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THE PERISHABLE JESUS
Luke 13:31-35 Dr. Chuck DeVane, Pastor Lake Hamilton Baptist Church Hot Springs, Arkansas June 17, 2018 31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32 And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. 33 Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’” — Luke 13:31-35, ESV The most familiar verse in the Bible contains many wonderful words: God, love, life. But it also contains one that is almost unpalatable: perish. Just say it and feel the bad taste in your mouth. To perish is a fate worse than death. It means to be utterly destroyed because you are absolutely detested. No one wants to perish. Few of us would wish our worst enemy would perish. But what about our best friend? Would you like for Jesus, or Jesus’ name, to perish from the earth? You might be surprised who would. The World Wants Jesus to Perish “Herod wants to kill you,” Jesus was warned. An empty threat? I don’t think so. The Herodians were quite a clan. Their creed was composed of power, money, and sex. They brownnosed and bought their way into a controlling share of the Roman Empire, and their cut was in the Middle East. They would do anything to keep their grip on power, even kill. Herod the Great tried to kill the newborn Jesus and slaughtered innocent baby boys in the process. Herod Antipas, his son, the Herod mentioned in this passage, had killed John the Baptist for cramping his sex life. Now, according to the Pharisees, he was out to murder the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. When informed of the plot, Jesus referred to Herod as a “fox.” Calling an attractive lady a fox is a compliment, albeit a bit sexist. Calling a smart old football coach a fox is a compliment that can earn him a multi-million dollar contract. Fox, however, is used here by Jesus in a more literal/metaphorical context, as one who is deceitful and dangerous. Think, the fox is in the henhouse. Herod was the kind of a fox who would kill to satisfy his own appetites. So who does Herod represent in this story? Why would he, or anyone else with his mindset, want Jesus to perish? The answer, in the words of the Apostle John, is Herod stands for “the world or the things in the world” (ref. 1 John 2:15). Christ and Christianity, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the word of God, can get in the way. For such “will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (ref. John 16:8). The world wants what it wants and does not want to be told what it wants it is wrong. If Christ and Christianity could perish from the earth, most of the world would love to make it happen. Imagine guilt-free grabs for power, uninhibited sexual activity, and massive amounts of money being made without the guardrails of ethics and morals. Wait a minute, it sounds as if they have already succeeded, doesn’t it? If you do not think the world we live in would love to banish Christ and real Christianity, you must not read the newspapers. The worldly Herod Antipas helped nail Jesus to the cross, then went on to live in luxury in the place we now call France. So who won? Jesus lived more poorly and died more quickly than Herod, this is true. But whose eternity would you want, now? Be careful when choosing between the cross of Christ and the crowns of this present world, a world that would rather Jesus perish. The Religious Want Jesus to Perish The only people who hated Jesus more than the worldly powers were the religious hypocrites. They are present in this passage in the form of the “Pharisees” and the prevailing politics of “Jerusalem.” Like their non-religious counterparts, the big three of money, sex, and power, were far more important to them than the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Religion and politics mingled in Jerusalem and pushed prophets and prophesy, and ultimately Christ and Christianity, out. They did not let truth get in the way of their means of making money by devouring widows’ houses, or wife swapping through certificates of divorce, or grasping a stranglehold on the politics of Israel for their own power hungry reasons. If Jesus Christ intended to rain on their parade, He would have to perish. It was not just the worldly spirit that wanted to crush Christ, it was misguided religious philosophy as well. Few Pharisees were actually licentious. But they were all legalists. And if the ladder to Heaven could be climbed by their religious rules and rituals, then all of Jesus’ preaching about grace and faith and substitutionary atonement would have to go. Go, it did, all the way to the cross. Christ came to Jerusalem and embraced the cross. The Roman Empire and a plethora of works-based religions thought this would rid them of Christ. Temporary riches can blind one to eternal realities. The reality of the perishable Christ is that those who trust Him will one day be singing, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” At that time, Christ will put an end this present world and all worldly religions that forsake His grace. God Wants Jesus to Perish A picture of the secular world and Christ-less religion as enemies of Jesus is not hard to see. But the next two people who want Jesus to perish may be harder to put into such a category. They are God, and you. Jesus would never have died, much less perished, if it had not been the will of God. Worldly powers are not actually in control, much less false religion. God alone is sovereign. And God decreed that Jesus would die, even perish. “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him” (ref. Isaiah 53:10). And as Jesus Himself said, “I lay down my life for the sheep” (ref. John 10:15). The perishable Jesus has always been a part of God’s plan, a plan ordained in the heart of God before the creation of the world (ref. Revelation 13:8). While the worldly and religious wanted Jesus to die for worldly and religious reasons, Jesus walked the road to the cross for purely righteous reasons. Jesus had been born to die, orchestrated His public ministry to end in death, and embraced death as His destiny, for “it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.” Jesus used that word, “perish.” He would not merely die on the cross, He was punished as He perished on the cross. In those moments the Son was forsaken by the Father, imputed with an load of sin and rebellion against God, and made to sacrificially die, or perish, on account of sinners, like you and me. Yes, God wanted Jesus to perish. And, so do you. You Want Jesus to Perish Do you want the world, in the same way the devil offered it to Jesus? Do you want your own good deeds to represent you, like some Pharisee, on Judgment Day before Almighty God? Or, do you want the perishable Jesus to take your place? The world may seem more fun. It is hard to worry about eternity when you are living it up. Total autonomy, personal happiness, a good time, this is the worldly life. Who needs Jesus, the Bible, and the church? They should perish, for they just get in the way. Religion may seem more satisfying. Keep more rules than you break, then the ones you break won’t matter. Just be good, friendly, nice. A sinner, who, me? No way! Find a religion that can make you feel good about yourself. Or, trust in Jesus, the perishable One. It is a disturbing picture, I know. The good news of the gospel is ironically and terribly offensive, especially the bloody cross, the Man upon it, and those words, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani.” But you want Jesus to perish, or you want the perishable Jesus. If you accept that Jesus did perish in Jerusalem, for all of the reasons stated in Holy Scripture, then you shall never perish. This word, perish, appears in the Bible 365 times. That is one reference for every day of the year. And every day of the year, people perish without faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. They do so because they love the world, a world which truly hates Christ and Christianity. They do so because they have embraced the wrong kind of religion, one that omits the necessity, sufficiency, humanity, deity, and theology of Jesus Christ. Once they perish, there is no way to bring them back. While it is still today, embrace the perishable Jesus, and invite others to do the same. Accept His life, His death, His resurrection, and the promise of His return. For whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ will never perish, but have everlasting life. Copyright © 2018 Lake Hamilton Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Check out the weekly happenings at Lake Hamilton Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
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CHRISTIANITY IS NO BIG DEAL
Luke 13:18-30 Dr. Chuck DeVane, Pastor Lake Hamilton Baptist Church Hot Springs, Arkansas June 10, 2018 18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” 20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” 22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” — Luke 13:18-30, ESV Though He may be to you, Jesus was not a big deal when He first came to earth. Being a Jew from the Galilean town of Nazareth meant Jesus hailed from one of the most insignificant cities in one of the most insignificant regions of one of the most insignificant countries in the ancient Roman Empire. If The New York Times and CNN had existed in that day, they would not have bothered to cover Christ’s campaign. Few really cared what Jesus was doing at the time, and I submit that a relatively small percentage of the world’s population cares about Christ today. Christianity is no big deal in this present world. Jesus said it would be so. In this passage three questions are asked, two by the Lord and one by an unnamed bystander. All three answered by Jesus in order to point out the essential smallness of the kingdom of God. Smallness does not preclude greatness, however, as citizenship in Christ’s kingdom is by far the most important thing to be gained in this life. It may not be a big deal to the masses, but I hope real Christianity, not the nominal non-saving kind, it is the biggest and best thing in your life. A Small Seed Before we cover Christ’s questions about the kingdom of God, we should question the kingdom of God itself. What is it? Where is it? Is it a place, a person, or a group of persons? Yes. The kingdom of God exists wherever and in whomever God is King and Jesus Christ is Lord. King in the context of Scripture is always sovereign. So, if God has sovereign control that is submissively adhered to in a place, a person, or group, therein lies the kingdom of God. It is invisible and visible, here now and yet to come, small and great. But, it is no big deal, at least size wise. It is actually extremely small, like a mustard seed. Unduly liberal critics and ultra-conservative commentators stress too much on the objects of this short parable. There may have been smaller seeds available that grew into larger trees than the sometimes ten-foot-tall mustard plant, but that is not the point. The point is that the beginning of real Christianity is no big deal, but rather a very small seed, hardly noticed. But, when planted in good soil (see Jesus’ more famous parable on the seed and four soils), its fruit is plain to see and beneficial to all. The chief benefits are seed and shade. Mustard seeds grow and produce other mustard seeds, just like real Christians produce other Christians. Shade covers others with acts of love and kindness that Christians show to all people. Real Christianity is no big deal but it does big things in and through those who have it, and share it. Real Christianity begins with the small seed, and the seed is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It contains the person of Christ, the life of Christ, the death of Christ, and the preaching of the gospel of Christ. It is the only source of salvation for the soul. The vast majority of people in Jesus’ day did not see Him as the Messiah, the seed which produces the kingdom of God. He was no big deal. He is no big deal today to most people. But, is Jesus Christ a big deal to you? He is, if the small seed of the gospel has been planted in you, sparking a small but significant transformation in your life. A Small Transformation If the mustard seed is the gospel of the kingdom, then the leaven is the power behind the gospel transformation that transports one into the kingdom of God. Leaven is often a negative symbol in the Bible, signifying sin or something else that displeases God. Here, it is a symbol for God Himself. There is a difference between unleavened bread and leavened. The difference? Well, it would be the leaven, wouldn’t it? There is a difference between an unsaved person and a true Christian. The difference? Well, it would be the Holy Spirit, wouldn’t it? The emphasis in this parable is the seeming smallness, the unseen and sometimes unnoticed quality of the Holy Spirit entering in to one person at a time. This is no big deal in this present world, but it is the biggest transformation in the universe. The Holy Spirit takes the seed of the gospel and invisibly but totally transforms a person’s life. The Holy Spirit regenerates the heart of a human being and turns the world upside down, or right-side up, making a mere mortal a child of God and a citizen of the kingdom of God. Real Christianity is not merely believing in God, or it would include almost the whole world. Real Christianity is not merely adhering to the social and moral teachings of Jesus Christ, a WWJD life, as noble as may be such a pursuit. Real Christianity is wrought in a wrestling match with the Holy Spirit of God. The Spirit fights against sin and selfishness, and with the seed of the gospel produces repentance and faith. The Spirit turns your life into something completely different, extravagantly better, enormously bigger than it would have been without Him (ref. 2 Corinthians 5:17). Still, it is no bid deal to the world around us. Two articles were written about me in my hometown newspaper when I was a college student. One mentioned some broken baseball records and some crumpled beer cans. The other, a couple of years later, mentioned my conversation to Christianity, real life-changing kingdom of God Christianity. It was small news in a small town newspaper, no big deal. Most people’s conversion to Christ doesn’t even warrant a tiny article in any paper. It is no big deal to the world at large. But it is everything to real Christians, to citizens of the kingdom of God, of whom frankly there aren’t that many. A Small Group The third question in this passage, offered by another but answered by Jesus, ties all of this smallness together in one big, or small, bundle. The question is excellent , spiritual, sociological, theological, historical, and prophetic: “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” Jesus’ answer was affirmative. It is no big deal, at least not in terms of size or numbers or percentages. The kingdom of God is planted with the small seed of the gospel, produced by the unseen hand of the Holy Spirit, and results is a small group of followers, relatively speaking. This may be the only point of theology upon which I would strongly disagree with the late, great Charles Haddon Spurgeon. His utter exuberance over the gospel caused him to believe that at the end of the day, more people would be followers of Christ and citizens of Heaven than would remain unregenerate and shut out of the kingdom of God, when that great door finally closes. In spite of the great heart of Spurgeon, I must side with the small words of Jesus. The kingdom, Jesus said, is found through the narrow door, not the broad. It excludes those who were too busy to notice it. It excludes those who allow other gods, material things, or their own self to lord over their lives. It excludes Jews who think they go to Heaven just for being Jewish and it excludes Christians who think they are going to Heaven just because their name is on some roll of some church. The kingdom of God is a very small group of souls who often go unnoticed or overlooked in this present life. They are sometimes labeled as last place losers in this life. The kingdom of God is a very small group who by God’s grace gave their lives to Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God is a very small group who are the greatest people on earth, and who at the second coming of Christ will inhabit a new Heaven and new earth for all eternity, which will not be small by any measure. The kingdom of God will ultimately be great, but today it is small. It may be no big deal to this old world, but it will be the only deal still standing upon the earth on the last day. It is big, but small. How small? I do not know exactly. I do know that when before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the only people who were saved were Jews who faithfully committed to the covenant of grace as expressed by faith in God as known through the law, writings, and prophets of Israel. That could not have exceeded a few percentage points of the world’s population. Old Covenant Judaism was not a big deal to most people on the planet at the time. Neither is genuine, kingdom of God, New Testament Christianity in our time. Even though a third of our would claims to be Christian, that number is largely nominal with no noticeable disciplines, habits, or lifestyles that differ from unbelievers. Less than a third of the third attend public worship with any regularity, less than that believe in the authority of Scripture, a smaller percentage still actually believes in the basics about Jesus’ deity, humanity, and substitutionary atonement on the cross, and it is only a subset of those have bent the knee to God the Father, accepted as Lord God the Son, and experienced regenerated by God the Holy Spirit. This is why Christianity is no bid deal, to the world. But what matters right now is whether or not Jesus Christ is a big deal to you. Get big by going small. Humble yourself before the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Submit to the gospel and the word of God. Great things will come your way, things that can only be found in the greatest place in Heaven and earth, the kingdom of God. Copyright © 2018 Lake Hamilton Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Check out the weekly happenings at Lake Hamilton Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. THE CONFLICT CONTINUES
Luke 13:10-17 Dr. Chuck DeVane, Pastor Lake Hamilton Baptist Church Hot Springs, Arkansas June 3, 2018 10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him. — Luke 13:10-17, ESV Conflict courted Jesus from the inauguration of His public ministry until the grand three-part finale at the cross, empty tomb, and ascension. The closer He got to the end, the more the conflict intensified between the Lord and His enemies. Christ’s enemies are our enemies, and the conflict continues. This story most likely occurred in the early part of Jesus’ ministry, but Luke chose to use it closer to the end of his semi-chronological Gospel. It fits well with what we have just read and the ever-shortening road Jesus is traveling to the cross. It is a Christological feast of divine power and human compassion, and it is a practical lesson for Christians on the continuing conflict we face when we follow the Lord Jesus Christ. The Continuing Conflict with Satan One of the most insidious things about Satan is that he is a great imitator, a cold, calculating, copy-cat. God alone is omniscient, but Satan mimics this by playing mind games, planting temptations, and otherwise getting into the heads of believers and unbelievers alike. God alone is omnipresent. While Satan can only be in one place at one time, he always chooses the places where he can cause the most trouble. And while God sends angels to convey acts of ministry, Satan sends demons to cause madness and mayhem. God alone is omnipotent, but Satan has great power, greater than mere human strength, and he uses it to inflict physical, emotional, and spiritual harm. Satan lurks onto the battlefield with Jesus in this story, and a certain woman is caught in the crossfire. She is a woman of good faith, “a daughter of Abraham,” the father of faith. Like Job in the Old Testament, her faith did not shield her from the fiery darts of Satan. God, for His own perfect and providential reasons, allowed her to be “bound for eighteen years” until this great showdown in the synagogue. Medical science would argue that all sickness, disability, and death arise from bad genes, bad germs, bad injuries, or just bad accidents. They would be correct, of course. But just what, or whom, is behind all the bad from the beginning? According to the trustworthy tale of creation in the Bible, the old slewfoot himself, the Devil, or Satan, is personally responsible for introducing the human race to sin and its subsequent consequences. Every man, woman, boy, and girl is a victim and an accessory to the crime. Satan and sin have fatal spiritual effects, result in disastrous environmental evils, and cause the biological clocks of the sons and daughters of Adam and Even to beat downward. All creation and all Christians know this, and groan (ref. Romans 8:22-23). Jesus, with a touch and a word, delivered this woman from her physical trauma caused by the work of the devil. As with all Gospel miracles, this one is a parable of the greatest miracle of all, salvation. God comes to us with grace, we accept Him with faith, Christ covers our sin and provides for our future where we will be like Him and with Him, forever. Enter into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and God will always be with you. So will the conflict with Satan and sin. Even Christians can get wounded, imprisoned, slandered, hurt, sometimes even killed. The worst that Satan can do is to hurt you, temporarily. The best God can do is to give you salvation, permanetly. The gospel promises ultimate victory for all who have repented and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan is a conquered foe, but the conflict continues. The Continuing Conflict with Religion In addition to conquering Satan in this story, Jesus also had to deal with a cocky religious leader. A “ruler of the synagogue” in Jesus’ day would be equivalent to a church boss in our day, some unregenerate elder or deacon or committee chair who enjoys ruling the roost and enforcing his own ways and means upon the pastors and people. Apparently they’ve been around for over two thousand years. This is not as long as Satan, but it is satanic nonetheless. Religious rulers make up their own rules while being ignorant of God’s. God made the Sabbath Day to be an honor for Himself and a blessing to His people, old covenant and new. The religious rulers of Jesus’ day had created an algorithm to honor themselves and stress the people of God. Our Lord especially delighted in breaking their rules while He kept God’s. This faithful and disabled woman is once again victimized. As a woman in those days, she would have been forced to sit in the back of the synagogue, a misogynistic humiliation not unlike the racial discrimination endured by Rosa Parks. As a person who obviously needed some compassionate healthcare, she was denied it by the synagogue because of its extra-biblical rules about not working on the Sabbath. She was treated by the religious ruler like cattle, actually worse, according to Jesus. And all of this was done in the name of religion. I have often said that Christianity is more than a religion but never less. We do hold to certain rules and regulations, like public worship on the Lord’s Day. God blessed this woman for being a shining example of keeping her appointment with God on the Sabbath in spite of persistent pain and an imperfect synagogue. We must endeavor to keep our appointments with the Lord on the Lord’s Day, too, for there are blessings we need and receive when the word is preached, the sacraments are observed, and the people pray and praise Him. But religion without faith is the enemy of the gospel and is in constant conflict with Jesus. It can be clothed with a Jewish synagogue, a Catholic cathedral, or a Baptist church building. Yet any religion that mandates man-made rules at the expense of the gospel and the word of God is an abomination to God and a danger to mankind. Such religion promotes pride over repentance, legalism over faith, power over service, and cruelty over compassion. It has the appearance of godliness, but deny its real source and power (ref. 2 Timothy 3:5). Satan loves religion. He uses it constantly in his conflict with the Lord Jesus Christ and true Christianity. Satan plus religion minus faith equals the third source of our continuing conflict. The Continuing Conflict with Shame At the end of this event, “All his adversaries were put to shame.” Jesus wins, always and ultimately. So do those of us who are benefactors of His grace, who love and trust and obey Him. But those who do not follow Jesus, or who are not following close enough, have to deal with the conflict of shame in their own souls. I have thought lately that the shame about our modern world is that there is no longer any shame. Panhandlers who could obviously work dot our street corners, certain politicians lie with every breath, and a couple in our own conservative state was recently arrested for traveling to public places to have sex in front of God and everybody. There seems to be no shame anymore, at least not outwardly. Satan has no conscience, so he has no shame. And there are a few human beings whose conscience is so craven they have lost the ability to blush. But remember, human beings in general are made in God’s image. We all have a conscience. We all sin. When sin is suppressed instead of confessed, it brings shame, deep down inside. The gospel fights against shame. Shame can make even a Christian freeze in their walk with the Lord and choose codling and hiding rather than repentance and renewal. Shame can blind unbelievers and deceive them into thinking that God could not love nor forgive them for some things they have done, which is a lie from the pit of you know where. Shame keeps us from communicating honestly with God and often with one another, and communication is the key to relationship. Remember the gospel! Believe the gospel! Shame is washed away. If you choose to fully follow Jesus Christ, however, the pain of shame is replaced by the reality of rejoicing. Joy is the alternative to shame. Many in the synagogue that day embraced it and “rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by Him.” Still, the conflict continues. Satan fights and too often wins battles, even if he has already lost the war. Religion wears callouses on people’s hearts worse than worn out shoes disfigure the feet. Shame lives within more hearts than we know. Only Jesus has the power to overcome an evil devil, bad religion, and soul-crushing shame. Grace, faith, and the Lord Jesus Christ win the conflict. Believe, remember, and never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He will never be ashamed of you. And one fine day, the conflict will be over. Copyright © 2018 Lake Hamilton Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Check out the weekly happenings at Lake Hamilton Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. |
AuthorDr. Charles F. "Chuck" DeVane, Jr., is the Pastor of Lake Hamilton Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. His weekly sermon article, "The Gospel Truth," has been published in newspapers in Arkansas and Georgia. Dr. DeVane is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and has served in the pastorate for over 20 years. Contact Pastor Chuck at PastorChuck@lakehamiltonbaptistchurch.org
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