What are You Afraid of? Luke 12:4-7

Introduction

Luke

12:4-7 ESV  “I

tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have

nothing more that they can do.  (5)  But I will warn you whom to

fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes,

I tell you, fear him!  (6)  Are not five sparrows sold for two

pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God.  (7)  Why, even

the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than

many sparrows.

Look again just at verse 4 for a moment…

Luke

12:4 ESV  “I

tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have

nothing more that they can do.

The first thing that strikes me about this

passage is the phrase “My Friends”.Jesus is talking to His disciples, and he wants

them to know that what He is about to say is from a place of friendship and

love, not out of judgment or rebuke.My friends, he address His disciples, do not

fear those who kill the body, and after that hove nothing more they can do to

you.Think about the disciples for a moment, think

about who Jesus was talking to when He says “Do not fear those who kill the

body”He was speaking to Peter of whom Christ said

“Upon this Rock I will build my church”Peter was later crucified upside down under

Emperor Nero.Jesus was speaking to Andrew, who would later be

crucified in Greece for preaching the gospel.Jesus was speaking to Thomas, who was killed by

four soldiers who speared him to death. His crime? Loving Jesus.Philip, who was there listening to Christ, would

later have a powerful ministry in North Africa. He was executed? Why? Because

he converted a Roman governor’s wife to Christianity. Of course Matthew the tax collector was there

listen to Jesus, He was stabbed to death in Ethiopia.There was Batholomew who was martyred for the

gospel in Suthern Arabia.James was listening to Christ say “fear not

those who can only kill the body”… James was stoned and then clubbed to death.Simon the Zealot ministered in Persia and was

killed after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.John was boiled alive in oil because of His

faith.Jesus looked at these men and said “do not fear

those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.

Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray

Bring up

Title Slide

What are you afraid of?That is the title of todays message and the

ultimate question to ask yourself today.Are you afraid of dying?Of failing?Of people not liking you?Are you afraid of torture?Or persecution?I am not talking about heights, I am not talking

about bigfoot, what are you REALLY afraid of?You know, speaking of Bigfoot, that brings me

right into point one. Fear, because God is Just.

Point One – Fear, Because God is Just

Luke

12:5 ESV  But

I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority

to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

The year was 2016, the place: Salt Fort State

Park, Ohio.Scott Sawyer and I were there for one reason,

the annual national Big Foot Convention.This was a big deal, thousands of people from

around the nation and even some from other nations flock to this event.Real people who really believe in Bigfoot,

passionately.Now this was a particularly epic conference

because they had two HUGE keynote speakers.The first was a biologist with two PHD’s.A PHD in Animal hair Identification.In fact he is world renowned and police from

around the world hire him for his skills in odd cases involving animals.The second is in Great Apes. Most people who

believe in Big Foot  believe that he is a

great ape.This guy is literally the most qualified to

speak about bigfoot.So this professor comes up and spends two hours

explaining how bigfoot in fact does not exist and why it is next to impossible

that he does or ever did.People were angry, and confused, people were

crying… people had given there life to finding bigfoot, and here this man comes

all the

Introduction

Luke

12:1-3 ESV  In

the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that

they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first,

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  (2) 

Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be

known.  (3)  Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be

heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be

proclaimed on the housetops.

Beware of the

leaven of the Pharisees, Jesus tells His disciples…Beware of the

sin that spread so easily.Stay away from

it.Have nothing to

do with it. Never flirt

with it…Because it

spreads, it infects, and if you mix your self with them, the leaven will

affect you too. It will get you too. It will drag you down into the pit

too.There is a crowd

gathering, we see that in verse one, the crowd is of thousands… so big

that people were being trampled to see Jesus… but before Jesus address the

crowd He says to His disciples “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees”.

Luke

12:1 ESV  In

the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that

they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first,

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Beware of the

leaven of the pharisees, which is hypocrisy.So once again

this morning, we are talking about hypocrisy, and we are asking the

question “Are we hypocrites?”Because I don’t

want Jesus to call me a hypocrite, I want Him to call me lots of things…Let the Lord call

me faithfulLet Him label

me a sheepLet Him know

me as friend…BUT PLEASE,

LORD, DO NOT LET ME BE KNOWN AS A HYPOCRITE.And if I don’t

want to be a hypocrite then I need to stay away from hypocrisy, because it

only takes a little bit of hypocrisy to make a person a hypocrite, a

little bit of leaven leavens the whole lump church.Therefore, last

week, I presented this two questions… the answers of these two questions

revealing if we are or are not hypocrites.Question one:

How do we respond to sin?We talked

about this last week. What makes us a hypocrite as a Christian is not

whether we sin or not but rather how we RESPOND to sin.Do we hate

it? Do we fight against is? Do we run from it?Or are we ok

with it?Because if

we are ok with it, then yeah, we are hypocrites.But there is

this second question I presented but didn’t have the time to talk about,

to find out if you are a hypocrite, I posed, ask this question: What do

you do in secret?I said last week

“If you answer these two questions you will know if you are a hypocrite:

How do you respond to sin and what do you do in secret?But as I was

doing my morning bible studies this week the Lord gave me one more

question to throw into the mix… Not just “What do we do in private” but

also “what do we do in public?

BRING UP TITLE SLIDE

Therefore I now

present three questions: Are we hypocrites?Well, how do we

respond to sin?What do we do

in Secret?And what do we

do in Public?

Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray

Point 1 – What do We Do in Secret?

Luke

12:1-2 ESV  In

the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that

they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first,

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  (2) 

Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be

known.

Do you sin in secret?Do you hide your wickedness?Is your sin behind closed doors? Is there things

you hope NOBODY in this church will find out?Do you try to hide the darkness that comes out

in private?I don’t need to name your sin you do in private,

because if it is there, you know what it is. The Holy spirit is brining it up

to you

Are We Hypocrites? Part One: How Do We Respond to sin – Luke

12:1-3

Introduction

Luke

12:1-3 ESV  In

the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that

they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware

of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  (2)  Nothing is

covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

 (3)  Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in

the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on

the housetops.

Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, Jesus

tells His disciples…Beware of the sin that spread so easily.Stay away from it.Have nothing to do with it. \Never flirt with it…Because it spreads, it infects, and if you mix

your self with them, the leaven will affect you too. It will get you too. It

will drag you down into the pit too.There is a crowd gathering, we see that in verse

one, the crowd is of thousands… so big that people were being trampled to see

Jesus… but before Jesus address the crowd He says to His disciples “Beware the

leaven of the Pharisees”.

Luke

12:1 ESV  In

the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that

they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first,

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Beware of the leaven of the pharisees, which is

hypocrisy.Normally when we talk about leaven in a

metaphorical sense we are talking about sin, but Jesus get’s more specific

here…Beware of the leaven of the pharisees, which is

hypocrisy.So here is the question church: ARE WE

HYPOCRITES?

SHOW

TITLE SLIDE

Really though, are we hypocrites?The world thinks we are.Atheists point to our hypocrisy as a reason not

to believe.Prominent Christians who fall away from the

faith sometimes even blame hypocrisy.Satan loves to point it out and condemn

allegedly hypocrisy in the church and in our lives…Family members love to remind us who we use to

be, surely we must be hypocrites some family members might suggest.Friends from our old life, some of you know what

I am talking about, friends from our old life trying to get us back into the

life of sin will often drop the “hypocrite” bomb as a last resort.But are we? Are we hypocrites? Jesus says:

Beware.So lets talk about it this morning, so we can be

aware… so we can beware, so we can completely and whole heartedly avoid the

leaven of the pharisees.

PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY

This morning there are two questions I want us

to ask ourselves… the answers to these two questions reveal if we have been

infected by the leaven of the Pharisees. How do we respond to sin, and what do we do in

secret?How do we respond to sin, and what do we do in

secret? The answers to those two questions will reveal if we have the leaven of

the Pharisees inside us.Let’s get into it.

Point One: How Do We Respond To Sin?

Point One, How do We Respond To Sin?You know a lot of people think that because

Christians sin we are hypocrites…We preach about being sin free, we strive to

live holy lifes… but we still sin, hypocrites…BUT THIS IS A NONESENSICAL ARGUMENT.That’s like saying the Hawkeyes football team is

a bunch of Hypocrites…I mean the coach goes out and says “We are going

to win this year!”“REALLY because you lost 4 games last year,

hypocrites!”You think you are all better than me because you

go on a field and practice every week?You think you are all better than me because you

study the play book and the rule book more than me?You train with others, practice drill after

drill… YET YOU STILL DROP THE BALL! Learn to catch hypocrites!!!!!!Look at your record Hypocrites, you lose just

like I lose!Why do you even try?! HYPOCRITES!No! The fact that the Hawkeyes lose games

doesn’t make them hypocrites… it makes them a football team.And the fact that Christians sin doesn’t make

them hypocrites, it makes them human.You know what would make the

Offering the Best Help

Introduction

Luke

11:45-54 ESV 

One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us

also.”  (46)  And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load

people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens

with one of your fingers.  (47)  Woe to you! For you build the tombs

of the prophets whom your fathers killed.  (48)  So you are witnesses

and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you

build their tombs.  (49)  Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I

will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and

persecute,’  (50)  so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from

the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,

 (51)  from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished

between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of

this generation.  (52)  Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away

the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who

were entering.”  (53)  As he went away from there, the scribes and

the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many

things,  (54)  lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he

might say.

You know, can I be honest… I really wanted to

start this sermon off with a few lawyer jokes…I mean this whole passage is about lawyers

getting offended at what Christ was saying…But when I tried to look some up they were all

really mean, and the truth is I know some awesome and Godly lawyers.So we are going to skip the lawyer jokes and go

right into preaching, how does that sound church?!

Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray

This morning I want to talk about offering

the Best Help

Pull Up

Title Slide

As a church, and as Christians in general, it

should be well know that we are helpers.We

like to help people, we want to love people by helping…In

fact, if we don’t love helping people then we need to have a big heart check,

amen?!

James

2:15-16 ESV  If

a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,

 (16)  and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and

filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?

James

1:27 ESV  Religion

that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and

widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Mark

12:30-31 ESV  And

you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and

with all your mind and with all your strength.’  (31)  The second is

this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment

greater than these.”

Right, these are some pretty common verses that

show that Christians should most definitely be helping others, serving others,

loving others…But there are so many ways to help…We could give money to the homeless…We could even open up our houses to those on the

streets…We can volunteer at food shelters…We can go on international missions to help the

down and out in other nations..We can work with addicts and criminals…We can visit jails and hospitals…There are so many different ways we can help,

some more effective than others.I have done all of these, and then some… many of

you have too.But church, I have to be honest, my time here on

earth is short… 80… 90 years if the Lord tarries and allows.In light of eternity, what is 90 years?

Mathematically it is NOTHING!You literally have next to no time here on

earth, almost none at all when compared to eternity… so we would do well to

find the BEST way to help others.We would do well to offer the best help as

believers to those who need it, and to those who need Jesus…So today we are going to talk about OFFERING THE

BEST HELO

Point One – Bear the Weight of Righteousness Together

Point one this mooring: Bear the weight of

righteousness together.

Luke

11:46-51 ESV 

And he said, “Woe to you lawyers a

Introduction

Luke

11:37-44 ESV 

While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in

and reclined at table.  (38)  The Pharisee was astonished to see that

he did not first wash before dinner.  (39)  And the Lord said to him,

“Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside

you are full of greed and wickedness.  (40)  You fools! Did not he

who made the outside make the inside also?  (41)  But give as alms

those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.

 (42)  “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and

every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have

done, without neglecting the others.  (43)  Woe to you Pharisees! For

you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.

 (44)  Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk

over them without knowing it.”

Y’all, I HATE DIRTY DISHES.I mean… like to the CORE of my being, I hate

dirty dishes.I don’t like seeing them, I don’t like touching

them… and I certainly don’t like doing the dishes.It grosses me out something awful, y’all.And the one thing I hate more than dirty dishes…

dishes that appear clean, but are actually dirty.You know the ones I am talking about, they have

been through the dishwasher, they have been put away… but under close

examination there is a tiny fleck of old food baked on there… ARGHHHHHHHHH!I am like OCD about it or something, I check all

of my silverware by sight and by touch… because sometimes you can feel the

speck, but you can’t see it.If I even have a hint of suspicion a dish, bowl,

plate, cup, spoon, fork… whatever… if I even suspect that just maybe it isn’t

perfectly clean… then I through it straight away into the sink!I hate dirty dishes like God hates sin… He

doesn’t want a speck of sin on us, He want’s us to be perfect and pure and

clean…Hallelujah He sent the best spiritual dish

washer to cleanse us…What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the

blood of Jesus!

Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray

So we have this passage, this scathing rebuke of

the Pharasees, and this discussion about a cup… the inside and the outside… and

cleanleness…And

I am so happy to be able to preach this sermon this morning…Because

we have spent a lot of time talking about obeying God, and His Word…And

the tendency might be for us to become like the pharisees… focusing on

obedience and ignoring love.But

today Jesus reminds us, it’s all about love and Justice… it’s all about love

and Justice, without love, what are we doing church?We

are becoming like these pharisees.So, to todays scripture.Jesus

sits down to have dinner with some Pharisees and some Lawyers.But

before eating Jesus doesn’t do the ceremonial hand washing!Now,

before you get upset and start calling Jesus a sinner, it is important to note

that the Bible never commands the washing of hands before eating.This

was a law the Jewish church had added on top of God’s word.It

was not God’s command, but the religious leaders command.So

Jesus did not sin when deciding to not wash His hands, instead what He was

going to do was make a point.The Pharisees where shocked that Jesus broke

ceremonial law… to them the Church’s law was just as important as God’s law…Never

ever make that mistake, church, God’s Word is all that is important… not the

Church’s word. My job is to teach God’s Word, not add to it.When

you start trusting the church’s word over God’s Word, you have made an idol…And Jesus was about to knock down the idol the

Pharisees have made of the church.He says “You guy’s do a great job of looking

holy, on the outside you look really clean, but the inside of you is filthy!

Full of greed and wickedness!”He says “You clean the outside of a cup, but the

inside is filthy! Yuck”Now,

which would you rather drink from, a cup that is dirty on the outside, or a cup

that is dirty on the inside?A

lot of people answer, well a cup that is dirty on the out

This Light of Mine… I’m Gonna Let it Shine… but How? – Luke

11:33-36

Introduction

I need your help this morning church… I need you

to help me start this sermon out.I think you know the words…This little light of mine:I’m Gonna let it shine!Come on, This little light of mine:I’m Gonna let it shineThis little light of mine…I’m gonna let it shine…Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!Hide it under a bushel?NO! I’m gonna let it shine…I love that song, because it is both

evangelistic and scriptural in nature. It teaches a scriptural truth, one which

we are going to talk about today, while encouraging evangilsim.But… church, the song is lacking… because it

doesn’t actually ever tell us how, how exactly are we supposed to let our light

shine… what does that mean… can you give me some practical advise here song?

Bring Up

Title Slide

This light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…

but how? That’s what we are going to talk about today.The

song may be lacking, but the scripture is not! Let’s take a look at Luke

11:33-36

Luke

11:33-36 ESV  “No

one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a

stand, so that those who enter may see the light.  (34)  Your eye is

the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of

light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.  (35) 

Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.  (36)  If

then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly

bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”

PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY

Point One – Let Your Light Shine

Luke

11:33 ESV  “No

one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a

stand, so that those who enter may see the light.

The Mormon faith is one that is very strong for

those who believe.Very few Mormons fall away from Mormonism

because of strong family units, strong beliefs, and a culture that shames and

disowns those who chose to leave the LDS church.Rarer still is for an ex-Mormon to then come to

faith in the Jesus Christ of the Bible.That is, for an ex-Mormon to be born again and

to become a true Christian.It’s rare, but it happens. God is patient

wanting all to come to repentance, amen?That’s why the testimony of my old roommate is

so inspiring.My old roommate grew up Mormon. His whole family

was Mormon, mom, dad, siblings, aunts and uncles…They were all strong in the faith.But as my roommate grew up, he started

questioning the faith, and as he did he was scorned and shunned… told never to

question… told just to believe…In the end that mindset pushed him away.He forsake the church of Latter Day Saints and

forsook all religion altogether.I didn’t know him during that time.When I meet him he was an on-fire born again

believer living for Jesus, going to school at a Christian university, and

helping lead worship on our church’s worship team.When I found out that he used to be a Mormon, I

had to ask Him how he became a born again Christian…He responded with a name, Janice.OH! I thought… Janice must have been some hottie

Christian girl, so he converted to date her… right?NOPE! Janice was a little old lady secretary at

his work.Well, she must of have been some evangelist!

What did she say to convince you to follow Jesus?Nothing really.Huh, dude, tell me what happened.Well, every day for years I would come to work

and Janice would be nice to me.She was always happy and full of joy.I don’t think I ever once heard her complain.No matter what was going on, she just seemed

content with life.I don’t know, she just was always… bright… and I

liked being around her…One day, after years of this, I finally asked

her “What is your secret? Why are you always content? Why are you always at

peace, and full of joy?”She responded with one word: “Jesus”She didn’t need to convince me, her life had

done all the convincing, I knew then and there I need to find Jesus like Janice

knew Jesus.This little light of mine…But what

Something Greater is Here!

Introduction

Luke

11:29-32 ESV 

When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil

generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the

sign of Jonah.  (30)  For as Jonah became a sign to the people of

Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.  (31)  The

queen of the South will rise up at 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 behold, something greater than Solomon is here.  (32) 

The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and

condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something

greater than Jonah is here.

Imagine a time and place where the majority of a

nation claims to follow God.They study the Bible, they go to church, they

name their kids Biblical names.A nation with extremely high literacy rates,

brilliant minds, top notch schools…Yet a nation filthy with the stench of sin,

tangled by the snares of pride, and littered with gossip, hatred, sexual

immorality, and divorce.A nation that had the very things of God at it’s

fingertips… yet chose time and time again the things of this world. A nation… a generation that rejects Jesus as

Christ.What nation are you imagining?What I was defining was the Jewish generation in

the nation of Rome whom Christ preached too.Of course I was also describing our own

generation, the nation of America.You see we are not all that different from the

Jews in Rome whom Jesus was talking to…The generation whom Jesus called an Evil

generation in verse 29…

Luke

11:29 ESV 

When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil

generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the

sign of Jonah.

Now those are some harsh words Jesus! Why would

you call that generation evil?Well, because they all knew the Word of God…But that wasn’t enough for them…They all attended weekly church services…But that wasn’t enough for them…They all raised there Children in biblical

traditions…But that wasn’t enough for them…AND NOW THEY HAVE GOD IN THE FLESH STANDING

IN FRONT OF THEMAnd that’s not enough for them… they want MORE!

A SIGN, A WORD FROM HEAVEN, SOMETHING OTHER THAN JESUS… THEY WANTED MORE!Are we that different as a nation church?The United States has more Christian Churches

per capita than any other nation in the world… yet we have the 4th

highest abortion rate… nearly 2 out of every 100 babies born is murdered here.We have more Christians that any nation in the

world…Yet we have the third highest divorce rate in

the world… only beat by Belarus and MaldivesNot great for a religion that tots forgiveness

as one of it’s main principles.Church, Charismanews just came out with a report

that 80% of unmarried Evangelical Young Adults are having sex…We live in a nation where people go to church

Sunday morning, then Sunday night they watch the Bachelor where young girls try

to deflower a virgin.That’s not good TV, church, that’s sin!If Jesus was here today, I bet that most of the

people in America who claim to be Christians would turn against Him, they would

demand a sign from Him, they would crucify Him afresh.Why do I think that… because that’s what we do

as a nation every day. JESUS IS HERE CHURCH! HE IS ALIVE… WE HAVE TO STOP

ACTING LIKE HE STAYED IN THAT TOMB!

BRING UP TITLE SLIDE

Something greater is here, right now, in this

place, in our presence… HIS NAME IS JESUS!If you are looking for a sign, if you are

looking for a miracle… maybe you have missed that it has been here the whole

time…That sign has a name… that miracle has a name…

His name is JESUS! And He is calling out to you this morning!Something Greater is here, let’s give Him praise

this morning, let’s give Him honor this morning, let’s accept all He has to

offer this morning!

Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray

Point One – The Greatest Wisdom is at o

Get “More Blessed” – Luke 11:27-28

Introduction

Luke

11:27-28 ESV 

As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him,

“Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”

 (28)  But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of

God and keep it!”

The idea of idolizing Mary or making her an

object of adoration is not a new one, it started before even Christ died on the

Cross and rose again.So it’s not all that surprising that Mary is

made to be an idol in today’s society.What is surprising, however, is Jesus response

to the adoration of His earthly mother.Here we see a woman crying out “Blessed is the

womb that bore you and the breast at which you nursed!”.In other words she is crying out “Wow, you are

so holy! How blessed your mother must be!”And it’s true, how blessed must marry be to be

chosen to carry and nurse Jesus!Even Mary herself sang about how blessed she

was…

Luke

1:46-48 ESV 

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,  (47)  and my spirit

rejoices in God my Savior,  (48)  for he has looked on the humble

estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me

blessed;

So yes, Marry is highly blessed… but that’s not

the interesting part of this story, the interesting part of this story is what

Jesus says next…

Luke

11:27-28 ESV  As he said these things, a woman in the crowd

raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the

breasts at which you nursed!”  (28)  But he said, “Blessed rather are those who

hear the word of God and keep it!”

Once again, hear verse 28:

Luke

11:28 ESV  But

he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

If that verse isn’t clear enough for you, let me

read it again in the NLT…

Luke

11:28 NLT  Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all

who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”

BUT EVEN MORE BLESSED! EVEN MORE BLESSED! Even more than the

blessedness of Mary who bore Jesus and nursed Him!EVEN MORE BLESSED THAN THAT!Y’all want to get “more blessed” this

morning? AMEN!

Bring Up

that Title Slide

PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY

Point One – If you want to be “More Blessed” You Must First Hear the Word

of God.

Luke

11:27-28 ESV  As he said these things, a woman in the crowd

raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the

breasts at which you nursed!”  (28)  But he said, “Blessed rather are those who

hear the word of God and keep it!”

So Jesus lays out two steeps to Get More

Blessed!First you need to hear the word of God, then you

need to keep the Word of God.It’s like a cheap self help book! GET MORE

BLESSED IN TWO EASY STEPS!And church it really is this easy! Just listen

to God and do what He says… that’s how you get more blessed.And I should note, I don’t really mean you can

be More Blessed than Marry, because Marry did listen to the Word of God and

obey it. Therefore she too was more blessed.So then, if we as a church want to get more

blessed we need to follow these two steps.And yes, once again we are going to be talking

about obeying God…We talk a lot about that in this church… why?Because we preach through Scripture and

SCRIPTURE talks a lot about it!So whatever Scripture talks a lot about we talk

a lot about, AMEN?And here is the truth, ok… the reason why I want

you… all of you… all of us to obey God is NOT because I want you to be harmed…

it’s not because I want your life to be ruined… it’s not because I want your

money or your respect… IT’S BECAUSE I TRULY WANT YOU TO BE BLESSED.AND NOT JUST BLESSED, I WANT TO SERVE IN A “MORE

BLEESED KIND” OF CHURCH.A church where chains are broken, addictions are

healed, pasts are forgiven.A church where people get random checks in the

mail right when they need it.A church where people get promotions in work

when they weren’t even asking for it.A church where people are healed from all kinds

of aliments, physical pain, emot

Return of an Unclean Spirit – Luke 11:24-26

Introduction

Luke

11:24-26 ESV 

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless

places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from

which I came.’  (25)  And when it comes, it finds the house swept and

put in order.  (26)  Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more

evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that

person is worse than the first.”

We are on the heals of Jewish scholars and

religious leaders insisting that Jesus cast out demons in the name of Satan.Jesus firmly rebuked them, teaching that a house

divided can not stand.And last week we learned that a Kingdom Divided

can not stand, a Church Divided can not stand, and a person divided can not

stand.Here today Jesus continues with that line of

thinking by sharing this wide sweeping example.If you kick a demon out of a house and it

returns to find the house empty, it will come back with seven other spirits

even more evil than itself!

Show

Title Slide

Once again, this term house can refer to so many

things, a person, a nation, a church… but today what the Lord has stirred on my

heart is to talk about two specific areas where this teaching applies…First I want to talk politically, I want to talk

about America, I want to talk about the state of our nation and our church, the

American church.Second I want to make it more personal, I think

this teaching is going to bring some major healing in people this morning who

have been struggling to find victory in repentance… it’s going to be awesome church,

so let’s get into it!

Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray Pray

Point One – Without Jesus Things Get Worse

Luke

11:24-26 ESV  “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a

person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it

says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’  (25) 

And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order.  (26) 

Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and

they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the

first.”

Many commentators believe that Jesus was making

a wide sweeping political statement here.The Jewish nation had struggled with a demon of

Idolatry, but through Captivity and God’s grace that demon was swept out.The nation had been freed from this demon, and

now one has come… not demonic, but holy, He has come to occupy the throne of

Israel… and if Israel would only let Him on that throne, no demon would dare

come near to them…But they rejected Him, didn’t they?Jesus knew it, they knew it, and God put it in

His Word so we could know it too.The King of the Jews, Jesus Christ, was rejected

by His own house.The end result is not great… Jesus prophecies

what will happen in John 5:43

John

5:43 ESV  I

have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in

his own name, you will receive him.

Revelation expands on this topic showing that

much of the Jewish nation will accept the Antichrist as God, a much more worse

form of idolatry then ever before.Now of course this is not what God desires, the

Jewish people are HIS people, but God is not one to force His will on others,

so if they chose to reject there King, so be it, the consequences will be on

them.But what about America, what happens when we

reject our King?Let’s get political church…And I am not talking about Conservative vs

Progressive.I am not talking about democrat or republican or

libertarian… or whatever…I am not talking about how great America needs

to be made or not…And I am certainly not talking about President

Trump, or Obama, or Bush, or the elections coming up.What I am talking about is YOU church,

Christians living in America.Listen to me church… YOU HAVE LIVING INSIDE OF

YOU SOMETHING FAR MORE POWERFUL THAN A VOTE ON A BALLET.You have the living God inside of you, and He

wants far more from you

A House Divided Can Not Stand 

– Luke 11:14-23

Introduction

Luke

11:14-23 ESV 

Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the

mute man spoke, and the people marveled.  (15)  But some of them

said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,”

 (16)  while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from

heaven.  (17)  But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every

kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.

 (18)  And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his

kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.

 (19)  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons

cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.  (20)  But if it is

by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come

upon you.  (21)  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own

palace, his goods are safe;  (22)  but when one stronger than he

attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and

divides his spoil.  (23)  Whoever is not with me is against me, and

whoever does not gather with me scatters.

This morning we move into a new teaching in Luke.After teaching about prayer Jesus cast out a

demon that had caused a man to be mute…And some of the crowd, not wanted to admit Jesus

as Lord, made excuses saying that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Satan.Now Jesus doesn’t miss a beat and uses this

blasphemy to teach a timeless truth that is wide spreading and still very

applicable today, some 2000 years after He taught it.

Show Title Slide

A house Divided can not standA kingdom divided can not standA church divided can not standA man divided can not standDivision

leads to destruction, church, that’s what we are going to talk about today. So

lets get right into it.

PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY

Point One – A Divide Kingdom Can Not Stand

Luke

11:14-18 ESV 

Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the

mute man spoke, and the people marveled.  (15)  But some of them

said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,”

 (16)  while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from

heaven.  (17)  But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every

kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.

 (18)  And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his

kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.

So Jesus cast out this demon.The mute man is healed.But the crowds are unsatisfied.“It is by the prince of demons that he cast out

that demon!”Can you imagine, you watch the Son of God, who

came to die for your sins, you watch Him in the flesh cast out a demon…And you look at the God-Man Himself, and instead

of being in awe of His glory, His majesty, His Power and His Authority…Instead of reckognizing who He was… You shout at

Him that He is a servant of the Devil!Right after He cured a man of muteness!That is an incredibly serious thing to do

church, that’s a scary place to be in, to be so depraved that you could look

God in His face and call Him demonic!Not only is it serious, but it doesn’t make any

sense! And that is exactly what Jesus points out!Why would Satan fight against Satan.This man is already possessed by a demon, Satan

has the territory, why would Satan then come against himself and cast his own

demon out of a man.That would be like America invading Iwo Jima

twice. Once to take the land, and a second time to kick out the United States

marines that took it the first time. It wouldn’t make any sense at all.The Allies wouldn’t have won WW2 if all we did

was fight each other… we had to work together to overthrow evil.Because a kingdom divided withers away.A nation can only handle so much civil war

before it ceased to be a nation any longer.Either someone comes along to unite the people,

or the nation withers away.And so it is with the Kingdom of