August 17, 2008

• Luke 13:1-17

  Luke 13:1-5 KJV  There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  (2)  And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?  (3)  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.  (4)  Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?  (5)  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

  We can see someone going through a struggle and if we are not careful we might think, wow they must have done something.

  Sometimes bad times are not because of judgment.

  This was the case with Job.
  God considered Job to be a wonderful man.

  Job 1:8 KJV  And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

  It seems that God allowed Job to be tested almost to show Satan how faithful Job was.
  But don’t think that God was only “showing off”.  There was more to Job’s trials than just that.
  God was allowing Satan to test Job so that Job might be further refined, so that he would grow.

  At the end of his trials, Job said,
  Job 42:5-6 KJV  I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. {6} Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

  Even though God considered Job to be a pretty good guy, Job still went through some growth through his trial.

  There are some good lessons to learn from watching how those close to Job responded to his trials.

  His wife.
  Job 2:9-10 KJV  Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. {10} But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

  Sometimes the people closest to us mean well because they don’t want us suffering.  But a godly spouse ought to be encouraging the suffering one to draw closer to God, not curse Him.

  His friends.
  At first Job’s friends did a good thing –
  Job 2:11-13 KJV  Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. {12} And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. {13} So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

  We often feel like we need to have something to say, but in reality, most of the time we just need to be there for our friends.

  After a week, Job’s friends decided to speak up, and their words to Job can all be summed up with the notion that they thought that Job had brought his calamities upon himself because he must have some kind of hidden sin.  They felt that God must be very mad at Job and this was why he was having so much trouble.

  They were wrong.  Very wrong.

  In the end, look at what God said to Job’s friends –
  Job 42:7-8 KJV  And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. {8} Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.

  I believe one of the major lessons of this passage is that we need to be careful about judging others who are going through difficult times.

  That’s not to say that if we are aware of some major sin in a person’s life that we don’t lovingly and firmly talk about it.  But sometimes things are not what they seem.

  Luke 13:6 KJV  He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.
  
  Matthew 21:19-22 KJV  And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.  (20)  And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!  (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.  (22)  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

  Fig trees produce fruit first and leaves second. A tree with a lot of leaves should have fruit a lot of fruit.

  All leaves and no fruit = hypocrisy

  Luke 13:6-9 KJV  He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.  (7)  Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?  (8)  And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:  (9)  And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

  Sometimes the fruit isn’t what you might expect.

  Jeremiah.

  He had a ministry that lasted through the reigns of King Josiah, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, some forty years in length. He had some hard things to say to the nation. Did the nation pay attention to him? It doesn’t seem so. Did he have lots of converts? We don’t know of any. Was he called of God. Absolutely.

  Ezekiel had the same type of ministry.

  Ezek 2:1-8 KJV And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. {2} And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me. {3} And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. {4} For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD. {5} And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. {6} And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. {7} And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious. {8} But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.

  God called Ezekiel to preach to a rebellious people who would not pay attention to him. He was supposed to be faithful and deliver the messages that God gave him whether or not the people paid attention to him.

  Yet even for Jeremiah and Ezekiel, just because they did not have “converts” doesn’t mean that they didn’t “bear fruit”. They had another kind of fruit that proved their ministry. They prophesied and the things they prophesied about came true. Every time.

  Concerning men who feel called to be pastors, Charles Spurgeon wrote,
  “…there must be aptness to teach and some measure of the other qualities needful for the office of a public instructor. A man to prove his call must make a successful trial of these. I do not claim that the first time a man rises to speak he must preach as well as Robert Hall did in his later days. If he preaches no worse than that great man did at the first, he must not he condemned. You are aware that Robert Hall broke down altogether three times, and cried, “If this does not humble me, nothing will.” Some of the noblest speakers were not in their early days the most fluent. Even Cicero at first suffered from a weak voice and a difficulty of utterance. Still, a man must not consider that he is called to preach until he has proved that he can speak. God certainly has not created behemoth to fly; and should leviathan have a strong desire to ascend with the lark, it would evidently be an unwise aspiration, since he is not furnished with wings. If a man be called to preach, he will be endowed with a degree of speaking ability, which he will cultivate and increase. If the gift of utterance be not there in a measure at the first, it is not likely that it will ever be developed.”
  (Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, pg.25)

  If God has called you to do something, there ought to be some kind of fruit.

  We are told as Christian’s to bear fruit.

  Galatians 5:16-26 KJV  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.  (17)  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.  (18)  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.  (19)  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,  (20)  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,  (21)  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.  (22)  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,  (23)  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  (24)  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.  (25)  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  (26)  Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
  
  Luke 13:10-12 KJV  And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.  (11)  And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.  (12)  And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

  She was suffering 18 years. She was in pain but she still came on the Sabbath. 18 years but still coming.
  Some people can’t go 18 days waiting on God. She worshiped in spite of her pain. She wasn’t bitter toward God. She was still coming. She didn’t turn away from God.

  Luke 13:13-14 KJV  And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  (14)  And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.

  The woman is happy. The rulers were mad. Jesus healed on the Sabbath.

  Luke 13:15-17 KJV  The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?  (16)  And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?  (17)  And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

  Jesus is pointing out that the people seemed to be showing more concern for their oxen and donkeys than they did for other people.
  This leader of the synagogue cared more that things were done with his approval, according to how he thought they ought to be done, than that God was at work and people were being helped.
  He was more concerned that the synagogue stay a “comfortable” place, than that he be stretched and challenged, and God be at work.

  What is on your tree? Fruit? or Leaves?

  • 4:42 pm
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