"But while everyone was marveling at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples, "Put these words into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men." But they did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement."
Good Morning beloved,
We welcome you to worship today in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We're glad you're here. Our goal is to glorify God, to see Christ lifted up and exalted, so that we might have a deeper fellowship with Him, instead of some kind of shallow, superficial relationship which has become prevalent today. Which, as you know, can be very challenging in this world of constant distractions that we live in today. I would also like to encourage you to join us in praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are facing severe persecution for their faith in Christ, pray as they continue to endure significant hardships, they would witness to their persecutors, and embody the teachings of Jesus through their actions.
I believe the most important choices you’ll ever make are spiritual ones, therefore, it's important to be intentional in our choice that impact your relationship with Christ. The church of Christ is to be a pure virgin, chaste bride, holy and blameless, and that depends of the godliness of her people. I fear the the modern church has entered into a union with the world, where Satan rules and reigns, which has produced a church that on the one hand, steadfastly continues to declare divine truths and uphold spiritual doctrines, while on the other hand, has begun to incorporate elements that are wicked and evil, incongruent with core Christian beliefs, luring them further away from pure devotion to Christ.
The church is being warned, as the Lord is exposing this current situation and is urging us as individuals to interpret these events through a biblical lens, adopting a kingdom perspective that transcends worldly understanding. In an attempt to engage a broader audience, the serpent continues to bring corruption into many churches, by adopting a more contemporary style of music, often written by sources of questionable moral conduct, carefully crafted to elevate their minds to a higher degree of heavenly praise or theatrical presentations, incorporating visuals, sounds, and even scents to engage multiple senses to create a more immersive worship space that is inviting, comfortable, and mostly dark to mirror a concert style experience, skillfully guiding the audience through an emotional experience that focuses more on a personal connection and less on the collective experience to align with cultural norms. Gone appear to be the days where the worship service naturally inspires a profound a sense of awe, adoration and deep reverence towards the Lord. Satan’s strategy seems to have evolved from persecuting the church to a worldly religion where worship is impure and prioritizes self-fulfillment and personal gratification, scratching our human inclination to feel better about ourselves and dare I say, our sin. The Word of God accurately describes to us in detail who Satan is and what his goal is, a murderer, a liar and a thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
Yet, in spite of all the difficulties the church is facing, I believe we can be encouraged, not because of anything that we are doing, but because of what the Lord is currently doing in His church. He is exposing unfaithful leaders, raising up faithful men who are openly and boldly confronting Satan's heretical false worship practices, purifying His Church. If we have been saved purely for participating in fellowship and a worship experience that "feels" powerful, then one might argue that it would be better for us to be in heaven already, where we could engage in these activities perfectly. Now I don’t know about the people in your church, but there are a lot of folks that are messing them both up in mine big time. Fellowship has become any activity where two or more gather together, and it doesn't seem to matter whether the Lord is mentioned or not. That's not fellowship, it's socialization and there's nothing inherently wrong with that, but authentic fellowship should certainly take precedence in the Body of Christ.
And, don't even get me started on the "Me-ology" experiential worship music, I'll just say it's time for the church to trade-in the trash of the world for the true worship of our great God, a privilege that is never to be taken for granted. Jesus presented people with two choices for one's spiritual journey, the narrow road, often seen as the more challenging and less popular path or the broad road, which is more popular, more frequented, symbolizing a life of ease and comfort. Every man must decide for himself the way his soul should go. My responsibility as a pastor is to call Christians to bind their consciences to the authority and sufficiency of Scripture alone, while condemning the errors and abuses that arise. This involves urging believers to delve deeply into the Bible, understanding and personally applying its teachings and living out those teachings to prevent them from straying in today's society, where diverse ideologies and philosophies abound. The controversy between conservative Christians who consistently warn believers against the growing influence of individualism and emotionalism within the church that has, like Israel, waned more often than it has waxed and liberal "woke" ideological Christians who advocate a more personal experience through carefully crafted music to intentionally evoke emotional responses to make people "feel" closer to God is evident in the debate.
Let's pray together
Heavenly Father,
Father, as always we are so grateful for Your Word that provides us with a barrier against sin and always leads us back to Christ. The world run by Satan presents us with so many opportunities to go astray, Your Word motivates us to pursue a life of purity and unwavering faithfulness to navigate the complexities of the allure of fleeting pleasures with a clear moral compass, avoiding the pitfalls of secular influences, where individualism is often glorified. Lord, You have called us to unity, to selflessly love one another as You have loved us, bring that to pass in the lives of Your people, for Your glory. In Christ's precious Name we ask and pray.
Amen.
Today's Message: When God's Plan Isn't Obvious
Before we get to our text today, I want to talk to you about biblical worship in an era where many Christians seem to find it difficult to determine who or what the focus of true worship is. Allow me to begin by saying, God is worthy to be worshiped. God is worthy to be worshiped. It is therefore every person's duty to worship God for time and eternity. I believe that worshipping God should be the desire of every believer's heart. However, it's no secret that as imperfect followers of Christ, we routinely fall short in giving our Lord the love, adoration, honor and glory He deserves. Understanding how authentic worship is to be accomplished is both powerful and life-changing. True worship is involves more than just singing hymns in a Sunday morning church service, it is ongoing, never-ending unceasing joyful praise and gratitude in the life of every believer aimed toward pleasing God, rather than merely serving as a form of entertainment for believers. Many self-identifying Christians today believe that our worship of God is simply a matter of personal preference. However, I would suggest that Scripture consistently and very clearly teaches otherwise. (c.f. Exodus 32:7-28)
By fully understanding that true worship is directing our every thought, every word, and action toward God in a reflection of reverence, extending well beyond the walls of the church, should be a significant turning point in the life of every true believer. Worshipping God's greatness isn't just found in the highs of life, it's in the lows, too. If you're buying into the worldly version of worship, you're swallowing the carefully disguised hook that Satan has hidden in the delicious looking bait. Genuine worship is not about us, as a means to achieve something else. Worship is all about God. Sadly, with the focus on self, many contemporary Christians aren't acknowledging God's greatness. I strongly encourage anyone who is a leaders of Christ's flock to be concerned about the worship music your church is providing, just because it mentions Christ two or three times doesn't mean it's biblical. Satan is crafty, pay close attention to the "Me, me, me, me or the I, I, I's" That's not Christianity.
A number of years ago that I was asked what I believed it meant to be a Christian, frankly it doesn't matter what I think it means, it matters what God says in His Word. If you’re a Christian, as I am, I'm confident it’s apparent to you. Being a Christian isn't self-centeredness or self-indulgence, what makes a person feel comfortable. And, it's certainly not someone who criticizes the teaching of the Word of God, finding fault with what God says about a specific topic that you disagree with, like abortion or homosexuality. In many churches today, having an abortion or being homosexuality is no more abnormal than being left-handed, however, the Word of God condemns them both. Still, a number of denominations have ordained homosexuals and transexuals to the ministry, but I digress. We have entire generations of people going to church, claiming to belong to Christ that are living in disobedience to what it traditionally means to be Christian. Suffice to say, the Good News He is able to deliver mankind from any sin, He is ready and willing to forgive our sins. By the way, we're all sinners, so we more than anybody understand that God can forgive all and cleanse all sin, which Paul confirms in 1 Corinthians 6:11, when he writes, "And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."
But, if I were to sum up for you what it meant to be a Christian, I would have to refer you to the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, it's those who do the will of His Father, which is to repent of our sin and place our trust in His Son, Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, obeying His teachings with a grateful heart, in love and gratitude for everything that He has done on our behalf. In John 14:15, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." Our obedience to Christ's commands are an expression of our love for Him. The more you come to know Christ, the more your life will reflect Him. That's why my conscience is captive to the Word of God.
Take out your Bibles and open them with me to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 9. More specifically, Luke 9:43b-45. It is a privilege to get to study the Word of God. As I reflect back on all the things that I might have done with my life, I can unequivocally say that answering the call to become a pastor, was by far the greatest, most fulfilling choice I ever made. The Lord has blessed me with an opportunity to preach and teach His Word, that has allowed me to touch a great many lives from all over the world, from diverse backgrounds, listening to their stories, offering spiritual wisdom, guidance, and counseling. I just can't understand what took me so long to answer His call, now I cannot imagine doing anything else. I want all of you to know, just how am grateful that you allowed me to do what I dearly love, week after week, for all these years. Thank you for patiently putting up with me, allowing me to do that. That said, I pray that you are enjoying going through the Gospel of Luke together as much as I am and that you are responding to it in a godly manner. I know God has been using it significantly in my own life. I am confident that you will remain steadfast in the faith and continue seeking His guidance. It's important to me that you will keep praying with and for one another, pouring into each others lives. It’s not enough to just believe, you must believe that He is who He is. It's all about knowing Christ based on that understanding.
As always, I hope you will follow along with me as I read and then we'll get this started, shall we? Luke 9:43b-45. "But while everyone was marveling at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples, "Put these words into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men." But they did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement."
Verse 43b, "But while everyone was marveling at all that He was doing," let's stop there for a moment. Everyone was marveling at Jesus because He had just delivered a young boy from a very powerful demon that was not only been relentlessly tormenting him but his family for years by throwing him into convulsions, tried to kill him by drowning him in a pool or violently slamming him on the ground, throwing him into a fire. The demon's influence was so severe that the disciples were unable to cast it out. The reality is people were astonished by works He performed before their eyes, they were in awe of His authority over both the physical realm and the darkest supernatural forces, they marveled at His undeniable power over death and His disease, they just hated His Words exposing the Truth, leaving them without any justification for their actions and brought a new level of awareness and accountability. They deeply resented His diagnosis of their true spiritual condition, unmasking their self-righteousness, revealing their inner flaws, laying bear their sinfulness, something they were not willing to accept. In John 15:22, He said "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin." His piercing Words served as a mirror, reflecting who they really were, a faithless and morally corrupt generation of legalistic hypocrites, lacking genuine transformation rather than the virtuous people they pretended to be, obedient to God.
Let's go back to the end of verse 43 and verse 44, "He said to His disciples, "Put these words into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men." Not wanting the disciple to have false hopes that He had come to set up the kingdom now, it's going to happen but it was not to occur until after the crucifixion, a necessary prelude to the kingdom's arrival. The cross must come first. Despite having communicated this to them on several occasions, that He had to suffer and die first and rise again, they couldn't get it through their thick heads. Earlier, in verse 22, He reminded them again 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." The idea that the Messiah was going to suffer and die was just too challenging for them to grasp, so He says "Put these words into your ears." The NASB95 translates it, "Let these words sink into your ears," it's another way of saying, "Pay close attention, you really need to understand what I'm saying, this is important, the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men."
The Greek verb "paradidómi" from the root words "pará," meaning from close-beside and "dídōmi," meaning to give, translated as delivered is often used to describe the act of handing a prisoner over to the authorities, it also carries the connotation of betraying someone, as seen in the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles, a significant moment in the narrative leading to the arrest of Jesus, where He is handed over to self-righteous religious leaders who sought to kill Him. However, the concept was still elusive to them, they couldn't understand the suffering of the cross had to come before the glory of the kingdom. They all though they knew what the Messiah came to do, the plan has been laid out for centuries, He would proclaim the release of the captives, set Israel free from her Roman oppressors and establish His Kingdom. The concept that the Messiah, the long anticipated Liberator and King of Israel, would soon be handed over as a sacrificial offering for sins, to set sinners free from the penalty and consequences of sin was incongruous with their preconceived Messianic expectations. They struggled to grasp such a profound paradox; their Savior was not to conquer through power, but be conquered and die? That just didn't fit into their Messianic plans. If you were to ask any orthodox Jew today, their response would be the same. The notion of a crucified Messiah is pure nonsense, anybody who hangs on a tree is cursed by God. That's blasphemy.
That brings us to verse 45, "But they did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement." Matthew adds another layer in telling us they were deeply grieved when they heard it. It's easy to find someone today who will reject the truth, but one thing I've come to realize is that nothing is impossible with God. However, Luke emphasizes that the message was intentionally concealed from them by divine action making it difficult for them to understand and they were too afraid to ask Him about it. The reason they didn't understand it is because they just couldn't handle what He was saying. Built into our human defense mechanisms is an intricately designed system to protect us, and one of the ways they do so is by causing our bodies and minds to enter a state of shock because there's only so much that we can handle. If they knew everything that was soon going to happen, they might have decided to abandon their mission and jumped ship, missing the last six months worth of their training. I've learned if the Lord communicates something, it is crucial to embrace it with faith and confidence, trusting Him wholeheartedly, not allowing anxiety or doubt to overshadow His plans, even when they are not always clear to me, knowing that His divine wisdom is far exceeds my own. I often hear people say they want to know what's going to happen in the future, the truth is, we couldn't handle it. Only giving us what we can handle in the moment is one of the Lord's sweet mercies.
Have you ever noticed how challenging it can be to remain humble when you know and understand the Truth, especially when you are absolutely confident that you are correct? That's not to suggest that I have all the answers or that I am infallible, I'm sure there are a lot of things that I err in, but I do know and have a deep understand of the Word of God. But, since pride is an intrinsic part of the human condition, it has persistently gripped the human heart throughout history, it is crucial for us to consciously humble ourselves, resisting the temptation to be prideful, because pride is damning sin that seeks to exalt one's self over God. That's why Jesus called us to die to self, and the Apostle Paul exhorts us to "die daily" because the struggle against pride is a common challenge among all of humanity. In today's society practicing humility and meekness is often seen as a sign of weakness or as being less capable, lowering oneself rather than a sign of inner strength under control and a dependence on God. When looking for examples of humility and meekness, perhaps it's worth considering the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who was both meek and humble, yet, bold enough to drive the money changers from the temple of God.
Perhaps it's worth considering the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who exemplified both meekness and humility, yet, was bold enough to drive the money changers from the temple of God, in a powerful expression of righteous anger and zeal for God. Despite possessing divine authority, He chose to humble Himself, washing the feet of His disciples, a task typically reserved for the lowest of servants. Jesus encourages us, His followers, to embrace what can be described as a Beatitude Attitude, embodying the virtues of gentleness, mercy, and peacemaking, emphasizing the importance of inner character over outward appearances.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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