The Cause of Death and The Offer of Life (Luke 13, Jeff Kliewer)

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I went to Florida on Tuesday, booked a ticket to fly down and see my parents and it was just a really blessed time but something special happened that day.

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On the Tuesday that I flew in, we arrived at 11 o 'clock in Florida and it turned out that the court in Florida had arranged that my brother on that very day would be adopting his two kids.

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So I was able to go to the courthouse and see my brother and his wife adopting the two children that they had been fostering for almost two years,

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I guess a year and a half. And the timing on that was amazing. All of the kids, their cousins of what would be their cousins were there, so 15 little kids in all.

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And it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. My younger brother adopting these two babies, these two kids, and the joy on his face and the emotion that he displayed, it was to me one of the clearest pictures of the gospel that I've seen in a long time.

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The adoption, because hey, as we sit here today, recognize all of us who believe in Jesus Christ, we are adopted.

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And we cry out, Abba, Father, to our God who has adopted us into his family, though we were lost and we were wretched and pitiful and had nothing, and yet he brought us into his family.

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It's a beautiful thing. So let's go to prayer and we'll begin to study God's word. So Father, I just want to personally just say thank you,

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God, that you have adopted me into your family and I can call you

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Abba, Father. Lord, I recognize that apart from you, I am nothing and I have nothing, and yet you were pleased to call me your child.

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And thank you for all of these here, your adopted family that you have brought in. Thank you,

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God, for adopting us. And now, Lord, we pray that you would instruct us, teach us from your word.

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It's not enough that we be born again. We must grow up into all things belonging to Christ.

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So now, Lord, teach us from your word in Jesus name. Amen. In 1755,

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All Saints Day, which was November 1st at 940 in the morning, about 100 miles off the shore of Portugal, two tectonic plates slipped across each other, of course, creating an earthquake.

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And the hardest hit city from this earthquake in 1755 was

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Lisbon, Portugal. They said that when this earthquake hit, there were fissures that opened up in the city of Lisbon that were 16 feet wide.

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Catastrophic earthquake. As the earthquake shook the ground, people ran for open space and many went out to the docks.

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And they saw the water of the ocean recede away from the shore.

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They could see shipwrecks now exposed and all kinds of debris on the ocean floor. However, after the water receded, it then came rushing in as a wave of a tsunami.

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And in the tsunami and in the earthquake, between 10 ,000 and 100 ,000 people were killed in 1755.

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Now this earthquake was damaging and the waves of it, of the tsunami, reached as far as Ireland and even all the way across the

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Atlantic Ocean into the Americas. It was a devastating earthquake. And the people of Europe took notice of this.

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One man in particular, who you might be familiar with, is Voltaire, a philosopher.

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And he began to propose that there cannot be an all -loving

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God and an all -powerful God if things like this happen on planet

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Earth. This cannot be the best of all possible worlds, as Voltaire described it.

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And so he began to address the problem of theodicy. Theodicy is the justification of God.

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That's what the word literally means, the trial of God. And the question is, how can all three of these things exist at the same time?

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Number one, that God is all -powerful. By all -powerful, that means

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He can do anything. He can stop any bad thing from happening. Number two, that God is all -loving.

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He has compassion. He loves people and He cares about people to the fullest extent.

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And number three, the presence of suffering and evil in this world.

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It's a philosophical problem. How can God be all -powerful, all -loving, and yet earthquakes that shake a city, and cause fires that burn for five days afterwards, and cost the lives of perhaps as many as 100 ,000 people.

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How can all of these things be? Well, theodicy, the problem, the justification of God, is something that has turned many people away from the faith that we embrace as Christians.

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Many people that you know are rejecting the God that we worship because they say, why has

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He let these bad things happen to me? Where is this God that could have stopped these bad things from happening?

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Why did God, if there is a God, why would He let evil in the world? People are suffering, and therefore they turn against the

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God who made them. This morning we're going to look at this question because someone comes to Jesus and points out a tragedy that happened in Jerusalem.

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And the answer that Jesus gives is quite surprising, I'll warn you. And He brings up another catastrophe that happened, a tower that fell and killed 18 people.

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It's in Luke chapter 13. But the large idea that we need to take from this is, first of all, an acknowledgement that there is suffering and sin and death in the world.

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But to recognize that the source of that is actually our sin, the sin of Adam and Eve that's then inherited and passed on to every generation.

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It's sin in the world that causes the suffering. That's the big answer. But we cannot answer this question with trite answers.

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You all are familiar with Job's friends. When Job was suffering, his friends thought they knew everything.

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They were know -it -alls. They had an answer for Job, and they were dead wrong. This study this morning is important because you will have to answer questions like this for yourself or for someone you love, someone you care about.

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And it's important not to say the wrong thing when other people are suffering. Job's friend blamed

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Job for his suffering. They said it's because that you sinned that you are suffering like this.

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It was the wrong answer. So let's go to the Word of God and receive truth from Luke chapter 13, verse 1 and following.

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There were some present at that time who told him, Jesus, about the

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Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

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And he answered them, Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other

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Galileans because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you.

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But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

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Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?

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No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

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And he told them this parable. A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.

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And he said to the vinedresser, Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none.

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Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground? And he answered him, Sir, let it alone this year also until I dig around it and put on manure.

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Then, if it should bear fruit next year, well and good. But if not, you can cut it down.

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Now I must say to this question of theodicy, why is it that people suffer?

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Why is there death? Couldn't God have stopped it? He's all powerful. Doesn't he love people enough to stop it? Why the suffering?

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Why the death? Someone comes to Jesus with that question. And you might expect a more compassionate answer, wouldn't you?

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Perhaps a philosophical answer like Voltaire was looking for. But brothers and sisters, that is not what

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Jesus does in response to this question. Look at verse 1. Some present at that time tell him about the

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Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

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First of all, what is this tragedy? What's happened? Pontius Pilate, the

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Roman authority seated in Jerusalem, found some

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Galileans offering sacrifice at the altar of God, spilling the blood of animals according to the law of Moses, the

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Levitical code. And Pilate, being opposed to these particular Galileans, killed them while they made sacrifice and mingled the blood of humans with the blood of animals on the altar of sacrifice.

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A terrible and horrendous atrocity. And the question comes now, do you think they were worse sinners?

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Well, it's not the first time Pilate had done something like this. Josephus, the historian, tells about some who were

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Samaritans and they had gone up on Mount Gerizim to offer worship and Pilate slaughtered them in the middle of their worship service.

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So Pilate had done things like this before. Another time, Pilate misappropriated funds. He took funds that were given to the temple and used them to build an aqueduct.

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And so the Jews rose up to oppose that and he had them all killed. This was a common thing for this particular man,

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Pilate. He was not a good guy. He killed people unjustly.

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And the question then comes from Jesus' own lips, do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other

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Galileans because they suffered in this way? What's the implied answer with a question like that?

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Implied answer, no. There was nothing particularly sinful about these

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Galileans that God allowed them to suffer the way they did. But Jesus says in verse 3, no,

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I tell you. So by pointing the direction on you rather than the

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Galileans who suffered, he's changing the conversation here, isn't he? He says, no, I tell you.

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Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

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What sense can we make of that statement? It's a very important doctrine called total depravity.

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In fact, last week, did anybody take home some tulips from Easter? I had my tulips and I said,

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Jen, take a picture of this with my tulips. There were five tulips. Tulip is representing

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Calvinism. T for total depravity, U for unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, perseverance of the saints.

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Tulip represents the doctrine of Calvinism. Now, we say Calvinism, who cares about John Calvin?

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He lived 500 years ago. This reformation, I agree with you.

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Don't care much about Calvin. In fact, right now I'm reading the Institutes for the first time in my life. I never read

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Calvin until now. But here's what I know. The scriptures teach clearly that mankind is totally depraved.

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So leaving Calvin aside, putting tulip aside, the teaching of the scriptures is that all men are dead in trespasses and sins.

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Ephesians 2, verse 1. You were dead in your trespasses and sins.

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In which you used to walk according to the ruler of the air. That's the devil and the pattern of this world. The Bible says that you were dead.

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And so how do we make sense of how Jesus answers this question? He says, you will all likewise perish.

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That word all there is a broad brush, isn't it? He's painting with a broad brush at this point.

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And he's saying to every person listening to him, that unless you repent, now there's a glimmer of light.

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Unless you repent means that there is a road to life. It's called repentance.

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Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. So why do people suffer?

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Why is there sin and death in the world? The answer is, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

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The wages of sin is death. It was Adam's sin,

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Adam and Eve's sin that brought sin into the world. And Cain and Abel and all those born from Adam inherited that sin.

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And so all from Adam and Eve are under a curse. The sentence of our sin is death.

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Continuing on, Jesus now proposes another example. Verse 4 and following. Or those 18 on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them.

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Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you.

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But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. So the teaching of Jesus in this passage is that all people, head for head, have a problem.

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That problem is called sin. And the sentence for sin is death. You will perish, every last one of you.

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All. That's what the Savior says. That's what the

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Savior says. Now, there are many reasons for suffering. We're going to go through a short list here.

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I won't spend time in each, but I want to give you some scriptures to look up for later. To reference at a future time.

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In your life, you will face hardship. You will suffer.

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And you will deal with people in your life who are suffering. What will you say at that time?

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Will you give them a biblical answer or will you give them a man -made solution? A man -made theodicy, if you will.

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Will you justify God using your reasoning, your human ability? And if you do that, you will be exactly like Job's friends.

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When the times of suffering come, we need biblical answers to the problem of suffering.

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So the first one that we see, reasons for suffering. I'll give five and then we'll talk about five that are not reasons for suffering.

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Number one, condemnation. Look at Luke. We're still in Luke 13. Flip over to the 28th verse.

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Who is it in the Bible that speaks of a place called hell more than anybody else? Jesus Christ himself.

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There is a form of suffering which is judgment from God. Condemnation from God, verse 28.

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In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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It's a very vivid description of intense suffering. To the point where someone is grinding their teeth in anguish and anger.

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There's weeping when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God.

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But you yourselves cast out. This is a form of suffering called condemnation.

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Judgment. There will be people who suffer eternal consequence for sin.

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You yourselves cast out, verse 28. The law of God.

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Deuteronomy 23, 3 -6. Leviticus 18, 21 -25.

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Look those up later. There is a holy law that God has. Wherein he establishes truth from lie, right from wrong.

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And all of us transgress that law, left to our own devices. We will all suffer condemnation.

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But recall, unless you repent, there is hope coming in a minute. Second, discipline.

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Those who will suffer and gnash their teeth and weep under the judgment of God.

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Are a different group of people than those of us who call out

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Abba Father. And relate to God as our Father. We're as different as sheep are from goats.

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God divides mankind. And on his right he puts the sheep, and on his left he puts the goats.

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And Christians, sheep, just like the goats of this world who suffer condemnation, will suffer in this life.

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In this life you will have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world. The book of 1

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Peter that we studied was very much about this subject. The suffering that Christians will endure, even though we're living righteous lives.

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Still, there is a suffering that God allows us to endure. This suffering we'll call discipline.

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Perhaps it's bigger than just discipline. Discipline refers to when we stray. God will allow some painful experience, some suffering to come into our lives.

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To correct our course. What father here in the building? If your child strays into sin, will you not correct him?

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Or her? If you don't correct your son or daughter, what does that mean about your love?

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It means you don't love your son or daughter. But if you offer correction, if you offer discipline, and it doesn't feel good at the time,

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God is the same way with us. He will discipline Christians. Hebrews 12, 7.

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There's a third kind of suffering that the Bible talks about. We find this in the book of Job. Why did Job suffer?

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His friends had an answer for him. They said, it's because you're such a sinner that's why you're suffering. No, it's actually quite the opposite.

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It's because Job so loved God in his heart more than probably anybody else on earth.

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That God allowed him to suffer. To display to the angels and to all the world that Job's love for God was not based on being hedged in with good things.

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That Job loved God from the heart, not just because of what he was getting from God.

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And so God allowed Job to be stripped of everything else. Even his children.

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And he suffered more than any man alive at the time. Why? To display that God's value is greater than all.

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Than anything else in Job's life. He stripped it all away and Job said what?

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Though he slay me, yet shall I praise him. And what glory went to God the

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Father when Job spoke those words. It said, my Father is so glorious that if he gives me nothing else, if he takes everything else away,

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I will suffer, I will die and praise him. He's more valuable to me than all the world.

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Or all the worlds that could ever be. There's a kind of suffering that glorifies

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God. When the people of God value him more than the things of this life.

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Hallelujah. Another is a display of justice. In Romans 2 .5 it says that God sometimes allows people to keep up condemnation upon themselves so that at the judgment seat, on the great day, he makes everything right and his justice is displayed.

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A fifth thing that I'll mention is a display of healing. In John chapter 9 verses 1 to 3, a person was afflicted with a terrible problem.

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But Jesus says this is actually to display my glory. In the healing of that thing.

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And many of you know you've suffered in this life. There's things that I've suffered.

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But because I've suffered in that way and you've suffered in that way, you can now comfort someone else in a way that you couldn't had you not suffered in the first place.

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With the comfort that you yourself receive from God, you can now comfort someone else who's going through that same thing.

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The healing of God. And finally, let's be honest. Let's be humble.

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We don't know the answer to theodicy. We don't have all the answers.

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First Corinthians 13 .12 says in this life we're only looking through a glass dimly.

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But there's coming a day when we will see face to face. We can't know the reason why

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God allows suffering in the lives of some people. Sometimes we say, you know what,

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I know exactly why I'm going through. I've experienced this. I know why this is happening to me. It's because I am a wretch.

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And I have been sinning. And God is correcting my course. That's discipline. There's other times when you have no idea why you're going through what you are.

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The key is to trust him. Now next, we're going to spend a few minutes talking. What I have seen over and over again is unbiblical answers to the problem of suffering.

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And they do more harm than good. They might comfort someone for a moment. But in the end, it leaves the same nagging question.

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In the end, you're harming them like Job's friends did. They received a very resounding rebuke from God at the end.

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So don't give these answers. Not reasons for suffering. Number one, deism.

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Probably the most common answer. Why bad things happen to good people by a

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Jewish rabbi. And many philosophies of this world answer this question this way.

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They say that God has created the world. He spun it into existence and cut it loose.

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And now bad things happen because that's just the natural course of things. The world is spinning and there will be earthquakes.

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As plates slip across each other. God's hand has nothing to do with it. He's removed from that.

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He's created a world but then he stepped out of that world. He stepped back and he just lets things go according to their natural course.

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I've given you some scriptures. Psalm 139, 16, 1039. Isaiah 45, 6 and 7.

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Ecclesiastes 7, 13 to 14. And so many others that we could talk about.

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Look them up later. There is absolutely nothing in the Bible that supports deism.

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God has never stepped back from his creation and allowed things to just go according to nature.

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His hand is meticulously involved in the things of this world.

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Even every hair that falls from your head. The sparrow that falls from the sky.

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None of these things can happen apart from the meticulous providence of God.

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That's the teaching of the scripture. So it's never that he's frustrated. The next one is free will frustration.

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Many people propose the idea that God is bound to allow things to happen because he would never violate the free will of men.

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Hey, Hitler had some evil designs, didn't he? That was his will. And there's people who say, well,

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God couldn't stop Hitler from the Holocaust. Because he would have to violate the free will of Adolf Hitler.

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Guess what? God has never surrendered control of his earth to the free will of man.

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That's a tradition of man that says that. It's not the teaching of scripture at all. There are free will offerings, which are just offerings in the

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Old Testament. That were not prescribed by the law that someone could freely bring. But there's no teaching on the free will of man being a frustration to God that he cannot do what he wants to do.

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Don't you know that if God wanted to stop the Holocaust, if he had designed that it be stopped,

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Adolf Hitler could have dropped like that. A heart attack. A brain aneurysm.

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It would not have been hard for the God of all creation to stop. Now you ask, so why did he let it happen?

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We're back to 1 Corinthians 13 .12. But I will not question

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God and I will not try to give an answer which is unbiblical. And say that God was bound in some way and frustrated.

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He allows evil and he has a purpose. Now, listen. Hear this if nothing else. If you opt for any other alternative at this point, you have introduced purposeless evil into this world.

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Either God has a purpose in the things that come to pass.

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And all things work together for the good of those who love him. Or there is a such thing as purposeless evil.

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Either the Holocaust had a purpose. That God had a purpose.

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Or God allowed a purposeless Holocaust of people. Which is better?

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And more importantly, which is biblical? Acts chapter 4.

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The most horrendous thing that happened. The innocent son of God. Handed over to Pontius Pilate and Herod and the

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Jews and the Romans. All conspiring together to do what their wicked minds and their wicked intention desired to happen.

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Acts chapter 4 .27 and 28. All these things happened according to God's predestined hand and plan.

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What he had predestined to occur. So God is never frustrated by the free will of men.

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Next, he's never surprised. Psalm 90, 1 -4. He never gets caught off guard.

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Something just happens and God just wasn't ready for it. No, if you're suffering today. God's not surprised.

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And he has a purpose. And he's there working it together for good. And I can't tell you what that purpose is.

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But when you get to glory. And you see the tapestry of how this all fit together.

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Then you will know. Even as you're fully known. Next, binding. Deuteronomy 32 -39.

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God is never bound. God is always free. His will is free.

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He is God. And we have this tendency to exalt man to the place of autonomy.

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That's the desire of the human heart. To be autonomous. To be a God. That was Satan's desire, wasn't it?

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But God is never bound. God is always free. And this is comforting to know.

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Because if he is free. Then you can trust him. You can trust him.

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Yes, in the midst of your suffering. Whatever you're going through. You can trust him.

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Because he's in control. That's the last one. He never loses control. Psalm 33 -18 -19.

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Now, I will give one caveat. There is a such thing as victimization.

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When people suffer. It is not like Job's friends say. They sin.

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And so, as a result. God is punishing them for their sin. In the suffering that they go through.

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It's not a one -to -one correlation like that. Sometimes people suffer because of the sin of other people.

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There is a such thing as victimization in the Bible. Where a wicked person.

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Inflicts harm. On an innocent person in that sense. But this can never be the final answer.

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Because God allows anything to come to pass. That does come to pass.

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So it's important that we not. Diminish the fact that people are victimized.

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We need to recognize that people are sinners. But we're also sufferers.

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We suffer at the hands of wicked people. And when Pilate spilled the blood of those

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Galileans. And mingled it with the sacrifice. They were victims of a wicked ruler.

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So moving on. This sermon is heavy. But you know I thought about. How can I lighten this up? I tried to think of jokes for this sermon today.

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And I thought. But would that do service to the word of God? Because Jesus is saying. Unless you repent.

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You will perish. How can I? How can I joke at this particular point?

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So continuing on. Six through nine. He told this parable. A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard.

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And he came seeking fruit on it. And found none. And he said to the vine dresser. Look for three years now.

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I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree. And I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?

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And he answered him. Sir let it alone this year also. Until I dig around it. And put on manure.

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Then if it should bear fruit next year. Well and good. But if not. You can cut it down. Jesus here is not speaking about fig trees.

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Except in an allegorical sense. The fig tree represents people. Who are given time.

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Beyond what they deserve. There is a judgment. Deserved according to Jesus.

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To all. You yourselves. And any time.

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That you're given. Is just grace. Any day that you walk.

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On planet earth. Rather than laying six feet under. Is grace. It's grace.

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We deserve nothing more. Than death. The punishment that's owed to all of us.

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According to the first five verses of Luke 13. Unless you repent. That you will all likewise perish.

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See the teaching here. Is that time is running out. We'll get to this in a minute. Verse 10 and following.

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Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And behold there was a woman. Who had had a disabling spirit.

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For eighteen years. Stop there for a moment. You say well.

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Okay so God is. He has providence. He's overall. And he's controlling this world.

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And he's never releasing control. So what about Satan. Doesn't he have some power.

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Isn't he the reason. That some people suffer. Isn't it that there's a demonic spirit.

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Causing people to be in pain. The answer is yes. Satan is a secondary cause.

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In the scriptures. God is never bound. It's not a dualism. Many people picture this as.

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You have God working for your good. And you have Satan working against you. And sometimes Satan is stronger than God.

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And he's got you tangled up. Other times God is able to prevail. No that is not the teaching of the word of God.

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The truth is God is on his throne. And there's only one throne. And Satan is like a puppet.

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In a sense. He has a will of his own. A creaturely will. And he's exerting that will.

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But never beyond the control of God. This is a secondary cause. Not the first cause.

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So here in the story. A woman has been bound by Satan. A demonic spirit. Has her disabled.

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And we'll learn she's hunched over. She was bent over. And could not fully straighten herself.

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Imagine that affliction. When Jesus saw her. He called her over and said to her. Woman you are freed from your disability.

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And he laid his hands on her. And immediately she was made straight. And she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue.

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Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. Said to the people. There are six days in which work ought to be done.

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Come on those days and be healed. And not on the Sabbath day. Then the Lord answered him.

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You hypocrites. Does not each of you on the Sabbath. Untie his ox or his donkey.

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From the manger and lead it away. To water it. And ought not this woman. A daughter of Abraham.

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Whom Satan bound. For eighteen years. Be loosed from this bond.

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On the Sabbath day. As he said these things. All his adversaries were put to shame.

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And all the people rejoiced. At all the glorious things. That were done by him. So the

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Pharisees. They speak up again. The religions of the world speak. And they offer.

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Other answers. But Jesus brings it back to the truth. And he says.

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Ought not this woman. A daughter of Abraham. Whom Satan bound for eighteen years. Be loosed. That secondary cause of suffering.

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The fact that you have an enemy. Of your souls. Is no reason to tremble. Jesus can set you free.

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From that affliction. With a word. He lays hands on this woman. And says.

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Be healed. And she straightens up. Jesus sets her free.

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So Satan is nothing to fear. Trust God. Trust a

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God. Who is greater. Than all the evil spirits of this world. Verse eighteen and following. Notice now. He connects the people rejoicing.

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At what he's saying. So you have the Pharisees. Remember in the book of Luke. You have Pharisees, crowds and disciples.

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Those are the main groups. That Jesus deals with. The disciples are willing to leave everything. And follow Christ. The Pharisees are opposing

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Jesus. At every step. And the crowds are easily swayed. But here they're swayed toward Jesus.

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And away from the Pharisee. And it says in verse eighteen. He said therefore. What is the kingdom of God like?

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And to what shall I compare it? So like a grain of mustard seed. That a man took and sowed in his garden.

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And it grew and became a tree. And the birds of the air made nests in its branches. He gives this analogy.

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Of how the kingdom of God. Is advancing. And growing. The crowds are accepting and believing in him.

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Verse twenty. And again he said to what shall I compare the kingdom of God. It is like leaven. That a woman took and hid in three measures of flour.

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Until it was all leavened. See here's a ray of light. In a dark portion of scripture.

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Stories of bloodshed. And pain. And Jesus says yeah. But there's some leaven.

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In the dough. And it's spreading. And it's taking over. Here is the hope introduced.

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He sees the crowds that are believing. They're listening to his words. And the kingdom.

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Is spreading by those words. The joy. That's on.

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That's mentioned here. The people rejoice in verse seventeen. The kingdom. The joy of the

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Lord is our strength. It's spreading in the midst of this pain. In the midst of this dark world.

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Now follow with me. Twenty two to thirty. We're almost done. He went on his way through towns. And villages.

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Teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. Remember he was always setting his face. Towards Jerusalem. Luke is pointing us to the cross.

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That's the purpose of all this. It's going toward the cross. And someone said to him.

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Lord will those who are saved be few? What's the answer to that question?

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Yes. Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many

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I tell you. Will seek to enter. And will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen.

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And shut the door. And you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door. Saying Lord open to us.

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Then he will answer you. I do not know where you come from. Then you will begin to say.

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We ate and drank in your presence. And you taught in our streets. But he will say I tell you.

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I do not know where you come from. Depart from me. All you workers of evil. In that place there will be weeping.

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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.

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And people will come. From east and west. And from north and south. And recline at table in the kingdom of God.

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And behold some are last. Who will be first. And some are first. Who will be last.

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The Pharisees they're the first. These are the religious leaders. They're the teachers.

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And yet they're missing the door. And don't you hear many people say.

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Well that's very exclusive. Very narrow minded of you to say that. Christ is the only way to heaven.

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Surely there's a path to heaven. Through all the various religions of the world. All the roads lead to God.

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That's what the world says. Right. But Jesus says no. No. The door is narrow.

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And I'll say this to you. Don't curse the fact.

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That the door is narrow. But rather. Fall down on your knees.

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And rejoice. That there is a door. And it's open. There is an open door.

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Do you see this? And this is where Jesus ends this section in 29 and 30. They're coming from the east and the west.

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The north and the south. So yes it's few. Compared to those who have lived. But even if it's a third of the world.

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Can you imagine how many billions are coming to Christ. The door is narrow. Jesus is the door.

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But that door is open. And that offer is being proclaimed. Throughout the earth. Come. Drink the living water.

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Come eat the bread of life. Come through the door. The door is open to you. Come. That's what we need to be saying to the world.

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The door is open. John Bunyan who wrote the Pilgrim's Progress. Also wrote a book called.

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Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. He talked about the struggle. That he had to come to Christ.

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He thought himself too wicked. And he couldn't part from some of his sins.

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But one night he had a vision. In his dream. He pictured these Christians. These Christians that he knew.

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Who seemed so full of life and joy. Such passion for God. And he knew that wasn't him. He saw them on a mountain side.

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On the sunny side of a mountain. And he was on the dark side of the mountain. And there was a wall around the mountain.

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But he could see over. And see that on that mountain. These glorious happy Christians.

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Were warming themselves in the light of the sun. And he couldn't get through that wall. And he went all around.

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Looking and looking. And found no way through. Until finally he saw a hole in the wall. But squeezing through.

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He could barely get his head through. And barely pull his shoulders through. And finally squeezed in. And he found himself inside the wall.

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And he went to the sunny side. And to the midst of the people. And enjoyed the warmth of the sun. He says before he woke.

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The Lord showed him the meaning of that vision. He said the mountain is the church. And the sun is the glorious presence of God.

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Warming the hearts of the Christians. And the wall is the word. Because only through believing.

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Could someone come. It excludes those who won't come. And the hole is

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Jesus Christ. The only way. Into the presence of the Father. The only way.

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But that hole was small and narrow. And he could not come through. With anything but his soul.

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And his heart. He could not bring his sin with him through that door. He had to repent.

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And leave that sin behind. Because it wouldn't fit. Do you see the analogy?

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Jesus says that he's the door. The door is narrow. And there's few that go through. Too many are still shackled in their sins.

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And unwilling to repent. They cannot come through the door. But that mountain is the church.

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We who believe in Christ. Are enjoying his presence. We're set free. So leave the sin behind.

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And come through that door. Finally verses 31 to 35. At that very hour.

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Some Pharisees came. Remember the Pharisees. Are not believing.

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In the book of Luke. They're opposing him. And they said to him. Get away from here. For Herod wants to kill you.

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I'd be a little scared if Herod wants to kill me. But I don't see Jesus just panicking here. In a moment. Herod wants to kill me.

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Like he doesn't know that. That's been Herod's design from the beginning. Remember when he was a baby. What did

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Herod do when he was a baby? Killed all the babies in Bethlehem. Trying to kill him. Herod's always wanted to kill Jesus.

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Jesus isn't afraid. And he said to him. Go and tell that fox. Behold. I cast out demons and perform cures.

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Today and tomorrow. And the third day I finish my course. Nevertheless I must go on my way.

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Today and tomorrow. And the day following. For it cannot be that a prophet should perish away. From Jerusalem.

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Jesus' face was set like flint. To go to Jerusalem. He was on a mission to Jerusalem.

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In order to die. No one takes his life. But he gives it willingly. He was not afraid of Herod.

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He was not afraid of death. He was not afraid of suffering. Not afraid of pain. He trusted in God.

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And God was at his right side. Psalm 110. Strengthening him and helping him. Is that you this morning?

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Do you trust in God? Shemaiah came to Nehemiah and said. They're plotting to kill you.

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Go hide in the temple. Nehemiah chapter 6. And Nehemiah said no. I'm not falling for that.

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That's what Jesus does here. Not afraid. Not listening to the voice of the enemy. He trusts in God.

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He goes forward and now he cries. 34 and 35. Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem. The city that kills the prophets.

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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.

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And you were not willing. Behold your house is forsaken. And I tell you. You will not see me until you say.

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Blessed is he who comes. In the name of the Lord. I want you to notice something.

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Very carefully in verse 34. Jesus desired to gather. Your children.

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Together. But Jerusalem. Ruled by the Pharisees. Ruled by the religious leaders.

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They opposed Christ. What was

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Jesus saying in this context? It's a rebuke. To the religious leaders.

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The Pharisees that we're talking about. In context. They opposed the

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Messiah. It's not that he would have set up his kingdom. In Jerusalem.

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Had they not opposed him. But he laments. Their lack of faith.

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Their rejecting him. The children. Are the believers. The true Israel inside of Israel.

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The leaders opposed him. From gathering them. To worship. To follow him. Deceiving the people.

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Calling him a false Christ. A false Messiah. They were not willing. But many in the crowd were.

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Many of the believers. The children were willing to follow. Verse 35. Behold your house is forsaken.

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The leadership will be stripped. A new king is here. I tell you.

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You will not see me until you say. Blessed is he who comes. In the name of the

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Lord. And with that note of hope. Let's close. Call in the worship team.

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Jesus is coming. We saw that in Luke chapter 12. Remember? Will we all be ready?

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He's coming soon. And when he comes. He'll put an end to suffering and death.

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Until that day comes. We will suffer. But take heart. Christ has overcome the world.

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Hallelujah. Jesus is worthy to be trusted. He is in control. He is free. He is powerful.

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He allows suffering for sanctification. For discipline. To display his glory is greater than the things of this world.

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My question to you. Are you willing to let go of this world? Are you willing to let go of this world?

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To suffer with Christ. Let go of the pleasures of this life.

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Repent. And come through that narrow door. Let's stand. Let's pray.

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Before we sing. Just take a minute here to pray to God. Trust him right now.

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Think of those areas of suffering and death. In your life. Or the lives of those that you love.

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Trust God with those things. Pray for those people. Pray for yourself. But trust the

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God who is in control. Unless you repent.

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You will all likewise perish. Repent of your sin. Is there some worldly thing that you're holding on to?

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Don't make him punish you like a good father will. Let go of that thing now. Before they come into the light.

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Everything comes into the light. The things in secret will be made known. Let this go.

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Now. Confess it in your heart. Between you and God. Repent of your sins.

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Come on to that mountain. Where the sun will warm you. Give you peace.

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Right now confess your sins. And turn away from them. Pray now.

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Jesus we thank you for the victory we have in Christ. That you do work all things together for good. That you are on the throne.

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You are in control. You are powerful. All powerful. All loving.

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And you have purposes for everything you do under heaven. Thank you

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God. For who you are. We trust you today. In Jesus name.