“RECOGNIZE THY VISITATION”
“Recognizing the Presence of Christ”
Luke 19:41-44
Fr. Christopher M. Nerreau
Illustration: When I was about 13years old I got into deer hunting. I was trained by a very fine hunter who took time to teach me to shoot, scout and prepare my game. He showed me how to avoid being seen, smelled or heard. He taught me where to go, how to remain still and move slowly. But in all of my years I never got a single shot at a deer. The reason, the deer were prepared for my VISITATION to the woods. They were cautious; they were constantly prepared for me. In a similar way God has called us to be prepared for His visitation. We are to be prepared to receive Him when He visits us. Unfortunately many people through the love of this world and the desires of their own selfish hearts are blinded to Christ’s presence in this world.
• In today’s gospel we find Christ weeping (Original Greek “burst into tears”) as He approaches the city of Jerusalem. (v.41) why was He weeping?
• Because He foresaw the terrible judgments of those who had not recognized the time of [His] visitation. (v.44)
Proposition: The same judgments that befell Jerusalem will befall those who refuse to recognize the time of Christ’s visitation.
Interrogative sentence: Today I ask you, do you recognize the Lord Jesus Christ’s visitation in your own life?
Sermon Preview: In our sermon today will see the parallels between the judgment of Jerusalem and that of the lives of those who recognize not Thy visitation:
1. SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS (v.42)
2. SPIRITUAL ISOLATION (v.43)
3. SPIRITUAL DESTRUCTION (v. 44)
Transitional Sentence: Firstly, not recognizing Thy visitation can lead to…
I. SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS (v.41)
Explanation: THE BIBLE SAYS: Luke 19:41 – “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.” God has hidden Christ’s visitation because of unbelief…
• THE BIBLE SAYS: Romans 1:18 - “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (suppression causes blindness)
• “If you had known this day” - Their unbelief caused God to turn them over to the desires of their hearts (wrath of God) causing spiritual blindness. This blindness was so severe they could not see the opportunity of grace being afforded them in Christ, even in His visitation.
• “Even you” – Jesus emphasized the fact that these were His own people, chosen by God and entrusted with the oracles of God, and yet even they had fallen into spiritual blindness.
o THE BIBLE SAYS: John 1:11 –“He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”
• “the things which make for peace!” – The peace to which Jesus is referring is peace with God. He is the means of reconciliation with God that the prophets spoke of:
o THE BIBLE SAYS: 2 Cor. 5:19 – “that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them…”
Illustration: I have a friend who is colorblind; his eyes cannot perceive the color green. In a similar way the hearts of the unbelieving Jews cannot perceive Christ’s arrival. The cure for colorblind is to trust those who see color, the same is true for the spiritually blind.
Application: So we see the judgment of God begins with spiritual blindness for all whose hearts are unbelieving, who suppress the truth of Christ. If God did not spare His own nation, will he spare you? The cause of spiritual blindness is unbelief and the cure for spiritual blindness is trust! Do you need to trust in Christ?
Transition: The judgment of God on unbelief is spiritual blindness. It is also.
II. SPIRITUAL ISOLATION (v. 43)
Explanation: Jesus weeps as He see their spiritual blindness causing their enemy to surround and isolate them.
THE BIBLE SAYS – “(v.43) “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side…”
• In 70 ad this is exactly what happened as Rome surrounded the city of Jerusalem with close to 20,000 troops. This did not happen overnight; imagine watched from the walls of Jerusalem as each day thousands of new troops were added.
• The Jewish nation lived in absolute fear as they saw a good portion of the Roman army surrounding the city. There spiritual blindness and a life of peace had escaped them due to unbelief and now they find their enemies all about them.
• THE BIBLE SAYS – 1 Peter 5:8 “…be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Illustration: If you have ever watched the national geographic channel you will find that predatory animals move in packs, they look for a troubled animal of prey, isolate it from the others and then surround it. This is no different than the enemy of our souls. Seeing our unbelief the devil and his demons isolate us on every side and then surround us.
Application: Jesus wept as He approached Jerusalem because He foresaw the enemy of God’s people closing in on them. The Jewish nation lived in constant fear not knowing the “things which make for peace!”
• This very real event occurred in 70 ad, but it continues to occur every day.
• Today are you surrounded in on every side?
o Creditors, broken relationships, sexual promiscuity, drugs, alcohol
• You wonder – “how did this happen?” You are isolated from God! It is through spiritually blindness caused by unbelief. Because of this you know not the visitation of Christ and the things that make for peace!
Transition: The judgment of God for unbelief is blindness, isolation and also
III. SPIRITUAL DESTRUCTION (v.44)
Explanation: Finally, Jesus weeps before Jerusalem because He see’s there fate, total destruction.
THE BIBLE SAYS – (v. 43) “and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another.”
• Finally in 73 ad the Romans completed the destruction of the city of Jerusalem. They destroyed the temple and not a single stone was left standing.
• Those Jews who survived we either displaced or living under Roman oppression until the day they died.
• The former days of glory had past and the Jewish people found themselves just existing day to day.
Illustration: This is the final destruction that awaits those who neglect to recognize the time of Our Lords visitation, through unbelief. They may be alive but they are just existing, miserable and waiting for the final judgment.
This person can be a bum on the side of the road a family in the front pew. This is not about appearances, the Jews had large stone walls to protect the city, we have appearance to protect us. Both have and will fail.
Application: Are you or someone you love just existing today?
• Living but not alive, spiritually dead and just waiting for your physical death to become official.
• This is the final destiny for all those who through their own unbelief and hard hearts neglect the time of THY visitation.
• This is the final judgment of God upon those who willfully reject the coming of Christ, the Prince of Peace.
• This story of Christ’s triumphal entry is not a story of Joy but of turmoil.
Conclusion: Today we have seen that the fate of the Jewish nation that rejected the time of Our Lord’s visitation.
Restate Proposition: The same judgments that befell Jerusalem befall those who refuse to recognize the time of Christ’s visitation.
Restate Main Points: The judgments include…
1. SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS (v.42)
2. SPIRITUAL ISOLATION (v.43)
3. SPIRITUAL DESTRUCTION (v. 44)
Final Application: There two accounts of Christ weeping in the bible both were over the death of His people. But He did not simply weep over there death but rather that this had to occur at all.
• There is hope! Christ is visiting us today!
• The Bible Says -
o Come to me all you who are weary and troubled and I will give you rest.…
o About Jesus – “I am the way the truth and the life…”
o “Today is the day of salvation….”
o “Do not be unbelieving…”
o “For God so loved the world…”
• There is hope!
• Today let us cease to be unbelieving, for to trust in Christ will:
o Remove SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS – (Scales fell from Paul’s eyes)
o DESTROY SPIRITUAL ISOLATION – (Walk in the light we have fellowship…)
o AVOID SPIRITUAL DESTRUCTION – (Will be “Saved”)
• Today’s sermon is a call for Christian renewal, to avoid a life of existence and to embrace a life of peace in Christ.
• Today if you hear His voice, harden not your hearts… For today is the day of salvation. AMEN!
