossing into the Promised Land,
God dried up that stream.

In reality, Israel’s history is filled
With hopeless situations and the deliverance of God.

There are endless stories of times when it appeared there was no hope and no explanation and then God did the unthinkable and delivered.

Asaph is holding to that here as well.
Circumstances will not wreck his faith,
He’ll rest on the past and who God has always been.

And then comes a great statement about the sovereignty of God.
(16-17) “Yours is the day, Yours also is the night; You have prepared the light and the sun. You have established all the boundaries of the earth; You have made summer and winter.”

I think there are 2 ways to read those verses.
• You can read them literally and see them as a reference to creation where God brought light out of darkness and created all things.
• I think you can also look at it metaphorically as if to say God is sovereign over both the night and the dark.

Regardless if it’s bad or good, God is still in control.

This is actually what Jonathon Steingard most failed to understand.
• That God is sovereign over all things,
• And even when bad things happen,
• They are sovereignly ordained for the good of His children.

There are a lot of things in life that seem bad to the eye,
But if seen through spiritual eyes we realize them to be blessings.

Consider:
John 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.”

Blindness seems terrible doesn’t it?
(and it would be hard)

And yet, here is a blind man, born blind for the glory of God.

Exodus 4:10-11 “Then Moses said to the LORD, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 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?”

All bad and all good have to be viewed
Through the lens of God’s sovereignty
And with the understanding that God is working all things
For the good of those who love Him.

It may be terrible at the moment.
But our good and loving God knows exactly what He is doing.

Asaph knows that.
• He is not about to make the same mistake twice.
• He will not allow circumstances to shatter his faith.
• His faith is bigger than his circumstances.

He actually reminds us of the book of Habakkuk.
• Habakkuk cried out to God because his people were evil.
• God said He would send the Babylonians to destroy them.
• Habakkuk didn’t like that, but understood the sovereignty of God.

He closed his book with this statement:
Habakkuk 3:16-19 “I heard and my inward parts trembled, At the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, And in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.”

One sat after the destruction, one sat before it,
But both viewed it through the lens of God’s sovereign goodness.

His Lament – His Declaration
#3 HIS CRY
Psalms 74:18-23

There are 4 requests from Asaph here.
And notice that NONE of them are for understanding.

He doesn’t seem to feel that God owes him an explanation.
He is walking by faith.

1) REMEMBER THE ENEMY (18)

(18) “Remember this, O LORD, that the enemy has reviled, And a foolish people has spurned Your name.”

• Even if Asaph were capable of taking his own revenge, he knows he cannot.
• Dealing with the Babylonians will be the job and prerogative of God.
• And Asaph is trusting God to deal with them in His time.

Incidentally, both Jeremiah and Ezekiel promise that He will.

Here’s just one of many
Jeremiah 50:29-32 “Summon many against Babylon, All those who bend the bow: Encamp against her on every side, Let there be no escape. Repay her according to her work; According to all that she has done, so do to her; For she has become arrogant against the LORD, Against the Holy One of Israel. “Therefore her young men will fall in her streets, And all her men of war will be silenced in that day,” declares the LORD. “Behold, I am against you, O arrogant one,” Declares the Lord GOD of hosts, “For your day has come, The time when I will punish you. “The arrogant one will stumble and fall With no one to raise him up; And I will set fire to his cities And it will devour all his environs.”

Asaph is going to wait for that day.
He knows God will answer all the abuses against Him.

And Asaph prays that God would remember
What the enemy did to God and to God’s people.

2) REMEMBER YOUR BELOVED (19)

(19) “Do not deliver the soul of Your turtledove to the wild beast; Do not forget the life of Your afflicted forever.”

I love that even in the midst of such punishment
Asaph still refers to Israel as God’s “turtledove”.

He knows God’s love never fails.
He understands God’s CHECED

His request here is that God would not forget His beloved forever.
It is to pray that God, in His own time, would again restore His people.

And of course you know that He promised that as well.
Jeremiah 29:10-14 “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’”

This is how Asaph is praying.
• That God would punish the enemy who brought this pain.
• That God would deliver His people who deserved it.

3) REMEMBER YOUR COVENANT (20-21)

(20-21) “Consider the covenant; For the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence. Let not the oppressed return dishonored; Let the afflicted and needy praise Your name.”

Right now the WRONG PEOPLE are living in the land.
Asaph knows that God has given this land to Israel.

In fact, God promised Abraham that He would.
Asaph is simply calling on God to remember that promise.

Which of course God did.

You understand a little here about our faith when circumstances go bad.
• Don’t lose faith.
• Look back to who God has been.
• Don’t pray for an answer or explanation.
• Pray for God to do what He has promised.

And then we one final request, which I love.

4) REMEMBER YOUR GLORY (22-23)

(22-23) “Arise, O God, and plead Your own cause; Remember how the foolish man reproaches You all day long. Do not forget the voice of Your adversaries, The uproar of those who rise against You which ascends continually.”

Ultimately Asaph prayed that
The perception of God in the world right then would fade away.

The fall of Jerusalem certainly gave the impression
That God wasn’t as powerful as He seemed
And that His people weren’t as secure as they thought.

It looked to the world like God was over-hyped.

And this was the biggest grief Asaph faced.
• And so his prayer was that regardless of what happened in his life,
• May God move to defend His great name
• And to silence the foolish who speak against Him.

And by the way, God will do this too!
TURN TO: EZEKIEL 36:22-32

God will act for His own sake.

Well there you have a great illustration of the type of faith
That moves beyond bad circumstances.
The kind of faith that stands even when things go terribly wrong.

It IS NOT a faith that looks at suffering and determines that there is no God.
It IS faith that looks at suffering and sees that God is at work as He always has been.

It IS NOT a faith that prays for an explanation so that I can keep believing.
It IS a faith that prays according to the promises of God because it is believing.

It IS NOT a faith that demands relief from struggles and hardships.
It IS a faith that cries out for God to be glorified through it all.

That is the type of faith that is bigger than circumstances
And it is the kind of faith you and I are called to have.

Download here:

Securing A Crucifixion – Part 1
Luke 19:28-48 (28-40)
June 14, 2020

In the prophet Daniel we read of an interesting prophecy.

Daniel 9:24-26 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.”

• What you have there is a specific announcement of exactly when the Messiah would die.
• Specifically it will happen 434 years after an announcement is made to rebuild Jerusalem.

The prophecy is a little tricky because we aren’t Jewish.
Basically you have to convert to a Jewish calendar
And then convert back to our calendar to fully grasp it.

But basically I’ll give it to you like this.
• On March 5, 44BC Artaxerxes gave the decree to rebuild Jerusalem.
• 173,880 days later (62 years) we have another event unfold.
• March 30, 33AD Jesus enters Jerusalem for the Triumphal entry.

I start you off this morning with that prophecy
Because I want you to be aware of something.

The rejection and murder of Jesus
Was a precalculated and predetermined plan of God.

Many times in the gospels we see Jesus facing potential death
Only to hear the phrase, “His time had not yet come”.
(John is particularly fond of that phrase).

• We see Jesus walk away from being thrown off a cliff.
• We see Jesus walk away from stonings.
• We see Jesus walk away from arrest warrants.

They can’t do anything to Him because it’s not His time.

However, if you will remember there was one time listed in the Scriptures when the religious leaders specifically DID NOT want to arrest or kill Him.

Matthew 26:3-5 “Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him. But they were saying, “Not during the festival, otherwise a riot might occur among the people.”

• They wanted to kill Him
• They repeatedly tried to kill Him.
• The only date they didn’t want to do it was during this Passover for fear that the overwhelming crowds might make it difficult to carry out their scheme.

However, this was the time God had sovereignly picked.
Jesus was God’s Passover Lamb.

Jewish Law permitted for that first Passover Lamb to be killed at 3pm on Friday and that is precisely when Jesus would breathe His last.

THIS WAS THE TIME.

NOW I TELL YOU THAT,
Not only to show you the sovereign perspective of God behind the cross,
But also because it explains for us what is an incredibly BIZARRE SCENE.

Of all the events in the New Testament,
And of all the events surrounding the life of Jesus,
NONE IS MORE PECULIAR THAN THIS ONE.

For starters, Jesus has never yet allowed anyone to be so bold and public with a Messianic announcement as He is here.

• Every other time the issue of Him being Messiah threatens to turn into a big ordeal, He shuts it down.

When the disciples realized it
Luke 9:18-21 “And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?” They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.” And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.” But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone,”

Or when He fed the 5,000
John 6:15 “So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.”

But here, not only does Jesus participate,
He sends two disciples for the specific donkey He will ride for the parade.

We’ve never seen this before from Jesus.

Other obvious peculiarities are things like this FICKLE CROWD.
• Today (likely Monday) they are yelling Hosanna
• 4 days from now (Friday) they will be yelling crucify

The hypocrisy of the scene is really gut wrenching.

But still that’s not all the oddities
We have here a very STRANGE CORONATION.

• The crowd here publicly and loudly commends Jesus as their King.
• But as soon as the parade is over Jesus will condemn the crowd.

• This crowd expects Jesus to go in and declare war on Rome.
• But the only place Jesus will declare war is in the temple.

• Jesus Himself will reveal that the truth will now be hidden from this crowd.
• Yet, He is about to spend 3 days preaching the gospel to them in the temple.

It’s just bizarre things.

And yet, in some ways, it is the only normal week of Jesus’ entire ministry
Since it is the only time that Jesus
Will have full reign of all the teaching in the temple.

It is really just a bizarre unfolding of events.
It is a backward feeling week.

SO HOW DO WE MAKE SENSE OF IT?
• Why does Jesus allow for such a public coronation?
• Why does Jesus then turn and condemn the people who praised Him?
• Why does Jesus cause such a stir in the temple by clearing it?
• Why does Jesus go toe to toe with the religious elite, almost antagonizing them?

THE ANSWER:
HE IS PUSHING THEM TO FULFILL GOD’S SOVEREIGN WILL.

HE IS IN JERUSALEM TO DIE,
While every event here was true and deserved,
They were also intended to push His enemies to a point of desperation.

After these next 4 days His enemies would only have two options.
• They would either have to bow to Him or kill Him,
• But after this week coexisting would not be an option.

Jesus is intentionally moving towards His own murder.
It is an amazing week.

During this week
• He is going to be declared King by the masses.
• He is going to totally reform the purpose of the temple.
• He is going to stand toe to toe against the religious elite in endless debate.

And then He is going to be arrested
• He is going to be beaten
• He is going to be wrongly tried
• He is going to be crucified

And it is all part of a plan that was devised before time began.
A plan that was announced to the day over 500 years earlier.

This time as Jesus approaches Jerusalem,
He is going to secure a crucifixion.

It’s obviously more text than we can get through this morning,
But let’s start looking at the event together.

There are 5 things that jump out at us in verses.
#1 THE SUBMISSIVE WILL OF JESUS
Luke 19:28-35

This certainly isn’t new information to us.
After all, we have seen this resolve in Jesus over and over.

He came to this earth with the primary goal of dying for sinners.
Luke 18:31-33 “Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. “For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.”

The disciples didn’t understand that, but Jesus certainly did.

Of all the people in the caravan traveling toward Jerusalem,
Jesus is the only One who is fully aware
Of what must happen in Jerusalem.

• Everyone else is going blindly.
• Everyone else, we learned last week, “supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately.” (19:11)

Only Jesus knows what is really coming.
• And yet, Jesus is not deterred.
• He pushes forward.
• He keeps going.

Not just walking into a trap, but PURPOSELY walking into a situation
Where He will give His enemies no choice but to bow to Him or kill Him.

Again we say that Jesus is all in.

(28-29a) “After He had said these things, He was going on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the mount that is called Olivet…”

• The Mount of Olives sets just east of Jerusalem.
• And on the back slope of the mountain, opposite Jerusalem sets the villages of “Bethphage and Bethany”.
• From those villages you can’t see Jerusalem.
• You have to cross the summit of the Mount of Olives before you see the city and then you descend down into Jerusalem.

So Jesus has made the journey now from Galilee.
• He has crossed the Jordan
• He has climbed to Jericho (healed 2 blind men, saved Zaccheus)
• He is about to cross over Mt. Olivet and it will all begin.

Jesus is willing, in fact He is determined.
Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

And further evidence of that determination
Is seen in the fact that Jesus purposely fulfills
The most in your face prophesy that He could have fulfilled.

He’s about to have the audacity to climb on the back of a donkey’s colt
And enter Jerusalem amid a crowd quoting Psalms 118.

(29b-31) “He sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of it.’”

Certainly we once again marvel at the omniscience of Jesus.
This yet again a demonstration of His deity.
• He knows about this colt.
• He knows that it is tied up.
• He knows that the owners will loan it.

Furthermore it is a colt which has never been ridden,
It is a colt reserved only for Him.

And His disciples found it just as He said.
(32-35) “So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They said, “The Lord has need of it.” They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it.”

There is a definite reason why this is occurring.

But it WASN’T IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED by the disciples.

In fact John’s gospel says:
John 12:16 “These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.”

They didn’t fully understand why Jesus would enter the city on a donkey.
• A king going off to battle would ride a red horse.
• A king returning from victory would ride a white horse.
• A king seeking terms of peace would ride a donkey.

That wasn’t at all what they were expecting.

But what Jesus is doing,
Is purposely fulfilling an Old Testament prophecy.

Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

This was intentional on the part of Jesus.
• Thus far He has maintained a low profile regarding His Messianic credentials, but not on this day.
• On this day, He’s going to climb on this donkey and enter the city, all but hanging a banner stating that the king is coming!

And while the disciples may not have fully understood it,
His enemies certainly did.

In their minds He was getting out of control.

John’s gospel also states:
John 12:16-19 “These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. For this reason also the people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.”

Jesus is forcing their hand.

This is NOT a man who is entering Jerusalem
Hoping to just peacefully participate in the Passover and then go home.

Jesus is entering Jerusalem in such a manner so as to secure His death.

He came to die for sinners.
He came to die on a cross.
He came to die at this specific time.

And He is willfully submitting to that plan.
In fact, He is initiating that plan.

The submissive Will of Jesus
#2 THE SHALLOW WORSHIP OF JESUS
Luke 19:36-40

This is yet another scene that you are certainly FAMILIAR with.
I find it to be one of the most NAUSEATING scenes in the Bible.

It is the pinnacle of hypocrisy and phony worship.
You have a crowd here who goes over the top to proclaim Jesus King
And in just 4 days will adamantly yell, “crucify Him!”

They will cry, “let His blood be on our heads and on our children.”

It is shallow worship to say the least,
But Jesus allowed it because it was so grandiose & “in your face”
That there is no way His enemies could have missed it.

As Jesus is riding this donkey we read that
“they were spreading their coats on the road.”

This was a symbolic gesture.
It was a picture of submission.

It was to give a visual sign that we are placing ourselves under Your feet.
• We are under You
• You are over us
• We submit to You our King.

(37) “As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen,”

• Jesus is now cresting the peak of Mt. Olivet
• The city is now in view,
• As Jesus begins to descend into the city,
• The crowd really stokes the fire.

They “began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen”

John tells us that
• One miracle in particular had captivated their conversation
• That was the raising of Lazarus from the dead,
• But that certainly wasn’t the only miracle they spoke of.

After all, he’s got formerly blind Bartemaus in this crowd.
There’s no telling how many other in the caravan have also been healed,

As Jesus is descending the crowd is in a glorious uproar
Shouting out all the miraculous things He has done.

I can’t help but picture it almost like when a prize fighter is introduced.
• The beater of blindness
• The lambaster of leprosy
• The silencer of storms
• The dominator of demons
• The defeater of death
• And on and on and on…

It is a full blown parade and circus in which
Jesus is being heralded and exalted like no other time in His ministry.

And that was certainly offensive enough to His enemies.

But that’s still NOT ALL they did.

(38) “shouting: “BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

That statement is a loaded statement.
• It comes as a quote from Psalms 118.
• We’ve likely talked about this before, but let’s make sure you understand it if it’s not familiar to you.

TURN TO: PSALMS 118

Psalms 118 is the song of a champion.
It is sometimes referred to as the Conqueror’s Psalm.

We won’t cover it all, but I can give you the highlights.
• (1-4) begins with exaltation
• (5-9) the Psalmist is in distress but chooses to trust God
• (10-14) the Psalmist is in the fight of his life and should lose
• (15-18) the Psalmist is miraculously spared
• (19-20) the Psalmist rejoices in his victory

And then the final stanza of the Psalm is sort of a ballad or ode
To this great champion, who trusted God and overcame.

(22-26) “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone. This is the LORD’S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. O LORD, do save, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.”

You immediately recognize the first line of verse 26
• As the line that this crowd was quoting.
• “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD”

Other gospel accounts tell us they were also shouting verse 25,
• “O LORD, do save”
• You don’t see it in that form in other gospels, rather you see the Hebrew word “Hosanna” being shouted, which means “do save”.

The point is that this is a bold scene His enemies could not have ignored.

• You have Jesus, setting on that donkey and entering Jerusalem as a blatant and obvious fulfillment of prophecy.
• You have the crowd pledging submission to Him by throwing their coats on the road.
• You have the crowd reciting and praising and boasting in His great miraculous power.
• You have the crowd singing one of the most Messianic loaded Psalms in the entire Old Testament about Him.

It is a huge scene
And one that would DEMAND A RESPONSE from the religious elite.

And Luke gives us that response.
(39) “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

They can’t believe how bold and loud this whole thing is.
• Never in a million years did they dream that Jesus would have this kind of audacity.

At best they thought He might sneak up to Jerusalem to enter the feast
And do His best to not get noticed or arrested.
But they never expected this.

In their minds this was blasphemy of the highest order.
• How dare He ride that donkey in…
• How dare He allow these testimonies…
• How dare He allow them to quote Psalms 118 over Him…

And so the Pharisees demand Him to call the whole thing off.
• Stop the parade…
• Stop the testimonies…
• Stop the worship…
• Stop the singing…

This event achieved its desired effect.
Jesus’ enemies now see that something had to be done.
He can’t be allowed to keep going on like this.

And before we go on, let’s just take a minute here
And recognize the LOVE AND COMMITMENT of our Lord.

Throughout His ministry Jesus has proclaimed salvation to men.
• Just recently he promised salvation to Bartemaus and Zaccheus.
• But that salvation hinged upon an atoning sacrifice.

Every time Jesus promised salvation,
He was entering an agreement
To bear the sin of those He promised to save.

• We are so thankful that Jesus is not as fickle as this crowd.
• We are so thankful that Jesus is not as committed as we often prove to be.
• We are so thankful that Jesus did what was necessary to purchase our pardon.

He was faithful and He was committed right to the very end.
He came to die for sinners and that is exactly what He will do.

We must marvel at the great love and commitment of our Savior.
What great love He demonstrates for His own.

He doesn’t just proclaim love to us,
He makes for certain that He is able to fulfill His promise.

IT IS REMARKABLE LOVE.

WELL, NOW HE’S DONE IT AND PREDICTABLY
THE PHARISEES WANT HIM TO STOP IT ALL.

But Jesus answers them.
(40) “But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”

Now, many times I’ve read that statement and made what I think is a pretty common assumption.
• That Jesus was simply saying that He is going to be praised one way or another, and of they quit singing then the rocks will start singing.
• It makes for a good sound bite, and some have even written songs to that affect singing, “Ain’t no rock, gonna cry in my place”

But I’m going to submit to you that
This is NOT what Jesus meant by the statement.

INSTEAD,
Jesus is transitioning to the shocking message that He is about to preach

Namely that, if Israel doesn’t worship Him as they should,
Then the next testimony that will be heard
Is the testimony of the stones.

Let me show you.
I’ll just introduce this next point.

The Submissive Will of Jesus, the Shallow Worship of Jesus
#3 THE SEVERE WEEPING OF JESUS
Luke 19:41-44

Here Jesus actually overlooks the city, weeps,
And gives a shocking and very condemning message.

This morning, I just want you to focus in on this message of the stones.

These people are crying out
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (38)

But Jesus says, (42) “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace!”

That is to say, “You are singing about peace,
but you don’t have a clue what you are talking about.”

In fact, Jesus speaks of a coming judgment
In which Jerusalem will be sacked and leveled to the ground.

And notice what Jesus says in verse 44, “and they will not leave in you one stone upon another”

This is the testimony of the stones that Jesus is referring to.

The Pharisees want Jesus to stop the crowd from exalting Him as King
And Jesus says, “That’s the worst possible thing that could happen.”

Because if they stop worshiping Me,
You aren’t going to like what comes next.

• You will have only the rubble of a former city
• And the testimony of scattered stones,
• Stones crying out that they did not receive the peace they expected.

It’s no wonder Jesus is weeping over this city.
He is the King
He came to purchase peace
But despite the parade
He is about to be totally rejected

WHAT A SAD REALITY WE SEE HERE
IT IS THE MOST HYPOCRITICAL OF SCENES IN ALL THE BIBLE.

• Here we had a crowd of people giving all sorts of lip service to Jesus.
• Here we had a crowd giving supposed worship to Jesus.

• They talked about His miracles.
• They sang about His credentials.
• They laid their coats in the road.

In less than a week they are going to yell crucify and totally reject Him.
And the result of their hypocrisy will be total destruction.

This scene certainly warrants
A rebuke against false and hypocritical worship.

For here we learn that
• False worship DOES NOT DELIGHT Jesus.
• False worship DOES NOT PACIFY Jesus.
• False worship DOES NOT SATISFY Jesus.

False worship grieves Jesus and angers Jesus.

For no sooner does this parade end than does Jesus
• Weep over the city
• Pronounce judgment on her
• And then travel down and declare war on the religious system operating in the temple.

And we must learn this.

Isaiah said it years earlier:
Isaiah 29:13 “Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,”

• Jesus quoted that verse to the Pharisees who could care less about genuine worship,
• But who only carried about traditions like washing your hands before you eat.
• Going through the motions does not please the Lord.

The prophet Jeremiah saw the same.
Jeremiah 7:8-11 “Behold, you are trusting in deceptive words to no avail. “Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’ — that you may do all these abominations? “Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” declares the LORD.”

• Jesus will quote that verse the religious elite when He clears out the temple.

Hosea saw the blatant hypocrisy.
Hosea 6:4-6 “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. Therefore I have hewn them in pieces by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth; And the judgments on you are like the light that goes forth. For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

• Jesus quoted that verse to the Pharisees when they sought to condemn the disciples for eating on the Sabbath.

And the point is that religion or praise or tradition for show
Was never acceptable to Jesus.

In fact it grieved Him.

And here He spoke of the inevitable effects
Of shallow and hypocritical worship.
The inevitable effect is judgment.

These people never loved Jesus.
• It was all a show.
• It was all a farce.

• They sang the songs
• They joined the parade
• They laid down their coats

But they never loved Him.
They never served Him.
And when the going got tough they abandoned Him.

The Triumphal Entry will forever stand as
The most hypocritical and nauseating worship event
In the history of the world.

It was the day when Christ’s enemies pretended to love Him
Because they hoped to benefit from His success.

Far too many do that very thing today.

And I think it is only right that each of us examine our own hearts in this regard.
• Do I love Christ?
• Do I desire Christ?
• Do I trust Christ?

Or am I just here because of what I think He can do for me?

This morning I simply ask you to pledge again your love for Christ.
• Go beyond the parade…
• Go beyond the show…
• Go beyond the service…

• Go with Christ to worship Him in the temple.
• Go with Christ to worship Him in the upper room.
• Go with Christ to worship Him in the garden.
• Go with Christ to worship Him before Pilate.
• Go with Christ to worship Him at Calvary.

Don’t let the entire summation of your Christian faithfulness
Be summed up in the statement, “I go to church”.
“I attended the parade”

Christ deserves far more LOYALTY than that.
Christ deserves far more GENUINENESS than that.
Christ deserves far more REVERENCE than that.

Furthermore, those who don’t give it are destroyed.
This King will not be mocked forever.

Download Here:

Kingdom Business
Luke 19:11-27
June 7, 2020

In the year May of 2000 a preacher named John Piper preached at a gathering of thousands of college students at an event called “Passion”. What he said there became perhaps the most impactful sermon my generation ever listened to.

He preached a sermon entitled “Boasting Only In The Cross”

He began the sermon by addressing the ever-popular American Dream.
It was a sermon aimed at a hillside full of college students
Just ready to go out and make their mark on the world.

“If you want your life to count you don’t have to have a high IQ, you don’t have to have a high EQ, you don’t have to be smart, you don’t have to good looks, you don’t have to be from a good family or from a good school. You just have to know a few basic, simple, glorious, majestic, obvious, unchanging, eternal things, and be gripped by them and be willing to lay down your life for them. Which is why anybody in this crowd can make a worldwide difference. Because it isn’t you, it’s what you’re gripped with. But one of the really sad things about this moment right now is that there are hundreds of you in this crowd who do not want your life to make a difference. All you want is to be liked. Maybe finish school, get a good job, find a husband or a wife, a nice house, a nice car, long weekends, good vacations, grow old, healthy, have a fun retirement, die easy, no hell. And that’s all you want. And you don’t give a rip whether your life counts on this earth for eternity. And that’s a tragedy in the making.”

• He would then tell a story about two 80 year old missionary women who, after retirement, entered the mission field in Cameroon, and who had recently died on the mission field
• And then Piper would read a story from the Readers Digest about a retired couple in Florida who spent their retirement on a boat and collecting shells.
• He held them up as the difference between the unwasted life and the wasted one.
• And he spoke of this so-called American dream where we get everything we want and at the end of it all we end up standing before God seeking to show Him our shell collection.
• And he would plead with the crowd, “Don’t buy that dream…Don’t waste your life”.
https://youtu.be/XajXpH908Yg

It’s not so different from what the apostle Paul would tell the Ephesians.
Ephesians 5:15-16 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”

The word for “time” there is not CHRONOS (as in chronological, speaking of minutes and seconds). The word is KAIROS which speaks of “opportune time”.

And the idea is that we have this one life
In which we have opportunity to make a difference
And Paul called us to use it wisely and to use it for the will of God.

This is precisely the point of our Lord this morning
In His message to the traveling caravan
That is accompanying Him to Jerusalem.

Christ is traveling to Jerusalem
To give His life for the redemption of sinners,
On the way He is going to plead with those around Him
Not to waste theirs.

Specifically the Lord is about to debunk
A faulty expectation about the coming kingdom.

To state it bluntly,
• This crowd thought themselves to be at the finish line and the reality is they were only getting started.
• They expected the kingdom to appear any minute and thought all the hardship was behind them.

But Christ was about to instruct them that their expectation was faulty.
They were about to be called to a life saturated with kingdom business.

And, just as John Piper warned those college students
That there were those in that crowd
Who had no interest in living a life for the kingdom,
Jesus would here warn this crowd of the same thing.

And the sermon is highly convicting.
• It is a message from our Lord that forces us to consider whether our life
is making any difference for the kingdom at all.

• It forces us to answer honestly about what has been the driving passion
of our life.

It forces us to realize that one day we will stand before Christ
And will have to answer the question.
Did we live for our kingdom or did we live for His?

It is certainly my prayer this morning
That I would not waste my life, and that you would not either.

Well here we find 4 truths the Lord saw fit to address with this crowd regarding the coming kingdom.

#1 THE SCHEDULE OF ITS APPEARING
Luke 19:11-12

Here we find the context and setting of this sermon.
(11) “While they were listening to these things,”

• This is a reference to the truths regarding the salvation of Zaccheus and the announcement by Jesus that “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

This is an important understanding because
It reminds us of the primary focus and passion of Christ.

• He stated last week why He came.
• He stated His mission.
• He gave the chief statement of what kingdom work looks like.

The passion of our Lord was to save sinners and grow His kingdom.
He goes about seeking and saving that which is lost.

And this is what Jesus has been preaching.
• Zaccheus was the catalyst who inspired this sermon on the priority of evangelism.

And after Jesus was CONCLUDING THAT MESSAGE we read:
“Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately.”

So Jesus is preaching about things regarding salvation,
About the realities of kingdom work,
But He knows what is on the hearts and minds of the crowd.

This crowd is filled with excitement for Him to enter Jerusalem.
• And Jesus “was near”
• And they are looking for it to “appear immediately”

In short, they think they are at the finish line.
• All the work is behind them.
• All the labor is nearly over.
• All the struggle…
• All the suffering…
• All the hardship…

Any moment now the kingdom will arrive.

That is the expectation of the crowd.
And so Jesus delivers to them AN IMPORTANT PARABLE.

(12) “So He said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return.”

You don’t have to think too long and hard about who this parable represents.
• The “nobleman” is clearly Jesus.
• The “distant country” is heaven
• The “return” is the 2nd coming

To those who expected the kingdom to appear immediately,
JESUS GIVES YET AGAIN A REMINDER THAT
“The kingdom is not coming in a physical reality
Nearly as quickly as they think.”

He is not going to Jerusalem to claim a throne.
He is going to Jerusalem to die on a cross.

He is going to earn and purchase the kingdom
But they are all expecting Him to rule.

This is something that we also understand about the Lord’s death.

And that is that He earned the kingdom
Through His sacrificial death.

Consider for a moment:

Philippians 2:8-11 “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

You see the phrase, “For this reason”
The sacrificial death of Christ earned Him the kingdom.

Isaiah 53:10-12 “But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.”

There it is again, that because He bore the iniquities of the many
God allots Him a portion with the great.

This is what Peter announced at Pentecost.
Acts 2:32-36 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”‘ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified.”

In the book of the Revelation you see the same thing.
• No one is able to take the scroll or to break its seals.
• That scroll is the title deed to the earth.
• That scroll is the right to rule.

No one can open the scroll, until Christ appears, and He opens it.
Revelation 5:9-10 “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

What you learn is that Christ is NOT just receiving a kingdom
Because He is of the line of David.

Christ is receiving a kingdom
Because He will purchase that kingdom.

He will satisfy God’s righteous requirement.
He will pay the debt of sin against it.

So first, let me reiterate that regarding the kingdom, CHRIST IS ALL IN
He will pay the ultimate cost in order to have His kingdom.

But the immediate point to the crowd is that
This kingdom is not coming as quickly as you think.

But there’s more He wants them to know
About this kingdom they are expecting.

The Schedule of Its Appearing
#2 THE SCORN OF ITS CITIZENS
Luke 19:13-14

So Jesus gives this parable about a nobleman
Who is about to leave to receive his kingdom, who will then return.

But also important to the parable is that BEFORE the nobleman leaves
He ENLISTS his slaves to take care of his business while he is gone.

(13) “And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas and said to them, ‘Do business with this until I come back.’”

Now the first and vitally important point is that
While the nobleman is away there is work to be done by his slaves.

• He didn’t put his slaves on vacation.
• He didn’t tell his slaves to find new jobs.
• He didn’t tell them to do whatever they wanted.

They had a specific job to do in his absence.

And he MADE PROVISION for them to be able to do that job.

“he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas”

A mina = 100 days wages.

Now don’t try to draw some mystical symbolism
Out of the fact that there were 10 slaves or that he gave them each a mina.

The point is that he has an EXPECTATION for his slaves while he is away and he has given them PROVISION to accomplish that task.

His command is clear “Do business with this until I come back”
Work is expected.

AND IF JESUS STOPPED THE PARABLE THERE,
We would simply talk about the calling of evangelism and missions
Which is the primary work of the church.

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

Do not get confused and do not let your passions get diluted.
• This is your calling.
• This is my calling.

We are called to make disciples of Christ.
We do that by going, by baptizing, and by teaching.

Of all your jobs; all your passions; all your hobbies, this is the priority.
Everything you and I do must be done under this primary passion and objective.

To be busy in any and all endeavors but to fail to do this
Is to not do the business that we were specifically instructed to do.

You must see that.
And if Jesus had closed the parable there,
We would do the same and simply say now go do your job.

BUT THERE’S MORE TO THE PARABLE,
And it’s not necessarily easy to hear.

(14) “But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’”

We get another piece of the puzzle in this parable.

• When this nobleman goes off to get his kingdom
• And leaves his slaves to work in his absence,
• He is actually leaving them in a very hostile environment.

This nobleman’s citizens hate him.

Jesus says they “sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’”

There was actually a familiar historical precedent to this parable.

John MacArthur writes:
“Israel in the time of Christ was an occupied nation, under the rule and authority of Rome. The Romans ruled their conquered lands through subordinate rulers, who had to be approved and granted the right to rule by Rome. Herod the Great, the founder of the Herodian dynasty, negotiated with Mark Antony to obtain the right to rule Israel. After his death in 4 B.C., Herod’s kingdom was divided among his three sons, and Archelaus was made ruler over Judea. Seeking to intimidate his subjects, he slaughtered three thousand Jews. Not surprisingly, the people hated him, and when he went to Rome to have his rule officially confirmed, they sent a delegation to appeal to Caesar not to make him their ruler. By way of compromise, Augustus granted Archelaus the right to rule, but not to use the title of king until he had gained the favor of the people – which, of course he never did. Soon, Archelaus’s harsh rule created chaos, and the Romans removed him from power. They replaced him with a series of governors, of which Pilate was the fifth.”
(MacArthur, John [The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series, Luke 18-24; Moody Press, Chicago, IL, 2014] pg. 78-79)

Obviously Jesus was no immoral or cruel king,
But you understand the basis for the story.

The Jews understood what He was talking about.
• When this nobleman went to claim his kingdom.
• The citizens sent a delegation to protest that they did not want him as king.

And of course you can see the prophetic implications very clearly here
As the Jews would reject Christ
And ultimately put him to death at the hands of the Romans.

This is not new information.
Luke 18:31-33 “Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. “For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.”

AND THIS MEANT
• The slaves, whose job was to grow the kingdom,
• Soon found their task to be difficult
• Because the citizens of the nobleman wanted no part of this man to be their king.

Working for this nobleman would be no easy task.

They are going to try and grow the kingdom
Of a man whom the world does not want to rule.

But, as we said, Christ was “all in” when it came to His kingdom.
We should not be surprised that He demands His slaves to be “all in” too.

It is no wonder that Jesus spoke so clearly
About the opposition and persecution involved in His mission.

Matthew 10:16-23 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. “But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. “For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.”

So you are understanding the parable thus far.
• Jesus is leaving, but will return to claim His kingdom.
• He expects His servants to be about His business of kingdom work while He is gone.
• That will not be an easy task because the world doesn’t want Jesus to reign.

We’re clear to that point

The Schedule of its appearing, The scorn of its citizens
#3 THE SINCERITY OF ITS SLAVES
Luke 19:15-23

• So we know the setting, the nobleman is about to leave
• We understand that while the nobleman is gone kingdom business will be difficult, it will even be dangerous.
• It’s the job, but it’s not an easy one.

But now we fast-forward to the return of the nobleman.

Of course this is the second coming
And the subsequent judgment that comes with it.

(15) “When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him so that he might know what business they had done.”

You see that clearly.
• He left
• He left provision
• He left a “to do” list

Now he is back and he wants to know what got done in his absence,
So he calls his slaves.

This is not the first time you’ve seen a reference to this event.

Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

TURN TO: LUKE 12:35-48

This story speaks of the exact same event.
The return of the landowner or nobleman or king
And the evaluation or judgment that will accompany it.

And the FIRST THING we find here is that some of the slaves were faithful.

(16-19) “The first appeared, saying, ‘Master, your mina has made ten minas more.’ “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.’ “The second came, saying, ‘Your mina, master, has made five minas.’ “And he said to him also, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’”

We simply see that the first two slaves
Were faithful to use the resources provided
And to be busy about the nobleman’s business.

And since they did their job while he was gone,
They were rewarded accordingly.

The application is clear.
If, while in Christ’s absence, you are busy doing the work of the kingdom, Christ will reward you for it when He returns.

In the context of the story this is CLEARLY EVANGELISTIC WORK.
• This is clearly seeking and saving the lost.
• This is clearly expanding the kingdom.

We AREN’T just talking about slaves
Who “went to church”
Or who lived “good” lives
Or who were “involved” in religious functions.

We are talking about slaves here who understood their Master’s work
And who carried on His work while He was away.

• They sought for the lost
• They preached the gospel
• They called the lost sheep home to their Shepherd
• They grew the kingdom

And when Christ returns they are rewarded for it.

But there was another kind of slave mentioned here as well.
He was not faithful, he was worthless.

(20-23) “Another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.’ “He said to him, ‘By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? ‘Then why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?’”

Let’s make some observations.
• First of all, this man is a slave, at least in title (he is a professed follower)
• This man was equipped and entrusted with a job

We are NOT talking here about one of those hostile citizens.
This man was a slave.

But we learn that he was a worthless one.
• That is to say, he did not do what was asked of him.
• He was not concerned with the nobleman’s business.
• He was not kingdom minded.

There was no evangelism.
There was no seeking of the lost.

Instead, there is clear underlying disdain for the nobleman.

“Another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.’”

This man did nothing with his mina.
• Like a man hiding his light under a bushel.
• Like salt that refuses to give flavor.
• He hid his mina.

I think it’s likely that
• He probably feared the citizens who didn’t want the nobleman to rule.
• He was more concerned about his own reputation than he was about kingdom business.

But the excuse he gives is really even worse.
He blames it all on the nobleman.

“I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man”

“exacting” translates AUSTAROS
It means “harsh, rough, rigid or virtue that is pushed too far”

It’s where we get our English word “Austere”
Which means “morally strict, harsh, or stern”

So right out of the gate, when asked what business he had done,
The man’s first excuse is that the nobleman
Was too strict, too harsh, and expected too much.

It’s like an employee that doesn’t do his job and then complains
That you should’ve never given him that job to begin with.

But this slave doesn’t stop here.
He fires with another accusation.

He accuses the nobleman even of underhanded practice saying, “you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow”

It is an ACCUSATION OF THEFT.
You claim what is not yours to claim.

Are you hearing now what is going on?

This slave says,
“I didn’t do anything with what you gave me. I decided that you demand too much, and that you don’t have a right to the kingdom you’re going to claim.”

What we have here is an INSUBORDINATE SLAVE,
Who clearly has NO LOVE for the master.

He didn’t believe the master deserved a kingdom,
He didn’t think he’d actually receive a kingdom,
And so he didn’t do anything to help in the growth of the kingdom.

He did no business for his master.

Matthew Henry wrote of this man:
“This represents the carelessness of those who have gifts, but never lay out themselves to do good with them. It is all one to them whether the interests of Christ’s kingdom sink or swim, go backward or go forward; for their parts, they will not care about it…They care not whether religion gets ground or loses ground, so long as they can but live at ease.”
(Henry, Matthew [Matthew Henry’s Commentary; Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1960] pg. 1486)

Just as John Piper warned.
They are people who wasted their life.

Their only goal was “to be liked. Maybe finish school, get a good job, find a husband or a wife, a nice house, a nice car, long weekends, good vacations, grow old, healthy, have a fun retirement, die easy, no hell”

But they did nothing for the King
They did nothing for the kingdom.

• They never followed His lead to seek for the lost.
• They never concerned themselves with the growth of His kingdom.

They spent their time in this world for no other kingdom than their own.

The apostle Paul spoke of them:
Philippians 3:18-21 “For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

Paul said you have two examples.
• You have those who press on toward the goal for Christ.
• You have those who set their minds on earthly things.

THAT IS WHAT WE SEE HERE.

Well, the master rewarded the first slaves; the faithful ones.
Now we see the Master’s response to this worthless slave.

(22-23) “He said to him, ‘By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? ‘Then why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?’”

The judgment is certain.
• So you think me to be a rigid man who tries to claim what I have no right to.
• And you thought I’d certainly fail.

• If you really believed that (and you were a faithful slave at all) then you would have been careful not to risk my money but to wisely invest it in the bank.

But the fact that you didn’t even do that
Shows that you had no care for me at all.
You just ignored me and went about your life.

We might say it like this.
• So you had no interest in working for the kingdom.
• At the very least you should have invested in those that would.

But the fact that you neither worked for Me, nor invested in My interests
Only shows that you actually had no love for Me at all.

You are a worthless slave.

And if you followed Jesus’ parable of the talents
(not the same parable, but same point)
You’ll remember that the worthless slave is cast out.

Matthew 25:30 “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

But you see the point here.
• IT IS THE SLAVE WHO WASTED HIS LIFE.
• He cared nothing for the kingdom.

And Jesus looks at this crowd
Who thinks the kingdom is about to appear and says,
• No, the kingdom isn’t about to appear, I’m about to leave
• You’ll be required to work in My absence
• The work will be hard because the world won’t love Me
• But when I return you will be rewarded or judged

Well, there’s one more point Jesus makes about this coming kingdom.
#4 THE SHOCK OF ITS JUDGMENT
Luke 19:24-27

“Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas”

Even what this man thought he had, the Lord removes from him.

And the crowd is shocked.
• They are not shocked that he removed the mina from the worthless slave,
• But that He gave it to the one with 10.

(25) “And they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas already.’”

That didn’t seem fair to the crowd.

(26) “I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”

What is the point?
• To those who are faithful with what He gives, He graciously rewards beyond what is deserved or expected.
• To those who are unfaithful, He strips of everything.

Look, it’s not like we are headed toward the judgement of the Lord
Unaware of the standard.

Those who were about His business will be rewarded generously.
Those who ignored His business will be stripped.

And according to the Parable Of The Talents
They will also be added to the group who were the outright enemies of Christ.

(27) “But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.”

His enemies will be crushed.
It is severe punishment.

WELL, THERE’S THE PARABLE.
But I hope you also see the point.

• This was a crowd who assumed that all the comforts of the kingdom were right over the next hill.
• They assumed they were going to enter the kingdom with no effort whatsoever.

Christ used this parable to set the record straight.

The kingdom is coming.
• But it will first be purchased by the blood Christ.
• It will then be opposed by the evil of this world.
• It will be proclaimed by Christ’s faithful servants.
• It will be ignored by Christ’s phony servants.
• And ultimately Christ will return to claim His kingdom and reward those who are faithful.

The one question we must ask ourselves is which type of servant am I?
Am I faithful, or am I worthless?
• Am I wasting the life Christ gave me?
• Am I making the most of my opportunity?

It is so easy to shrink back into self-preservation mode.
It is so easy to follow the path of least resistance.
But that is not what we are called to do.

In that same sermon,
Piper made one other resounding quote.

“You don’t have to know a lot of things in order to make a huge difference for the Lord in the world. But you do need to know a few things that are great and be willing to live for them and die for them. People that make a difference in the world are not people who have mastered a lot of things. They are people who have been mastered by a very few things that are very very great…”

That’s really the question isn’t it?
• Is your life mastered by one very great thing?
• Is your life mastered by Christ?
• Is your life mastered by His cross?
• Is your life mastered by His kingdom?

Instead of seeking the passing pleasures of this life
Are you busy doing the business of your Master?
Don’t waste your life.

Download Here:

Pure In Heart?
Psalms 73
May 31, 2020

In some ways it almost feels to me like we could skip this Psalm
Because I feel like we reference it so much.

It is such a great Psalm, specifically in the way it addresses
What is such a common temptation in most of us.

• It addresses thoughts that perhaps we have all had at one time or another.
• It addresses the bitterness that at times we may feel.
• It addresses the perception that gaining Christ is too costly & not worth it.

This is a real issue and a real tension in Scripture.
Even men and women of God wrestled with this.

• For we hear Christ telling us to forsake it all to follow Him.
• And we clearly see some people who are not willing to do it because it seems too costly.

Most recently in Luke’s gospel we’ve looked at the Rich Young Ruler
And saw him “do the math”.

He weighed the offer of Jesus in one hand and the value of his wealth in the other
And determined that Jesus demanded too high of a cost.

This rejection actually led the disciples to ask:
Matthew 19:27 “Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”

It’s a fair question.
In order to follow You, we’ve lost jobs, we’ve lost relationships,
we’ve lost our reputation, we’ve lost possessions.

Did we make the right decision?

Matthew 19:28-29 “And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”

Jesus said, “Yes, you absolutely made the right decision.”

And this was a constant battle Jesus seemed to fight in His preaching.
• He talks a lot about money.
• He talks a lot about earthly treasure vs heavenly treasure
• He talks a lot about valuing tomorrow more than today

You can feel Him struggling to get people to let go of what they can see and grab ahold of what they can’t see.

It’s the very essence of the faith that He routinely calls for.

Because it’s the very faith God desires.
Hebrews 11:13-16 “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

God is looking for those who will let go of this country to seek a better one, and that is the same struggle Jesus faced in His ministry.

So Jesus went about preaching.
• He called men to lose their lives.
• He called men to leave their fortunes.
• He called men to abandon their relationships.

And He called them to do it with a promise that
The treasure He had was far more valuable and worth it.

We read them even this morning, but I love them.
Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

• He is absolutely honest in those parables about the cost of the kingdom.
• Both of those men gave all that they had to obtain the kingdom.

And yet, His real point is about the value of the kingdom,
Because both of those men (who had seen and were able to assess the value)
Quickly made the deal because they knew it was a good one.

AND THAT IS WHAT JESUS IS PREACHING.

But from a human perspective, as those who have never seen heaven,
SOMETIMES IT’S A HARD ROAD TO TRAVEL.

• Sometimes we get caught wondering if we’re on the right path.
• Sometimes we wonder if we’ve made the right decision.

And so we love Psalms 73
Because here Asaph voices that complaint
That if we’re honest we’ve actually thought before too.

Most of the time we talk about Psalms 73 under the heading that
“All That Glitters Isn’t Gold”

That’s a good heading because Asaph was reminded of that very truth.
By the end of the Psalm he learns that everything he was assessing value too
Wasn’t worth nearly as much as he thought.

But in reading the Psalm and preparing to preach it again,
The verse that struck more than the others this time was verse 1.

“Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart!”

We have a similar promise to that in the New Testament.
Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Well Asaph begins this Psalm
By making sure you and I understand that
The underlying issue he is discussing is that of being “pure in heart”

The point of the Psalm is that Asaph wants you to know
That God desires those who are pure in heart,
And yet he’s going to tell you of a time when he wasn’t.

And he’s going to tell you
How God brought him back to the place where he was.

To help us understand it better.
Asaph here directly links being “pure in heart”
To our mindset regarding worldly wealth.

Asaph is going to reveal that he was not “pure in heart”
Because God was not his one true and genuine love.

If he were forced to be honest, he also loved the world.
How do we know?
Because he was so embittered about not having it.

His lack of contentment demonstrated his lack of purity in heart.

Now, that’s a tough application to make out of the gate.

• To say that if you’re discontent…
• To say that if you envy the pleasures and possessions of the wicked…
• To say that if you want your fair share of the world…
• Then you are not pure in heart.

That is a harsh reality.
And yet, it is a true reality.

All throughout Scripture we are warned that perhaps the
Greatest idol we have in our heart is the idol of loving the world.

Colossians 3:5 “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.”

Paul says that greed “amounts to idolatry”

That is because desiring the things of the world
Indicates a heart that is not purely and wholly devoted to God.

It denotes a heart that is not pure.

Remember the parable of the soils?
Matthew 13:22 “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”

• That was the man with a divided heart.
• The gospel wasn’t the only seed planted there, he also had “the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth.”

In fact Jesus Himself said:
Matthew 6:21 “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Asaph echoes that by telling us is that
When we crave the things of the world,
It is an indicator that we do not have a pure heart.

And in truly humble fashion he’s going to tell you that
There was a time when he was right there with you.

But he’s also going to show you
How God delivered him from it and purified his heart.

That’s what this Psalm is about, and it is a classic gem.

We’ll break it down into 4 points tonight.
#1 THE ILLUSION OF EARTHLY PROSPERITY
Psalms 73:1-9

You see the basis for the Psalm
Asaph wants to talk about being “pure in heart”.

David has already mentioned it as well.
Psalms 24:3-4 “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully.”

Being “pure in heart” is important.

But Asaph is going to be honest and tell you
How that wasn’t always true of him.

(2) “But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, My steps had almost slipped.”

And incidentally, by “stumbling” he is referring to apostasy.
• He nearly left the faith.

His issue wasn’t just momentary discontentment,
He almost reached the point where he said “I’m out of here”.

What happened that nearly caused Asaph to turn away from the faith?

(3-9) “For I was envious of the arrogant As I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pains in their death, And their body is fat. They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace; The garment of violence covers them. Their eye bulges from fatness; The imaginations of their heart run riot. They mock and wickedly speak of oppression; They speak from on high. They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue parades through the earth.”

Asaph took a look at GODLESS PEOPLE.
• People who in verse 6 “pride is their necklace”
• People who in verse 6 “violence covers them”
• People who in verse 8 “mock and wickedly speak of oppression”
• People who in verse 8 “speak from on high” (boast)
• People who in verse 9 “set their mouth against the heavens”
• People who in verse 9 “their tongue parades through the earth”

In short, he started looking at godless people.
• He started watching people who gave no thought to God.
• He started watching people who boast and curse God.
• He started watching people who mock and cheat and lie.

Certainly all those things are expressly forbidden by God.
• He’s opposed to the proud…
• He calls for justice of the afflicted…
• He tells us not to boast…

Asaph looked at people who did exactly what God said not to do
And wondered how life was going for them.

And you know what he discovered?
THEIR LIFE IS GREAT!

(4) “There are no pains in their death, and their body is fat.”

• That is to say they’ve got plenty of food, and their body never seems to be in pain or struggle.

(5) “They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like mankind.”

• They’ve never had to sit and wonder where their next meal would come from.
• They’ve never had to sweat the car payment.
• They’ve never had to skip a medical appointment because they couldn’t afford it.

LIFE IS EASY
And this easy life only causes them to be more bold and outlandish
Against the commands of God.

And Asaph says (3) “I was envious”
• I wanted that easy life.
• I wanted that fat body
• I wanted the freedom to have whatever I imagined
• I wanted that pain free life

Now understand him here.
He saw 2 obvious truths.
1) There is a lifestyle that allows for earthly riches.
2) That lifestyle is not obtained through obeying God.

He knew that. He wasn’t trying to figure out a way to have both.
He could see that THE LINE WAS CLEARLY DRAWN.

And yet, he was about to cross it.
In fact he says “my feet came close”.

2 Peter 2:15 “forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;”

That was nearly Asaph.

He was captivated by the illusion of earthly prosperity.
#2 THE IGNORANCE OF GLAMORIZING THE WORLD
Psalms 73:10-16

I mention ignorance here because in a minute Asaph is going to tell you that when he was in this state of mind, that’s exactly what he was.

(21-22) “When my heart was embittered and I was pierced within, then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.”

That is to say, I didn’t realize what I was talking about back then.

But none the less you’ll see that Asaph was on quite a rant.

He mentioned all the godlessness and prosperity of the wicked
And notice now HIS ASSESSMENT.
• In verses 1-9 we got what he noticed.
• In verses 10-14 he’s going to tell you what he thought about it.

(10) “Therefore his people return to this place, and waters of abundance are drunk by them.”

He simply speaks of how alluring they are.
• There they are boasting
• There they are bragging
• There they are living it up
• And they keep returning to it because it’s fun!

Asaph sees that people are flocking to them, and joining in the revelry!

It’s sort of like the great gold rush.
• One guy runs out there and cries “Eureka!”
• And Asaph is watching more and more go out there too.
• And more and more are hollering “Gold!”

And he’s just sitting here, not going,
Watching people one by one run to them and enjoy life,
And it’s tearing him up.

The whole reason he won’t go is because God forbids it.

And maybe he’s even tried to talk some sense
Into some of these people who are running after the world,

But no sooner does he warn them that they are angering God,
Then do those people fire right back at him.

(11) “They say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?”

He tells them not to run after the world and thus offend God.
They say, “What does God know? His way is stupid!”

And it is apparent that Asaph watched these people
Walk off into their greedy desires
And he waited for lightning to strike them dead, but it never did!

AND SO HE LAMENTS.
(12) “Behold, these are the wicked; and always at ease, they have increased in wealth.”

Day in and day out he’s waited for his decision to pay off
And for God to make them regret what they did,
But it never seems to happen.

And so Asaph,
(In the ultimate moment of frustration)
Has a little conversation with himself.

(13-14) “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long And chastened every morning.”

That is close to stumbling isn’t it?
• He calls his commitment to God “vanity”
• He calls his attempts at being pure in heart “vanity”

All it has produced is struggle and hardship and difficulty every day.

He is saying, “I don’t think being pure in heart is worth it”
I don’t think being fiercely loyal to God is worth it.

That’s how close he came to stumbling.
And he just nearly made the confession.

But one thing stopped him.
(15) “If I had said, “I will speak thus,” Behold, I would have betrayed the generation of your children.”

Now understand, he still doesn’t get it,
But the one thing that kept him from running off with that crowd
WAS THE CHURCH.

He saw that he wasn’t alone in his commitment to God and in his struggles.
There were others who were also clinging to God in the midst of hardship.
And he didn’t want to betray them.

But he still doesn’t get it.
(16) “When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight.”

That is to say that he has no answer.
He’s not going to follow them, but he doesn’t know why.
• He’s embittered
• He’s envious
• He’s angry
• And he wants answers.

The illusion of earthly prosperity, The ignorance of glamorizing the world.
#3 THE INTERVENTION OF HOLY GOD
Psalms 73:17-24

What a great word… “Until…”

• He was confused and angry.
• His only recourse was to stick with God’s people.
And it just so happened that in his fellowship
He ended up at “the sanctuary of God”

Instead of following the gold hunters,
He decided to accompany his friends
And go to church one more time.

And it was there that God opened his eyes and explained the truth.

“Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end.”

All of a sudden he looked at the part of the equation he had yet to see.
In his previous assessment all he had looked at was their present,
He never thought to look at “their end”.

And on this day God showed him where they were headed.

(18-20) “Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.”

They’re happy today, but they won’t always be.
• They are “in slippery places” and they don’t even know it.
• They are headed to “destruction” and are totally unaware.
• It will come “in a moment!”
• And they will be “utterly sept away by sudden terrors”

Asaph said it’s like waking up from a dream.
• At one moment you’re happy in some sort of paradise reality.
• It’s not real, but it feels real.
• And then you wake up to find it was all just a dream.

Do you hear what he is saying?

Their present comforts and joys aren’t real, they’re an illusion.
These people will soon awaken
To find themselves in hell and in torment.

And there are any number of passages
Asaph could have heard in church that day.

Psalms 37:12-15 “The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy, To slay those who are upright in conduct. Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken.”

Psalms 49:16-20 “Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him. Though while he lives he congratulates himself — And though men praise you when you do well for yourself — He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light. Man in his pomp, yet without understanding Is like the beasts that perish.”

Psalms 52:5-7 “But God will break you down forever; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah. The righteous will see and fear, And will laugh at him, saying, “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, But trusted in the abundance of his riches And was strong in his evil desire.”

Psalms 62:11-12 “Once God has spoken; Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God; And lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord, For You recompense a man according to his work.”

Psalms 92:5-7 “How great are Your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep. A senseless man has no knowledge, Nor does a stupid man understand this: That when the wicked sprouted up like grass And all who did iniquity flourished, It was only that they might be destroyed forevermore.”

In the New Testament we remember those stories of Jesus.

Luke 12:16-21 “And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”‘ “But God said to him, ‘ You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Luke 16:19-26 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. “And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. “And he cried out and said, ‘ Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. ‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’

• Or we could even talk about that prodigal who thought the inheritance was the secret to happiness but how quickly it was over.
• Or we could talk about Lot’s wife or the rich young ruler.

We could listen to James:
James 5:1-6 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.”

I don’t know what sermon Asaph heard in the sanctuary of God that day, but clearly it showed them truths such as these.

Worldly prosperity doesn’t last, and only a fool
Would seek that at the expense of godliness.

God opened Asaph’s eyes with the truth.

And if you’ll notice Asaph is filled with REMORSE and REPENTANCE.

(21-22) “When my heart was embittered And I was pierced within, Then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.”

• I was like a dumb cow.
• I was like a stray dog.
• I can’t believe I was so dumb.

But his tune has changed now.
(23-24) “Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory.”

He has now decided definitively to stay with God’s people.
All that glitters isn’t gold.

But notice there’s more there.
“You have taken hold of my right hand”

Asaph credits God with saving him from himself.
“I was about to leave, but You grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go.”

That is a great testimony to the preservation of the saints.
Jesus said no one can snatch them out of My hand,
And that is what we see here.

God would not let him go.

Do you see what Asaph realizes?

His poverty and his struggle was not about the cruelty of God.
It was about the salvation of God!

God didn’t give him all those worldly comforts
For the same reason you don’t let your toddler drink Mr. Clean.

It would’ve killed him!

Oh I know it looks good,
And people who have it sure seem like they’re having fun,
BUT THE END IS DEATH.

And while everyone was running happily too destruction,
Asaph realizes that God was holding him back from it all.

God refused to let Asaph run into that which would kill him,
Even though for a time it made Asaph angry at God.
THAT IS LOVE!

God was saving him.

• Asaph said you “hold” me.
• Asaph said you “guide” me.
• Asaph said you will “receive” me.

In God he has everything that the wicked in the world do not.
He has a FUTURE, he has a HOPE and he has SECURITY.

All of a sudden the joys and pleasures of the world
Don’t look so appealing.
God intervened and saved him from his foolishness.

And now Asaph understands.
#4 THE INVENTORY OF TRUE WEALTH
Psalms 73:25-28

He starts with a question:
“Whom have I in heaven but You?”

And the answer is: NO ONE & NOTHING.
• That is to say that nothing he could obtain in this life can go with him.
• Everything he could earn or collect here will stay here when he is gone.

Why spend a life gathering stuff that can’t go with you into eternity?

And since that is true, the second part of that verse makes so much sense.
“And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.”

Psalms 16:5-6 “The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.”

Psalms 17:13-15 “Arise, O LORD, confront him, bring him low; Deliver my soul from the wicked with Your sword, From men with Your hand, O LORD, From men of the world, whose portion is in this life, And whose belly You fill with Your treasure; They are satisfied with children, And leave their abundance to their babes. As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.”

He simply says that I’m going to pursue here what I can also enjoy there,
And that is only 1 thing. You.

And listen to his new declaration.
(He nearly made a bad one)

THIS IS HIS FINAL WORD.
(26-28) “My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”

All I want is You.
All I need is You.

Asaph now rejects anything
That might pull his heart away from God
For God is his only treasure.

It’s a great Psalm.

But now let me ask you.
Do you now see what it means to be pure in heart?
• It is to have one true genuine love.

And it is important because only the pure in heart see God.

Psalms 24:3-4 “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully.”

Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

This is a requirement for salvation.
And as you’ve seen in Scripture;
As you saw this morning in Zaccheus.

This was the evidence of the saved life.
They believed Jesus and so they let go of the world and ran to Him!

They removed the idols and cast out the weeds.
And they cried, “Take this world, but give me Jesus!”

That must be our cry too!

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Seeking Salvation
Luke 19:1-10
May 31, 2020

Here we come across a familiar story,
Even though Luke is the only gospel writer to include it.
It is the story of the “Wee Little Man” named Zaccheus.

There is little doubt why Luke included the story.
Zaccheus is the perfect example of everything
Luke has wanted to reveal in regard to salvation.

As we have said from the beginning, no one put more emphasis on the overlooked and rejected of society than Luke.
• No one else mentioned Elizabeth or Zacharias
• No one else gave such attention to Mary
• No one else mentioned Simeon or Anna

And no one gave as much attention to Tax Collectors as Luke.
The story today marks the 6th time Luke has mentioned them.

Zaccheus fits Luke’s objectives because, like the prodigal son,
Zaccheus doesn’t appear to be someone who is worth saving.

So this morning we look to Luke’s second great illustration of salvation.
And we talk about SEEKING SALVATION.

But let me go ahead and head you off at the pass.
• If you’ve got that children’s song stuck in your head
• And you think this sermon is all about how Zaccheus climbed that tree
• Because he was seeking salvation then you’ve got it all wrong.

While it is true that Zaccheus did want to see Jesus…
While it is true that Zaccheus did climb that tree…
The seeker of the story is not Zaccheus.
The seeker in the story is Jesus.

Luke concludes the story with this statement:
(10) “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

We don’t hear the terminology too much anymore (and with good reason since it was a faulty premise), but 15 years ago the modern church was fascinated with the concept of “seekers”.

These people who were supposedly seeking God but who apparently needed a culturally relevant and non-traditional church to do it.
(Biblically speaking it was a false assumption.)

Romans 3:11 “THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;”

Jesus was clear in His Sermon the Mount that no one remains a seeker.
Because He declared that all true seekers quickly become finders.

Matthew 7:7-11 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”

• There is no such thing as one who is seeking God, who does not find Him.
• That is because God is a loving Father who gives “what is good to those who ask Him”

What we really have in the world today is
Suppressers who disguise themselves as seekers.

What do I mean?
Romans 1:18-21 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Paul lays it out.
• What man is seeking is a god of their own creation.
• Sinful man wants a god, just not a holy one.
• Sinful man wants a god, just not one who judges sin.
• And so, having ignored the revelation of creation, they are now on this journey for a god who does not exist.

They are seeking, but not for God.

Fortunately for us, we have a God seeks for sinners.
• He is like that shepherd in search of the lost sheep.
• He is like that woman in search of the lost coin.
• He is like that father in search of the lost son.

HE IS THE SEEKER, AND HE IS THE SAVIOR.

This story, more than anything is about a divine appointment
Made before time began
When God chose to save a sinner named Zaccheus.

And on this day the Shepherd found His lost sheep.

5 points
#1 THE ELIGIBLE CANDIDATE
Luke 19:1-4

Last time we talked about Bartimaeus
• And how he was a candidate for salvation,
• Namely because he checked all those boxes that Luke had revealed throughout chapter 18.

• He had faith and persistence like that widow
• He was humble like that tax collector
• He was dependent like those children
• He was desperate like the disciples

Well here we get another candidate for salvation,
Though the intangibles and characteristics of his life
Are not the primary focus of Luke’s story.

One could certainly argue for desperation or persistence
When you see Zaccheus climbing that tree.

However the focus here is not on the attitudes of Zaccheus
So much as it is on the fact that Jesus can save anyone,
Even a man like Zaccheus.

He is a candidate BECAUSE,
As you will see, THE LORD DETERMINED TO SAVE HIM.

So we follow our story
(1) “He entered Jericho and was passing through.”

• We already discussed last week about the tremendous journey that Jesus is making from the dead sea up to Jerusalem.
• In the 20 mile journey it is a 5200 feet elevation climb.
• Jericho is 14 miles from Jerusalem and the Lord still has 3000 feet to go.
• As He was entering the city Jesus has just stopped and healed Bartimaeus of his blindness and declared him saved.
• Bartimaeus is now following as part of that giant entourage that is with Jesus on the way to the triumphal entry.

Meanwhile, as Jesus is passing through,
There is a divine appointment in the works.

(2) “And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich.”

Interesting man here.
• His name is “Zaccheus” which interestingly enough means “innocent; pure; righteous”
• That’s funny since tax collectors were not allowed in synagogues since they were considered to be unclean.
• But Zaccheus was no ordinary tax collector, “he was a chief tax collector”

He was on top of the pyramid scheme.
Other tax collectors worked under him
And no doubt he made a living off of their commissions.

This business had been good for him for Luke adds “and he was rich”

And I hope you pick up on that IMPORTANT DISTINCTION,
Because it wasn’t too long ago that we read:

Luke 18:24-27 “And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

• It was just 2 weeks ago that we read those verses where Jesus said it was
impossible for rich people to be saved.
• And of course He wasn’t just referring to the financially rich, but even the
spiritually rich like that young man perceived himself to be.

But rich is rich and how we read that Zaccheus “was rich”

So we’d have to say that it doesn’t look good for Mr. Zaccheus.

However, there is something going on in the heart of this man,
Because like the blind man just a few moments earlier,
Zaccheus also has an intense desire to see Jesus.

(3-4) “Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.”

Now it is not evident yet, but it will soon become so, that
• The reason Zaccheus is all of a sudden so driven to see Jesus is because God has already done a work in his heart.
• Today this rich man, who has spent his life in extortion and greed all of a sudden has a desire to see this traveling Rabbi
• Today, this rich man isn’t avoiding a religious crowd he is running to make sure he sees it.

• What is it that causes a life-long sinner to all of a sudden feel the urge to go to church?
• What is it that causes a hardened sinner to all of a sudden feel the need to listen as someone speaks about Jesus?

It is grace at work in a life.
For some reason, today Zaccheus knows Jesus is coming
And he knows he needs to see Him.

Zaccheus is now an eligible candidate.
#2 THE EFFECTUAL CALL
Luke 19:5-6

You may recognize the term “effectual call”
As one of the historical points of Calvinism.

In Calvin’s Tulip it is actually the “I” which stands for “Irresistible Grace”.
• Noting that when God foreknows someone and then calls them to salvation, they will in fact come.

John 6:37-39 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”

What you need to see is that this is exactly what is happening here.

This is as clear of a picture in Scripture as you will find
Of Jesus announcing God’s sovereign prerogative
And ushering an effectual call.

(5) “When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”

Don’t blow past that statement,
For there are some remarkable things you need to see there.

First, notice that Jesus called Zaccheus BY NAME.
It reminds of:
John 1:47-48 “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

This is more than just a simple occurrence of omniscience.
What you have here is Jesus specifically entering this city
In search of one of His lost sheep.

Jesus knows who the sheep is,
And when Jesus sees that sheep up in a tree,
He calls that sheep by name and says “hurry and come down”.

That statement alone drips of sovereign election and effectual call.

But there is even more than that.
Notice what else Jesus says: “for today I must stay at your house.”

Pay special attention to the word “must”.
It is used several times by Luke, but it is never used lightly.

DEI (die) in the Greek and it speaks of that which is absolutely necessary.

Luke 2:49 “And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”

Luke 4:43 “But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.”

Luke 9:22 “saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”

Luke 13:33 “Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.”

Luke 17:25 “But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”

These things Jesus has spoken of
Are not just things that should happen or ought to happen,
But things that God has sovereignly determined will happen.

In the eternal decrees of God, there are things that God has determined.
• Things like the coming of Christ.
• Things like the preaching of Christ.
• Things like the suffering of Christ.

And on this day, it is word used of the salvation of Zaccheus.
This has been sovereignly decreed.

In our daily devotions we’ve discussed
Ephesians 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”

Can you see these realities working themselves out in Zaccheus’ life?
• It was by no coincidence that he was compelled to see Jesus.
• It was by no coincidence that he was up that tree.
• This was no happenstance meeting between him and Christ.

THIS WAS A DIVINE APPOINTMENT.
God had initiated this desire in Zaccheus’ heart.
Christ had purposely gone that way.

On this day they met.
Zaccheus had been found.
And Jesus told him he must come with Him.
It drips of God’s sovereign election and God’s effectual call.

You’ve seen these types of things before:
Acts 18:9-10 “And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”

“many people”?
Who are they?
• They are the chosen yet lost children of God.
• They aren’t saved yet, but they will be.
• Paul was to stay in Corinth until he called them all home.

We already read John 6, but consider now this passage.
John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

You can actually see that verse playing itself out
Right before your eyes here in Luke 19.

Or look again at:
Romans 8:28-30 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 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; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

• Zaccheus had been foreknown
• Zaccheus had been predestined (that’s why he’s up that tree)
• And now Zaccheus is called

It’s just the sovereign work of Christ.

And look at this now, it’s remarkable!
(6) “And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly.”

But I thought it was impossible for a rich man to be saved?
• I thought rich people didn’t come to Christ.
• I thought it was easier to get a camel through the eye of a needle.

That’s all true.
But it’s also true that
What is impossible with people is possible with God.

Right here you are witnessing the impossible.
This rich tax collector is answering the call of Jesus.

The Eligible Candidate, The Effectual Call
#3 THE EXPECTED COMPLAINT
Luke 19:7

We certainly saw this coming.
• People didn’t like it when tax collectors got saved.
• To the typical Jewish observer, tax collectors didn’t deserve mercy.
• They grumbled when Matthew was saved and they grumble here as well.

They are clearly unhappy about Jesus’ selection.

Notice
• There is nothing said about how despicable Zaccheus is for coming down.
• The COMPLAINT IS NOT that Zaccheus was willing to entertain Jesus.
• The COMPLAINT IS that Jesus would call him.

But let’s pay special attention to what they say.
“He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”

That’s absolutely true.
That’s exactly what Jesus did.
He offered mercy and grace to a man who did not deserve it.

What the crowd failed to realize is that Jesus had no other option.
Where was He going to find a non-sinner to lodge with?

The crowd’s response is the very FULFILLMENT of the point
Jesus was making in that infamous “judge not” passage.

Matthew 7:1-3 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. “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?”

The problem is not the propensity to call out sin.
The problem is the refusal to see your own sin.

Greed is sinful and greedy people must repent.
But greed isn’t the only sin.

Yet these people were totally unaware of their own sin.
• All they could see was that Zaccheus was sinful and yet Jesus did the
unthinkable by entering his house.

But there’s a reason Luke includes this complaint.
There’s a reason Luke wants you to know what the crowd said.

Namely this: Zaccheus heard what they said.
• He heard them yelling, he heard them complaining.
• Zaccheus heard their accusations.
• Zaccheus heard what they called him.
• Zaccheus certainly realized that this posed a threat to the reputation of Jesus.

Common sense would tell you that something had to give.
Zaccheus had to know that if this relationship was ever going to work,
One of them (he or Jesus) was going to have to change.

To that we see the next point
#4 THE EVIDENT CONVERSION
Luke 19:8

Zaccheus heard what they said, and “Zaccheus stopped”

You can see the realization on him.
He knows this is no normal visit.
The scene is too volatile.

And look at his decision.
“Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will gave back four times as much.”

That response demonstrates
Everything you’d want to see of a repentant man.

• He clearly is done cheating people.
• He certainly is done with greed since he’s going to instantly part with half of what he owns.
• And he’s going to make restitution for the sin he’s committed.

Now, to be fair, one might ask why the rich young ruler had to give up all, but Zaccheus got off with half?

It’s as we said when talking about the rich young ruler.
It’s not that Jesus has something against possessions.

But remember the call to the rich young ruler was “follow Me”
And, as we said, he could not do that and keep all his possessions.

You can’t follow Jesus and bring your dinette set with you.
Since Jesus didn’t want the money, that man was told to sell it, distribute it, and follow.

But the call to Zaccheus was different.
• Jesus didn’t ask Zaccheus to accompany Him.
• Jesus instead said he was going to Zaccheus’ house.

And I remind you that the Lord has this prerogative.

We remember when the Lord told Peter that following Jesus would ultimately lead him to death.
John 21:19 “Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”

And then of course you’ll remember that Peter pointed at John:
John 21:21-22 “So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”

The issue here is not amount given or even percentage.
THE ISSUE IS WILLINGNESS.

Zaccheus has it.
• He is repenting.
• He is turning around.
• He is making restitution.

But more than that,
Zaccheus is identifying a new valuable priority in his life.

The rich young ruler looked at Jesus and then looked at his wealth
And viewed his wealth as more valuable.

Zaccheus did the opposite.
He saw more value in Jesus,
And he was here willing to do whatever it took to keep Jesus.

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

He reminds us of the treasure hunter and the merchant
Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

More than the cost of Christ, those parables illustrate the value of Christ.
ZACCHEUS CLEARLY SAW THAT VALUE.

Whatever the cost, Zaccheus wanted to gain Christ.

The crowd made it clear that
Jesus had no business staying with a sinner like Zaccheus,
So he determined to stop sinning.

If repentance was required to gain Jesus, then so be it.
He’d give up half immediately and anything else that was needed
If he could simply be a friend of Jesus.

This is a genuine and evident conversion.

Far too often in our day WE SEE SUPPOSED CONVERSIONS
Because someone walks an aisle or prays a prayer or gets in a baptistery.

• But where is the repentance from sin?
• Where is the new life?
• Where is the actual conversion?

Zaccheus came down out of the tree,
But ARE WE TO ASSUME that this act alone indicated salvation?

Of course not, and neither does walking an aisle.

It was Zaccheus’ total break from his former of life of sin that evidenced his salvation.
• This man was a new man.
• Once concerned only about wealth, now only concerned about Christ.

We would do good to ask
What happened after you came down out of the tree?

Did you return to your old life of sin?
If so, how are we to assume that salvation genuinely occurred?

Ephesians 5:5-8 “For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light”

Zaccheus certainly passes that test.

It was an evident conversion.
#5 THE ESSENTIAL CLARIFICATION
Luke 19:9-10

Well if there was any doubt whether Zaccheus was really redeemed,
Jesus puts an end to it.

Like Bartimaeus last week,
Jesus also officially declares that Zaccheus is a saved man.

“And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house”

• Zaccheus is no longer an enemy of God.
• But having been chosen by God.
• Having been predestined to confront Christ.
• Having been effectually called to salvation.
• Zaccheus has been redeemed.

Jesus declared him saved.

But Jesus doesn’t leave it at that.
Here, there is given an explanation.

Jesus tells everyone why he is saved.
“because he, too, is a son of Abraham.”

Well what does that mean?
• Are we to assume that Jesus meant that because he was Jewish he was
saved?
• Is Jesus telling the crowd to get off his back because he’s a Jew like them, and
so he’s automatically saved on this account?

Of course not.
• The rich young ruler was a Jew too, but it didn’t save him.
• The Pharisee boasting about himself at the temple was clearly a Jew and
Jesus declared him to not be justified.

What does Jesus mean that “he, too, is a son of Abraham”?

We simply need to remind ourselves of something:
Romans 9:6-8 “But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.”

Paul there taught us that the lineage we are speaking of is not a physical one.
• Abraham had more sons than just Isaac.
• He also had Ishmael.

Those promises of salvation did not include Ishmael, only Isaac.
(We could go farther into Isaac’s sons; Jacob and Esau)

What was the defining difference between the two?
• One of Abraham’s sons was a son of the flesh (Ishmael/Haggar)
• The other son was a son of the promise (Isaac/Sarah)

• Ishmael represented human works and ultimately legalism.
• Isaac represented God’s supernatural work and ultimately grace.

So clearly not all of Abraham’s descendants are saved,
But only those who are sons through grace not works.

But that isn’t all.

Abraham is also known as the father of faith.
Romans 4:1-5 “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,”

• Specifically there Abraham believed that God would do for him what he could not do for himself.
• And when Abraham believed God, God imputed righteousness to him.

And incidentally, the righteousness Abraham received
Was the very righteousness of Christ.

Remember the sacrificing Isaac story?
Genesis 22:7-8 “Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.”

Genesis 22:13-14 “Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.”

Abraham believed that
God would accomplish all of His promises by grace
And that God would provide any payment that was needed.

That is why Jesus said:
John 8:56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”

What Jesus is saying here regarding Zaccheus
Is that he is saved because, like his father Abraham,
He saw God’s grace and provision for salvation in Jesus.

And when Zaccheus saw that Jesus was God’s means of salvation,
He pushed everything else aside to obtain it.

And that is why Jesus also says:
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Jesus didn’t say, “because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For all children of Abraham are automatically saved.”

Rather Jesus said, “Zaccheus is saved because he, like his father Abraham, looked to Me for salvation, and salvation is what I do!”

This man is saved because I seek for the lost, and I save them.

What a tremendous reality!
• We have a God who has decreed to save His flock.
• We have a Savior who came to this earth to search for them.
• And when the Savior finds them He calls them out and saves them.

Jesus is the One who seeks salvation!
Jesus is the One who seeks for the lost.

And as we said at the beginning,
It’s a good thing He sought us because Scripture teaches us
That sinners don’t naturally seek Him.

ZACCHEUS IS A TESTIMONY TO
God’s sovereign grace and Christ’s loving passion.

AND I WOULD REMIND YOU THAT THIS GRACE IS AVAILABLE FOR YOU.
• Have you ever sat in a service or heard the gospel and felt Christ calling you out of that tree?
• Have you ever been compelled that Christ desired to come and dwell with you?
• And have you felt the tension because you knew that in order for him to come, some things in your life would have to change?

WELL THIS MORNING I’D TELL YOU TO RESPOND!

Furthermore, I am confident that all those who are Christ’s will respond.
John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”

Do you want to be one of His sheep?
• Then come on.
• And if you are, you will.

AND THIS IS WHY WE TALK ABOUT GOD’S EFFECTUAL CALL.
Because we rejoice in the fact that
The desire for salvation is not simply a desire in the sinner.

The ultimate desire for sinners to be saved comes from God.

Sinners aren’t just begging to be delivered to some apathetic God.

QUITE THE OPPOSITE.
• God is reaching out to apathetic sinners.
• Christ is seeking to save the lost.
• He is choosing, He is calling, He is saving.

• Why do you think you were compelled to be here this morning?
• Why do you think there is conviction in your heart?
• Why do you think you are compelled to follow Christ?

BECAUSE:
“The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”