Jesus Is
Luke 13:32-33, “32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day pI shall be perfected. 33 Nevertheless I must ppwalk to day, and to morrow, and qthe day following: for rit cannot be that sa prophet perish out of Jerusalem.” [1]
I. Pronounce
A. Clean
B. Cured
II. Perfect
A. Complete
B. Correct
III. Prophet
A. Communicator
B. Connector
Introduction: In Luke 13 Jesus was giving encouragement to some who felt discouraged. The religious leaders of the day didn’t like that. They felt as though Jesus was taking attention away from them. Rarely has government and religion have been together on things . They were together then concerning Jesus. They wanted Him gone. It seems so today.
The religious leaders and the puppet king Herod wanted to kill Jesus. They were in agreement. Certain of the Pharisees came to break up the sermon and thought that they could scare Jesus into submission so that the people would come back to them.
So what are we to do with this idea that God ordains the governments of the world? Romans 13:1 “Let every asoul bbe subject unto the higher powers. For cthere is no power but of God: the powers that be are ||dordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth bthe power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves dddamnation.” [2]
Based on this and other scripture we believe that we should pray for the world leaders. Does that include people like Hitler? Can anyone believe that Hitler, who had over 6,000,000 Jews killed, was ordained by God to be a world leader? Would we have prayed for him?
There is much said in our community just now about decisions that are being made which seem to favor a foreign business over local residents and our church building. It is a temptation to ask God to prevent these things from happening. If we pray and they happen anyway did we pray in vain? Can the leaders who the Bible said are ordained by God be wrong or headstrong?
Why would God ordain something that seems so much against what He teaches in the Bible? Why was Herod able to behead John the Baptist? So many questions that will not be answered until we meet face to face in heaven!
Do you just suppose that we are given a choice in all of this? God is sovereign! We know that He is. Nothing happens in this world or in heaven that God does not allow. Are we ever going to finally learn that there is One who is the only One to be trusted? Jesus is! Only Jesus is!
Are we to pray for the leaders? Yes we are! How should we pray for the world leaders? If we pray for everyone the same prayer; that we all will strive to find God’s will and then do all we can to accomplish His will, that will always be righteous prayer. When we pray for the politicians that way then maybe our intercession will reach higher than this ceiling. We must never pray that anyone gets what they deserve because we certainly don’t want that for ourselves. What we get from God is mercy to not get what we deserve. Then God turns around and give us grace. He gives us what we don’t deserve. We get his permission to pray to Him.
Scripture: The focal scripture today is Luke 13:32-33. Please stand if you’re able.
Prayer: Let us pray. Be seated.
Message: I was waiting outside for Rachael the other day at the eye center. Another man showed up waiting for his wife. He was very polite and spoke to everyone as they walked by. Somehow the conversation turned to the Bible as it always seems to. He was an avid reader of the Bible which is to say that he started every day reading and pondering on the verses.
He asked if I had read the part where Jesus called Herod a fox. The way he put it was that anyone who called a person the son of a canine had really called that person a derogatory thing. I must admit that I had never quite thought of it that way before. Solomon spoke of the foxes ruining the vineyard. Perhaps those who are attempting to ruin this world today are like little foxes. They wreak havoc in what otherwise could be perfect.
The man said that it seemed out of character for Jesus to call anyone a bad name like that but occasionally Jesus did show his human temper. He cleared the temple of the money changers and was noticeably upset when the disciples failed to rid a child of a demon.
First Jesus called Herod a fox and told the Pharisees to pronounce to Herod what He was doing. Jesus pronounced that He would be busy cleaning people of their devils and curing the sick. Almost as if to say that He had too much to do at that time to consider that fox Herod.
So what is the message in this for us today? The powers that are allowed by The Sovereign God seem to be at work to stifle everything that the church stands for. What has changed about that? For the most part throughout the years, the governments have been at odds with the church. There have been times when revival came to the world through catastrophe. We can recall the times when God got our attention and for a time we paid attention. Now it seems that the devil is having his way but his time will pass. When we spend more attention on the foxes we move our attention away from faith in the only One who truly loves. Why do we do that?
Jesus said that He was about doing this and that but on the third day He would be perfected. Recently I read somewhere that perfection is synonymous with holiness. Well Jesus has always been perfect and He has always been holy. So what does Jesus mean when He uses the third as the day He will be perfected?
The Hebrew number for completion is three. That is the symbolic fact. We know that on the third day Jesus departed from the tomb in His glorified body. So there is a literal reason for three and a symbolic reason for three. When the correct time came then Jesus’ work in His earthly body would be complete. It would be perfect timing. But for now Jesus had much more to do than to get anxious over a spoiled king having a temper tantrum.
He seemed to give a reason for His departure that would serve as an explanation for His leaving that place. He wasn’t leaving because He was afraid of that little fox Herod. Jesus wanted them to understand that. His plans would not be sidetracked because of the warning that the Pharisees gave Him. Jesus still had things to do that did not include worrying about Herod.
There was another reason that Jesus was moving on. He was not in Jerusalem. Here is another part of scripture that some cults have taken out of context. Jesus referred to prophets as if He Himself were a prophet. We know that Jesus was much more than a prophet yet by definition Jesus did bring the truth to us from God the Father. So in the sense of the word, Jesus was a prophet. What Jesus was saying is since He was a prophetic voice He must go to the place where other prophets had perished.
Jesus was a prophet! He is the great communicator. Nobody else could connect us back to the place from where we decided to leave. Listen to the anguish that Jesus felt for His beloved city. Luke 13: 34 “tO 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 udoth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! 35 Behold, xyour 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, yBlessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” [3]
Jesus could have! He would have! He wanted to so much that He came and died for His beloved people. Had it not been for the rejection that He faced, we Gentiles would not have been included. We can all come. There is no other way to enter heaven except through Jesus.
When we have the opportunity to come and we decide not to we have nobody to blame except ourselves. Does that stop Jesus from caring that we made the wrong decision? We heard His cry for them in Jerusalem. He prays for us and He will not stop; because He is love.
Prayer:
Invitation: The decision to follow Jesus and stop allowing the foxes to mess up your worship starts and stops with you. It is so easy to find someone else to blame for your preoccupation with the trappings of this world. Jesus didn’t let fear of man hinder Him and so it must not hinder us in our walk with Him even in this life.
We are constantly concerned about what the world has taken away from us; so concerned that we sometimes lose track of the promise. He will never leave us nor forsake us. The only One that we will never lose is Jesus. Is that enough?
Do you hear Him calling in anguish for you to walk away from the fear and follow Him? Jerusalem is the symbol for anyone who has forgotten who Jesus is. He makes all the difference because He is. Jesus always has been and always will be.
In these last few minutes that we have here together this day consider that it might be the last time that you see each other here in this place. You will never have to consider that about Jesus. He is, was, and always will be. If you knew that there was someone here today that you might never see again in this life, would it change how you react to them?
Let us never forget that Jesus is but there will come a time that we will not be here. The invitation today and every day is that we cherish each other. Let us love with a love that the world wishes they could find. They can; His name is Jesus. Nobody can take Him away. Consider as we sing…
p Heb. 2:10. & 5:9. & 7:28 marg. Comp. Heb. 11:40. & 12:23.
pp Comp. John 11:9.
q Acts 20:15. & 21:26.
r 2 Macc. 11:18 (Gk.). Comp. ch. 17:1 (Gk.).
s See Matt. 5:12.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Lk 13:32–33). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
a See Acts 27:37.
b Tit. 3:1. So 1 Pet. 2:13. See Luke 12:11.
c Wisd. 6:3. Ecclus. 17:17. John 19:11. See Dan. 2:21.
|| Or, ordered.
d Acts 13:48.
b Tit. 3:1. So 1 Pet. 2:13. See Luke 12:11.
dd 1 Cor. 11:29, 34.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ro 13). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
t Ver. 34, 35, Matt. 23:37–39.
u Expressed Matt. 23:37.
x So Ps. 69:25. Comp. Lev. 26:31, 32. Isai. 1:7. Mic. 3:12.
y Cited from Ps. 118:26. Cited also Matt. 21:9. & 23:39. Mark 11:9. So ch. 19:38. John 12:13.
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Lk 13:34–35). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
