The Return Of Christ

The Certainty Of Christ's Return To Earth

Book of Luke 21


Although many believe in different details, the doctrine of the return of Jesus Christ is something all Christians have in common.

The return of Jesus Christ is mentioned more than 300 times in the Scriptures of the New Testament.

Entire chapters in Matthew and Mark and Luke teach us of the return of Jesus Christ.

The biggest part of First and Second Thessalonians and the Book of Revelation are all about the return of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ taught that His return would be literal and according to the Scriptures.

Jesus Christ taught that His return would be a physical event and not some spirit happening.

In fact the Book of Acts says Jesus would return in the very same way that He departed.

Act 1:9  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Act 1:10  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
Act 1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Those that look for Jesus to return in any other way are wrong.

Jesus' return will first be felt by all those He has promised to take to His Father's home, as we will meet Him in the clouds before He sets foot on Gethsemane.

All those who have been strangers and pilgrims on this earth will finally return to Heaven the place of our true citizenship with our new glorified bodies.

If we did not believe these things we could not have true peace on this earth.

Those that believe in less than this do not believe the Scriptures!

We cannot know the exact time of the Lord's return but when He comes He will be quick to get here.

Rev 22:20  He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

These things should encourage us all to be busy about the work of the Lord.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

The passage we look at today is now known as the Olivet Discourse.

This passage deals with the destruction of Jerusalem. the return of Christ, and the end of the world.

Let's begin:

*****Luk 21:5  And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
Luk 21:6  As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

As Jesus spends His last days before He faces the cross, He never stopped teaching His disciples. If these were so important then, they surely remain important now to us that know Him.

The most important job for these disciples lay ahead after Christ had given His life and after He had risen and then after He had ascended back to Heaven.

After what some would describe as a shaky start, the 12 Apostles when we include the Apostle Paul, turned this world upside down, began the Church of Jesus Christ, and this world has not been the same since.

What is the purpose of the Holy Ghost filled Church?

In the words of Jesus:

Joh 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Joh 16:8  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh 16:9  Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Joh 16:10  Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Joh 16:11  Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

We can see how far the church has drifted away from this, because the church is no longer filled with Holy Ghost power.

The Apostles of Jesus Christ faced some terrible times and many in the church still do today!

Jesus Christ gave these men a glimpse into the future.

These men would face things they never realized until they were all martyrs, except John who died of old age, the only one.

When Jesus speaks of the "last days" in most cases He speaks of the "last days of the Church", before the rapture of the saints.

Act 2:17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

**By explaining these certain things to these men, they would know that God is never caught off guard.

Someone uses this phrase "Has it dawned on you that nothing has ever dawned on Christ".

Our God is still "Omniscient", which means He has a universal knowledge of all things that have happened, that are happening, and that will happen, and He knows all these things at the same time.

Nothing happens in this world that God does not know about.

Nothing happens in this world that God could not stop if He so chose to do so.

BUT, God does not ever do evil!

EVEN, the wrath of God is justified!

God will never go against His Written Word!

By knowing all these things, these Apostles would not be caught off guard living in this cruel world.

By having the complete Word of God, we should never be caught off guard by what is happening in our world at any time.

These disciples would realize that their strength would have to come from the Lord.

They could not do as Jesus instructed, if their hope had not been in God!

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

**Now lets see how Jesus dealt with these two questions.

We must not forget there is only one thing that brings the "judgment of God" and "it is sin".

It is the same for every person and it is the same for every nation!

It was certain that the Temple would be destroyed. We know this as fact.

It was certain that the Jews would be dispersed throughout this world. We know this as fact.

It is certain that the Church Age will come to an end when Jesus meets the Church in the clouds.

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

It is certain that the Tribulation period will then begin and it will come to an end seven years later at the Second Coming of Christ.

Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Rev 19:13  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

What will happen during that time? We get a preview of the future of our world by what happened to the Temple and to Jerusalem.

It would pay for this world to clearly understood, that the institutions and systems that govern this world, will be destroyed by the coming of the Lord.

And it should also be very clear that the institutions and the systems of religion that are opposed to the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter how splendid, nor how strong, are doomed for destruction at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The disciples really only had two concerns, WHEN, and What Will Be The Warning Signs!

*****Luk 21:7  And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?

All of Israel was expecting to see the glory of Israel when the Messiah came, yet Jesus, The Messiah was speaking of utter destruction.

They could hardly believe what they were hearing.

We to must listen carefully to the words of the Lord, because there is so much deception in this world.

Satan is dedicated to the downfall of Christianity and will use every method available to him.

*****Luk 21:8  And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

The first sign will be false messiahs.

Jesus said that there would be many false messiahs who declared that they could save this world.

We should also consider that there will be many false Christians.

Jesus said they would come in His name. If you walk in the name of Christ then you are Christian.

There is a great danger in deception! Jesus said to take heed. To watch for these things very carefully.

There message would be that the end time is near.

We should consider that this is the message of all those predicting the "Climate Change" in our world today.

The wars in the Middle East have a lot to do with the promise of a false messiah.

There are those who claim to be Jesus, who has returned.

And of course there are those claiming to be Christian and are deceivers.

There may also be others.

The Lord Jesus said "go not after them". Pay no attention to the things they say, because they are all deceivers.

Jesus was teaching His disciples and if you love the Lord, He is speaking to you!

Disciples can be misled by false preachers and false teachers and the lies of this world.

Mat 24:23  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

This sign is evident in many ways in our world today, just as Jesus said, "there will be many".

*****Luk 21:9  But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
Luk 21:10  Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

The next sign is the conflicts that go on between nations.

Everyone knows the meaning of wars and our world has never seen one day of world-wide peace since the days of Adam.

That word "commotions", means these are uproars, riots, terrorism, insurrection, treasons, and confusions of governments.

If there is anyone who cannot say that these things have not increased already and continue to increase, then are already deceived.

There are uprisings within governments. Even in America we are more divided politically than we have ever been.

There are governments over thrown in our world almost everyday.

It is a fact that to see all these things on the news constantlym, even true believers can become disturbed.

The truth is Jesus said to not be terrified by these things.

We are to not let our hearts be troubled.

Joh 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

If we remain centered upon God, we can trust in His presence, trust in His care, and we certainly can trust in His eternal security.

If this world is destroyed, "it was not our home to begin with"!

We will be in our new home before this world is destroyed!

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

World wide violence must come to pass, until it reaches it's peak.

It is not God that brings these things about though He gets most of the blame.

These things come about because they come from the hearts of evil men.

It is a fact, that we would destroy our own world if God gave us the chance.

It is passion, lust, greed, and evil that dominates this world today.

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Not only these signs but there will be great signs in nature.

*****Luk 21:11  And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Most of us don't realize it, but there may be at least 1 million earthquakes each year with 130 or more of them strong and 20 of them being called major earthquakes.

There are about 600 deaths each year attributed to earthquakes and 67,000 people were killed in China in 2014 due to just one earthquake.

Earthquakes occur along the fault lines throughout our globe constantly.

Earthquakes are one of the most feared and destructive things, in what is referred to as natural disasters.

Jesus mentions earthquakes but He also mentions 4 more disasters that happen in the natural world.

Earthquakes will occur in many places and many at the same time during the last days.

**Famines.

It could be said that famines are sometimes sent as an effect of God's anger against a guilty people.

Jer 42:17  So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.

Psa 105:16  Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread.

There will be terrible famine in the last days!

In fact the Black Horse of the Book of Revelation indicates terrible famine.

Terrible things happen in a time of famine.

Lam 4:9  They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.
Lam 4:10  The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.

Even God says it is better to die by the sword, than to starve to death and who can imagine eating their own children.

The last days on this earth will be a terrible thing but these days can be missed be accepting the Lord Jesus Christ before the end of the Church Age.

But that is not all that will happen in the last days.

The result of earthquakes and famine is the onslaught of disease (pestilence).

Not only do earthquakes and famine bring disease and pestilences, but so does war.

Pestilence shows no partiality!

The rich may be able to buy food to survive a famine, but they cannot buy their way out of an epidemic of disease.

Part of the results of the Pale Horse of the Book of Revelation includes pestilences.

Rev 6:8  And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

But that is not all.

**There will be great astronomical happenings.

There will be fearful sights and great signs that can be seen in the skies.

There will a darkening from all the ash of volcanos, the wind storms, the smoke from the many land fires.

Whatever darkens the Sun also will also distort the night sky and the Moon will disappear or change colors.

And we should not forget the untold number of UFO sightings and things associated with those things.

Even our own government spends untold millions of dollars in search of such things.

There will be meteorites that fall to earth at an ever increasing rate.

Astronomical happenings will be world-wide.

Mar 13:24  But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
Mar 13:25  And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.

Jesus says that these are sure signs of His return to this earth.

Mar 13:26  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

Rev 6:12  And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
Rev 6:13  And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
Rev 6:14  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Rev 6:15  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Rev 6:16  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Rev 6:17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

It is obvious that the worst lies ahead for this world.

Because man will continue to be more evil.

2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

We are still in that period that is before those days and Jesus says in this period, it is the Church that will suffer persecution.

*****Luk 21:12  But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
Luk 21:13  And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

It is obvious that Jesus was answering a direct question of those chosen disciples but many of these same things pertain to each and every disciple since that day.

It is true that Christians have been persecuted since the founding of the Church. The truth is persecution will become greatly intensified before the Church Age comes to an end.

It is obvious that Jesus has separated the Church Age from the 7 year Tribulation Period that begins at the end of the Church Age.

Persecution will not only come from the less than civil society, but also from the religious system and also the governments of this world and we have already seen these things increase dramatically in just the last few years.

It had already began in the time of Paul.

Act 28:22  But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against.

And why will such persecution take place?

*****Luk 21:15  For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
Luk 21:16  And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
Luk 21:17  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.

It is only those that know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior that will be persecuted to such an extent.

This world we live in will continue to try to stamp out all references to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why? Because Jesus Christ reminds them just how sinful they really are!

Jesus Christ is the standard of true godliness!

The Christian has Jesus as his standard.

Those that have already rejected Jesus Christ will also reject those that have accepted Jesus Christ!

Those that reject the standards of Jesus Christ and accept the standards of the world, will reject everything Christian.

God says therefore:

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Why? Because Jesus lived a life of purity and those that follow the Lord Jesus Christ will seek a life of moral purity, while the world lives by immoral standards.

This world lives to fulfill all the lust of their flesh!

This world is driven to be materialistic even if that takes away from others.

There is no natural affection shown to fellow human beings!

There is no message of repentance in our world today.

There is no message of denial of the flesh in our world today.

Though there be millions of people in need throughout our world, very few people are willing to give up there own things to help them.

Therefore the Lord said He would also send a famine of the Word of God.

Rom 8:12  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
Rom 8:13  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Why? Because persecution is a glorious witness for the Lord.

There is increasing persecution as this world tries to silence the Word of God.

Even in America the Word of God is being considered to be "hate speech".

There is hardly a day goes by, that we do not see this prophecy of the Lord being fulfilled and we wonder if we are in the "last days".

If you take a stand on the Word of God you will suffer persecution!

Act 9:16  For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

**There is one marvelous thing that Christians do not have to worry about.

*****Luk 21:18  But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
Luk 21:19  In your patience possess ye your souls.

When the believer has to stand in defence of his or her beliefs, God will fill our hearts and our mouths with a reply.

Jesus did not promise that we would be made free.

Jesus did not even promise that we would not die, there are already many martyrs for Christ everyday.

Jesus promised we could have no fear!

Heb 13:6  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

We live in a world where all non-believers are beginning to hate the Christian.

In fact more and more of the Church are going against the Word of God, in order to please those of the world in an attempt to survive.

These things cause strife in the Church and the Church forgets it's purpose, which is to reach out to the lost without compromising on the Word of God.

There can be only one truth!

Joh 15:20  Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
Joh 15:21  But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

If we truly trust the Lord with our eternal soul, why then do we not trust Him with our lives!

If we allow God to be in control of our lives we will certainly have "Spiritual Security".

1Jn 5:13  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

God says we must be patient in these end times!

We must not fear persecution, we must absorb it!

When we are already in the arms of Jesus, death just puts us there a moment quicker.

Life on this earth is just too short in comparison to an eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jas 1:12  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Then Jesus returns to the coming destruction of Jerusalem of 70 AD but we should not forget that this Scripture also points toward the last days.

*****Luk 21:20  And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

History tells us of the terrible destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of God's people Israel.

The key to understanding this passage is that we are to be prepared at all times for the judgment of God!

Except for peace with Egypt, Jerusalem is now today already surrounded by the enemy armies of evil.

When Jerusalem is totally surrounded near the very end it will be time to flee just as it was for the remaining Apostles in 70 AD.

*****Luk 21:21  Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
Luk 21:22  For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

The truth is that most Christians did flee before Titus destroyed Jerusalem.

Many of them fled to Pelia(Pella) a city in Decapolis.

Matthew wrote to forget all the comforts of home and personal belongings, because the danger was just to close and too terrible.

We should never be so attached to our personal belongings so much that we forget about the coming judgment!

We have only one place to flee to, and that is to Jesus Christ!

We must also remember that the destruction of Jerusalem was due to sin.

The future destruction of Jerusalem will also be due to sin.

Sin results in total destruction!

The only sin that cannot be forgiven is to reject the Lord Jesus Christ, and this sin requires payment and the wages of sin is still death!

It will be a terrible time.

*****Luk 21:23  But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
Luk 21:24  And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Those women with young children, especially those without husbands will find it very difficult to flee.

They may even move to slow to escape.

Not only will the people be in great distress but the lands will also be in great distress.

This is the truth of 70 AD and it will be the truth in the future.

In 70 AD the wrath of Rome and the wrath of God fell on Jerusalem!

We can see the growing wrath of this world toward Israel and God will still punish sin.

Over 1 million died in Jerusalem in 70 AD and there will be even more in the judgment of God.

It is a fact that during the Tribulation Period, this world will experience great tribulations especially in the last 3 and 1/2 years of that 7 year period.

The Book of Revelation is full of this truth.

What is the "time of the Gentiles"?

We should immediately see that it is God who is in control of all the times of this earth.

God is in control of written history, but God does not cause the evil that goes on in this world, He just allows people the freedom to choose.

The time of the Gentiles means "that there will come a time when the Gentiles can no longer cause harm to Jerusalem".

There is coming a time when the Jews will no longer be persecuted because God will simply not allow it!

There is coming a time when God will rule this world from the city of Jerusalem and there is nothing this world can do to stop these things from happening!

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

It's important that we believe these things.

And yet there will be more signs of the coming judgment of God and the greatest sign of all, the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ.

*****Luk 21:25  And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Luk 21:26  Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

We have already discussed the great signs in the heavens but another thing should be considered.

Our world hovers on the brink of Nuclear War everyday.

World-wide atomic warfare could cause all this distress on this earth and completely hide the Sun for a long period of time.

These are just facts!

But even these things cannot affect the heavens.

The logical conclusion then, is that God who created all the heavenly-host will then cause these things to happen.

It is the wrath of God, that in just a moment, or just a breath, or just with His Word, He can change what goes on in His created world!

We must accept the Word of God as the literal truth!

Every part of God's creation will be affected that day the Lord Jesus Christ appears!

Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

We can just imagine the governments of this world gathering to see if there is anything that can be done to stop the return of Our Lord.

But for the believer it will be a grand and glorious day!

*****Luk 21:27  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Luk 21:28  And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

The first thing we see in the return of Christ is that it is the Son of Man who will return, "God in the flesh".

This world will have no doubt who He is!

Next we see, that all those that have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ will see Him with their own eyes and they will acknowledge that He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

Then we see that the Lord Jesus is coming in the clouds in all His glory.

Once again the Shekinah Glory of God will appear on this earth.

We know that true believers know this truth of the Lord.

We also know that Hell is full of believers who now know the truth.

On that day everyone who has ever lived will know the truth of God.

There will be no more mysteries for anyone to discuss and ridicule!

So as we see, the signs that Jesus has taught us to look for, we should not discard nor devalue them, we need to look up, lift our heads, because our redemption draws nearer than it has ever been before!

Nations will be perplexed, we do not have to be.

Mankind will be full of fear, enough that many hearts will just fail, we should have no fear at all.

How should we spend our time?

Telling someone about Jesus and looking for that Blessed Hope!

Tit 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Tit 2:15  These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

We are going home one day soon.

Questions?

Let's Pray!

Christ Was Rejected

The Certainty Of Christ's Rejection

Book of Luke 20


The meaning of rejection is the act of throwing away.

Rejection is forsaking.

Rejection is casting away something that could prove to be really important.

Again we will see that Jesus will teach with a parable.

This parable was directed at Israel but let us be thankful that God has planted His vineyard among us all!

We should all ask ourselves if we are rendering the fruit to the Lord which He expects from us.

The least He expects is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Eph 5:9  (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Eph 5:10  Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

We must certainly make sure we do not resemble these husbandmen in this parable.

The Lord must not only be our foundation in this life, He must also the our ultimate goal.

Jesus must be not only the author of our faith but He must also be the finisher of our faith.

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Heb 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Jesus who had never sinned, came to save sinners who could not be saved in any other way!

Just as God founded our world, God also founded the nation of Israel.

Just God founded Israel, God founded the Church.

In this parable we should consider those servants as God's messengers who were sent to secure the fruit of God which is the Lord Jesus Christ.

God is the founder of this vineyard.

*****Luk 20:9  Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.

God has leased the land Israel sits on to Israel, not any other nation nor any other people.

God has leased the remainder of the world to all other mankind none of these things happened by chance.

Act 17:28  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

We are all sheep in God's pasture.

Psa 100:3  Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

It should be very clear that God has given man the highest privileges in this world, not plants and not animals, and not what we can see.

It is man that has the privilege of life here and then an opportunity for Heavenly blessings.

It is man that also has the privilege for the care of this world.

God has placed life and this earth into the care of man's hands!

It is a privilege to a part of God's creation but we need to understand that privileges also have obligations.

Gen 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Gen 1:28  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

As we go through this parable we need to remember all these things.

*****Luk 20:10  And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.
Luk 20:11  And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
Luk 20:12  And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.

The season spoken of in this passage would be the season of harvesting.

This is the season when the fruit would be offered to the Lord.

There is a day of accounting for all of us, so God sent His servants to collect.

God expects us all to bear fruit!

We should understand that the great truths from the Old Testament were written by the prophets and not the priests even though some of them were also priests.

The true prophet is always great because the truth makes men great not falsehood and not those who twist the truth into something evil.

We see that God's servants were rejected and sent away. God's servants were mistreated and were refused payment.

It is a fact that this world and most all those in it are very possessive of material things.

We see that these men deliberately rebelled against God.

Man wants to forget about God the Creator and rule the vineyard themselves.

Man wants to forget God's rules and live by his own rules!

We would be foolish if did not see how accurate this parable is when compared to the world we live in today.

Remember a parable is an earthly picture of a Heavenly truth.

In fact man wants his way so much that he is willing to slander, ridicule, persecute and even slaughter the true servants of God.

Notice the patience of God.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God did not immediately strike out in anger though it was His right to do so.

We should also see that the servants of God will suffer while doing the work God has assigned them to do.

So God continued to send servants giving man chance after chance.

In this picture we know that Israel is a "type" of the world we live in today.

When Israel (world) would not honor God's servant God sent His own Son.

*****Luk 20:13  Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.
Luk 20:14  But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.
Luk 20:15  So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?

As Christians we certainly possess a portion of God's Kingdom.

What God has done for Israel was not because Israel was better than any other nation.

AND, What God has done for each Christian is not because we are better than anyone else.

God was making a special appeal to the tenants of this vineyard (Israel).

God sent His own Son to collect the fruit.

**When Jesus first came He claimed to be the Son of God.

Jesus was different from the servants that had come before Him.

**When the tenants of God's vineyard saw Jesus they already had plenty of evidence that what He said was true.

In fact most of Israel agreed that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

As Christians the key to our "faith" is to believe that Jesus Christ is who he says He is!

The unbelief of these people was deliberate!

They just refused to believe!

Their unbelief was outright rejection.

**They plotted His death.

It takes a foolish people to think they can stop the Almighty God.

BUT, We know that most of those in our world think this same way today.

**Not only did they plot to kill the Son they plotted to take God's vineyard by force.

Notice man is always seeking worldly possessions instead of the God who creates all possessions.

Remember the sin of covetousness is the sin of wanting what some one else possesses.

Notice they intentionally rejected and denied and they will lie and cheat and even steal or kill to get what they want.

There was no limit to their evilness!

**And they murdered the Son.

Though the Lord Jesus Christ came to die on the cross it was still the worst crime in human history to put Him there.

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

There is little doubt about the "Grace" of God BUT we should understand that we can push God to far.

*****Luk 20:16  He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.

Just as everything God does is justified, then His "judgement" is also justified.

It amazes me that people who say they know God and have felt the love of God, refuse to believe our loving God will when necessary show His wrath.

We can certainly abuse the mercy of God!

It only takes a moment of God's wrath to cause major devastation!

In fact the greatest conflicts on this earth have been between the truth of God and the personal desires of men and it will remain that way until Christ returns a second time, when the wrath of God will be exposed to this world.

What is the truth?

If the power that we have is not used to serve God, then He will take it away from us and it will be given to those who will use it the way God designed it to be used.

The stupidity of wickedness is that those who rob God are robbing themselves!

These men who had planned to steal the things of God, then lost everything including their own lives.

We must also notice that the greatest hindrance to God's Kingdom will come from those who are in the highest administrations in the affairs of men.

We know this is happening in America today, where the Church is hindered more by our own government than from any other source!

Our own Constitution was written to try to keep this from happening but these people are above the law.

BUT, We should also understand the wrath of God is still a sign of God's holiness.

Psa 79:6  Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.

And the element of love and compassion of God is always closely connected with God's anger!

And God's anger can be extremely destructive!

Jer 10:24  O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.

We should also notice that when God takes His vineyard from these evil men, it will still be cultivated and it will still be expected to bear fruit.

God will simply raise up a different people to take care of it!

**We see that when these Jews heard this statement from Jesus that they knew exactly what Jesus meant.

They could not believe any such thing could happen to them because they had justified themselves above all other Jews.

They felt that God would not allow such a thing to happen but God was standing before them in the flesh this very day.

They decided if they destroyed Jesus these things would go away by doing just what the parable of Jesus had just said.

They said "God Forbid" not accepting the truth.

What is the truth of God?

Psa 2:8  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Psa 2:9  Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Psa 2:10  Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Psa 2:11  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling

And how did Jesus respond?

*****Luk 20:17  And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?
Luk 20:18  Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

To those that do not believe in a coming "Judgement" what do they do with such a Scripture as this?

Jesus stared them right in their face when He said these words. To behold is to fix your eyes upon something or someone.

Kind of like that look we have all gotten from our mothers just before she reached for that hickory switch.

The truth is our world does not want to hear the truth, because the leaders of this world think they can defy the Living God and make their own truth.

How foolish have we become!

The prophet Daniel also wrote of this coming destruction.

Dan 2:45  Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

We are foolish to ignore the coming wrath of God when all the governments of this world will be destroyed and King Jesus will then sit on His throne on this earth for 1000 years.

Jesus Christ is the Head and the Chief Cornerstone of His creation.

Jesus Christ is the Foundation Stone of the Church.

And He is certainly the The Foundation Stone on which we are all to build our lives.

Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 2:21  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

If we cannot become a habitation for God we cannot be saved.

This same Foundation for building eternal life also has destructive power!

The destructive power of a stone over flesh and blood is well known.

So most all the religious leaders of the Jews turned on Christ Jesus that very day and joined forces.

*****Luk 20:19  And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.

**We should keep in mind that just because two or more groups of people who are really true enemies, then join forces in a common cause does not make them right, it just makes them more wrong!

We see today in our own political arena this same thing is happening.

It is just a ploy used in politics to keep power in the wrong hands.

**We also see that religionists will go to any lengths to maintain control of the church.

We also see this going on today!

Solomon wrote that there is nothing new under the Sun and these are some of the things he was writing about.

**Another thing we see is that the Lord Jesus Christ had a perfect knowledge of these people and the intentions of His enemies.

We see that the Lord has no fear of any of His enemies and will always give them plain answers that they can understand.

The Jewish religious system had become it's own political institution.

Just as political parties of today gang up to destroy politicians, most of the priesthood, that had begun with Moses, was now joining forces to destroy Jesus Christ, the Living Breathing Son of God.

These were the people who were to be God's testimony of righteousness but had instead become selfish, power hungry pawns of Rome.

These were men who realized that people were flocking to Jesus by droves and if He so chose to allow them to make Him their King, Rome would come in and put down any revolt and they would lose their positions they had bartered with Rome to keep.

They would not only lose their position and authority but they would lose their livelihood.

They were becoming rich while their nation was being robbed by Rome.

They began to conspire some way to cause Jesus to trap Himself.

*****Luk 20:20  And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.
Luk 20:21  And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:

They chose to stop Jesus by posing trick questions to try to get Jesus to take some position against the people.

They thought they could then arrest Him and destroy Him and their problems would be solved.

Notice they first sent spies to watch Jesus' every move but sadly they were not interested in the way of salvation.

They were always seeking ways to accuse Him.

If they could cause Jesus to make an error in His doctrine He would look bad before the people.

If they could get Jesus to say anything against Rome then He could be arrested for treason.

The truth is, religion will always become political in the wrong hands!

As Christians we must always be aware of these things and guard against such things as power and position and selfish loyalty.

Joh 5:44  How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?

Jesus said our faith is useless when we trust more in the things of this world and we do that when we trust some man more than we trust God.

Jesus also had these words:

Mat 20:25  But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
Mat 20:26  But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
Mat 20:27  And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

Again Christians must realize that we have only one Master, King Jesus.

We must remember that these men with different concepts had joined forces. They had been enemies but had linked together to destroy the Lord.

**Some of these religious leaders believed that religion should be supreme. They believed strongly in the spiritual world and that all obedience and loyalty belonged to God and to God alone.

Therefore they were totally against paying the Roman taxes, considering that paying taxes infringe on God's right to all possessions.

They insisted on these things for the people but they themselves had no problem accepting the power and prestige of Rome.

**The other side of this group was locked in on "Humanism". They believed that the state was supreme.

They did not hold to the supernatural or a Supreme Being who was involved in the affairs of mankind.

If there were religion then it too was to be subject to government control.

We are foolish if we do not see these same two battles going on in our own political structure today!

To these people God was to be ignored, unless they could use Him to be some benefit or blame in times of tragedy.

Even insurance companies have a clause which reads "an act of God" when it comes to a tragedy.

What does God say?

Isa 5:14  Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.
Isa 5:15  And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:
Isa 5:16  But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.

The truth is when we feel like there is someway to fool God then we have become the fools ourselves!

So they asked crafty questions to try to entangle the Lord.

We should realize cowards are like cats who like to take their prey by suddenly pouncing upon it. They will rarely come face to face with their prey trusting in their own stealth to surprise their enemy.

*****Luk 20:22  Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?
Luk 20:23  But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?
Luk 20:24  Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's.
Luk 20:25  And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.

Once we are saved God puts His stamp of approval upon our heart by the Holy Spirit and becomes our owner.

All that is created by God belongs to God!

The images stamped on all coins belong to the governments that forged them.

At least in America the phrase "in God we trust" is also imprinted still on our coins but for how much longer no one knows.

When Jesus pointed to that image He did not deny that the image was Caesar's.

Coins, roads, buildings, sewage, transportation and many other things belong to the state including the military and law enforcement.

AND We already know that we are citizens of this world as long as we are in this world.

We are subject to the powers of this world and we owe some allegiance to the state.

Tit 3:1  Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

The Bible says it is God who puts leaders in place and for His own reasons!

Rom 13:1  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Rom 13:3  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

Jesus said render to the government those things that belong to the government.

This is another reason we must keep our governments as small as possible but yet with enough resources to protect us.

We are to honor the laws of the land but only in regard to the laws of God!

Ecc 8:2  I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.

God must also have His due as well as the king his!

When we realize that governments may create coins and some other things but it is God that created man and man is always subject to God.

We owe our allegiance to God and not to any man!

In fact we owe God our lives. Our lives were created so that we can exist with God, for His pleasure.

God also created this world and we should do our best to take care of it.

Man is also a spirit and therefore able to be "Born Again" and live being able to deny our selves and pick up our cross daily and follow the Lord.

1Pe 1:22  Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1Pe 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Man is also a body and we owe our bodies to the Lord.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

It is in this fashion that we can make a difference in this world we live in.

So what happened?

*****Luk 20:26  And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.

They were silenced!

They were unable to discredit the Lord.

They were amazed at His answers.

As long as we are upon this earth we hold a dual citizenship as described by the Lord Jesus Himself.

We are to render to the government what is owed them and we are to render to God what is owed Him.

Most people murmur and fuss about what is owed to the government but then relent but they refuse to give God what belongs to God and most of them never relent to God.

These that were amazed at the answers of Jesus this day, would still reject Him though they knew He spoke the truth.

In order for the kingdoms of this world to survive, they must become the kingdoms of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Man can only survive by having only one Master!

Man is trinity in himself and each part has it's own purpose in the methods of God!

To disagree with these things is to reject the Lord Jesus Christ and bring eternal death!

Our secular life and our Christian life are are to be equal partners while we are on this earth so that we can be the most useful servant that God has made and fulfill the purpose for which we are called.

Questions?

Let's Pray!

The Prophecy Of Jesus Christ Is Certain

The Certainty Of Christ's Fulfillment Of Prophecy

Book of Luke 18-19

Focus Luke 19:28-44


Prophecy simply means the foretelling of future events.

It can be said that prophecy is the writing of history before it happens.

The truth is only God can write true prophecy:

Isa 45:21  Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
Isa 45:22  Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

We are to accept the prophecies in the Scriptures as they came from God, because they did:

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
2Pe 1:20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

There are some others who make predictions of future events and it is true that some of those things may even come about but all, every last one of the prophecies of God will be fulfilled just as they are written.

A true prophet will never be wrong!

The greatest event of prophecy in the Old Testament was fulfilled with the coming of the Messiah and the use of prophecy to tell of His coming by preparing the world for this event.

Today we find Jesus returning to Jerusalem for the last time.

You can search the Scriptures but on this day as Jesus began His last week of His life we find Jesus riding a donkey rather than walking.

This is the day known as Palm Sunday.

We can be sure that in this act of the Lord, He was claiming to be King but not the type of King that the Jews expected.

On this day the Lord Jesus Christ was claiming to be the King of Peace, the King whose Kingdom is not of this Earth.

*****Luk 19:28  And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.

Jesus had come to this earth to die on a cross and it was now time to do so.

In all the Bible we will see that God is not so much concerned with time as He is with the timing of events.

One day to the Lord is as a 1000 days to us.

It was now the fullness of times and the Lord Jesus took the lead of this multitude to make sure they moved at His pace.

Jesus was on a mission to suffer and to die, not for Himself but because of us, all mankind.

This was also was a fulfillment of prophecy:

Isa 50:7  For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

It was the will of His Father that Jesus do all these things and He was not about to fail.

Psa 40:6  Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
Psa 40:7  Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
Psa 40:8  I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

Psa 40:13  Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.

There was also another thing that must take place.

Zec 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

*****Luk 19:29  And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,
Luk 19:30  Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither.
Luk 19:31  And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.

We must clearly understand that prophecy will be fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ in every minute detail!

Those that have already taken place are examples of those that have not yet taken place!

Even this ride into Jerusalem had a specific meaning!

The instructions Jesus gave to His disciples had to be followed precisely.

Notice there are no small task when proclaiming Christ as King!

The disciples knew what Jesus was doing even though they could not understand what His death had to do with anything.

Bethphage or (House of figs) was a suburb of Jerusalem even at that time.

In this city was home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha, friends who shared their home with Jesus when He was in town.

Jesus had no home of His own at this time because except for His mother Mary, none of the family of Jesus believed on Him at this time.

In those days the donkey and the mule were noble animals.

A donkey was the animal that would carry the burdens of men but this animal was also used by kings and their emissaries when they were entering a city in peace.

King David had a great warhorse but his prize animal was the King's mule which even Solomon rode as he was crowned King.

A conquering King would ride into any city on a war horse.

The Lord Jesus Christ when He returns for a second time will ride in on a powerful white stallion.

Jesus was about to show the people of Jerusalem that He was certainly the promised King, the Messiah.

Jesus was also about to show those same people He was not coming as they expected Him to come.

Even the government of Rome should have understood these things which I believe Pilate did.

**That young colt was a sure sign of peace!
**That young colt also symbolized service, as service to mankind and to carry man's burdens. Jesus came to carry the burdens of sin for all mankind.
**That young colt also symbolized sacredness. This colt had never been ridden before. Animals used for religious purposes must not have ever been used for any other purpose or they were not acceptable in the ministry.

Deu 21:3  And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;

Everything Jesus did that day and that last week, had a specific purpose!

AND, The two disciples that went after the colt found things were just as Jesus had said.

*****Luk 19:32  And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them.
Luk 19:33  And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt?
Luk 19:34  And they said, The Lord hath need of him.

Here we have a prime example of the providence of God.

The Lord had a need for this colt that far surpassed what the owner of that colt had.

We may not understand why God seems to take some on home to Heaven in their prime but that answer is we must not question God but realize that God had a specific need for  them far beyond our own needs of them to be here with us.

It is only the Lord that we worship as God, that has these powers!

We should clearly understand that if God is so careful to fulfill even the smallest detail in prophecy then just how wonderful will be that home that He has gone to prepare for us, down to the most minute detail for our home-going.

And If God is so careful to count the hairs on our head would He ever miss a bruise or a cut or a laceration, or a heart problem or a cancer?

If God is so minded of the birds in the air would God ever be careless with the lives of those He has redeemed by the blood of His own Son?

There is a purpose for all those names that are written down in the Lamb's Book of Life and the Lord has a need for each and everyone of them!

*****Luk 19:35  And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.
Luk 19:36  And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.
Luk 19:37  And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
Luk 19:38  Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

Christ's triumphal entrance into Jerusalem is one of the most noted scenes in the "Gospel".

In typology, it is but fore-gleam of that soon coming day when Jesus will be enthroned to sit as King of Kings and Lord of Lord's, that will also take place in Jerusalem.

**We first see enthusiasm to serve Christ. We are only at our best when we are enthusiastic.

What the Church lacks today is that enthusiasm to serve the Lord!

Christians should be excited about serving the Lord!

These people praised God. In our day we would say, they rolled out the red carpet as they cast their cloaks down to to cushion the Lord's pathway.

They had just witnessed many miracles including the blind man Bartemaus and the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

Excitement was in the air, for they knew that Jesus had the power to do anything He chose to do.

What were Jesus' credentials? He had come in the name of the Lord.

What are the blessings that will come with our King Jesus? "Peace" in Heaven and "Glory" in the Highest.

Jesus had come to bring the Kingdom of God to this earth but not in the way that these people had expected.

**They thought that Jesus had come to free all nations from Roman domination.

This thing is still in our future!

Jesus had first come to free all nations from the bondage of sin.

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; "that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil";

1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil".

**They thought that Jesus had come to set His throne in Jerusalem from which a reign of righteousness would be executed.

But Jesus had first come to rule and reign in our hearts and restore our broken relationship with God.

Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

**They thought that Jesus had come to establish Israel as the leading nation of this earth as He removed the domination of Rome.

Mar 11:9  And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
Mar 11:10  Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

Hosanna means to "save now".

Psa 118:24  This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psa 118:25  Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.

They had failed to see that Jesus was riding a donkey colt which meant He was coming in peace.

Luk 1:78  Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
Luk 1:79  To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

They failed to see that Jesus was riding an animal of burdens, coming as the Savior and Redeemer who would carry the burdens of all mankind.

Heb 2:17  Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
Heb 2:18  For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

They failed to see that Jesus was riding a young colt that had never been ridden which symbolized sacredness, as Jesus came to save souls and not bodies.

Eph 1:2  Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

This was the hour to "save" there will be another hour for "wrath".

Joh 12:27  Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

They failed to see the Jesus was riding an animal that symbolized meekness as Jesus is King of meekness.

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

They had not taken a good look at Jesus because they could only think of their own personal problems, in which they could only see Jesus as the means to allow them to live as they wanted to, which has never been what God has commanded.

God did not save any of us so we could do what we wanted to do!

But there are always those who see the enthusiasm of Christians to serve the Lord as a threat to their own world view.

*****Luk 19:39  And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
Luk 19:40  And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

The majority of those that followed Jesus that day could only see the end of the rule of Rome and a new world ruled by the Messiah.

They wanted Jesus to rule as King of Israel and put a stop to the tyranny of Rome and we should not be confused, Rome ruled as tyrants.

The truth is, that the religious rulers of Israel such as the Pharisees were rewarded by Rome if they could maintain the control of the people.

They had already given their word that they would hunt Jesus down and arrest Him but that would be impossible with such a great multitude surrounding Him at this time.

And,We should be very clear God will never rebuke any one that is offering Him true praise.

The Bible says "clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph"

The Bible says that "everything that has breath should praise the Lord".

In other words if you cannot praise the Lord then die because you are breathing God's air.

God will never go against His own Word and the praise of God should never be a solemn event.

After all, if the people will not praise the Lord, then God would get the rocks and the stones to call out His name.

To all those that say Jesus was not courageous and was not a pure Preacher of the Word of God, they certainly do not read the Word of God.

Jesus stepped on more toes than any preacher I know!

Jesus only humbled to the religious leaders when it came time for the cross and He had no fear even at that time.

Joh 10:17  Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
Joh 10:18  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Jesus had to be willing to lay down His life, to fulfill the will of His Father in Heaven or our sin debt could never have been paid.

No man on this earth could have taken the life of Jesus if He so wished not to give it!

Jesus explained to these Pharisees that it was not they that were in control of this situation and that it was He who ruled His own creation.

The Word of God does tell us that nature did cry out loudly when Jesus said "it is finished".

Mat 27:50  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
Mat 27:51  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
Mat 27:52  And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
Mat 27:53  And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

Jesus came to seek and to save, and that mission is still ongoing today through the true Church but that also will soon end and the day of salvation will be over with the Church Age ending.

It was all these things that caused the Lord Jesus to weep as the city of Jerusalem came into His sight.

*****Luk 19:41  And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
Luk 19:42  Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

Who is the greatest Prophet in this world, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Who is also the Lord of Compassion, it is the Lord Jesus Christ!

It should be very clear, Jesus has a great love for all people but He also has a great love for the city of Jerusalem and it is a foolish world that does not acknowledge that fact!

Jesus prophesied the doom of that people in that day because they had rejected Him.

Jesus' answer to all that refuse to believe was on full display May 14, 1948 when Israel once again became a nation and in the 6 day war when Jerusalem came back into the hands of the Jews.

Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem that day.

This weeping was in full view of all those that were with Him that day.

To weep means He burst into tears, He wept out loud, He sobbed, He wailed, and He mourned.

The Lord Jesus Christ was truly heart broken for what would soon happen to Jerusalem.

Jesus could obviously see the city as it existed that day but Jesus could also see the coming destruction and this is what caused Him to weep so much knowing He could stop it but He could not break His own Word.

On that day the city of Jerusalem was the most festive city in all the world, as Jerusalem was prepared for the Passover Feast. But while these people were celebrating the reason they were celebrating, The Lord Jesus that saved them then and could save them now, was on the adjacent hillside weeping and mourning for them all and the city.

On this day, no one in the city of Jerusalem realized, the only thing that would bring everlasting peace to this great city was weeping because they would reject Him.

They had lost their opportunity!

Our president of today had a prime opportunity to bring peace to America and to this world but He has squandered his opportunity for foolish reasons that only he knows the truth of.

It is only the "Gospel Blessings" that are conducive to true peace!

The blessings of "Grace".
The deliverance from the bondage of sin.
The deliverance from condemnation.
The deliverance from the fears of guilt.
All the blessings of "Glory"!

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

And then came the terrible prophecy of Jerusalem out of the mouth of God.

Jerusalem by it's name is to be the city of "Peace".

Up unto this day we live, the city of Jerusalem has never known true peace.

Peace means free from troubles.

Peace means experiencing things that are good.

Peace means enjoying the very best in life.

Peace is more an internal feeling than an external reality.

There is the "Peace of God" which is a deep peace from within.

It is peace of mind that is more than feelings. More than attitude and more than thought.

Then there is the "peace of the world" which is refusing to face reality!

True peace is always hidden from the eyes of those that reject the Lord Jesus Christ!

There is no peace of assurance to those that reject the Lord Jesus Christ and the world continues to come up with it's own methods and methods that will always fail.

*****Luk 19:43  For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
Luk 19:44  And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

Jesus Christ Himself prophesied that Jerusalem would not be at peace until He returned again.

The Jerusalem of the time of Jesus would soon be destroyed!

Jerusalem had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar but a greater destruction than that lay ahead.

There would be a trench dug around the entire city. The trench and the dirt that was piled on the side of it would provide safety for the Roman army of Titus.

Jerusalem would feel the full might and power of the Roman army, which was relentless in war.

Jerusalem would be utterly destroyed, completely demolished not one stone was to be left upon another.

The people within the walls of Jerusalem would be personally judged by Rome.

"And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee".

The city of Jerusalem would be judged but it was the people who were at fault.

America will one day be judged and part of that may be happening now but it is the people who are at fault.

History teaches us that Titus brought his army to Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and this prophecy of Jerusalem was fulfilled.

History teaches us that over 1 million people died within the walls of Jerusalem with another 97,000 taken captive.

Josephus the Jewish historian describes the many horrors that took place.

Josephus wrote that nothing from the beginning of creation even resembled what was done to these Jews.

This is a picture of all the nations that reject the Lord Jesus Christ but nations never learn from history.

Earthly leaders in their quest for power never look back at the past and learn from the things that lead to war.

Joh 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

We can be sure, God does not make idle threats. God simply warns us that the decisions we make have consequences!

Rejecting the Messiah brings tragic results.

It is true that God has more love than He does wrath but we cannot ignore that just a moment of the wrath of God brings devastation like we have never seen!

Joh 8:23  And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
Joh 8:24  I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

God had always visited Jerusalem but they had rejected a very personal visit from the Messiah, God in human flesh.

There was no excuse for what these Jews did and they had understood the Scriptures.

The day of Israel's salvation had come and they preferred to take their chances with the world and they lost.

Israel will get one more opportunity but God does not make this promise to any other nation that rejects Him.

Luk 13:34  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
Luk 13:35  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

If we believe all the Scriptures of salvation and the love of God, then we certainly cannot deny that God has a side of wrath that we simply do not want to see!

This truth is just as true as all the Word of God and cannot be denied!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

We Can Be Certain Of Christ's Teachings

The Certainty Of Christ's Practical Teachings

Book of Luke Chapter 17


God's authority over mankind is moral and this is known by anyone who possesses intelligence.

God's authority over mankind focuses on mankind having the intellect to understand the truth.

God gave us all a mind capable of understanding the sensibility to appreciate the effect of truth on happiness and the conscience to judge right over wrong and good over evil.

Of all God's creation, He gave mankind the ability to choose. He gave mankind a chance to take voluntary action in their eternal life.

The rest of God's creation follows set rules. For instance God does not change the orbit of a planet just because it wants to go in a different direction.

If mankind has the opportunity to choose then mankind realizes there are penalties for making wrong choices.

God gave mankind the ability to resist temptation and persuasion!

Sin is then nothing but an act of free will committed against one's conviction of what is right!

Sin therefore is inexcusable!

In this passage God will teach us four practical laws that could revolutionize all societies.

1) Leading another person into sin will bring the judgment of God.
2) Forgiving others of their sin against you is essential.
3) Faith is the most powerful force in this world if that faith is in the God of the Bible.
4) To obey God is a duty and not an act of servitude.

A sure sign of the great sin in our day shows us the decay of the Church. The Church has grown cold so today we see a time of abounding offenses.

Offenses are the worldliness and selfishness of those who profess to be godly but are not. No doubt we can see a world full of such people today.

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

The word practical means that the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ can be put to use in our lives daily and we will be better because of them.

*****Luk 17:1  Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that Offenses will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!

There are many today that say when we sin it is entirely our own fault and we will be held accountable for our own sin. Much of this is true and ultimately we are held responsible for our own sin. There is another lesson that Jesus taught as He was enroute to the cross.

The truth is we are held responsible if we cause another person to sin and especially if that person never recovers and and never seeks the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness.

In this text an offence is when we ourselves have become a stumbling-block in the path of some other lost soul!

The truth is there will always be some who stumble over some things that we have led them to.

We must always remeber that every soul is precious to the Lord!

The world is already full of stumbling-blocks, we do not to become one ourselves!

The truth is people are always placing stumbling-blocks in each other's way and especially before our children.

We must never forget one important thing, we will all face God one day!

Rom 14:11  For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Rom 14:12  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
Rom 14:13  Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

Now if we have faith in the "doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ we have been forgiven of all sin but we will still be held accountable for what we do after we are saved. This does not mean we can lose our salvation but it does mean that God will certainly hold us accountable and this sermon by the Lord Jesus Christ teaches us this truth.

What does God say?

Rom 16:17  Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and Offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

God is serious about these things.

*****Luk 17:2  It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

When we become a stumbling-block by leading another person into sin it can bring heavy judgment!

We should remember Jesus is speaking to His disciples and not to some crowd that had gathered.

We should clearly understand this message of Jesus.

People are not good by nature and occasionally sin, People Are Sinners who occasionally do good!

AND, Jesus said it is impossible that we will not sin.

No matter how wonderful we make ourselves out to be, we are just sinners saved by the "Grace" of God through "Faith"!

Sin enters the world, our places of business, our places of enjoyment, the places we shop, our places of worship and into our homes and we must accept that this is true and it is impossible for this not to be true!

No place on this earth can ever escape sin because there are no perfect people on this earth though there are those who think they are perfect.

Committing sin is already a terrible thing that is in our nature but when we choose to involve others in our sin or lead someone else into a place of sin it is even more terrible!

1) This is done when we grumble and complain and criticize the things of the Church.
2) This is done when we take sides, one brother against another brother and not settle our differences according to the Word of God.
3) This is done when we become worldly and materialistic.
4) This is done  when we become conceited and prideful.
5) This is done when we become loose and immoral.
6) This is done when we curse and talk filthy.
7) This is done when we deviate from the truth of the "Doctrine of Jesus Christ".

Jesus said it would be better if we just died than to become a stumbling block to even one soul!

1Jn 2:10  He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
1Jn 2:11  But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

A millstone is not just some small stone that you could wear as a necklace but a stone used in grinding out meal.

No one could survive such a millstone when cast into the sea.

That person would be held to the bottom of that sea until they died.

In other words when we lead others astray of the teachings of Jesus Christ in any way, we have committed the most awful of sins!

And Jesus moves on to another crime we commit on a regular basis, that of being unforgiving.

*****Luk 17:3  Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.

We must realize that forgiving others is essential to our own salvation.

There must never be a sense of unforgivingness among God's people.

There are many in our world that consider the doors of the church closed to them because they feel they can never be forgiven by God's people.

This terrible for them but it is sinful for us that know the Lord.

All those that trespass against us are those who go against the Word of God in which we are to stand!

The word "rebuke" is very important in this Scripture.

We are to confront those who go against the Word of God but we are also to lovingly do what we can to correct them in that sin against God and against the Church, the people of God.

That correction must be done in love and compassion and not in a censoring and judgmental spirit.

Pro 9:8  Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
Pro 9:9  Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

This never means that we are to condone any sin.

This never means we are to be weak in understanding the Word of God.

This only means that we must respond to being mistreated by being loving and compassionate.

BUT, to allow sin to continue is to indulge in that sin by giving that person a license to continue in their sin which goes against the Word of God.

Eph 5:11  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Eph 5:12  For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
Eph 5:13  But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
Eph 5:14  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
Eph 5:15  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

We must always use the Word of God as our guideline!

2Ti 4:2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

It is easy to say, "well I'm not a preacher" but God says we all are.

It's also easy to say, well they just do the same old sin over and over again and this is getting old but God says that makes no difference to Him because we were all the same before we understood the salvation plan of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Co 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1Co 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

What did Jesus teach?

Luk 17:4  And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

The command to forgive is a strong command from the Lord.

To be forgiving is in fact a beautiful picture of God's unlimited forgiveness for all His children.

Our greatest tool in witnessing for the Lord is how the lost world sees us. Our  lifestyle is the greatest part of our witness for God!

BUT, we are never to take advantage of God's forgiveness!

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

The disciples that were with Jesus that day knew that they lacked in the one thing that would make all these other things possible.

*****Luk 17:5  And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

We should immediately see that "faith" can be increased.

In fact we should all desire for God to increase our faith and even more as we approach these end times, if we are not already there in those end times.

The truth is, an increase in "faith" connects us to an increase in a holy lifestyle.
This being true then an increase in "faith" leads to an increase in peace and comfort.
And the result God is looking for is that an increase in "faith" leads to an increase in our usefulness.

We must first have "faith" before there can be an increase in "faith"!

We are justified by "faith"!
We are saved by "faith"!
Christ dwells in our hearts by "faith"!
We stand by "faith"!
We walk by "faith"!
We have access to God by "faith"!

SO, An increase in "faith" should be a great desire.

It is by faith that we quench the fiery darts of this evil world.

Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And it is by "faith" that we conquer this evil world!

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

And what did Jesus say to this request?

*****Luk 17:6  And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

We know that "faith" is essential.

It is also our faith that make us free from causing another person to stumble.

These disciples of Jesus Christ knew and we should also know, that greater "faith" would make us all more like Christ Jesus and this should be the goal of everyone who calls on the name of the Lord.

Jesus said: It is not necessarily more "faith" that is needed but it is "genuine faith" that is needed.

Jesus said that even even a very small amount of "genuine faith" could do great things!

Jesus said nothing is impossible to those who have "genuine faith"!

What was the sign of "genuine faith"?

Boldness!

It takes "boldness" to walk up to a tree and command it to move!

Mat 21:21  Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
Mat 21:22  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

SO THEN, It is "genuine faith" that can cause miracles to happen!

Psa 37:5  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

We know for sure that the chosen disciples of the Lord learned this lesson very well because the Book of Acts is full of the miracles of these disciples, who became the Apostles.

It was the Apostles of Jesus Christ that turned this world upside down and this world has never been the same since.

It is the lack of "genuine faith" that has caused the weakness of the Church of today!

Just like the tiny mustard seed, a tiny amount of "genuine faith" has an enormous potential.

But Jesus did not stop there, He continued to teach practical things to these disciples.

Jesus taught that the key to all His teaching was obedience.

*****Luk 17:7  But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
Luk 17:8  And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

We must understand that to obey God is not our service to Him, "but it is our duty"!

Ecc 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecc 12:14  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

There is a real danger that believers will become prideful because God gives such wonderful benefits when they live victoriously in their faith.

We must always remember we are only sinners that are saved because of God's "Grace"!

**Jesus said once we are saved we are all His servants. To be a servant means we have a Master!

A servant is a slave bought to serve his Master!

The truth is, it is the spirit in which we serve God that is important!

We concern ourselves with what God thinks of our work rather than how we feel about the work God gives us to do.

The truth is every Christian belongs to God therefore God has every right to place us in His fields to plough.

We are the property of God!

1Co 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

When we glorify ourselves thinking we are God's best then we do not understand what Jesus is saying.

**We must serve and obey God until all the work is done.

Ploughing and feeding the animals is tough work that requires discipline in our bodies and in our spirit and they require endurance.

Those animals require feed everyday.

Without the ploughing there can be no harvest.

Not only is the servant of God to labor hard during the day but he also labors at evening while the world eats and sleeps.

A Christian's day is not one with set hours but he must be ready for any emergency that arises, not because it is a request but because it is our duty to God.

We are to give all the time that God demands to the Lord!

We are to be waiting and watching until our death!

These things are to be done without becoming prideful but also without murmuring and complaining.

To be honest we are all unprofitable servants because we simply cannot measure our indebtedness to the Lord for what He has done for us!

Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Rom 5:11  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

**We are to always be humble in this work.

No where does God say to be a Christian will be easy.

*****Luk 17:9  Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.
Luk 17:10  So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

No matter what we do for Christ it is our duty to do it!

Not only are we unworthy to obtain the "Grace" of God, we are unworthy to be His servants, His slaves.

We will all come up short no matter how much we think we have done for the Lord.

In fact when we get to Heaven it may be that those tears that are wiped away are the tears we will shed when we realize that we could have done much much more than we did.

There is absolutely no room for pride, arrogance or boasting in serving the Lord!

God commands perfection but we are all imperfect so God expects humility.

For those who preach a prosperity Gospel, the truth is we have no right to any compensation at all!

God's plan of salvation will continue without our service, God just gives us great opportunities to be a part of His plan but without a doubt to serve the Lord will bring it's own blessings.

Luk 12:37  Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

If we are satisfied with the work we are doing for the Lord then we certainly are not doing enough!.

When the Lord Jesus Christ took the time just before He went to the cross to pay our sin debt to give us such practical teachings then we know we are to serve God just as Jesus, the Son of Man, served God when He gave His life just because that is what He was sent to do!

We could say that as the slaves of the Lord we receive all the benefits because God only gets back what Adam lost to begin with, and many will still reject this plan of God!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

The Warnings Of Christ

The Certainty Of Christ Warning

Book of Luke 16


We know that a warning is a caution against danger in most cases.

Most of the time when we see Chapter 16 in the Book of Luke we concentrate on the story of Lazarus and the rich man and the truth of Hell. This story is only part of the message that Jesus was teaching.

The "theme" of Jesus message in this entire chapter is about riches.

Remember riches are not sin in themselves, riches just lead most people into sin!

1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

The love of riches is the sin of covetousness and covetousness will ruin even an honest person.

The love of riches will most always lead to deception and dishonesty.

When we use the things of this world to gain the advantage over someone else, we are not following the Word of God!

We sometimes fall into the trap of living extravagantly and move away from the simple truths of life.

If that is so then riches become our "idol" between us and God.

What does God teach us to do?

1Ti 6:11  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Jesus Christ had a lot to say about money because most all of us feel like we just do not have enough of it!

The first warning from Jesus we see is that if we are not going to seek a close personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ,
 then we had better make ourselves friends with those who are rich in the things of this world.

Luk 16:9  And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

We can see that this is the way of most people in this world we live in.

So let's begin with verse 10:

*****Luk 16:10  He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
Luk 16:11  If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
Luk 16:12  And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

The truth is, all Christians are to be faithful in their handling of the possessions that God has loaned to us because in truth all things belong to God.

As Christians we are to use our material wealth for good!

We should be clear in the eyes of God anything above our needs is material wealth!

We have the tendency to only rate things as "great" and "small" in speaking of our actions, our plans and our duties.

Though we have a tendency to linger on the "great" things it is more times than not that the "small" things that are of the greater importance!

It is a fact that the small things of life actually take most of our time and time is something that we will find that we just do not have enough of in this life.

Since our life is made up more of little things than greater things, then it is the little things in which we will be tested the most.

If we can be faithful in the least of things then we will probably be faithful in the greater things!

The Bible is clear, the Christian is to be faithful in handling his or her possessions.

It is our faithfulness in these seemingly unimportant things on earth that determine what we will trusted with throughout eternity!

There is nothing on this earth that can compare to eternal salvation!

There is nothing on this earth that can compare to the absolute assurance of eternal life!

There is nothing on this earth that can compare to the love, peace, and confidence that comes from a daily walk with the Lord Jesus Christ!

There is nothing on this earth that can compare to the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit!

There is nothing else on this earth as great as the Word of God!

You can have all the world, just give me Jesus.

Knowing God on a personal level and being adopted into the family of God, is far beyond any hope and dream of this world!

After we know the Lord on a personal level we will then also be judged as a steward of the things that God has placed into our possession.

The truth of all these things is that the only part we can take with us at the time of our death is our stewardship of those things, all earthly possessions will remain on this earth and eventually will be burned up.

In verse 12 we see the phrase "another man's" and as far as we are concerned that other man is God because all things belong to Him!

We will never have all that we could have if we fail to walk with God and share the things that are above our needs with others!

Mar 10:29  And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
Mar 10:30  But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. 

We should remember there is no profit at all of this world if we loose our soul!

Mar 8:36  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Mar 8:37  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

There is nothing on this earth that we can exchange for our soul!

AND, Our soul is the one thing of greatest value to God!

We should not over look the importance of this next passage. In fact there are no unimportant Scriptures.

*****Luk 16:13  No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

As Christians we can have only one Master!

We must choose God!

If we refuse the Lord Jesus Christ we have chosen this world by default!

Joh 16:8  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh 16:9  Of sin, because they believe not on me;

We will focus ourselves on the things of this world or upon God.
We will turn ourselves over to the things of this world or to God.
We will think primarily upon the things of this world or we will think of God and His ways.
We will give our time and energy to the things of this world or to God.
We will allow our pursuits to control Christ or we will allow Christ to control our pursuits.
We will struggle against God or we will give ourselves to God!

God says we will hate one and love the other, there is no middle ground!

God says we will hold to one and despise the other, again there is no middle ground!

Mat 4:10  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

"Him only shalt thou serve"

There are some grave misunderstandings among those of the church that need to be clarified and Jesus will do most of that here.

*****Luk 16:14  And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
Luk 16:15  And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

The Pharisees believed that they were so high up on God's list, that they were guaranteed a place in Heaven.

There are many in this world that for many different reasons think the same way these Pharisees thought.

Jesus will teach about the 3 greatest misunderstandings among men in these next passages and we need to understand what He says.

**First there is grave misunderstanding of money and possessions.

Remember Jesus had just said that no one can serve 2 Masters.

These Pharisees were among that certain group who could not believe what they were hearing.

What Jesus was saying was, when we spend our time and our energy seeking the short lived wealth of this world and not better spending that time seeking the face of God and the everlasting wealth of Heaven, we do not understand the Word of God.

We absolutely cannot keep our thoughts on God when we are seeking the false riches of this world!

We cannot pick up our own cross daily and follow the Lord unless we can deny our own desires!

Self-denial and a pursuit of wealth are things that are opposite from each other!

It is a fact that most of this world highly esteem the very things that God hates!

It is a fact that most of this world judges by man-made rules and not by God's rules!

The world allows mankind to seek their own happiness while God says to seek the happiness of others.

The Lord Jesus Christ was demanding total allegiance from these so-called religious men.

What does God say?

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

The only way to read this passage is for us to keep all our thoughts, our mind, our energy, and our effort in seeking the ways of God, while denying ourselves.

We are never to seek our own happiness at the expense of others!

It is a fact that if we have anything at all, it came from God but it is also a fact that money and possessions that come at the expense of others are not a sign of God's blessings.

In fact money and possessions are never really a sign of the blessings of God!

God teaches that everything we have above our own needs are given to us to help those that do not have and to aid in the spreading of the "Gospel".

This is not to say that we are not to enjoy the blessings of God but we are to have the right attitude about the blessings of God.

What Jesus was teaching bothered these men.

What Jesus was teaching bothered those who are super religious.

It is natural for us to want possessions because this world places a high esteem on possessions.

It is natural for us to want to fit in and be acceptable in this world.

What is unnatural is, that we want to do these things and also be known that we are seeking to get closer to God.

Most all of us rebel when we are told that we are to give part of our possessions to others.

**The truth is, it is possible to be religious and still covet the things of this world yet God says, "thou shalt not covet".

These Pharisees were the most religious men in their day and maybe the most religious men who had ever lived but they still coveted the wealth of this world!

1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

**The truth is a man of wealth will tend to use their possessions to justify themselves before other men.

They will use their wealth to seek the favor and honor of other men and women. Even when they have secured their wealth unjustly they will seek approval by being generous and giving to some need that they feel is worthy of their attention.

Some are even conscious of their need to walk closer to the Lord and they will give to that appearance by living a super religious lie while pursuing the honor of the religious world.

Mar 7:6  He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Mar 7:7  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Pro 30:12  There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

The sad fact is that we live in that generation today!

**The truth is that God knows what is in each man's heart.

We are acceptable to God by what is in our heart and not what is in our bank account.

God's blessings are not in material things!

God's blessings are in spiritual things!

Mat 19:23  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 19:24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Even the 12 disciples were caught off guard by these things that Jesus was saying.

Mat 19:25  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

The Scriptures are very clear on these things.

God places us in this world where He decides and with the benefits that He decides!
The legitimate things in this life come from being true and honest!
Living and working well are a great testimony for any man or woman.
God will provide our needs and that will come through work but we are also to work well to help others.

Each Christian should be not only a good worker and provide an honest living but we should strive to  be the best at what we do to demonstrate to others that God's people are simply the most true, the most honest, and the most lovely people on this earth!

The world looks at all those who claim to be Christian and then go against the written Word of God as models for all Christians but the world is wrong there are true Christians who do resemble the Lord Jesus Christ.

For most of us our life is our greatest testimony to this world!

**God wants His children to center their lives around the things of the heart and not on material possessions.

Material possessions will come and then pass away no matter what we do. It is the spiritual things that last forever!

Mat 6:19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

**Second, there is a misunderstanding of the New Kingdom and the New Order.

*****Luk 16:16  The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

The period of Israel in the Old Testament lasted up until the preaching of John the Baptist according to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is after this that the New Testament began.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ that ushered in a new period and a new world order. All others are a figment of man's imagination!

The Kingdom of God is now a "Spiritual Kingdom" that can only exist in the heart of man and acts on the behavior of man.

This is the Kingdom of God that is now preached which places no value on what man has, but only what a man is! (what a man is within his heart)

This message centers on each individual and their potential to serve God!

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

The Spiritual Kingdom of God comes only by the Holy Ghost living within us upon the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord of His Kingdom!

Rom 14:17  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Rom 14:18  For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

The Kingdom of God is not for any single race of people but for all people, everywhere!

Upon recognizing this kingdom that Jesus Christ preached, an honest person no longer wants a cheap, formal, religion with an easy message.

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

**And third, there is a misunderstanding of the law.

*****Luk 16:17  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
Luk 16:18  Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.

Many people believe that since Jesus brings forth a New Testament and a New Order that the Old Testament is now irrelevant.

In fact if you have read the Books of Moses with care you may wonder why God would enact such a system of laws.

Many see these things as being unworthy of such a God as Jehovah.

When we do these things we forget that everything that God does has a purpose.

We may think we understand God's plan of salvation but we find that we have little understanding of God's methods.

If we understand Creation and the first 11 chapters of the Book of Genesis, we will have a better understanding of all the Word of God.

If we understand the Books of Moses and their relationship to the Jews as a separated people, then we will have an understanding of the "Gospel", the "Good News" of Jesus Christ.

When we regard any part of the Word of God as antiquated or a useless thing, we in effect charge God with a weakness in His intellect, or a lack of understanding and that is as much sin as murder, or adultery, or any other known sin.

We need to understand phrases like "the fullness of times", "Heaven and Earth pass away" and "he that hath an ear" and the many other Biblical truths.

God makes it plain for us all:

2Ti 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

We should clearly understand that the laws that govern the universe are much more important than the universe itself!

If not for the teaching of the Old Testament we could not clearly understand the New Testament!

We must understand the Word of God in the context that it is written!

There is a wonderful beauty in every part of God's creation when we understand it as from a Supreme Being rather than the falsehood of evolution.

How would we live and how would our universe appear without such laws as the law of gravitation?

How could we travel without knowing direction North, East, South, and West.

If God were not a God of order our world would be a world of disorder and confusion!

Heaven and Earth will pass away one day but not one jot or one tittle of God's law will fail in it's purpose.

Not even the most minute law should be forgotten!

If God allowed even one minute detail of creation to fail our world would be in chaos!

God gives us the example of divorce and marriage because our own failures and our own desires and our own lust, make divorce and marriage relevant in any and every age.

Every separation requires a legal divorce before the two parties resume life with another party.

As men we simply cannot just force our wives to just leave as the Pharisees did in their day where a wife could be divorced for burning the bacon.

We should also remember if the laws of reaping and sowing did not exist we would all die of starvation!

We should clearly understand, God will never modify the order He has established to accommodate any particular person or a people.

A good tree will never produce evil fruit and a corrupt tree will never produce good fruit.

The Book of Proverbs will always be true in any age because the entire Word of God will be relevant in every age until God says it is finished.

When we waste the period of time that God has given to us and the purpose that He has for each of us, we waste things that can never be replaced.

The same law that brings salvation is the same law that brings condemnation for those that ignore that law.

It is our own conscience that tells us we are all sinners!

In our best interest we need to partake of the tree of life.

To understand the Law of God is to understand that the Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of "all" the Law!

Mat 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

It is Jesus Christ and those that call Him Lord that will endure forever!

1Pe 1:25  But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

To be free from the penalty of sin we need the truth and not some false thing from some man, such as Muhammad, or Confucius, or Brigham Young or Buddha or any other false prophet.

Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Questions?

Let's Pray!