Luke 7:29-35
Preaching People Like
We have been studying the book of Luke for some time. What I have
observed is that Luke has been presenting the Jewish Jesus to his
Gentiles readers—some for the first time. So we have seen Jesus in
many different ways - The personal Lord, the Lord of the Sabbath,
the Lord even over Distances, and so forth.
This text is different. In this text, Jesus gave His view of the
people to which He had come. That is exactly what Jesus started out
by saying in \\#31\\.
In this text, we have principal and a truth. Let’s notice the truth
first.
I. The Truth - The men of Jesus’ day could not be satisfied with any
of God’s messengers.
A. Jesus had walked with these people for more than thirty years.
B. Even more, Jesus is God and knew the hearts of men.
C. In John the Baptist and Jesus, we have two completely different
men.
1. \\#33-34\\ These two lived in two totally different worlds.
a. John lived in the desert, the uninhabited lands of
Israel. Jesus lived mostly in cities, surrounded by
people most of the time.
b. They had different diets.
(1) John ate locusts and wild honey. That probably
was not all that John ate but part of it. While
the word for "locust" is used to speak of the
insect, many believe that it is also a reference
to a certain kind of tree and the fruit it grew
in the wilderness Regardless, John’s diet was
plain and of the land.
(2) The Bible tells us that Jesus sat at meat with
Pharisees and publicans. I am certain that was
not a regular occurrence but the fact that Jesus
could sit in such a gathering indicates that He
was different than John.
c. John’s clothing was rough, camel skin. He dressed
like Elijah, whom the Bible described as a hairy man
with a leather girdle girt about him. Jesus’
clothing at the cross was a woven garment without a
seam, a rare and costly garment that the Roman
guards did not want to cut into pieces.
2. But the men in Jesus’ day, rejected them both. They could
not find any common ground between the two.
a. John was different and they called him demon
possessed, i.e. "He hath a devil" \\#33\\.
b. Jesus was different and they called Him worldly and
carnal, "winebibber and glutton" \\#34\\.
3. I would think that most every man could have identified
with either John or Jesus.
a. If you are country, you could identify with John.
b. If you were city, you could identify with Jesus.
c. Rough, isolationist, naturalist - John.
d. Refined, enjoy company, like the indoors - Jesus.
e. But Jesus was sharing that the people of Jesus’ day
seemed incompatible with both!
f. Why?
4. Because it was not the men that the people rejected but
their message.
a. Their messages were identical.
(1) John came preaching repent. Jesus preached the
same message.
(2) John preached the kingdom was at hand. Jesus
preached the same message.
(3) John preached that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus
did not disagree.
(4) John pointed people to Jehovah God. Jesus is
Jehovah God.
b. Their message is our message.
(1) Both men called the people sinners.
(2) Both men spoke of judgment for sin.
(3) Both demanded repentance, a turning from sin.
(4) Both preached that Jesus was the only Savior.
c. I have never figured out what is about that simple
message that people hate.
(1) I know people like to think of themselves as
better than we are so the thought that they are
actually sinners is disliked.
(2) I know that people do not to be held accountable
for their actions so judgment is disliked.
(3) I know that people do like having to admit they
are wrong so the thought of repentance is
disliked.
(4) I know that people do not like to be limited to
one way and so they dislike the thought that
Jesus is the only Way to God.
(5) Any one of these truths by itself would cause
some backlash by people, but all four of them
together seems to cause such a hatred that it is
beyond comprehension.
5. The people in Jesus’ day were so angry, it distorted their
vision.
(a) They saw John possessed with a demon but the Bible
makes it clear that he was possessed with the Holy
Ghost.
(b) They saw Jesus as a drunk and a glutton.
(c) You cannot see things any more distorted than that!
II. The men in Jesus’ day seem different from the men in our day.
A. I know that there are some of every kind of men in every
generation.
1. What Jesus was describing was the predominate
characteristic of men to spiritual things in His day.
2. There are still some like that today, but that is not the
predominate characteristic today.
B. Paul wrote about the primary characteristic of our day.
2Tim 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season,
out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not
endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts
shall they heap to themselves teachers, having
itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the
truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
1. \\#3\\ "the time will come" indicated that this was not
the way it was in Paul’s time but it will come one day in
the future.
2. We are not like Jesus’ day.
a. Nothing satisfied the people in His day, but some
thing does today.
b. People today like the messages that scratch their itchy
ears.
c. Few things annoy like an itch. It is constant and
annoying.
d. But few things so good as an itch that is scratched.
3. \\#4\\ Paul said it would be "fable" preaching.
a. A fable is a made up story. It can have some truth to
it but the bulk of it is just imagination.
b. Name-it-and-claim-it preaching, feel-good preaching,
easy-believism preaching, salvation-without-
repentance preaching—they are all from the same
vein.
c. They are fable preaching, a little truth sprinkled in
with a lot of imagination.
4. Whereas the people in Jesus’ day were not satisfied with
anything, the people today are very satisfied with fable
preaching.
a. They give money to such churches and attend them.
b. They defend such preachers and work to create more of
them.
c. They condemn preachers, churches, and preaching that
is anything else but fable preaching.
III. But people will change at least one more time.
A. Even though the preaching against sin has been watered down
for many years and the prosperity gospel has been growing for
many years, I’m given to believe that least most of those
preaching still believe that Jesus is God and Savior.
B. Peter described a departure from even that.
2Pe 2:1 But there were false prophets also among
the people, even as there shall be false teachers
among you, who privily shall bring in damnable
heresies, EVEN DENYING THE LORD
that bought them, and bring upon themselves
swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways;
by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil
spoken of.
1. It will one day soon be common for preachers standing
in pulpits or mosh pits to deny that Jesus is the Lord!
2. And their congregation will accept and prefer that.
C. I know that is almost inconceivable but the Bible says it
will be true.
1. Perhaps they will still call themselves "Christians’ or
"the church" but they will deny Jesus’ person!
2. I guess that should not surprise us.
3. Anything that is true today seems hated not just in
religion, but in history, science, finance, medicine,
even math!
4. And I think the reason why is because truth limits. If
the sky is blue, it can’t be green. If the grass is
green, it cannot be blue.
5. Perhaps that is the reason Jesus referred to Himself as
the way, the TRUTH, the Life.
D. And that takes us back to where we started, The people
rejected John and Jesus, two very different people, because
their message was the message of truth.
IV. The Principal - How you respond to God’s message either justifies
God or calls Him a liar.
Luke 7:29 And all the people that heard him, and
the publicans, justified God, being baptized with
the baptism of John.
30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the
counsel of God against themselves, being not
baptized of him.
A. The word "justified" comes right out of the verse.
1. It means to prove as innocent, as right, or as correct.
2. If you believe what God has said you say, "God is right"
3. If you reject what God says, you say, "God is a Liar."
4. That might not seem like much of a crime in today’s world
but God takes it very seriously.
a. To insult God is to blaspheme God.
b. To blaspheme God is to combat God.
c. To combat God is to suffer damnation.
B. Those who reject God’s truth also do so "against themselves."
1. \\#30\\ Again, right out of the verse.
2. Reject what God says and you hurt yourself.
Let me close by saying, "Please do not hurt yourself anymore."
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