Luke 16:1-13

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In Luke 16 we have two parables that deal with wealth… in the first parable Jesus is addressing His disciples, and in the second parable He is addressing the Pharisees, who were lovers of money.  Now my study Bible tells me that Jesus gave us some 39 parables in all, and one third of these parables deal in one way or another with money.  That is a lot of time devoted to one subject, but believe it or not, the statistics I have read tell me that the average person spends more than half his waking hours thinking about money.  That is (in my humble opinion) way too much time wasted on that subject… think of all the time a person could better spend his time thinking about how to improve his golf game J  With that said, I think we better get right down to business:

Luke 15

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We have spent two weeks studying the three parables found in Luke 15… the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the Prodigal son.  It is very important to remember to whom Jesus is addressing His teaching… the Pharisees and scribes.  The Pharisees and scribes, in their jaded perspective thought it was a scandal that Jesus associated with tax collectors and sinners…

This man receives sinners and eats with them (v 2).

They said this to attack Jesus, but the fact of the matter is no more wonderful thing was ever said about the sinless Son of  God.  Yes, Jesus did associate with sinners, but Jesus’ enemies took this truth and twisted it to serve their own purposes.  Jesus didn’t consort with them to seek fellowship with them in their sin.

2 Timothy 3

Ken Hayes fills in for Pastor Pete:  Listen here.

Luke 15

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Last week we began studying the trilogy of parables found in Luke 15… the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the Prodigal son.  It is very important to remember to whom Jesus was addressing His teaching… the Pharisees and scribes.  The Pharisees and scribes, in their jaded perspective thought it was a scandal that Jesus associated with tax collectors and sinners…

Luke 15

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Once upon a time there were two families who lived next door to each other, but as is often the case, these families were as different as day and night.  The one family went to church and they were “good neighbors”… they took good care of their house and lawn and cars, they didn’t have loud parties, they never cursed or got into loud arguments, and the kids never got in any trouble with the law.

Luke 14:25-35

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Last week we looked at the parable of the great supper… a certain man, (God), was preparing an elaborate dinner.  He invited many… and the first invitation went out to the nation of Israel.  The good news is that Israel said yes to God’s initial invitation.  Yes, we will serve You.  Yes we will come to your banquet table.  But when God sent out the second invitation at the dinner hour through John the Baptist (the invitation was, “Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand”… the meal is ready… it is prepared and it is about to be served… the King is here and He is offering you the kingdom… please come”), instead of accepting the invitation, Israel offered up excuses… lame excuses.  How sad.

Luke 14:1-4

Do you remember the game show, Family Feud?  It is a game of association that pits two families against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to survey-type questions posed to the audience.  For instance, the question might be, “Name a sign that your TV is over 40 years old.”  Answer: black and white TV.  What I am saying is this: if Family Feud asked, “What comes to mind when you hear the name Jesus, I believe almost no one would give the answer, “Someone who gets in your face.”

Luke 13:35,34

It would be easy to assume that because God is God, because He is almighty, because He is high and lifted up, because He dwells in Heaven where sin cannot exist… it would be easy to assume that God doesn’t feel any pain and that He knows only eternal bliss.  It would be easy to assume that, but it would be a terrible mistake to do so.  Listen to the agony… to the very real pain expressed in our Lord’s voice in our text:

 

 34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!

 35 “See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’”

Contrary to popular opinion, God is not some Stoic Being in the sky who is just sitting there with a big frown on His face and a big stick in His hands waiting for you and me to mess up so He can get His kicks by making life miserable for us.  

Luke 13:31-35

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Before we dig into our text today, let me remind you of the context… I want to give you a short review of what we studied last week.

 

Luke 13:24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

 

Why would Jesus mention striving? What’s the striving all about?  How could anyone want to enter in and yet not be able to enter in?  Is Jesus trying to make salvation so complicated that only a few can understand it?  Is God trying to hide salvation from the masses?  Doesn’t this passage make salvation seem very, very difficult, and if so, isn’t this contrary to everything you have heard about salvation? Who is right, and how are we going to reconcile the differences between what Jesus is teaching in this passage and what the prevailing notion of the day is? 

 

Luke 13:22-30

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 Years ago, before Korea was divided, a theology professor

from Yale visited a mission in northern Korea. He wanted to

preach in a country church, so the mission sent him with a missionary interpreter to a rural Korean village. The professor began his sermon, “All thought is divided into two categories, the concrete and the abstract.”

 

The Korean interpreter looked at the tiny congregation sitting

with eager attention on the floor of the little church…toothless grandmothers, barefoot schoolboys…and made a quick decision.  “Dear friends,” he translated, “I have come all the way from America to tell you about the Lord Jesus Christ.” From that point on, the sermon was firmly in the interpreter’s hands.  (Christianity Today, 11/14/94]).