The Hallows Church

What do we do when painful things happen? Where do we turn when we are overwhelmed by guilt? What do we say when our hearts grow numb from sin? In Luke 13:1-9, Jesus shows His love, mercy, and patience for His people. In repentance and faith, He is calling us to trust Him, seek Him, and know Him.

Luke 12: 54-59 | Real Talk | Frank Mayfield, Hallows Wallingford Expression

Jesus challenges the people to judge correctly that he is the Messiah based on the signs they have seen. He then challenges them to get right with God before it is too late.

What actions should we take if we want to seek Jesus’ kingdom? How might Jesus find us if He showed up today? In Luke 12:35-48, Jesus calls us to a kingdom readiness, whereby His servants are ready and watchful, serving faithfully as good stewards. While Jesus’ challenge is sobering, it is one we are called into and find kingdom rewards within His instruction.

Since the return of Christ is imminent, we are instructed to live with eager expectation of His return and to faithfully serve Him while looking forward to a final judgment where God will judge everyone according to their deeds.

-Eager Expectation of Christ’s Return

-Expectation of Christ’s Sudden Return

-Expectation of a Final Judgment

In today’s passage, Jesus shows us what it means to seek the Kingdom of God and challenges us to consider whether we’re truly seeking and serving His kingdom or whether we’re seeking and serving our own. Seeking the kingdom, according to Jesus, requires sacrificing our own personal kingdom, surrendering control of our throne, and storing up treasures in this life not on earth but in heaven.

Sermon Outline of Luke 12:13-34

By Sacrificing your Earthly Kingdom (vv.13-21)

By Surrendering your Illusion of Control (vv.21-30)

By Storing up your Treasures in Heaven (vv.31-34)

The sending of the 72 in Luke 10 is a meaty passage; it’s one of a select number of passages that ties in this many elements of the biblical story arc in one place. While this passage teaches us many things about Jesus’ ministry, it also teaches us the way God works through us to make disciples and build his Kingdom. Crucially, it reveals how we are to do this: not by our own strength, but by the strength and authority that Jesus has given us.

We are commanded to Fear God and not anything else, but we are not left to do this on our own power. Through the Holy Spirit, we fear God with confidence but also trembling because we know that we serve a Mighty God.

Fearing God with Confidence and Trembling:

-Don’t Fear Impotent Man and Death

-Fear God

-Have Confident yet Trembling Fear

The human heart is prone to many misplaced and misguided fears. In today’s passage, Jesus reminds us that there’s one fear, the Fear of the Lord, that can free us from all our other fears. Jesus shows us how, as Christians, we can face our lives without fear, under the care of the Father, in the forgiveness of the Son and with the comfort of the Spirit.

So often we can begin following Gods law with a pure heart and motive only to see it devolve into a meaningless ritual at best and idolatry at worst. In today’s passage Jesus strongly rebuke those who claim to love God, so they keep His law. In reality, they love the law, and the status that following it affords, well above God or His people.

In this passage, Jesus rebukes the generation of people in His day who failed to put their faith in Him, regardless of all the signs and evidence they had been given to prove Jesus as God’s holy servant. They kept demanding that Jesus give them a sign from heaven to authenticate His ministry. But Jesus refused to give them any sign except the greatest sign of all, the resurrection. God had clearly and brightly lit the light of the gospel through the life of His Son, thus it was up to the people to make sure their hearts were open, ready and willing to embrace this light. But Just as Jesus revealed their hearts were wicked and full of sin, so our hearts are as well. Our only hope is Jesus and the gospel. Only Christ can help us in our faith and wickedness to draw to Him. He has drawn near to us; all we need is to open our hearts to receive Him and continue in Him.