TEXT: LUKE 18: 31-34
READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 15: 1-21
SUBJ: Our Lord's declaration to the twelve of those things that were to shortly come to pass connected with the thought that we are to give the same attention to the detail as did He.
AIM: That we may ever be reminded that all that our Savior did was of necessity and that we look to it all as essential to our salvation.
INTR: We do not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God; we would put the words of Christ as being included in that statement.
1.Luke 18 finds our Lord nearing the time of His greatest ordeal and it contains much of great value to us: The admonition to pray with the parable of the persistent widow (importunity), The pharisee and the publican (humility), The little children (dependency), The rich ruler as an example contrary to the above. He then instructs the twelve (our text) and Luke ends with the healing of Bartimaeus.
2. As the time was approaching two attitudes are noted: our Lord is anticipating death; His disciples are expecting the Kingdom to appear and were talking their place in it.
3. The details would not be fully understood until after His resurrection and ascension - "These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. (John 12:16)."
THESIS: We are often made to think of the freshness of the mercies of God. We must not lose sight of the means of its application to us - this we see accomplished in the sufferings of Christ.
I. A Detailed Description Given (vv. 31-33)
1. An appeal is made to the words of the prophets. We are reminded of their testimony to the "sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow."
1) We are here pointed to such passages as Isaiah 53 and
2) We are reminded of His conversation on the road to Emmaus - "In all the scriptures the things concerning Himself."
2. We compare here the account of Mark in which seven things are stated: "...Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again. (Mark 10:33-34)."
1) The Son of man will be betrayed into the hands of chief priests and scribes - to be subjected unto the contemporary religionists of the day.
2) They will condemn Him to death - religion of human devising is completely intolerant of the righteousness of God and that was what was seen in Christ.
3) Will hand Him over to the Gentiles - that the cruelest of human wickedness would be exercised against Him
4) Who will mock Him and spit upon Him - the utmost of contempt would be displayed.
5) They would scourge Him - physical torture would reveal the depravity of man is a most conspicuous manner.
6) They would kill Him - in the way prophesied and with most cruel of intentions.
7) That in three days He would rise again - victory over death would be declared before them.
3. We would see that all these things were essential to the accomplishment of the divine will and purpose, and it was all foretold. We would continue to think on these things.
II. An Unseemly Reaction (v. 34)
1. There was a total lack of understanding, and it seems no explanation was sought after.
1) It was all hid from them - both of purpose and their focus on their own concept of what was expected. James and John were requesting special favor in the Kingdom they thought was imminent and of the world.
2) They did not connect the things spoken with the scriptures that we cited.
2. It appears that the divine purpose was that these things they would witness would require a further revelation which would come much later.
1) Their flight from the arrest; Peter's denial and other things.
2) Their devastation at seeing Him crucified.
3) Their unbelief at the resurrection.
4) Their hesitation at the encounters along the way.
5) Their question at the Ascension of Christ - "will you at this time restore the Kingdom?"
III. The Further Miracle Required
1. On the day of Pentecost their blindness was removed, and the Gospel was made plain, and His words were remembered.
2. It is evident that these men were believers - "Thou art the Christ"
1) But the full revelation waited the appropriate time when all thought of an eminent restoration were erased.
2) They would lose all their aspirations to greatest and humbly bow to the Lordship of Christ.
3. Paul put it all into perspective for us: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:3-6)."
1) The heart is the ultimate destination of identity with Christ.
2) Minds are blinded - human conceptions and shallow interpretations are of no avail.
3) The heart, newly made and responsive to the things of God, is the place where the Glory of God is made manifest, and to all such it is beheld in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord.
4. On Gospel presentation:
1) The Gospel is a fact - therefore tell it simply (1 Cor. 2:4)
2) It is a joyful fact - therefore tell it cheerily (Luke 2:10)
3) It is an entrusted fact - tell it faithfully (1 Cor. 9:16)
4) It is a fact of infinite moment - tell it earnestly (Luke 14:23)
5) It is a fact of infinite love - tell it pathetically (Luke 19:41)
6) It is a fact of difficult comprehension to many - tell it with illustrations (Matthew 13:44-47)
7) It is a fact about a person - preach Christ (Acts 8:35; 1 Corinthians 2:2)
