Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples
Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Signs for a Wicked Generation Luke 11 • Jesus taught His disciples to pray with confidence for God is good and His best gift is the Holy Spirit • The Holy Spirit is the believer’s protection in a dangerous and evil world
Signs for a Wicked Generation Luke 11 • Jesus cast out a demon sparking conflict with His opponents whom He sternly rebuked • Jesus warned the people to be with Him - blessing comes from hearing word of God and observing it
The Demand for a Sign Luke 11: 16 • Jesus’ multiple miracles were not enough for His opponents who demand a sign from heaven • Unbelievers have always looked for every excuse not to believe even the obvious
The Demand for a Sign Luke 11: 16 • 2 Corinthians 4: 4 - Blinded minds • Romans 1: 18 f - suppressing the truth • 2 Peter 3: 5 - willingly ignorant
Signs for a Wicked Generation Luke 11: 29 -36
The Sign of Jonah Luke 11: 29 -36 • The crowd is increasing and Jesus widens His rebuke into a general warning • “This generation” indicates a majority of the people were wicked - morally corrupt and evil
The Sign of Jonah Luke 11: 29 -36 • It was wicked for them to seek signs - they only needed to hear the word of God and observe it • 2 Peter 1: 18 - we have the completed word of God. The Scriptures are sufficient
The Sign of Jonah Luke 11: 29 -36 • Jonah was a reluctant prophet who got swallowed by a fish & spit up before obeying God • Jonah’s message was short, blunt and without hope or explanation - but the Ninevites repented anyway
The Sign of Jonah Luke 11: 29 -36 • Jonah himself was the sign being swallowed & spit up by the fish. The Assyrians worshiped a fish god • Jonah is a “type” of Christ - the three days & nights in the fish a type of Christ’s death and resurrection
The Sign of Jonah Luke 11: 29 -36 • Jesus affirms the veracity of the story of Jonah and the great fish prepared for the occasion
The Queen of the South Luke 11: 31 • The Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10) from lower Arabia ~ 1, 200 miles southeast of Israel • She heard about Solomon’s wisdom and made a long journey bearing gifts to hear him & rejoiced
The Queen of the South Luke 11: 31 • They had Jesus nearby but made little effort to hear Him teach, brought Him nothing and rejected Him • Jesus’ rebuke is even more pointed that a Gentile woman would condemn these Jewish men in the judgment
The Men of Nineveh Luke 11: 32 • The men of Nineveh repented though they had received very little information from Jonah • That generation would not repent though Jesus presented a message of grace, mercy and full salvation
The Men of Nineveh Luke 11: 32 • The “something” in verses 31 & 32 indicate that it is Jesus plus all His work and that of the Holy Spirit • The Queen of Sheba and men of Ninevah will condemn in the future - though dead, they will be resurrected
Light and Sight Luke 11: 33 -36 • A lamp is not hidden because its very purpose is to shine its light to help people see • Jesus’ life and teaching were not hidden but done publically so all could see
Light and Sight Luke 11: 33 -36 • Good eyes enable you to see light and bad eyes block the light • Jesus speaks metaphorically of eyes and light as awareness of spiritual truth
Light and Sight Luke 11: 33 -36 • 2 Cor. 4: 4 - some who are blind revel in their evil while others recognize the problem and want to see • Those whose light is darkness are the religious self-righteous Matthew 15: 14
Light and Sight Luke 11: 33 -36 • The ability to see spiritual light comes from the blessing of hearing God’s word and observing it • Those who walk in the light do not need a miracle to believe they are an anomaly in a wicked generation
Conclusions • People with distorted vision can think they see fine - they have to be told the truth and then be tested • The word of God and the Holy Spirit correct spiritual sight
Conclusions • Jesus’ warning is serious because the consequences are eternal - if you lack sight, get help today
Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
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