Ron Hinesly Preaching
Immanuel Sermon Audio
Luke 13:31-35
I'm convinced our God has a great sense of humor. You're looking at an example of one. Several weeks ago, I was busy at work minding my own business. And I happened to glance down at my phone and I see that I have missed a call from Landon and he follows that with a text and he says, "Sorry to miss your call, but I wanted to know if you would preach for me Sunday, August 2nd, and here's the text, yada yada yada." And I reacted much like you did or would do. I was like, "This has got to be candid camera. There has got to be something to this. This cannot be true." You know, I love God, I love his word, I love his people, but you know, I'm a pew dweller. And I dwell in the land of pew dwellers. I am not one that has seen myself as being before the congregation to teach. And yet God and his great mercy and his love had had me at that time in the book of Exodus where Moses is standing before almighty God at the burning bush and God is speaking to Moses to go and to lead his people. And Moses is sending their stammering and begging and pleading with God, send somebody else, do something else. And I'm thinking as I'm reading this in my own devotions, you know, Moses, this is God asking you, you need to do it, you need to obey, you need to man up here, good grief, get a spine. And yet I get a little text, about a 30-minute presentation, and what am I doing, the very same thing. I was like, "Hmm, August 2nd. Surely we're out of town that week. Maybe, maybe we're going to, I'll be sick that day." Because like this is making me sick to think about it. But God reminded me through his word and through the prompting of his spirit of what I had read, that very day, that God who took a nobody shepherd in a nowhere land of Midian and called him to speak his word. And he reminded me of his application to my own life. And I was like, "Okay God, I'm not going to get out of this." And so I said, "Okay." And then I get this text, this text that we're going to talk about, and it's no easy text. I mean, what we're going to talk about today and what you're going to see in a minute is like, this is different. How am I going to come up with something to say to these people about this text? But as I've dug and as I've had a chance to study the word, I've seen marvelous application, both in my own life personally. And I think you will find in it a challenge for yourself. So get a copy of scripture, be finding Luke 13. We're going to talk about the very last part of the chapter in Luke 13 and follow Jesus as he reacts to a strange situation here. Now I'm going to go for simple. And so when we dig in here and see what we can learn from this situation that Jesus is facing, we need to come up with our big idea. We need to understand where we're going with it. So the big idea today is that the Son of Man demonstrated that God was in complete control of his life and his mission to seek and to save the lost. Now think about that complete control. I'm going to give you a $10 church word. Complete control means God is sovereign in the affairs of mankind. He's sovereign. He's in complete control. And Jesus demonstrates that beautifully in this passage. And here are the brilliance of our Lord. Look at 13 verse 31. At that very hour, some Pharisees came and said to him, "Get away from here for Herod wants to kill you." And he said to them, "Go and tell that fox. Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow. And the third day I must finish my course. Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow. And the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it. How often would I have gathered your children together as a hand gathers her brood under her wings? And you were not willing. Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." Hero Church, God's Word, let's pray. Father, we pray your blessing upon your Word. We pray for open hearts and minds to receive that which you have for us today. And as we learn these great truths, as demonstrated in the brilliance of Jesus Christ, I pray they find firm footing in our hearts. And we leave this place today changed because we've been under the authority of your great Word. We ask in Jesus' mighty name, amen. Have you ever had someone bring you news that made you wonder more about the bearer of the news than the news itself? Yeah. You ever work with a, maybe a less than kind secretary who comes and tells you, "Hey, the boss wants to see you." And she's wearing this big grin and you're wondering, "Now what exactly is the boss gonna tell me that it makes you so happy?" Or maybe it was your brother or your sister one day, "Mama wants to see you." And you wonder what is it that mama's gonna say that has you so happy about this? That's what Jesus is facing here. The Pharisees are coming and they're telling Jesus that Herod wants to kill you. The Pharisees and Herod, they're talking to one another. The Pharisees, "Hey, Herod, Herod hates the Pharisees." They're talking, "I would want to know more about this sort of stuff. What's up with it? Make no mistake, this was a very real threat on Jesus' life." See, Herod just a few months ago had taken the life of John the Baptist, had him beheaded. And word had come to the disciples that Herod thought that Jesus was somehow John reincarnated or something. And Herod had always been threatened by John and now Herod is threatened by Jesus and the threat against his life is very real. But Jesus' reaction to this word and the reaction to this threat tells us something about Jesus and his mission in life. We're going to see from this four truths this morning. Let's hear the message of Jesus. As he responds to the news that Herod wants to kill him. First, look what he says. Jesus says, "You go tell that fox." Now that's not a nice thing to say. In our culture, fox means someone conning or clever or something like that. In the ancient world, that was not a nice thing to call somebody. A fox was not a nice thing. He's saying, "You know what? He's a nuisance. He's a pestering net. He's a weasily kind of person. You go tell that fox that today, I'm going to continue to do what I've been doing and that is to heal people. That is to call people to a life in the kingdom of God. You go tell him today, I'm going to do that and tomorrow I will too 'cause he's not gonna kill me. And I'm not afraid of him and I'm going to do what I have set out to do. God's got my message planned out is what he's saying. I'm not done yet. God sets the timeframe for my ministry, says Jesus. I know I'm gonna die, but I'm gonna die Jerusalem and I'm gonna die according to God's timetable. God's plan and not Herod's. Herod, you don't worry me one bit. The first of this response will bring us to our first lesson and that is Jesus wants his followers to realize that God is in control of their lives. Folks, we gotta learn this lesson well. God is in control of our lives. He's in control, he's in control, he's in control of everything. Good, bad, happy, sad, good health, bad health, married, unmarried. God is in control of our circumstances in this life. He didn't wake up this morning and go (coughs) Ron's preaching today, what are we gonna do about that? He knew this long before. God is in control, he's in control. Now we could go into some kind of long discourse about predestination and election. It would make our head spin with the theories. But what we're going to do is we're just gonna take the simple fact that according to the teaching of scripture, the scripture is clear. God is in control of our lives. He's brought us into the circumstances he's chosen for us at this particular time for his purpose. Now, unless you get worried about God controlling everything, you've got to understand that the overarching theme of his control is his love for us, Ephesians 1-5. In love, he predestined. In love, in love. The mighty love of our God predestines, he sets the circumstances. Does that mean that every circumstance is lovely and pleasant? Of course it does not. Does not. But it does mean that he puts us into the circumstances that we're in today at this moment for our spiritual good. And it's meant to drive us to be more and more and more to bear the image of his dear son. I like to think of circumstances as the way he teaches me. Maybe that's the easiest way we think of it. This is the way he teaches us. We see Jesus illustrate this principle in our passage. When the threat of the Pharisees and Herod are not disturbing to him, didn't bother him, was not disturbing, God was in control. He reaffirms his knowledge that he'll go on with his ministry until God decides he won't anymore. God pulled the strings in Jesus ministry. Now, Jesus wants us to pattern our lives after that kind of example. And if we'll grab hold of this truth, our lives can be radically transformed. First, realizing God's in control allows us to be less affected by our circumstances. Instead of viewing ourselves as victims of circumstances, we can choose to find God in them. Now, listen to that again. We can choose to find God in them. We can choose. We have a choice. We're less affected by our circumstances. When we understand God has set them and it is our responsibility to embrace whatever God has put into our path and to choose to walk his way in those things. Understand this principle. God's part, he's in control. Our part is our response to our circumstances. And please, understand me here. I'm not saying that this is an easy thing to do. We have difficulties, problems, trials in our lives that we will never understand. There are hardships, there are hurts in our lives that we will never get this side of heaven. But God's in control. And what he wants us to do is to seek him in every situation, whether it's good, whether it's bad, whether it's pleasant, whether it's not. He wants us to find him. The payoff of this is that seeking God in all of our circumstances will result in a deepening relationship with God and a deeper trust in him. He wants to use the place he has you and he has me today, right now, to bring us closer to him. That's what happens when we seek him in our circumstances. It will change our prayer lives too. Instead of always whining to God about our circumstances, we're asking him to change us by our circumstances into a deeper walk with him. Do you get that? Instead of whining to God always about our circumstances. We need to seek him in them so that he can change us into a deeper walk with him. So our prayer life will be for him to help us find him in the midst of our lives at every turn of our lives. So are you stuck in a job? You hate? Ask God to open a door for a different job? Sure. Ask him for a different one. Nothing wrong with that. But also ask him to find him in the midst of this current sour situation while you wait. There's got to be some reason that you are there and ask him to reveal himself in this one. God, what do I need to learn here while I wait? See the difference? I'm no longer just victimized by the lousy job I have. I'm empowered to learn more about the Father as I seek him through it. And that's what he wants us to do. Other people in the Bible did this exact kind of living. Look at the story of Joseph in Genesis 37 through 45. Joseph went through tremendous charms of trial and hardship in his love. But toward the end of his life as he is restored to his family, he utters the words, "You meant this for evil." God meant this for good. Paul is another example. Paul was languishing away in a Roman prison and he pens the words of Philippians 1 in the midst of terrible crushing situation of imprisonment. Paul says, "I want you to know what has happened to me. It's happened to advance the gospel." See, my circumstances are less important than God's working in this kingdom. And I will take my place, whatever it may be, in order to see the kingdom advanced. Because God's will and God's way are more important than me. You know, Henry Blackavy, who did the Experiencing God series, made the statement, "God is far more interested "in my character than he is into my comfort. "He's far more interested in my character than my comfort." So when we're uncomfortable, find God in it. He's building character. He's building into us. Something that could never happen apart from the circumstances that he's placed us in. Now, keep this idea of God's control. At the forefront of your thoughts is we look in the next part of Jesus' words. Look at verses 32 and 33 with me, okay? They're kind of repeats, so look at him. Jesus says, "All right, I cast out demons. "I perform cures today and tomorrow, "and the third day I finished my course." Then he almost says the exact same thing again. I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following. He says it twice. When he repeats himself like this, it is for a purpose. It's like maybe you didn't get it the first time. You need to get it this time. It's for a purpose. What he's doing is using an ancient way to describe a process or a method, okay? So let's say you're a farmer. Today I plant, tomorrow I'll cultivate, I'll do the weeding and all that sort of stuff. And then the third day I'll finish that crop, I'll bring it in, I'll reap the harvest. Maybe you're a teacher. Today I introduce an idea. Tomorrow we're gonna practice that idea. On the last day we're gonna test over it. We're gonna finish it. It's a process. Jesus is saying I'm on mission and there's a process to it. This is a process and it will end. What I'm doing as I'm seeking to save the lost is a process and God's in control of that process and it had a definite beginning, it will have a definite end. That brings us to our second truth today. God's control sets a definite timeframe for life. A definite timeframe for life. As Jesus was aware of the times of his mission, so we need to be aware of ours. There's a definite time for life and for service. There'll be a definite end to it as well. And folks, that time is shorter than what we think. It's shorter than what we think. He has a definite time. We must live for him. Anything else we do is wasting our time. Anything else we do is taking what he has given for us and the starting and the ending of it and we're failing it with stuff that doesn't matter. We must live for him. We must, we must live for him. Second Corinthians 5, 15 says, "He died for all," that is Christ, died for all, "that those who live," notice not the ones who choose to die, but those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who for their sake died and was raised. That's our calling people. That's our mission to not live for ourselves, but to live for Jesus Christ. That's our calling. Live for Jesus. We must make the most of every day to live in a rich relationship with Christ and in committed service to him. Jesus says the time is set and we've got to make the most of our time. So let's review. God is in control. He set a season of time for us to complete our mission for him. Now, we're gonna look back to our text. We're gonna see almost another twin set of ideas that go along with this as Jesus describes what he's setting out to accomplish as he speaks of his mission and his time in Jerusalem. Now, what he's saying to us in that time is that God's control offers and guarantees an incredible salvation. God's control offers and guarantees an incredible salvation. Now, we get that from these words. Jesus is Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it. How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings? Now, I've got to look at this picture of a mother hen in her chicks. Jesus is going to use this picture as a way to describe his incredible work of salvation. Now, in researching this, I came across some people that have confused ideas about this. They said, "Well, God is getting in touch "with the feminine side of himself "and being in the mother hen." Oh no, oh no, you've got to be joking. Look at the pictures and descriptions of Almighty God in places like Isaiah and Ezekiel and Daniel. With fiery thrones, with bright lights and creatures that fly around and proclaim, holy, holy, holy. God is a transcendent spirit. He has no need to get in touch with this feminine side or is masculine side for that matter. God has no need of anything, says the scripture. He is Almighty God. If the hen pictures anything at all, it would be, it portrays his condescending, his condescending nature. In that God left the glory of heaven to come down to be like one of us. So that we might relate to him with the great Emmanuel God with us, Jesus Christ. It's his condescending nature to reach out to us. The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. He condescended, he came in the form of Jesus Christ. And so in that, maybe we could take as the hen. But consider for a minute the chicks. In Jesus' words, these chicks were the people of Israel, but they're all of us who are humans. As chicks, little baby chickens were helpless, were vulnerable, were destined to, were in grave peril. A chick is basically blind to their situation. Their time of experience has been too brief. Their ability to sense danger is undeveloped and underdeveloped. And then they have major physical limitations for escaping danger. How are they gonna escape a predator? A chick is helpless. A chick is helpless. They can't fly away, they can't run away. Their only hope is the hen. Do you see the picture? Jesus is where the chicks were helpless, were hopeless. The only hope is the Savior. Look what the hen does for the chicks. She keeps them apprised of the danger. She, sometimes at the cost of her own life, keeps them protected. She gathers them up under her wings to provide protection for them, even at the cost of her life. Now I want you to notice something. The mother hen doesn't put the chick under her foot. The mother hen doesn't sit on. The mother hen gathers them up under her wings, brings him close to her heart. That's the picture of this mighty salvation, this incredible God we serve. He wants to bring us up close to himself, into a deep relationship with himself. He wants to bring us under his wings, close to his heart, if we're letting. There are a lot of stories online about hens and chicks, and I couldn't completely verify any of them. It's online, it's supposed to be true, but we'll assume. Whether it's folklore, or whether it's true, the story goes, that a farmer goes out after his barn has collapsed from a fire, and he's surveying the damage, and he comes upon a hen in her nest. And the hen is dead, but he moves away the hen, and underneath the protective wings or her chicks still alive. See, the hen was willing to give her life for the chicks. The mighty God of heaven, came to seek, came to save, came to gather us up under his wings, came to protect us, bring us near to the heart of God. He was willing to die for us, that we could be saying. Folks, that's an incredible, incredible salvation. Is it possible to make too much of it? That's an incredible, incredible thing. Now the crazy part of this description of salvation is the chicks who were Israel in his description. The chicks refused the protection. Look, he says, and you were not willing. Jesus is always the gentleman when it comes to the matter of salvation. He will invite, he will long, he will pay the price for the salvation, but he will not force you to accept it. The chicks of Jesus' story had a choice. They could choose the protection of the hen or the peril of their own condition, and we too choose. His salvation are our sinful peril. He longs to give salvation, he won't force it, and that brings us to our final lesson. God's control sets a time frame for his offer of salvation. God's control sets a time frame for his offer of salvation. Jesus showed us earlier that there's a season of service, but he also says there's a season of salvation. There will come an end to the offer. And just like the season of service we talked about earlier, the season of the offer of salvation is shorter than what we think. There will come an end to the offer. There will come an end. So how do I take him up on it? Well, I take him up on his offer when I repent and believe. When I repent and believe. Repent means I turn from my sin, my sinful ways. Sometimes I like to say it's when I give up on myself, my way of living is wrong. I figure out that the way I'm going is wrong, and I turn from it and turn to him. I believe that I understand that I'm a sinner, that I'm hopeless on my own, and Jesus is God's way, is the only way to be right with God. So I give up on doing life my way. I turn, trust that Jesus is my Savior, start doing life his way. That's repent and believe. I hear rustling, but don't miss this, don't miss this. The last part of this, look what Jesus says, look at it. He says, "And you would not." Look, your house is desolate. You know what that means? That means I am withdrawing my presence. With Israel, what it meant was, his presence actually left the temple. I'm no one dwell with you anymore. I am withdrawing. And then he says, "You won't see me again until you say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." People, that's not good news. That's not good news at all. That's a dire warning. See, that reflects the passage that says, you know, there will come that time when every knee will bow, and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, and Jesus is saying, you know what, people? That will be your first time. That will be your first time, because you have rejected me. That's your first. And for those who bow the knee the first time on Jesus' second coming, it is not good news. It's grave peril. Listen to the warnings of Jesus. You must understand to not take him up on salvation means that only judgment awaits. So take him up on his offer today. Do it now. Scripture says, today is the day of salvation. Repent and believe. Let's pray. Father, you're incredible in your word. Your offer of salvation is beyond even what we can imagine. And help us to see our need of you. Whether we've never known you or whether we've known you for a long time. And help us to live, Father, in the protection of your wings. For some, that means they need to repent and believe for the very first time. And I pray they do that today. And for some of us who have repented and believed a long time, we need to continue in that lifestyle and help us to do that. Evermore seeking you. And we give you praise and glory in Christ's name.