Luke 13:22-30

In the last couple of weeks we have looked at 3 parables Jesus spoke of. Two of them teach that the Kingdom of God grows from the smallest and humblest of beginnings. In one parable the Kingdom grows visibly to the eye but in the other the Kingdom grows invisibly in the human heart. As the Kingdom grows, it reaches out and changes the world. Of notable significance at this time in the life of PCC is The Parable of the Fig Tree as God is providing fertiliser to help us grow in this season. On Tuesday, we arrived at the building to find the painting finished and the roof being cleaned ! Not me or anyone else, it is the Lord who builds the house. However, as in the parable where there was a time limit of one year before the tree would be cut down if it did not produce fruit, we must grab hold of the opportunity now or it could be gone in just a few weeks.

This weeks message is from Luke 13:22-30 about the Narrow Gate.

Have you ever thought about the security of your home and how to protect it from thieves and robbers? In France, the walls around the old cities are built very high, but not just the city, even the older homes. In Spain, the entrance to the city was made very low so the person would have to bend down to get in. If they were an enemy, it was easy to chop their head off. Men would sit on top of the city walls and keep a lookout for the enemy. We still have doors, locks and walls but now we have technology like security cameras, ID’s and passwords and software to protect our computers from invasion. The level of security depends on the size of the threat. In New Zealand we used to be be able to leave our homes unlocked but that has all changed now. If the gang friendly Greens get in, we might all need a security upgrade.

Early on Wednesday morning, I was reading in Nehemiah about what he did when they returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the gates and walls after many years of captivity in Babylon. 

The return to Jerusalem happened in 3 stages, Nehemiah’s was the 3rd wave.

1. 538 BC : After conquering Babylon the year before, King Cyrus proclaimed that the Jewish exiles could return to Judah and rebuild the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.

2. 458 BC : King Artaxerxes I commissioned Ezra to return to Jerusalem to evaluate the state of Judah, appoint magistrates, and teach the law.

3. 445 BC : Upon hearing that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and its gates burned, Nehemiah wept and petitioned the king to let him return to rebuild the city. The king agreed and appointed him Governor of Judah.

After the first and second waves, there was still a problem because the enemy could easily attack the city because its walls and gates were in ruin.

Once the gates and walls were secured, they would be able to worship the Lord in the temple without being attacked by the enemy. In the same way I thought the various gates at PCC would also need for them to be secured against the enemy.

Later in the morning, we came down to PCC to join the PACT team for their prayer meeting, you’ll never guess what happened next. Sarah got out a bottle of frankincense and told the team to pour some on their hands and go and anoint every door in the building and pray the enemy would not be able to enter. Just like Nehemiah, the Lord is securing our building!

Our need for security from enemy attack goes right back to the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were thrown out and the way to God became very strict because God cannot allow sin in his presence and we are all sinners.

The Old Testament temple had very tight regulations about who could enter;

1. The Gentiles were not allowed into the temple, they could only go as far as the outside court of the Gentiles
2. Israelite women could go inside the temple as far as the Court of the Women
3. Israelite men could go up the steps and into the Court of the Israelites.
4. Priests could go further into the Court of the Priest and up some more steps into the Holy Place
5. Then once per year, the High Priest with a rope and bell attached went beyond the curtain into the Holy of Holies to make a sacrifice. Only he was allowed to do it. The rope and bell had to be attached because the place was so filled with God’s presence that if he was unclean and died there, they could pull him out with the rope.

With all this in mind, let’s read today’s passage and perhaps understand what the Lord did to make his home secure.

Luke 13:22-23a

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” 

Someone with understanding asked, is it so hard to get into Heaven that only a few will be saved? Is the chasm so wide, the walls so high and the gates so thick and secure that it is impossible to get in. Who asked this question? It happened while Jesus was travelling so it could have been a disciple or someone from one of the cities and villages. Actually it doesn’t say. But it was clearly someone who was listening to Jesus speak and understanding the difficulty of following the Lord. Like many of us, thinking of our friends and family and observing  that relatively few are truly following the Lord but hoping and praying that they will also come to faith.

Luke 13:23b-26

And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 

The Greek word for door and gate is used interchangeably. In this parable, many people fail to go in to the Kingdom of God through the narrow door of salvation.

The good news is, there is a door. The bad news is that if you don’t do through it before it is shut, the Lord will say to you he doesn’t know you, a terrifying prospect.

In the story of the Great Flood in Genesis 6, the indication is the Lord gave mankind 120 years to repent before he sent the flood. The task of building the ark was a huge one and all that time Noah and his sons did the work, the door remained open, but the people did not take the opportunity. Then the day finally arrived when the animals came, that Noah and his family entered and the Lord himself shut the door of the ark. It says in 2 Peter 3:20, that only 8 souls were saved. We have been in the age of grace for nearly 2000 years and the Gospel is being preached to all mankind but when the Lord comes, he will finally shut the door and it will be too late for those who remain on the outside, just as in the days of Noah. It will be horrifying to hear his words,

Luke 13:27-30

But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.” 

The Lord is not talking about a physical door. If he was, everyone who came through the doors of a Church would be safe. They might call him Lord but something is missing. They don’t have a relationship with the Lord. They call him Lord but he doesn’t know them. These are people who think they are safe because they attended the gatherings and listened to his teaching. They even called Jesus Lord. They may have been at Church but there was a problem because somehow they didn’t understand that the need to repent and be born again applied to them, not just to the people « out there ». Since they were not born again, they were still the Devil’s children. The Lord did not know them as a son or daughter. They did not have a relationship with him. They weren’t saved. It is devastating to think of that.

Well then, that thought should make any thinking person say to himself, what must I do to be saved?

In John 10, Jesus began talking about gates and sheep and thieves and robbers and people didn’t at first understand what he meant so he expanded further.

John 10:6-10

Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Jesus described himself as the gate.

Jesus is the narrow gate. There is no way into Heaven but by him. That is the message that the World hates. Being a good person doesn’t get you in. Your good works DO NOT get you in to Heaven. The religions of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Bahai, Judaism or however many others there are, won’t get you in. Only knowing Jesus personally gets you in.

But notice there is a freedom once you come in through the narrow gate. You have the freedom to come and go, the grace that God gives to live a righteous life and an abundant life. You are blessed !

Hebrews 10:19-22

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

When Jesus died on the Cross, at that moment the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom. 

Who else but the High Priest would have dared to tear the curtain. But the curtain was very thick, so it wasn’t humanly possible. Only God could have done torn the curtain and that was proven by the fact it was torn from the top down.

This is very significant, because it shows that Jesus death on the Cross was acceptable to God once and for all and no other High Priest would ever have to make an annual sacrifice ever again.

Since that moment nearly 2000 years ago the Holy of Holies is open to all believers who can enter into God’s presence because of the sacrifice Jesus made which is eternally acceptable to God.

We have the freedom to come boldly to the throne because Jesus has made the way and there’s no other way;

So even though the gate is narrow, if you go through it, you are set free. This is the true freedom that the world is searching on the dark for. 

Psalm 100:4-5

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

Luke 13:18-21

Things are a little bit different today with the painting going on but I’ve been assured it will be finished by next Sunday along with new chairs which have been ordered and are on their way. 

Last week we read the passage of the unfruitful fig tree. The owner said he would give it one more year and he would provide the fertiliser to make it grow. If it didn’t grow after one more year, the keeper could cut it down to make room for another tree. We don’t know the outcome of the story, it could have gone either way which is quite sobering or very positive depending on whether you’re a glass half empty or glass half full kind of person. I can tell that you the timing of us reaching that parable in our series is remarkable. 

Just over a month ago, not long after we arrived back from France, I caught up with my brother Robin for lunch out at Maraetai. The cafe is opposite the wharf and does a nice lunch and you get the benefit of the sea view of Waiheke island. We talked about France and must have talked a little about PCC and he talked about the things going on in his life. 

It wasn’t long after that day that Robin told me he would like to get involved and not only him but his friend who he writes and produces music with was also interested. Robin has been involved at Elim and helped start Elim South and I thought it would be great for us to have some musicians in the building.

But after that things really began to snowball. Robin catches up every Tuesday with the founding father of Elim Christian Centre and as Robin spoke with him, Luke expressed his interest in supporting Robin. Not long after that, another one of the pastors who Robin sees regularly also said he wanted to help Robin and support the church in any way possible.

This is how we knew it was God. A friend of Robin’s who funnily enough owns a fertiliser business challenged Robin with a question - what is a pastor? Robin told him what he thought and his friend turned around immediately and said that’s the answer he was looking for in confirmation from God. Then the fertiliser guy also said he wanted to get involved.  

From that confirmation, Robin began talking to another couple who run a Soup Kitchen who are also in transit and they expressed an interest. As Robin relayed all this me, I thought of the PCC history of being involved in our Community and I realised that we needed to meet with Paul as soon as possible which we did at Denny’s 3 weeks ago for breakfast. 

It is like God is sending fertiliser with all these people that have emerged suddenly who want to help us grow here at PCC. It’s very exciting and I am so thankful but I also know know that we must grab this opportunity with both hands or it will be gone. These next 6 months are critical for us to grow and Paul and I have accepted this challenge on behalf of the church. No apologies!

The upshot of all this is that Robin is coming on board as Assistant Pastor and Worship Leader for the next 6 months to help fill 2 big gaps - pastoral care which we’ve always had a gap, and to provide a music ministry. We will launch this next and you’ll get to meet some of these people I’ve spoken of.

Please know that the DNA of the church is not changing, the open style, the weekly communion, share care and prayer, the preaching of the Word, they all remain because they have proven unshakable. Neither are we becoming an Elim Church. 

But music and pastoral care are very important gaps for us to fill if PCC is to grow. And as elders we are grateful to have the spiritual oversight from Pastor Luke Brough, someone who has proven knowledge in growing a church.

Our passage for today is brief but follows on from the story of the fig tree and the healing of the woman with a spirit of infirmity that we heard last week.

Luke 13:18-19

Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.” 

The Kingdom of God grows from the smallest and humblest of beginnings. Who would have thought a baby born in an obscure little village, in a stable, whose bed was a manger, would become the one who would influence all of history and save the World?

This prophecy about the Kingdom of God growing to such a size that it would provide shelter and community for everyone would have seemed impossible when it was written, but here we are 2000 years later with a global church that does exactly that in every nation of the world.

Luke 13:20-21

And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”

The church is the visible evidence of the Kingdom of God but the second parable tells another truth - that the Kingdom of God grows unseen in the human heart and the growth is also exponential.

The Kingdom of God works from the inside out, transforming individuals and societies quietly but completely. The kingdom grows unseen and only becomes evident later. You may not see the growth inside person until suddenly and inevitably it blossoms like a fruit tree in Spring. How many times have you heard of someone you never thought would become a Christian suddenly making a confession of faith and then you see the transformed life on display.

Both of these short parables remind us that God's work is unstoppable, whether it is visibly changing the world or invisibly changing a human heart.

If we think of this for PCC, we can have the courage to respond to the clear direction God provides and move forward with this vision. We admit that we are small but we believe the life will grow unimaginably in God’s hands, even reaching out into the World, which is amazing to think of. God is able to multiply the little we give him, just like he did with the 5 loaves and 2 fish which fed the crowd of 5000 men.

I’m going to challenge you today with something for you to reflect on. It’s not an instruction, it’s something to consider because we have a project on our hands and projects are an investment in the future. They change the future. What do you want to see for your grandchildren, do you want to leave a legacy behind? We’re all standing on the shoulders of someone else who’s been through this church and given their tithes and offerings and we want  to honour that by delivering a legacy.

You need to start thinking in your network - who can I invite and bring because things are going to happen and we don’t want to miss the opportunity. God is doing a new thing. 

Let’s have a coffee break and we’ll come back and look at last years financials. I’ll publish a link to the presentation in this week’s newsletter.

• You can find a summary of the PCC accounts on the Charities Register
• Search for Papatoetoe Community Church
• Annual Returns
• You can also find the original trust deed under Charity Documents for those of you interested in our rules of governance.

Luke 13:1-17

We’re about halfway through the Gospel of Luke and the tension is rising. Last week, we heard Jesus say that he came to bring division on the earth. We see in our world today, division on grand scale and much of it ultimately comes back to a question over whether people will accept Jesus and his Way  or not. Whether it be geopolitical conflict, abortion, LGBTQ, Islam, or even in the Church on fundamental doctrines, the level of hostility to Jesus who is the Word of God, and to the Holy Spirit who leads into all truth, makes clear we are fighting evil but we do need to remember it is against evil principalities and powers not flesh and blood, the people who Jesus died for.

Mostly Jesus has delivered his harshest words against the religious leaders because of their hypocrisy, their love of money and power while forgetting justice and the mercy of God. Some of his comments feel a little too close to home. 

But at the end of Chapter 12, he calls the multitudes hypocrites too for being able to make a weather forecast but not able to read the signs of the times. We are in an age like that today. We see end time signs such as disasters, climate change and the rise of self-centeredness yet we’re more interested in forecasting the share market and sports results. Jesus asked his disciples how many will be ready when he returns ? 

Today’s passage touches on that difficult subject of suffering to which we may not get a fully satisfactory answer but gives some clues. We also get an overall picture of what the Lord is doing and what they may tell us today.

Luke 13:1-5

There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” 

The archaeologist and New Testament scholar Sir William Mitchell Ramsey called Luke an historian of the first rank. Excavations at Siloam have found evidence for a tower. We don’t know why Pilate had the Galileans killed at the temple where they were sacrificing but we can easily believe what Luke reported because it was in line with other events in Pilate’s brutal rule that eventually saw him recalled to Rome. Pilate’s act recalled Daniel’s chapter 11 prophecy  about the abomination that makes desolation in the temple, so the people must have wondered whether Pilate was the Antichrist. You don’t mock God like that and get away with it but in the present, the people suffered.

And in their suffering, the people were asking, where is God in all this or had they deserved it. If you really are the Messiah, won’t you fix this? 

But why would a loving God allow innocent people to die in accidents like the tower of Siloam?

Tragedies happen every day. The sudden death of someone often causes people to reflect, sometimes in judgment, sometimes with doubt and fear. Our natural thinking tells us;

1. Suffering is proportional to sinfulness.
2. Tragedy is a sure sign of God’s judgment.
3. Bad things happen only to bad people.
4. A good and all powerful God would not allow suffering so either he doesn’t exist or he isn’t good.

Without the help of the Holy Spirit, we don’t judge well.

The Pharisees preached a message that sinners suffer and the righteous are blessed, it was the same thinking as the friends of Job. If you were cursed with sickness and death, it meant God was against you. 

In the story of Job, something else was happening in the spiritual realm that his friends did not understand and was leading to a double blessing on his life. There was far more to the story than met the eye. Remember that.

And Jesus did not provide comfort, he said unless you repent you will all likewise perish. He was emphasising the spiritual need we all have of being prepared - our lives can end at any time and are we ready to meet our Maker?

Now remember his audience was made up of his disciples, the religious leaders and the multitudes and he did speak to each group differently but on this case he seems to be addressing all three groups in the same way. 

This message "Repent or Perish" is not meant to alienate people who are already struggling. God so loved the World that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

This message is to bring people back to God so that they may receive all the blessings he has for them.

Jesus wants to raise you up to be a son or daughter of God but you have to leave your old life behind because the wages of sin is death. That’s a fact. You must be born again.

Every one of us needs to repent of something. Salvation and repentance go hand in hand. Pointing the finger at someone else might make me feel better but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m a sinner too and if I don’t repent of my sins, then I too am going to Hell. That was the sobering point Jesus made to his audience. 

Luke 13:6-9

He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ ” 

The message is that God is looking for fruit from his vineyard. The religious system of Jesus day was not producing fruit, something lovely and good for the people the people to eat. 

What kind of fruit is God looking for in our lives? People who have come to Christ because of our witness. People should look at us and want what we’ve got i.e., the fruit of the Spirit -

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

These are questions for us all to ask ourselves with the help of the Holy Spirit. Ask him to help us see our true reflection.

There is an expiry date on God’s patience. We can cross lines with God. One more year is all the fig tree got. One more year that God was going to do all he could to turn the person’s life around so that they would produce fruit. Most people aren’t aware of their precarious position without Christ. We don’t know if we have one more day, let alone one more year. Plenty of people woke up today not knowing it will be their last. Repent now while you still can!

Part 1 of the passage today is a story about the severity of God but it is immediately followed with part 2 which shows the compassion of the Lord. Justice and Love are 2 sides of the same coin. Quite often, we preach one and forget the other. I think there’s a reason these 2 passages are side by side - God was pruning things in that generation to bring fruit, people needed the eyes to see what was really happening.

Luke 13:10-13

Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 

Eighteen years - there’s that number again, same as the eighteen killed by the falling tower of Siloam. Eighteen connects the two parts of today's passage.

This woman had suffered for a very long time. Without a doubt, she would have prayed to God many times for healing for herself and her faith had been battered. 

This woman had a spirit of infirmity. It was an evil spirit that had made her disabled. Once Jesus was asked whether a blind man’s sins or those of this parents had made him blind. It could have been either but Jesus said neither of those reasons but rather that God would be glorified. 

How should Christians discern which of the 3 causes of suffering is reponsible ? 

• Of personal sin
• Of someone else’s sin
• As allowed by God for his glory

We start with compassion to see the person made whole in Christ.

Jesus set the woman free and the spirit of infirmity left without any noise and the woman was able to stand straight again and glorified God. We don’t always know why people have suffered physically or mentally. 

But Jesus had compassion and we need to have compassion also.

But what happened next was very strange.

Luke 13:14-17

But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.” The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

I’m sure we have all have witnessed such hostility to Jesus. It happens all over the World. In New Zealand and in the UK, you can get in trouble with the law these days just for praying for a person. How foolish of the leaders of this country ! 

Shouldn’t the religious leader have been glad that the woman was healed. There should have been joy, not anger ! At the very least that was one less woman that he would have to minister to. One less burden. More time to spend on other important tasks. But no, instead he’s concerned that the healing was done on the Sabbath. That is a very strange reaction on his behalf.

How many times does the Church shoot itself in the foot by criticising the success of other ministers of healing and prophecy for example. Wouldn’t it be better to be happy about it instead?

When winter is over and the pruning is done, in early Spring we see the fresh buds on the tree. That is our prayer PCC, I don’t think we can be pruned anymore ! Don’t we want to join with Jesus and make his announcement to the World our own;

Isaiah 61:1-3

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Lord pour on each one of us here today the fertiliser of the Holy Spirit that we may become exceptionally fruitful trees for you. Amen.

Luke 12:35-59

We’re travelling through the Gospel of Luke, learning so many valuable lessons about the Kingdom of God. When we are on the Lord’s side, filled with the Holy Spirit, we really don’t need to worry about anything. Seek first the Kingdom of God and all the other things we need will be added. However, we are engaged in a spiritual war and we need to prepare ourselves for battle.

Our weapons found in Ephesians 6 such as prayer, salvation, righteousness and so on are very non-threatening humanly speaking but they are threatening to our true enemy who is the opposite to all of them. The key point is we are not fighting against flesh and blood but against evil principalities and powers. 

People are living in darkness unaware they are in Satan's camp and why they are hostile to the Gospel. As a result, they have bad eyes and are not able to judge correctly, some going so far as to outright reject the Lord Jesus, our only hope of salvation. Outright rejectors of the Gospel are in great danger, when you see someone turning others against the Lord, they stand on the edge of the abyss, close to committing the unpardonable sin and bringing final judgement on themselves.

The other thing we noted is how important it is to pay attention to who Jesus is speaking to, in the passage we are going to read today it is to his disciples with a crowd of people listening in.

Luke 12:

“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; 

To gird your waist means to tighten a belt or sash around your midsection to prepare for physical action, work, or battle. As we know, we are engaged in a spiritual war like it or not. What part of the spiritual armour is Jesus talking about? The belt of truth. We need truth to make right decisions. Sincerity, honesty, frankness, integrity, having a clear conscience, these are part of the belt of truth. Letting our yes be yes and our no be no. We are fighting the Father of Lies so we’d better know the truth or else we’ll be deceived and defeated.

Seeing things accurately gives us a good eye, provides true light and helps us judge accurately. Jesus said the Pharisees had bad eyes because they called the work of God of Satan and in doing so moved into danger of blaspheming the Holy Spirit; the unpardonable sin.

What does it mean to have your lamp burning? First of all, it means it’s dark. No one needs to burn a lamp during the day. Lamps must be filled with oil first. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit, we must be reading the Bible and praying daily so we have a continual supply of oil. But we also have to have our lamps lit to make our faith known and expose darkness. That’s what it means to shine our lights. 

Luke 12:36-40

and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” 

In Jesus’s day, once the couple became betrothed, the groom spent this time building a new room or home addition at his father's house, while the bride waited and prepared her garments.

The groom did not know the exact day he would go get his bride. Only his father could inspect the new home and give final permission to go claim her.

Once the father gave the word, the groom and his friends would head out toward the bride's house, often late at night.

A member of the wedding party would blow a trumpet (shofar) and shout to announce the arrival. So it was important to be ready at all times.

This year our son Sean got married on July 4th. Of course we knew the date. Nevertheless, there are a lot of things to prepare for a wedding to run smoothly. Sean and Hannah created a run sheet with a lot of details - times, tasks and responsibilities but when we came to do the rehearsal the day before, Hannah’s Dad asked the question, what exactly does the task entail and we all looked blankly at each other. We worked it out on the spot, but we needed to do the rehearsal to find out there were some gaps. It’s all very well to do Church in theory but you’ve got to actually do the rehearsal, to practice what you preach, to find the gaps ! That way you know you’re ready for the real event.

Similarly, at work we used to do fire drills so that if a real fire occurred, we knew what to do. 

Now in this story Jesus told, it was not known when the Master was coming for the Wedding. So hopefully the servants did a few fire drills and were keeping watch for the unannounced return of the Master otherwise it would be panic stations when the trumpet sounded.

In ancient Roman and biblical tradition, the night was divided into four guard shifts or "watches".

The third watch ran from 12:00 AM (midnight) to 3:00 AM.

It coincided with the darkest part of the night.

In folklore, 3:00 AM specifically is often dubbed the "witching hour" because it marks the very end of this deep midnight watch right before the final morning shift begins.

So, when you hear the saying the darkest hour is just before the dawn, this is what that means. And boy, the world has gotten really dark when it cannot recognise the truth of even basic biology.

Jesus did describe his coming like a thief in the night. If he comes to take his Church in the 3rd watch, it will be at a time when it is really dark spiritually. For many people, his coming will be a complete surprise. But not for us because we are keeping watch and recognise the signs of his soon coming which are plainly obvious now.

Luke 12:41

Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?” 

Are you talking to me?

Peter wanted to check who Jesus was addressing because Jesus himself had said he spoke parables to the crowd so that they would not understand, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy. So, Peter wasn’t sure if the parable was meant for him and the other disciples. It was a valid question.

And Jesus confirmed that yes, he was chiefly talking to the disciples…

Luke 12:42-44

And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. 

Jesus called us stewards and servants. He has invested in each one of us physical gifts such as family, work, health but also spiritual gifts. Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? Are you using them to serve others? Do we need to do a refresher course on spiritual gifts like we did a few years ago?

So we can see the signs of his coming, what should we be doing. Well it’s not as the meme said - look busy. Nor sweeping the dust under the carpet. Neither is it the time to relax as if everything will carry on as it has ever done. This was Peter’s warning;

2 Peter 3:3-4

knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

In the last few years since COVID, quite a few have dropped out of Church gatherings for a more comfortable participation online. 

As elders we have cause for reflection on what to do differently to get them back and go and win others. We each have a big responsibility at this time.

Each one of us needs to ask ourselves the question, how can I best serve the Lord now. I can’t think of a better use of your time now than to grow the Church in your community.

PCC is known for Community and there is no better place to be at this time than in a live church, serving the Lord and others.

Luke 12:45-47

But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 

The only thing worse than being unprepared, is to be behaving like an unbeliever when the Lord returns.

Being a disciple means the potential for great rewards but it carries the risk of severe punishment for failure to do your duty since a disciple should know better.

But then he extends the warning to others in the crowd who had ears to hear;

Luke 12:48

But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. 

Once you hear and understand this message, it puts you in the dangerous position of someone who has been given much. Keith Green once said, always be afraid of getting more light! We are responsible for our reaction to the light we have been given. I love to learn new spiritual things but what’s the point if I don’t do anything with the information. In the parable of the talents, the one who received 10 talents immediately went out and started trading, but the one who received 1 talent went and buried it in the ground and was condemned by the Master. Jesus will ask us one day what we did with what he gave us. It’s something to seriously reflect on but not only that, to take action over. In the parable, the only one who was condemned was the one who did nothing.

Luke 12:49-53

“I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” 

Jesus refers here to his coming death on the Cross as a baptism, one of distress, of suffering. 

In summary there are three different types of baptism, some say seven.

• Water Baptism 

• The Baptism of John

• The Baptism of Jesus

• The Baptism of the Israelites (Red Sea)

• Baptism of Fire

•        The Baptism of Suffering (The Cross)

• Baptism of the Holy Spirit

You can think of baptism as going in the deep end over your head, a moment when you depend on God for a miracle. Some of you may have been through that in your life, where the only way through was to fully trust God.

And baptism is a way of dividing us, setting us apart from the World. Jesus says even in families there will be division over Him, a certain amount of brokenness. You can’t stay neutral with Jesus. 

Jesus is both a divider and uniter - He separates the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the chaff. But he prays for his disciples to be as one as he and the Father are one.

The fact that we have a Church divided on major doctrinal and biblical themes such as Creation, the Holy Spirit, Hell, The Virgin Birth, The Resurrection, Marriage, the Sanctity of Life, implies that the Church is a mixture of true and false converts.

Since the Spirit leads us into all truth, major differences between believers should slip away over time, not the opposite. Jesus will continue to divide people but as believers we should be coming closer to Christ and each other. That’s a challenge for every Christian and every Church.

This passage concludes with Jesus turning to speak finally to the multitudes who’ve been listening in and gives them one final challenge.

Luke 12:54-57

Then He also said to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time? “Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right? When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite.”

Jesus didn’t smooth talk the crowd in the way some preachers do today. Yet his congregation wasn’t small. 

Jesus called the multitudes hypocrites, hardly the worldly way to win friends and influence people. Hypocrisy is self deception, making you blind to the truth. Nobody will have an excuse on Judgement Day. None of us will be able to say we didn’t know because everyone receives some light. If we can make an accurate forecast of the weather or make a prediction of a sports match and get it right, then Jesus said we are all well able to understand the signs that Jesus sends us. Nobody will be able to say there was no evidence for God. There’s plenty of evidence, it’s just that people don’t really want to be accountable. That’s the truth. Amen.

Luke 12:13-34

In the news this week was the mistrial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three young children. 

The article read;

Clancy has not denied that she had killed her children but her not guilty plea was predicated on a lack of criminal responsibility because, as her defense team said, she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, which included auditory hallucinations that commanded her to harm her children, and undiagnosed bipolar disorder. We had a very similar case in New Zealand where the mother made the same not guilty plea (Lauren Anne Dickason) but she was found guilty.

I would say based on comparison to biblical accounts of similar encounters that that these auditory hallucinations were actually demonic spirits commanding her to kill her children.

We had a very similar case in New Zealand where the mother made the same not guilty plea (Lauren Anne Dickason) but she was found guilty.

“I’m representing a woman who is a fantastic, wonderful individual,” her defence lawyer said. “This woman is so brave, so awesome. She sat there through seven weeks of the trial, where nobody had anything bad to say about her except the two prosecutors.”

The truth often hurts, it shatters delusions.

Reddington also thanked the jury, “minus one” – referring to the holdout juror who he says he “hope[s] they can sleep at night”.

You heard that right. The holdout juror was the only one who thought she was GUILTY. What an upside-down world we are living in. Perhaps it should not surprise us when we live in a society that murders babies and calls it healthcare.

Remember what Jesus said;

Luke 11:34

The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.

Our society is at the point where it can no longer see that not only abortion is murder but that murder is murder. We have developed bad eyes. It’s a sign of end times delusion. These women were victims of spiritual warfare but they are still responsible for their crimes. It demonstrates the need for spiritual warfare when medication is not working. Call in the Christian Marines ! 

The Good News is that Jesus died for all our sins including murder, but we have to receive Jesus. As we learned last week, the only unpardonable sin or blasphemy of the Holy Spirit means to reject Jesus, the only hope of salvation. Someone who worries that they have blasphemed the Holy Spirit has not.

Following last week's message, I did some further research on the meaning of the word blasphemy because I felt it necessary to understand the seriousness of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit in more detail. Paul described himself before his conversion;

1 Timothy 1:13

although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

The word “blasphemy” is the Greek word blasphemia — and it does not primarily refer to speaking irreverently about divine matters. It has a broader meaning that refers to any type of debasing, derogatory, nasty, shameful, ugly speech or behavior that is intended to humiliate someone else. Paul used the word “blasphemer” to describe his own past words and actions when he purposefully mistreated and humiliated believers for whom he had no tolerance.

In addition to rejecting Christ’s gift of salvation for themselves, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit means calling Christ evil, intentionally mocking and denying the Holy Spirit with the intention of putting others off of receiving Christ. It is such an utter rejection of God that the sin brings about God’s judgement.

Paul was a blasphemer but obtained mercy because he did it ignorantly in unbelief. There are those who have crossed that line into blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, who understand the Gospel, but utterly reject it and seek to prevent others from believing it as well. How sad is that?

We also noted last week that very often when the Lord is speaking to us, Satan (who is the ultimate blasphemer and the first to utterly reject the Lord) will try and distract us though all manner of devices - through people, through troubling thoughts, anything to keep us from listening and doing what the Lord is teaching us.

In last week's passage, we heard Jesus warning his disciples to avoid the leaven of the Pharisees - their hypocrisy and their doctrine. As he was doing this, suddenly someone from the crowd spoke up with a distracting question;

Luke 12:13-15

Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

Distractions come just as the Holy Spirit is getting through to people and appear extremely important at the time. It’s the same method scammers use to try to rush you into making rash decisions. So be on guard !

How would Jesus deal with this distraction from a man about his inheritance. We know justice is an important issue that God is concerned about. Would Jesus ignore the man and carry on teaching his disciples?

No, rather he answered the question and used it as a springboard to continue teaching but with a parable.

To the crowds Jesus often spoke in parables and when the disciples asked why, he gave the reason;

Matthew 13:11-15

He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’

The parables Jesus told were a fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah that God would purposely tell them things that they would not understand and turn to him and be healed. That does sound harsh at first hearing so we need to understand why God would do that.

Stories are normally a good way of teaching and usually we love to be taught this way. The tales we heard as children had moral meanings and we learned life lessons from them. But what can you do if people won’t listen to even the most basic instructions like to repent and believe the Gospel. It is exhausting to teach people if they won’t listen, though you repeat it over and over and over again.

The parables had the dual purpose of teaching those whose hearts were open but confusing those who were hard-hearted and had rejected God as a judgment on their hard-heartedness.

Was the parable he was about to share one with a hidden meaning? Judge for yourself.

Luke 12:16-21

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

This particular parable is in fact very clear, there are no hidden meanings. The warning was given that it is foolish to think we have our security in ourselves and in our riches. The world teaches us to invest our money so that we will have a comfortable retirement but it is a false security. We do not know that we will have our health when we get old or even that we will live that long. We are wise to invest in eternal things. Sadly many people will reject this advice because they want their best life now.

But you know what, if a person loves the World too much instead of loving God, then even though they hear the parable, it won’t make sense to them to invest in something they can’t see, touch, taste, smell or feel. They think that this life is all there is and fail to understand the reality of eternity and to lay up treasure in Heaven. Isaiah’s prophecy is true but if we open up just a little, Jesus’s word also comes true - to whoever has, more will be given, so open your hearts!

It would seem to me that even though Jesus was answering the man’s distracting question, he had the dual purpose of teaching the disciples to get their priorities right. Those who keep their ears open are always learning even somebody else’s lessons.

Then he resumed his speaking to his disciples.

Luke 12:22-27

Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

My cat doesn’t worry about anything. He knows all the sunny spots in the house and garden, he is warm and dry at night and his breakfast and dinner are served up without having to work for it. Why aren’t we like that, are our worries truly justified? Jesus certainly understood the things we worry about. Our hair or lack of it, our height, what we’re going to eat, where we’re going to live, will we survive a cost of living crisis. And here we all are today, having lived a good number of years. In New Zealand especially we live in comfort. God has really looked after us. So why do we worry, it’s a bit strange of us isn’t it?

Luke 12:28-31

If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

He’s speaking to us believers, and he’s calling us out for the smallness of our faith. Shouldn’t we trust him.  

Why should we be like the people of the world when we know our Heavenly Father is looking after us. Rather than worry, Jesus teaches us to make the Kingdom of God our priority. We will then find that all the things we used to worry about fade into insignificance and all our needs will be provided for. That promise gives a lot of peace.

Luke 12:32-34

“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

So what should we prioritise today to seek first the Kingdom of God? I’ll leave you to think about that because it could be so many things. Your devotional time, a Church task, a sick family member or friend, a colleague who needs to hear the Gospel, a donation to someone in need, it could be so many things. But when we give up our time and money for the Kingdom of God, we are storing up treasure in Heaven. We may not be prosperous down here but we’ll never regret that in eternity. Amen.

Let’s Pray.

Luke 12:1-12

Our travels for this year look to be over. We survived the European heatwave and enjoyed two memorable weddings in London and in Brussels. I’m still processing it all but I do want to thank the Lord for just giving us such a rich experience and blessing even if I can’t put it in words.

If you remember the last couple of messages;

Jesus healed a mute and the people who witnessed had one of 3 reactions;

1. 1. The multitudes marvelled but 2 other groups had negative reactions;

These 2 groups were saying one of 2 things;

1.  Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebub (that is the Devil)
2. Those who wanted another sign from heaven

Jesus spoke to these 2 groups strongly warning them that their judgement of what was happening was very wrong, that no further miracles were needed other than his resurrection and condemning them for their hypocrisy and for actively preventing others from hearing and believing Jesus’s message.

As I prepared this week’s message, I realised how important it is to notice who Jesus was addressing when he spoke. The beauty of Scripture is that it can speak to us directly, yet we do have to remember who Jesus was directly speaking to otherwise we may misapply it out of context.

So, who did Jesus speak to in his day?

1. His Father

2. His family or connected family

3. His disciples

4. The crowds who followed him

5. The Pharisees and other leaders

6. The government

7. Foreigners

Are there any other specific groups you can think of?

Which group would you put yourself in today?

Luke 12:1-3

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

Yes, Jesus is speaking to his disciples, that’s you and me!

Jesus warned his disciples against the leaven of the Pharisees which here he called their hypocrisy. In Matthew 16:12, he called their leaven their doctrine. They made themselves out to be more important than they were. They were puffed up with ego but they didn’t live up to their words, they were hypocrites.

We need to stay humble. Jesus knows our thoughts but thankfully no one else can read our minds ! Not yet anyway but one day it will all be laid bare. What we’ve spoken about in secret, what we’ve said behind others backs, what our motives were for what we did.

Knowing this we should live as authentically as we can. The worst thing is to be one person in public and another in private. People should know we are Christians; it shouldn’t be a surprise to them. But if they do know, then they shouldn’t be shocked by our private lives. That is one thing that really compromises the Gospel - hypocritical Christians.

Luke 12:4-7

“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

There is an apparent contradiction here. On the one hand Jesus says to fear God who can cast us into Hell, on the other not to fear because we are very valuable to Him.

But notice what Jesus says before that. He says don’t be afraid of those who can kill the body. When given the choice between man and God, don’t be afraid of man. Fear the Lord instead. It’s helpful to realise too that our soul is worth more than our body because our soul is eternal, but our body is only temporary.

In essence, Jesus is saying, don’t be afraid of man, or value anything material too highly. But do let our trust in the Lord outweigh our fear because God knows all the little details of our lives and we are very valuable to Him. He is worthy of our trust!

Luke 12:8-10

“Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.

Imagine how hard these words would have hit Peter after he denied the Lord three times. Do we think we are stronger than Peter? But Jesus goes on to say that anyone who spoke a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. Remember how the Lord showed grace to Peter after his denial. Jesus knew Peter’s heart, that he was truly sorry and would change. But more than that, it is the Lord who is faithful in spite of our failings. And he has promised that we cannot be snatched from his hand.

2 Timothy 2:11-13

This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

However, there is a far more serious point about blasphemy of the Holy Spirit which will not be forgiven. This has troubled many Christians and so we should dig a bit deeper.

Blasphemy on it’s own is the act of speaking or acting with contempt, disrespect, or a lack of reverence toward God, a deity, or things considered sacred and holy. It includes insulting religious figures, misusing holy names, or defying divine authority. Blasphemy is treating sacred beliefs, scriptures, or holy figures with intentional malice or mockery. 

Most secular nations have abolished blasphemy laws to protect freedom of speech. Christopher Hitchens book « God is not Great » is an example of blasphemy. But is it blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

The Cause:  It is the continuous, willful refusal to accept the Holy Spirit's guidance towards the Truth.

The Result:  A heart so hardened against God that the person never wants to ask for pardon. The person becomes blind to the Truth even so far as calling good evil by attributing the miracles of the Holy Spirit to the devil.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not just profanity. Profanity involves ordinary rude or coarse language, whereas blasphemy specifically targets the divine or sacred.

It is not grieving the Holy Spirit. That happens when the way we live causes the Holy Spirit to be sad. As a parent, you may relate to this with your children, especially your teenage children. You might see friends who are a bad influence start to lead your child astray. So you do your best as a parent to prevent that from happening but finally it is the child who makes their choice thinking they know better. Of course as a parent you have the life experience so you know the inevitable bad outcome. Choices made that are destructive to our wellbeing, to others that inevitably require us to be disciplined.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is called the unpardonable sin.

It is frightening to think that a person has reached this state of hard heart, where they don’t even think to ask for God’s forgiveness, where they are beyond help. This is why the Pharisees were in such danger where they were calling the miracles of the Holy Spirit a work of the Devil and were teaching others to reject Jesus, our only hope of salvation. When thought of this way, it is why Jesus warned them so strongly. 

If a person is worried that he has committed the unpardonable sin, it is a sign they haven’t. 

When I listen to the way Christopher Hitchens or Stephen Fry speak against God, I’m really scared for them. Their hearts are hard to such a degree that they completely lost the desire or ability to repent and receive forgiveness and worse than that, they are teaching others to reject God like them. I’m not their judge, only God is but a person needs to be warned when they are in danger, and that’s what Jesus was doing to the Pharisees.

John warned;

1 John 5:16

If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.

Perhaps the fact that people are still moved to pray for the likes of Stephen Fry is a sign that The Holy Spirit is still wrestling with them, so let’s not give up on anyone while they still have breath in their lungs! Are you worried that you have committed the unpardonable sin? The Holy Spirit is still wrestling with you. Today is the Day of Salvation. You don’t know if you have another day. Come to the Lord today and receive his forgiveness, He’s waiting for you ! Jesus died on the Cross for all our sins but if we reject this, we cannot be saved. Jesus said that he is the only way to the Father, there is no hope in any other religion. 

Acts 4:12

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

This statement is a great offence to all other claims of finding God and a way into Heaven. When Dolly Parton died this week, I saw a cartoon of a number of other music stars who have also died greeting her as she arrived in Heaven. Maybe one of them had made a confession of faith in Jesus, but no others had. I’m not the Judge but if someone rejects Jesus all their life they are not going to be in Heaven for ultimately, they’ve committed the unpardonable sin. If we preach the true Gospel, we will cause offence and the time could soon come in New Zealand where a Christian will be arrested and put on trial for saying this.

Luke 12:11-12

“Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

The Holy Spirit is always teaching us, I’m sure you can relate to this when you’re doing your devotionals. When I’m preparing a message, I always receive something new to me, and usually while I’m speaking as well, Scriptures come to mind that help enhance or change the emphasis of a point to make it clearer. But I look forward to the day when standing before the authorities, that the Holy Spirit will do that on steroids as he did for Stephen. 

Acts 6:9-10

Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

Let’s remember then to daily fill our lamps and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. 

But don’t be surprised when the Spirit is speaking that all manner of distractions come into our mind, through people or events. Remember we are in a spiritual war. 

Just as Jesus was making this important teaching about the Holy Spirit to his disciples, a distraction did indeed come.

Luke 12:13

Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”…

Notice how this interrupted and distracted the disciples from the important teaching Jesus was giving them. I’m sure you will have experienced this when witnessing to someone.

Stay tuned, we’ll move on to that next week.

Luke 11:33-54

Bonjour, hope you’re having a good week. We’re in the middle of a 3rd or 4th heatwave. Summer will be over soon so hopefully the Winter in NZ as well ! For me it’s too hot because it’s quite limiting what you can do. 28° is about where it starts to get less enjoyable for me, at the moment it’s 35° and it got up to 41° a few weeks back. The biggest risk though is fire; they really need some rain. It could be very heavy when it comes so next big thing could be flooding, or power and food shortages, take your pick, prayers appreciated!

Last week we looked at the negative reaction of people when they have witnessed a great miracle – sometimes people can be exasperating, or should I say often! We need to remember a few things – 

1. We’re not fighting flesh and blood - The battle is a heavenly one and we need discernment to recognize what spirits are driving the suggestions that are presented to our world today.

2. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit - The importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit which protects us from the evil one and Jesus said it’s as easy as asking and receiving - Luke 11:13 - If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”)

3. Signs are a witness to repent and believe - Not to be obsessed with signs but to get on with what Christ called us to do.

4. The Resurrection is the greatest sign

Let’s move on to today’s passage which immediately follows the miracle and see how Jesus takes aim at the biggest stumbling blocks – the religious leaders and other smart people like the lawyers. I think it carries a warning for all of us.

Luke 11:33-36

“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

Jesus made the interesting statement that the light within can be darkness and that happens when our eye is bad. For the last 100 years we have had television and movies and of course recently we have the internet. Smartphones have been a tremendous resource, but there’s also been a lot of profiteering without consideration for the effect on the young. And just like all things invented by man, they have all be used for evil as well as good. Governments in Australia and the UK have woken up to the effect of social media on the young and they have banned it below a certain age which is a step back in the right direction. It has been too easy for young eyes to see truly evil things unfiltered; it poisons the mind. 

But a bad eye can mean something else. A bad eye looks at the world with envy, judgment, or greed, failing to see truth, beauty, or God's goodness. A bad eye could also then mean looking at the world skeptically or cynically. Let’s face it, as we get older, we do witness corruption, injustice, crime and our expectations of humanity tend to get lower. But it can get to the point where all we expect is the worst from people all the time. At this point, our eye has become bad.

When we are unable to see the good that is happening right in front of our eyes, we end up with a distorted view of the world. That seems to be more in context with the passage we are reading when if you remember last week, people were attributing the miracles of Jesus to Satan. Sadly, we learn to look at the world cynically as we get older through comedy, through stories, through life experience. But a child looks at things innocently and in innocence sees a beautiful world. 

You can see the light or darkness in a person’s eyes. But as Christians, we are lamp stands for the true light. People do notice us. So, it’s important that our light shines bright, especially in this darkness. They expect more of us than themselves! Is there hope for an older person like me?

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Yes, our minds can be renewed by reading scripture and by asking the Holy Spirit to create a clean heart within. It is up to us to keep our minds clean by being careful about what we watch or listen to and by catching ourselves when we fall into cynicism.

More than ever today, the Christian needs to look after their eyes, the way they look at the world!

Luke 11:37-42

And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

For us, it is normal to wash our hands before eating because we know now about germs. In that day it was done for ceremonial purposes, in other words just for show. But Jesus didn’t do anything just for show. At this time, he chose not to wash his hands, I suspect to bring out a teaching point. Spiritually, he was already clean. The Pharisees were all for keeping their rituals and traditions but had forgotten about the most important things of justice and the love of God. In many ways it’s so easy for us to fall into the same trap and get distracted by our different theological points of view and forget about love and justice and our main task of proclaiming the Gospel. Satan without a doubt loves a divided Church, as it renders it ineffective in reaching the people who Jesus died for.

You’ve heard it said hate the sin, love the sinner. One way we can do that today is to ask questions of people, to challenge their logic in the way that Charlie Kirk did, rather than pronounce judgment on people we’ve never met. We’ll still get accused of hatred and bigotry but thinking people may appreciate it.

Luke 11:43-44

Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them. ”

And sorry to say that the main reason for the way they were was their big egos. They loved the power, they loved their status, they loved worldly success, they loved being right. Is this all starting to sound a bit too familiar? Have we lost our compassion for a dying World, what are we doing about that?

Luke 11:45-48

Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.” And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.

They were able to see clearly the faults in others but were blind to the poverty of their own spiritual condition. There is none so blind as those who will not see.

Jeremiah 5:21

‘Hear this now, O foolish people, Without understanding, Who have eyes and see not, And who have ears and hear not:

This is a fair criticism that is thrown at religious people. We are prone to judging others without actually doing anything to help another’s circumstance that lead to their bad choices. But it doesn’t take much to expose one’s hypocrisy.

Luke 11:49-52

Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”

We all tend to think we are good people; that’s part of our human condition. When someone turns the spotlight on us, it’s easy to get defensive. Sometimes I’m scrolling through my newsreel, and a Christian one comes up and I immediately scroll to the next one. Then I think to myself, why did I react like that, what’s wrong with me. Sometimes our own reactions do surprise us when we realise we’re not the good person we thought we were. The Pharisees and lawyers thought they were good people, but it wasn’t long before they were conspiring to kill the Son of God.

Jesus made the criticism that they had taken away the key of knowledge. It is one thing to know the law, it is another thing to understand the principles of justice, love and mercy behind it. The God that people saw through them was cold, judgmental and distant, one that they wanted nothing to do with. 

And perhaps even worse is they actively tried to stop people from following the Lord in criticising Jesus and his message. The real question for us today is, do we do that? Do we hinder others from believing the Gospel by our words or deeds? Let’s take a sober look at ourselves and repent of we need to. Lord, I’m sorry for anything I’ve said or done that has hindered another from believing the Gospel.

Luke 11:53-54

And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.

It’s not an easy thing to have your life exposed in the light, there are plenty of faults we would prefer to keep hidden.

But if we catch ourselves reacting to a rebuke in the way the religious teachers and lawyers did, it’s time to realise we are the problem.

Keith Green sang a song called “Stained Glass”. Just like churches with stained glass windows, we’re here to let the colourful light in a darkened room and people should notice and appreciate the difference and ultimately see Jesus.

Luke 11:14-32

This week Brian Tamaki put out a tweet 

« Tonight we unleash the strike force from heaven... If your organisation or name is on Heaven’s Hitlist…you should repent or have the fear of God on you. »

He went on to name names, everyone in Government, the Police, the Judicial system, the media, all other religions, atheists and church leaders working against Destiny church.

He has forgotten one important thing that we have been studying this year in spiritual warfare - we are not fighting against flesh and blood. It’s pretty easy in this generation that we live in to get confused over who the enemy is because we see a world increasing in hostility towards God, embracing a future which excludes God altogether. Man is once more trying to build that tower that reaches to the heavens, what do you think is going to happen?

What Brian expressed rather badly I would say will happen when Jesus comes again and judges the nations. We think this is very soon now but until then we have to do the job of winning people into his Kingdom, of taking the approach that Jesus took which is difficult - to preach the Gospel, to heal the sick and to combat against the true enemy and that isn’t people who are blind to the truth and need to be shown the light. 

What we see is society reaching breaking point, the inevitable outcome of democracy without our true King Jesus.

Democracy for most people means the right to live their life how they choose. Freedom of choice is the catchphrase in everything – in daily living, life and death. The outcome is what we have today – everyone living to their own standards, not prepared to even consider the other point of view. History repeats. In the Old Testament, you can read the same thing in the Book of Judges and you’ll also see what the outcome of that was;

Judges 21:25

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Let’s go to our passage today from Luke 11:14-32 which follows on from Jesus’s teaching on prayer, so key in spiritual warfare that we looked at a few weeks ago.

Luke 11:14-16

And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.

Notice that there were 2 groups of people that were saying things that showed that they were resisting the good thing that was happening right before their eyes;

1. Those saying Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebub (that is the Devil!)
2. Those who wanted another sign from heaven

These were the 2 groups that Jesus addressed in the passage that follows.

Firstly those who said Jesus was casting out demons by Satan;

Luke 11:17-23

But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

That Jesus was casting out demons by God’s power and not Satan’s power should have been obvious. People were being completely healed. Right before their eyes, a mute could now speak. But rather than marvel and worship God, some were saying it was Satan, in other words, Satan deceiving men with counterfeit healings. Strangely the same type of accusations are being made today against the charismatic movement. But are the accusations correct? There is definitely a need to stand back and consider carefully what is going on.

Take for example, do you remember revival breaking out in Ashbury University in in the US on February 8, 2023, following a routine Wednesday morning chapel service. There were 16 continuous days of uninterrupted prayer, worship, and testimony and an estimated 50,000 visitors travelled from across the United States and internationally to the small campus. Rather than celebrate that a revival was happening, there were church leaders that came out and criticised the claim of revival effectively pouring cold water on the fire. Better to keep quiet than speak out against a work of the Holy Spirit.

It is a warning against sectarianism that Brian Tamaki would do well to heed. There are church leaders in all the denominations doing the work that Jesus has called them to do that may be different to the emphasis of his denomination. This is not about disregarding doctrine for the sake of unity, that is what the ecumenical movement does. We need to discuss doctrinal errors and arrive to the place the Spirit leads which is into all truth. It is sad that the Church is split today and reached the point where one church is condemning to judgment other churches. We are a house divided and it is little wonder that we are ineffective sending out contradictory messages.

Satan’s house is not divided. It may seem a curiosity that the LBGTQ community has been very outspoken in its support of Palestine when we know that gay people would be executed under a strict Islamic regime. I believe their unity is because the spirits of Islam and LBGTQ are actually on the same side. The spirits of Islam and LGBTQ are hostile to Christ and to all mankind ultimately and have the goal of taking both camps to Hell. Remember, we are not fighting against flesh and blood, against Muslim and Gay people who Jesus died for.

Surely, we can at least understand where someone is coming from even if we completely disagree when we remember who we are truly fighting against. It changes the approach altogether.

Luke 11:24-26

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

Do you remember not long ago we talked about the time Jesus healed the man with a legion of demons inside him. It came right after the Jesus had calmed the storm on Galilee and ended with the disciples saying; « who is this man that even the wind and the waves obey him. »

At that point the disciples still did not understand that Jesus is the Son of God. In fact, it was the demoniac who was the first person recorded as recognising Jesus for who he is and what did he do?

Mark 5:6-7

When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.”

Even in the worst of conditions, a person is still able to respond to God. He was full of demons but the man worshipped Jesus. No one is unreachable for Christ, that’s what we always need to remember. One day everyone will bow down to Jesus, no matter their spiritual condition. New Zealand as a country once embraced Jesus, but if you throw out Jesus who is stronger than any evil principality and power, then you have a nation that can’t protect itself against even more wicked spirits that come in as well as the original one that comes back in.

That is the state of our nation today. We need Jesus to come and save us.

Could a demon return to a Christian after being cast out? I have always thought “no” because the Holy Spirit is living inside them. That is what most denominations teach. But does that contradict what Jesus taught in today’s passage. Let’s dig a bit deeper. Firstly, remember;

1 Peter 5:8

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

The enemy is on the look out for anyone even weak believers. That is why Peter taught to us to be sober, to be vigilant and to resist him. He certainly had the experience of dealing with demons as did Paul. Paul taught us to put on the armour of God and to pray in the Spirit, that is the key. Having the Holy Spirit dwelling within. Then we are safe.

In our passage today, Jesus is specifically warning believers that simply cleaning up one's life or stopping bad habits is not enough. Moral reformation without Christ is empty space. If a person empties themselves of sin ("sweeps the house") but fails to actively fill that spiritual void with the presence of God and the Holy Spirit, they remain vulnerable to a worse spiritual collapse. A cleansed life must be occupied and guarded by active faith, Scripture, and the Holy Spirit. You cannot remain neutral in the spiritual realm; failing to surrender to Christ leaves room for old habits and influences to return with greater force.

Luke 11:27-28

And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

This woman, in contrast to the critics, and seemingly in his defence, recognised that what Jesus was saying and doing was of God and she bravely cries out her support in the face of the opposition from the religious teachers and other critics. This was not an easy thing to do in such a patriarchal society against so-called educated men of high standing. It was extremely brave. Jesus's response was so humble. He said that anyone who heard the Word of God and did it was just as blessed as Him. You don’t have to be a superstar for Jesus. Faithfully doing what he says, whether in the face of opposition or without recognition is blessed. Those are the ones who are in the family of God, the ones who gather with him and do not scatter. Bless the Lord !

Luke 11:29-32

And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

The signs are given so that we will believe. I bet all of us here today could testify that we have witnessed or experienced a healing at some point in our life. But miracles don’t guarantee that people will truly believe. The crowd had seen Jesus heal the mute, but they still wanted a sign! 

Just ONE miracle should be enough to bring a person to repentance and into a relationship with Jesus. To understand that Jesus really did rise from the dead, is the greatest sign of all and if you believe that, you are truly blessed.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t pray for miracles, because everyone at some point needs a miracle. What I’m saying is, don’t keep chasing miracles, thinking that unless someone sees a miracle, they won’t believe. He has already performed the greatest miracle of all by rising from the dead. Wanting another miracle can become just an excuse for not doing what Jesus has asked us to do. Just get on with proclaiming the resurrection, you’ll see other miracles alright.

John affirmed that we have enough to believe when he said.

John 21:24-25 

This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

Let’s pray. 

Lord, you know us only too well. It is too easy for us to put off what you are asking us to do because of unbelief or wanting another sign. Help us all to embrace the work you are doing in the world today and please fill each one of us with the Holy Spirit so that we may be protected from the Evil One. Amen.