Keeping The Word Of God In A Wicked Generation

Luke chapter 11, the word that I had scheduled for us this morning would have been the preceding verses, but for this afternoon,

I had planned to be in verses 27 and 32, so we'll keep that schedule. Next week, I will be preaching from the previous verses.

And so starting in verse 27 of Luke chapter 11, hear ye the word of the Lord this afternoon.

As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, blessed is the womb that bore you and the breast at which you nursed.

But he said, blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.

And when the crowds were increasing, he began to say, this generation is an evil generation. It seeks it for a sign, but no sign will be given to accept the sign of Jonah.

For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

The Queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them.

For she came from the ends of the earth to hear the words of Solomon. Behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it. For they repented the preaching of Jonah and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

This is the word of the Lord, you may be seated. Let me pray.

Father, as we approach your word this afternoon, we ask God that you'd grant us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to receive that which you've laid before us.

And that this should be for our good, for edification, for your glory, and your kingdom's sake.

We pray this in the precious name of the Savior, Jesus Christ, to whom be glory, amen. Church, what does it mean to be blessed?

Think of that word for a moment. What image is conjured by that word of blessing?

Well, the word blessing or blessed is a very simple word. We see it time and time again in the

Old and New Testament. Matter of fact, the Psalms are filled with psalms of blessing.

Blessed be the Lord, praise Yah, praise Yahweh. And all these benedictions and songs concerning blessings and how one can be blessed.

In fact, the opening verses of the book of Psalm is a psalm about blessing. When we look at the

New Testament, Jesus also takes that theme of blessing and he bases his sermon on the mount, the most famous sermon ever preached around the precepts of what a blessed life looks like.

So you hear the words echoed from the great sermon of the mount. Blessed are the meek, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are those who are persecuted.

What is blessing? And what does a blessed life actually look like?

I'm not sure if you received the insert for today's teaching, did you get it today? No, no, oh, we have it in the back?

Yeah, well, if you need one, just, well, maybe someone will pass it around. I think actually someone's here to pass it around.

So if you want them, just raise your hand and we'll make sure that gets to you. Oh, we look like a bunch of Pentecostals now, careful.

Careful. So along the lines of our teaching this afternoon, we see that in the opening verses of Luke chapter 11, and look at verse 27 with me again.

It says, and he said these things, we'll be talking about the things that he had said next week when we look at the previous verses, a little bit out of order, but we'll get there.

And as he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, blessed is the womb that bore you and the breast at which you nursed.

This woman who hears the words of Jesus recognizes that he is indeed blessed.

And so he also, she blesses and says, blessed is the womb that bore you, pointing to who?

To Mary, to the Virgin Mary. And so when a woman cries out to Jesus saying, blessed is

Mary, I want you to write the word blessed in, for bearing him, it becomes a compliment that Jesus actually reverses.

Notice what he goes on to say in verse 28. But he said, blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.

So again, what makes a blessed life? This world is constantly chasing blessing.

The word blessed or blessing simply means something that makes you fulfilled or happy.

One translation for the word blessing or blessed can be the word happy, okay?

It is an emotional gratification. It is something that is good for us. We are constantly in this world, whether you're a believer or unbeliever, the world is constantly looking for blessing.

The world is constantly chasing prosperity. The world is constantly chasing wealth. The world is constantly chasing influence and power.

When the world sees a successful person, for instance, with material riches, with health, with influence, they, on the outside, look like they are a blessed person or a blessed man.

Many, especially in my generation, are seeking a blessed life, a blessed filled life, but are looking for a shortcut or a path of least resistance.

And so on social media channels, you'll see, oftentimes, in my generation, people stepping outside of Ferrari and saying, here's how you can get rich quick.

In fact, I was just reading an article. It was actually a pretty brilliant business model that if any of you guys wanna go in with me,

I'll gladly consider it, where in L .A. there was a entrepreneur who had built a model of the inside of a jet.

And what he does is he rents it out for influencers so that influencers can look like they are in the inside of a private jet and they can do videos there and they can make themselves seem more affluent and more successful than they actually are.

That's kind of brilliant, actually. But so obsessed is the world with chasing success, with chasing affluence, with chasing all these worldly things, that really just a facade, it's just an outward exterior of that which looks to be a good, blessed life, but actually is quite shallow.

And like those who use those props in order to make themselves more affluent or make themselves look more successful, it's just an outward veneer of falsehood.

My generation's always looking for the shortcut or the path of least resistance to success. Look at the stock market, for instance.

I'm a person who invests in the stock market, not very good, and there's ups and there's downs, but really, you know,

I had to layover in Vegas and they have slot machines there and sometimes I don't see the difference between the slot machines and the stock market.

It's people just hoping and guessing that things go well. But what does, again, what does it truly mean to be blessed, to be successful, to be happy?

Can one lose everything and still be blessed? The Lord Jesus Christ answers that very question in today's passage.

But on a quick note as well, when we recognize of whom Jesus, or whom the woman is speaking of,

Mary, we make a theological note in regard to the teaching of Roman Catholicism, for instance.

Where in Roman Catholicism, really, there'd be nothing wrong with this woman's statement. When the woman says, blessed is the womb that bore you and the breast at which you nurse, this almost sounds like a

Catholic benediction, like a Catholic blessing. Because Catholicism focuses heavily on the personal work of Mary.

But instead of saying to the woman, yes, you're right, blessed is my mother, blessed is the one who bore me,

Jesus does not point the glory or the attention to Mary as the model of a blessed life.

Contradicting, then, Roman Catholic theology about Mary. Because if not, again,

Jesus would have jumped for the opportunity to reinforce the woman's statement about Mary, which is a very flattering benediction or word of blessing about Mary.

But instead, Jesus says this in verse 28, blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it, and keep it.

So if you wanna write in the next part of the notes, blessed rather are those who hear the word of God.

So here's an important aspect of our walk in faith.

One must hear, using their ears. You know that in the scripture, you'll find this phrase often, whether by Jesus, actually, it's usually by Jesus, whether in the

Gospels or in the Book of Revelation, let he who has ears, what? Hear, because not everyone that has ears actually hears what the

Spirit says to the churches. So Jesus is, again, pointing that there is an aspect in which we do need to hear the word of God.

But does it stop just there? Is it the blessed life to just hear the word, or is the blessed life in not just hearing it, but applying it?

Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it. Keep it.

Why is this such an important aspect of our faith, to not just be hearers of the word, as it says in James, but also to be doers of the word?

Well, because, beloved, it points to a life, hearing and keeping points to a life of obedience.

Why don't you write this in the notes? The hearing and the keeping that is obedience.

And what does God require of us? What does God desire of his people? Is it just to hear the word, to come to a church, fill the pews, you've heard it for an hour, and now you go on your separate ways?

Because that is how, essentially, church is done in Christendom today. We fill pulpits, or we fill the pews, so that people can hear, but then, throughout the week, are they doing?

You know, when I first moved to Canada, my wife and I went to a church called Beulah Alliance Church, and it was a huge, mega church.

And I remember the first time, we went there and went there for a couple weeks, because we had no other knowledge of any good churches in the area.

And we would go there, and man, after the sermon, just felt like, you know when you eat junk food, and you kind of get that nice little rush, but then you just feel empty afterwards?

That's exactly what it felt like, consuming the spiritual food that they had there at this church. Because it was very fluffy, very nice, and not necessarily bad, heretical, but there was just nothing there to apply.

There was nothing for me to take, and now live it, and model it in my life. And so, again, this is where obedience comes in.

Notice what it says in 1 Samuel 15, 20. It says this, Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the

Lord? And the Lord says, Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

What does the Lord require of us? Well, we can make a sacrifice, and what sacrifices look like today in Christendom is maybe attending an hour service.

Well, that's a sacrifice. You know, maybe getting out of bed on time for church. That's a sacrifice. And oftentimes, we think in these terms that, well, if I do this or that, that's a sacrifice.

But no, what God actually requires of you is not the mundane tasks that are the bare minimum requirements, but rather, it is a sacrificial life of the

Christian that you are called to. It is to lay your life at the altar of King Jesus, not just to offer sacrifices, but to be, in fact, a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

Therefore, we must hear the word and then keep it. This is what we are called to here in Scripture, and faith comes by what?

Hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. We need to hear the word so that we may be saved, and then we must apply it to demonstrate obedience.

In our main text in Luke chapter 11, it says in verse 29, when the crowds were increasing, he began to say, this generation is an evil generation.

It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.

How interesting is that? Jesus tells the crowd that they're an evil generation. Put this in the notes, please.

He tells the crowd they're an evil generation that seeks signs, or in other words, proof.

Sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it? If you're in any context in which you're speaking to unbelievers, it usually, in fact,

I had this yesterday. Had this interaction yesterday. Someone was telling me, asking me what

I do for a living, and I said, well, I'm a pastor, and that usually gives people two responses. Either they start asking me questions, or they try to get away, as far away from me as possible.

Usually the only two responses I get in public when someone asks me what I do, and then I tell them I'm a pastor.

And so this conversation I had actually yesterday when someone asked me what do I do, and I said

I'm a pastor, and they said, well, you know, I'm spiritual, but I grew up in the church, I just don't know if I believe in God anymore.

And then they asked me, what's your best proof for God? What's your best sign, what's your best, what do you got?

Because I think we could be good people without believing in God. And I said, ma 'am,

I think you just made the best case for God, right there. Why? Because the language that you're using presupposes your creator.

Talking about someone being able to be good, bad, evil, all these things presuppose my worldview, presuppose that there is a

God who created a definite standard by which we all must live by.

And so the world is constantly looking for signs, and in the days of Christ, it was no different.

Again, they were looking for signs, for proof from that generation, but it would only receive, according to Jesus, the sign of Jonah.

Now this is interesting, if you know anything about the book of Jonah. Jonah was a prophet called by God to go to a wicked

Gentile city of Nineveh. And in that context, as God called him to go and preach the gospel,

Jonah was resistant, he was hesitant, he didn't want to go. He didn't want to go to his wicked people, in fact, he wanted them to be destroyed.

He would delight in their destruction. So what does God do in that context? God, as Jonah runs from his assignment, the

Lord pursues him by means of pursuing him with a storm, as he is trying to get as far away as possible, crossing the

Mediterranean, and the Lord catches him in a storm, and then they throw him overboard, and he goes into the belly of the fish.

For how long did he go? Three days and three nights. Pointing towards the resurrection of the dead of Jesus Christ.

Just as the Lord Jesus Christ says in Matthew 12, just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, so would the

Son of Man be in the belly of the earth for three days and three nights. Pointing to the resurrection as the only sign this generation will receive.

And so again, pointing to the resurrection. The resurrection is the greatest evidence of God's existence.

It is the greatest evidence of the reality of the gospels of Jesus Christ. For if Jesus truly rose from the dead, then it means that we believe not in vain.

It means that we do not die in vain. It means that there is actual hope beyond the grave.

And this is the greatest hope for mankind. And this is, in fact, the centerpiece of the

Christian gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is where we find our hope. This is where we find our blessing, is that we know there is life beyond the grave.

So the question I raised earlier, can one be blessed and still lose everything?

And the answer is yes. The Christian can be blessed even if he loses everything.

Why? Because we know there will be a resurrection from the dead in the future.

We know that life does not end at the grave, but rather there's a hope, a sure anchor for our souls that is yet to come, that is yet to be materialized.

And because Jesus was raised from the dead, all those who are in Christ shall also be raised up with him.

Therefore, we can approach death not with dread or sorrow, but with a sense of solace and victory because if Jesus has truly conquered the grave, then the cry of the ancient

Christians who were led to their martyrdom is true when they said, death is dead, death is dead, because Jesus is alive, amen?

And this is a sign that it's for that generation and this generation, it is the message of the gospel, it is the message of the resurrection of Jesus from the grave.

This is the sign that God will give every generation and every nation that Jesus Christ is

Lord because he was raised from the dead. And in fact, this was a centerpiece of the early Christian missiology and declaration as they went out from Jerusalem into the surrounding nations, preaching and proclaiming that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

And so again, we see that the resurrection is in fact the hope, the sign of Jonah that is for all generations and all nations everywhere that would be given as a sign, as a vindication of this great gospel truth.

We're gonna see also in verse 31 of Luke 11, it says, the queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them.

For she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

The queen of the south here being the queen that is referenced in the Old Testament as the queen of Ethiopia or Cush, as she went and sought the wisdom of King Solomon and yet Jesus declares that as great and as wise as Solomon was, something greater than Solomon was in their midst.

And in fact, the queen of the south at the day of the resurrection, again, this is pointing towards the resurrection.

On the day of the resurrection, the queen of the south will condemn the wicked generation. I want you to write that word in there.

The queen of the south will condemn the wicked generation for failing to see the greater

Solomon who was in their midst. And we see that story played out in 1

Kings chapter 10, verses one to 13. I truly, Jesus Christ is greater than Solomon.

Sometimes we forget how great Solomon was because he's an

Old Testament figure and we don't really study. When you read the account of King Solomon, his riches, his wisdom, all the things that he had done and accomplished, building the altar in the temple of true worship for Yahweh, he was truly magnificent.

Solomon was the height of the ancient kingdom of Israel. It was at that point that it was at its most glorious and its most splendor was under the rule of Solomon.

And yet, something greater than Solomon was in their midst in the person and work of Jesus.

Jesus is indeed greater than Solomon because he created Solomon and he is the one in whom of the scripture speaks of that in him is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

As knowledgeable and as filled of wisdom Solomon was, he pales in comparison to the person of Christ.

Why? Because in Jesus, all the treasures of wisdom were kept in him because he's

God. And we go on to see in verse 32 of Luke 11.

And it says, the men of Nineveh, pointing again towards the story of Jonah, will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it for they repented at the preaching of Jonah and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

What's of interest in this text is that the men of Nineveh that repented at Jonah's preaching why don't you put that word in there as well, repented.

The men of Nineveh that repented at Jonah's preaching will likewise, just like the queen of the south, will rise up on the last day and condemn that generation for failing to recognize the word made flesh,

Jesus Christ. For again, in their midst was something greater than Jonah, something greater than Solomon.

What made Jonah great, even though he was a messenger of God who didn't quite understand the assignment, was that at his preaching, an entire city repented and turned from destruction.

An entire city repented. Jesus is greater. For how many millions of people have come to hear this message of repentance and faith in Christ and have truly repented of their sins and come to Jesus?

It's the millions and millions and millions that upon that great day, at that resurrection, what we'll see is a sea of humanity, a great multitude, a great crowd from every tribe, nation and tongue standing before the throne of God and they will be singing praises to who?

To the lamb. And they will sing salvation belongs to God and to the lamb forever and ever.

Jesus is truly the greater Solomon. He is truly the greater Jonah. He is truly the word of God made flesh.

For it says this of him in scripture that in the beginning was the word, the word was with God, the word was

God. And though he made the world and the world was made through him, he stepped into that which he made and his own did not receive him.

But this word did become flesh and dwelt among us and we've beheld his glory, the glory of the one and only from the

Father full of grace and truth. The word has truly been made known through Jesus Christ.

And so how should we then respond to this message? What hope is there for the future?

How can we live a blessed life in the midst of a twisted generation?

Well here are some things I want to point out to you in scripture. I want you if you can to turn to Acts chapter two and let's look at the early gospel proclamation from the early church in Acts chapter two.

We've alluded to this earlier in today's message but in Acts chapter two and in verse 38, notice what the apostle

Peter proclaims. He said to them, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the

Holy Spirit for the promises for you and for your children, for all who are far off, ever whom the

Lord our God calls to himself. A beautiful text of scripture. What a beautiful invitation.

The invitation is for you and I and for all those who the Lord our God would call unto himself. And it's this message, repent, turn from sin and be baptized every one of you.

Baptism if you're going through our Sunday school class which we'll pick up again next week, next Sunday God willing. As we've been teaching you and instructing you on the importance of Christian baptism and that association that it has with church membership.

And we recognize that before, that if there is no repentance, if there is no baptism, there essentially is no

Christian. You must believe, you must repent, you must be baptized, not in just any name but in the name of Jesus Christ.

Not in the name of religion, not in the name of a church, not in the name of an organization, not in the name of one's own thoughts or imaginations but rather in the name that is above every name by which every tongue shall confess and every knee shall bow, the name of Jesus Christ for that's the only name given among men by which we may be saved and it is the name of Jesus Christ the

King of kings and Lord of lords. And it says, and you will receive the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the

Holy Spirit. So do you want a blessed life? Here's how you get there.

Repent and believe the gospel. Does it mean that everything will go smoothly for you in life?

By no means. In fact, expect things to get difficult. Expect there to be times of great trial.

Expect there to be times of great mourning. For Jesus himself said, blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are you when you are persecuted for yours is the kingdom of heaven. That's the blessed life.

It's not one devoid of hardship but rather it's a life of hardship that brings you closer to Jesus.

And so we can keep God's word in this wicked generation by repenting of our unbelief, repenting of our sin.

I want you to write that word in there as well in the last part of our lesson today. Repenting of our unbelief.

We're also called in scripture to study God's word, to be a worksman that is studied to find ourselves approved.

And so again, how can we keep God's word in a wicked generation? The first step in being right with God is understanding your guilt before a holy and righteous

God and repenting of your sins, which is the call of the early church, the call of the apostles to repent and believe.

If you desire to be right with God, you must understand what is keeping you from being right with him today.

And that's you. That's your sin. And you must then repent and put all your trust in Jesus and do not delay being baptized.

But be baptized before immersion, receiving the anointing power of the Holy Ghost. And what does that mean?

What does it mean when the early Christians declared that you be baptized and you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit?

It means that the Spirit is now anointing you to live a life that is holy and set apart.

It means that God has now chosen you as a vessel, as a representative, which is why, again, this is a great case for why baptism and church membership are linked intrinsically, because there's a representation that is now happening for the baptized

Christian. You are now representing Jesus because the Spirit now dwells in you, is anointing you, and he's gonna bring you to a closer image of Christ.

And so the Holy Spirit will come inside and live in you so that you may be holy like Jesus. Second thing that, the second thing is this, that after faith comes knowledge.

You must acquire and study the living word of God so that you can come to know, love, and practice that which

God has revealed to be good. And this is no small step, beloved. Most Christians today are biblically illiterate, and God does not bless ignorance.

I think I preached this a week or two ago where I made the statement that ignorance is not a virtue, and the world treats ignorance as a virtue.

Again, as I was speaking, as I speak to unbelievers, as I often do, I get to interact with them, and they say things like, well, everyone has their own path.

Everyone has their own way of looking at things. Yes, that's true, and most people are wrong. And we know that because God's word says that the road that leads to destruction is broad and spacious, and many are the ones who go through it.

But the road that leads to life is what? It's narrow, and it's difficult, and few are the ones that find it.

And so we have to be able to call out error when we see it, and this comes by being biblically literate, studying the word of God, so we may be a worksman approved unto

God. Again, this is no small feat, but God rewards diligence.

God rewards the diligent. The third thing we must consider, so the second part of that was we first have to repent, repenting of our unbelief, and by studying the word, and then lastly, by loving

God and our neighbors. One of the things that we must also do is not just acquire knowledge for the sake of knowledge, but acquire knowledge for the sake of love.

Why? Because as Jesus says in Matthew 22, verse 37 to 40, that when we love

God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and we love our neighbors ourselves, we are fulfilling the law and the prophets.

And so love motivates us. Love is what compels us, according to the apostle

Paul in 2 Corinthians, it compels us to share this good news, to repent, to trust in the gospel, but also to study the word of God so that we may keep it.

Because the blessed life is the one that hears the word of God and keeps it.

And we keep it, not just out of obligation, but out of love.

We keep the word of God out of love. So everything that we do must be grounded in love, love for God and love for our neighbor.

And love here is not simply an emotion, but it's actually an action. Love motivates us in all that we do.

Love is the application of the gospel in our personal conversion and regeneration.

And so we must consider these things as we continue to learn about the gospel, learn about our most precious and holy faith that we are built up in it, so that God may then reward us with the blessed life, the happiness, the joy that comes in knowing him and being found in him.

May he find you on that day to be in him and spotless before the great and terrible day of the

Lord comes. Let's pray. Father, we thank you that you are a good

God. We thank you that you have given us warning, you have given us your word, and we pray,

Lord, that you would help us to not just be hearers of the word, but doers. Help us,

Father, to keep these things before us, so that, Lord, when the time of testing comes, we may not waver from our convictions, but rather,

Lord, that we would have our eyes set on you and our hopes fixed on the anchor of our souls and the rock of eternity, even