SURVIVAL Of An ACTIVE GOSPEL MINISTRY—Luke 3:15-22
Attention:
A Scout Master was teaching his Boy Scouts about survival in the desert.
"What are the three most important things you should bring with you in case you get lost in the desert?" he asked. Several hands went up, & many important things were suggested, such as food, matches, etc.
Then one little boy in the back eagerly raised his hand. "Yes Timmy, what are the three most important things you would bring with you?" asked the Scout Master.
Timmy replied: "A compass, a canteen of water, & a deck of cards."
"Why's that Timmy?"
"Well," answered Timmy, "the compass is to find the right direction, the water is to prevent dehydration..."
"And what about the deck of cards?" asked the Scout Master impatiently.
"Well, sir, as soon as you start playing solitaire, someone is bound to come up behind you & say, "Put that red nine on top of that black ten!"
Previously in Luke(3:10-14) we had discovered that Practicing for God’s Visitation requires believers to gauge their readiness by various inventories which are....‘PERSONAL’(:10, 12, 14), ‘BALANCE’(:11), ‘MOTIVATION’(:12-13), ‘POWER’(:14), & ‘CONTENTMENT’(:14b).
John the Baptist decisively/positively identified the Christ.
Active ministry must survive/endure a decisive identification of the Christ.
What must/does active Gospel ministry survive/endure?
5 survival/endurance tips for decisively identifying the Christ.
1—Active Gospel Ministry must survive/endure/weather...
INTERPRETATIONs(:15)
Explanation: (:15) Reasonings
:15—“Now as the people were in expectation, & all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not,”
“The people”—those who had approached John for baptism—are not specifically named as had been the tax collectors & soldiers(:12-14).
These were in “expectation” or anticipation of the arrival of the Christ & regarding John’s full purpose in relation to it. They had taken care of their own spiritual preparedness thru his baptism, but they were unsure of John’s relation to the Christ. They “reasoned” that he may even be the Christ himself but they did not know certainly.
“People”(See :18)—laov—N. m.—1) A people, people group, tribe, nation, all those who are of the same stock & language; 2) Of a great part of the population gathered together anywhere. Strong—apparently a primary word; A people (in general; thus differing from dhmov, which denotes one's own populace).
“Expectation”—prosdokaw—V.—1) To expect (whether in thought, in hope, or in fear); 2) To look for, wait for. Strong—To anticipate (in thought, hope or fear); by implication, To await. Used 16X.
From— prov(toward) & dokeuw (to watch)= ‘watch toward.’
“Reasoned”—dialogizomai—V.—Genitive 1) To bring together different reasons, to reckon up the reasons, to reason, revolve in one's mind, deliberate. Strong—To reckon thoroughly, i.e. (genitive case) To deliberate (by reflection or discussion). Used 16X.
“Hearts”—kardia—1) The heart—1a) That organ in the animal body which is the centre of the circulation of the blood, & hence was regarded as the seat of physical life, 1b) denotes The center of all physical & spiritual life, 1c) Of the middle or central or inmost part of anything, even though inanimate. Strong—The heart, i.e. (figuratively) The thoughts or feelings (mind); also (by analogy) The middle.
“Whether or not”—mhpote—1) That ... not, lest, whether perhaps, whether or not, in no way, perhaps. Strong—Not ever; Also if (or lest) ever (or perhaps).
“Christ”—Cristov—Adj.—Christ = “Anointed.” Strong—Anointed, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.
Argumentation:
If we do not resolve to seek the absolute truth of God, we will settle for the lie of Satan & we have aided his cause against Christ!
Misinterpretation:
Ps. 49:16-20—“Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him. Though while he lives he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself), He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light. A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, Is like the beasts that perish.”
Ps. 92:5-6—“O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep. A senseless man does not know, Nor does a fool understand this.”
*Prov. 28:5—“Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the LORD understand all.”
Mat. 13:13-17—““Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, & hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. “And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear & shall not understand, And seeing you will see & not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes & hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts & turn, So that I should heal them[Isa. 6:9-10].’ “But blessed are your eyes for they see, & your ears for they hear; “for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets & righteous men desired to see what you see, & did not see it, & to hear what you hear, & did not hear it.”
Mat. 15:17—““Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach & is eliminated?”
Mat. 16:9-11—““Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand & how many baskets you took up?” Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand & how many large baskets you took up?” ““How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?--but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees & Sadducees.””
Mk. 4:13—“And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?”
Lk. 9:45—“But they did not understand this saying, & it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; & they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.”
Jn. 12:16—“His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him & that they had done these things to Him.”
Mat. 12:5—““Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, & are blameless?”
Mat. 19:3-6—“The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, & saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” And He answered & said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male & female,’ “& said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father & mother & be joined to his wife, & the two shall become one flesh’? “So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.””
Mat. 22:31-32—““But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, & the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.””
Correct Interpretation:
Jn. 14:26—““But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, & bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
Jn. 14:16-18—““And I will pray the Father, & He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you & will be in you. “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
Jn. 16:7-15—““Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, & of righteousness, & of judgment: “of sin, because they do not believe in Me; “of righteousness, because I go to My Father & you see Me no more; “of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; & He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine & declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine & declare it to you.”
2Tim. 2:15—“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Illustration:
Karl Barth—“God save me from the Barthians!”
Going on a vacation poorly prepared—Too much OR the wrong kind of luggage/Your idea of a ‘vacation’ may mean different things to different people!/If I pack my bags for a vacation & discover I am being taken to Alaska, I would be waaaay underdressed because vacation for me would picture a sweltering beach location!/INTERPRETATIONs
People have different ideas of what a ‘long walk’ or a ‘short walk’ is/INTERPRETATIONs
Application:
?Does Your Gospel ministry survive/endure/weather INTERPRETATIONs?
?Your Gospel ministry Active & Enduring?
2—Active Gospel Ministry must survive/endure/weather...
COMPARISONs(:16)
Explanation: (:16)
:16—“John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit & fire.”
Either John knew the people’s concerns or they voiced their concerns to him directly. Either way they discovered the answers they sought.
John willingly told them that he was not the Christ. The Christ would arrive at a later(undisclosed) time than John. John let the people know these facts by a comparison of his ministry versus that of the coming Christ’s.
John admitted that he merely baptized “with water”
(ceremony/symbolic) This is a statement that places his work/baptism/ministry within the framework of Judaism’s self-realization in relation to God with mechanistic behavioral law.
John also admits that the Christ Himself will be “mightier” in comparison to himself, or rather mightier in relation to purpose.
To highlight the distance between the two ministries, John claims that he is not “worthy” of of even the menial slavic task of loosing the sandal strap of the coming Christ.
John’s baptism “with water” will be outright trumped by the Christ’s baptism. Mere water immersion will be overshadowed by immersion “with the Holy Spirit & fire.”
Mere immersion at one’s fleshly promise is really no more than a fleshly new year’s resolution. A promise ‘with no teeth‘ as it were. Such a baptism is overwhelmed by “Holy Spirit” baptism. Such a baptism will answer/fulfill Jeremiah’s prophecy of the New Covenant(Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:7-13), as it will seal one’s personal experience with God for life. It will simultaneously signify that personal iniquity will be forgiven & forgotten forever. These facts are specifically borne out thruout the New Testament.
The “fire” associated with the Christ’s baptism by virtue of its very nature will either burn an individual with the fire of hell or will eternally remove the dross from one’s life in readiness for their eternal place in heaven.
Both “Holy Spirit & fire” thus work in tandem & one cannot be had without the other. Or rather one is the result of the other.
John has tremendous insight to the Christ. However John cannot name Him as His exact identity has not been revealed to the prophet as of yet. However John’s gospel reveals that on the very “next day”(Jn. 1:29) after these statements(Lk. 3:3ff), the identity of the Christ is revealed. The Christ is revealed with certainty to be “Jesus”(Lk. 3:21-22; Jn. 1:29ff).
Jn. 1:29-34—“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, & said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! “This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ “I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, & He remained upon Him. “I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, & remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ “And I have seen & testified that this is the Son of God.””
A grand provisional part of John’s baptismal ministry was for the unquestioned positive identification of the Christ.
“John saw the Messiah's coming as a judgment upon the world like fire & the fan of the thrashing-floor, & with unquenchable fire for the chaff (Lk. 3:17; Mat. 3:12). But he had the spiritual conception also, the baptism in the Holy Spirit which will characterize the Messiah's Mission & so will far transcend the water baptism which marked the ministry of John.”—RWP
“Indeed”—men—Particle—1) Truly, certainly, surely, indeed. Strong—a primary particle; properly, Indicative of affirmation or concession (in fact); usually followed by a contrasted clause with de (this one, the former, etc).
“Baptize”2X—baptizw—V.—1) To dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk); 2) To cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one's self, bathe; 3) To overwhelm. Strong—To immerse, submerge; To make overwhelmed (i.e. fully wet); used only (in the N.T.) Of ceremonial ablution, especially (technically) Of the ordinance of Christian baptism.
From a derivative of baptw—a primary verb; To overwhelm, i.e. Cover wholly with a fluid; in the N.T. only in a qualified or specially, sense, i.e. (literally) To moisten (a part of one's person), or (by implication) To stain (as with dye).
“Nicander[~200 BC] says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be 'dipped' (bapto) into boiling water & then 'baptised' (baptizo) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptising the vegetable, produces a permanent change....There must be a union with him, a real change, like the vegetable to the pickle!”
“Water”—udwr—1) Water. Strong—Water (as if rainy) literally or figuratively.
“Mightier/More powerful”—iscurov—Adj.—1) Strong, mighty. Strong—Forcible (literally or figuratively).
“Coming”—ercomai—1) To come—1a) Of persons—1a1) To come from one place to another, & used both of persons arriving & of those returning, 1a2) To appear, make one's appearance, come before the public; 2) metaph.—2a) To come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence, 2b) Be established, become known, to come (fall) into or unto; 3) To go, to follow one. denotes motion or progress generally, & of any sort, hence to "come" & arrive at, as well as "to go." Strong—To come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally & figuratively)
“Sandal”—upodhma—1) What is bound under, a sandal, a sole fastened to the foot with thongs. used 10X.
“Strap/Latchet/Thong”—imav—1) A thong of leather, a strap—1a) in the NT Of the thongs with which captives or criminals were either bound or beaten, 1b) Of the thongs or ties by which sandals were fastened to the feet. Strong—A strap, i.e. (specially) The tie (of a sandal) or the lash (of a scourge). Used 4X.
“Worthy/Fit”—ikanov—1) Sufficient—1a) Many enough, enough, 1b) Sufficient in ability, i.e. Meet, fit. Strong—Competent (as if coming in season), i.e. Ample (in amount) or Fit (in character).
From— ikw [ikanw or ikneomai, akin to hkw] (to arrive).
“Loose/Unloose/Untie”—luw—1) To loose any person (or thing) tied or fastened; 2) To loose one bound, i.e. To unbind, release from bonds, set free; 3) To loosen, undo, dissolve, anything bound, tied, or compacted together. Strong—To "loosen" (literally or figuratively).
“Holy Spirit”(pneumati agiw)—agiov—1) Most holy thing, a saint. Strong—Sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated).—&— pneuma—Adj.—Strong—A current of air, i.e. Breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, A spirit, i.e. (human) The rational soul, (by implication) Vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) An angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit.
“Fire”(See :17)—pur—1)Fire. Strong—a primary word; “Fire” (literally or figuratively, specifically, lightning).
Argumentation:
Jn. 3:26-31—“And they came to John & said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified--behold, He is baptizing, & all are coming to Him!” John answered & said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands & hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. “He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly & speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.”
1Pet. 5:1-4—“The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder & a witness of the sufferings of Christ, & also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; & when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”
1Tim. 3:1-13—“This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach & the snare of the devil. Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children & their own houses well. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing & great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
Col. 1:13-18—“He has delivered us from the power of darkness & conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven & that are on earth, visible & invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him & for Him. And He is before all things, & in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”
Illustration:
What 1st kept me from ministry—Comparing myself to noteworthy & famous radio pastors(John MacArthur, Chuck Swindoll, Ravi Zacharias, etc.) rather than honoring Christ by faith!/COMPARISONs
Application:
?Does Your Gospel ministry survive/endure/weather COMPARISONs?
?Your Gospel ministry Active & Enduring?
3—Active Gospel Ministry must survive/endure/weather...
SEPARATION(:17-18)
Explanation: (:17-18) God’s Public Plan/Exhortative
:17—“His winnowing fan is in His hand, & He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, & gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”
The specific “Holy Spirit” & firey action of the Christ’s ministry is compared. It will be as the farmer who processes his crop of “wheat.” He uses a “winnowing fan” to forcefully toss the grain(with its attached chaff) into the air. The action of tossing the grain &, while briefly in the air, the prevailing wind removes the lighter chaff. The farmer thus will leave no trace of chaff attached the wheat grain. Likewise there will be no “chaff” attached to or remaining with the wheat.
“When the grain & straw, not as yet separated, are thrown into the air, the wind causes the mass of material to fall as follows: Since the grain is the heaviest, it naturally falls beneath the fan. The straw is blown to the side into a heap, & the lighter chaff & the dust are carried beyond into a flattened windrow.”—Manners And Customs of Bible Lands
The Christ will use a similar process on a spiritual level. Such a process separates those who are desired(of God) in opposition to those who are unusable to God. Per the Christ’s “baptism,” all wheat will be separated, “gathered” & stored properly. Likewise the separated “chaff” will be “burned” completely as is standard practice. The fire is unquenchable so that none can possibly escape such separation & consumption.
“Winnowing fan/Fan/Winnowing fork”—ptuon—N. n.—A winnowing shovel. Strong—A winnowing-fork (as scattering like spittle). Used 2X.
“In His hand”—ceir—1) By the help or agency of any one, by means of any one; 2) fig. applied to God symbolising his might, activity, power. Strong—The hand (literally or figuratively [power]; Especially [by Hebraism] a means or instrument).
“Thoroughly clean out/Thoroughly purge/Thoroughly clear/Clear”—diakayarizw—1) To cleanse thoroughly. Strong—To cleanse perfectly, i.e. (specially) Winnow. Used 2X.
“Threshing floor”—alwn—1) A ground plot or threshing floor, i.e. A place in the field made hard after the harvest by a roller, where grain was threshed out. Strong—A threshing-floor (as rolled hard), i.e. (figuratively) The grain (& chaff, as just threshed). Used 2X.
“Gather”—sunagw—1) To gather together, to gather; 2) To bring together, assemble, collect; 3) To lead with one's self. Strong—To lead together, i.e. Collect or convene; specifically, To entertain (hospitably).
“Wheat”—sitov—Wheat, grain. Strong—Grain, especially wheat. Used 14X.
“Barn”—apoyhkh—1) A place in which anything is laid by or up; 2) A storehouse, granary. Strong—A repository, i.e. Granary. Used 6X.
“Chaff”—acuron—1) A stalk of grain from which the kernels have been beaten out; 2) Straw broken up by a threshing machine, chaff. Used 2X.
“Burn”—katakaiw—1) To burn up, consume by fire. Strong—To burn down (to the ground), i.e. Consume wholly. Used 12X.
“Unquenchable”—asbestov—Adj.—1) Unquenched, unquenchable—1a) Of eternal hell fire to punish the damned. Strong—Not extinguished, i.e. (by implication) Perpetual. Used 4X.
“Fire”(See :16)—pur—1)Fire. Strong—a primary word; “Fire” (literally or figuratively, specifically, lightning).
:18—“And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.”
John used “many” pictures such as the winnowing procedure to describe the ministry of the Christ. John did this for the sake of those who would listen intently. John wanted the people to be sufficiently prepared beyond their current preparation per his water baptism.
All John’s pictures were “exhortations” for the sake of the people. His “exhortations” came by means of “preaching” or bringing ‘good news’ of these truths directly to the people.
*We must ask ourselves what true ‘preaching’ is because for many it is related mostly to style & social norms—a foreign concept to the word itself.
John is declaring God’s revelation by the manner thru which he himself is most effective.
Let us heed the Good News regardless of the style or personality by which it is delivered or arrives. God’s Good News is indeed Good News!
Mat. 11:16-19—““But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces & calling to their companions, “& saying: ‘We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.’ “For John came neither eating nor drinking, & they say, ‘He has a demon.’ “The Son of Man came eating & drinking, & they say, ‘Look, a glutton & a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors & sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.””
“Many”—poluv—Adj.—1) Many, much, large. “Literally, many & different things”—RWP
“Exhortations”—parakalew—1) To call to one's side, call for, summon; 2) To address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc.. To call near, i.e. Invite, invoke (by imploration, hortation or consolation).
“Preached”—euaggelizw—1) To bring good news, to announce glad tidings. Strong—To announce good news ("evangelize") especially the gospel.
“People”(See :15)—laov—N. m.—1) A people, people group, tribe, nation, all those who are of the same stock & language; 2) Of a great part of the population gathered together anywhere. Strong—apparently a primary word; A people (in general; thus differing from dhmov, which denotes one's own populace).
Argumentation:
Mat. 13:47-50—““Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea & gathered some of every kind, “which, when it was full, they drew to shore; & they sat down & gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. “So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, “& cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing & gnashing of teeth.””
Mat. 13:24-30; 36-43—“Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came & sowed tares among the wheat & went his way. But when the grain had sprouted & produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came & said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go & gather them up?’ “But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. ‘Let both grow together until the harvest, & at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares & bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’””.....“Then Jesus sent the multitude away & went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” vHe answered & said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, & the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered & burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, & they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, & those who practice lawlessness, & will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing & gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Mat. 24:29-31—““Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, & the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, & the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, & then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, & they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power & great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, & they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Mat. 22:2-14—““The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, & sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; & they were not willing to come. “Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen & fatted cattle are killed, & all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”’ “But they made light of it & went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, & killed them. “But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, & burned up their city. “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. ‘Therefore go into the highways, & as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ “So those servants went out into the highways & gathered together all whom they found, both bad & good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. “So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’[he slipped in uninvited] And he was speechless. “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand & foot, take him away, & cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping & gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.””
Mat. 25:31-46—““When the Son of Man comes in His glory, & all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, & He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ‘for I was hungry & you gave Me food; I was thirsty & you gave Me drink; I was a stranger & you took Me in; ‘I was naked & you clothed Me; I was sick & you visited Me; I was in prison & you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry & feed You, or thirsty & give You drink? ‘When did we see You a stranger & take You in, or naked & clothe You? ‘Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, & come to You?’ “And the King will answer & say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil & his angels: ‘for I was hungry & you gave Me no food; I was thirsty & you gave Me no drink; ‘I was a stranger & you did not take Me in, naked & you did not clothe Me, sick & in prison & you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, & did not minister to You?’ “Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.””
2Thess. 1:3-10—“We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, & the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience & faith in all your persecutions & tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, & to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, & on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord & from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints & to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.”
Rev. 20:10-15—“The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire & brimstone where the beast & the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day & night forever & ever.” “Then I saw a great white throne & Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth & the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small & great, standing before God, & books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, & Death & Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death & Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Illustration:
Cotton cannot be used with the seed attached/Eli Whitney’s 1794 Cotton gin/First to efficiently separate the fiber from the seed & vice-versa/SEPARATION
Application:
?Does Your Gospel ministry survive/endure/weather SEPARATION?
?Your Gospel ministry Active & Enduring?
4—Active Gospel Ministry must survive/endure/weather...
POLITICAL ATTENTION/Interference(:19-20)
Explanation: (:19-20) Action/Oppression/Correctness
:19—“But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, & for all the evils which Herod had done,”
At this time “Herod’s” son, Herod Antipas is now “tetrarch” of Galilee(See 3:1 above).
“Herod” here is Herod Antipas(4AD—39AD), a son of Herod the Great(37BC—4AD) of Jesus’ birth. Antipas ruled Galilee & Perea—From Jerusalem northward on both sides of the Jordan.
John had openly “rebuked” Herod Antipas or at least his actions. He had reprimanded him particularly for the “evils” of 1)Divorcing his wife(daughter of Aretas IV of Nabatea) in order to marry Herodias. Likewise Herodias divorced Antipas’ half-brother Philip(tetrarch of Ituraea & Trachonitis(Batanea)) to marry Antipas. Antipas therefore married his sister-in-law. & 2)“For all the” manifold “evils” of which Antipas was author & in which he participated. One noteworthy such sin, which was a part of Antipas’ repertoire, is mentioned in the next verse.
Lev. 18:6-17—“‘None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the LORD. ‘The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness. ‘The nakedness of your father’s wife you shall not uncover; it is your father’s nakedness. ‘The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover. ‘The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for theirs is your own nakedness. ‘The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, begotten by your father--she is your sister--you shall not uncover her nakedness. ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is near of kin to your father. ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is near of kin to your mother. ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law--she is your son’s wife--you shall not uncover her nakedness. ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman & her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness. They are near of kin to her. It is wickedness.”
“Rebuked/Reproved”—elegcw—1) To convict, refute, confute—1a) Generally with a suggestion of shame of the person convicted, 1b) By conviction to bring to the light, to expose; 2) To find fault with, correct. Elegcw.....to rebuke with sufficient cause, & also effectually, so as to bring the one rebuked to a confession or at least a conviction of sin. In other words, it means to convince. Strong—To confute, admonish.
“Evils”—ponhrov—Adj.—Gen. Pl. Neut.—1) Full of labors, annoyances, hardships; 2) Bad, of a bad nature or condition. Ponhrov is a word at once stronger & more active than kakov, it means mischief-making, delighting in injury, doing evil to others, dangerous, destructive. Kakov describes the quality according to its nature, ponhrov, according to its effects. Strong—Hurtful, i.e. Evil (properly, in effect or influence); figuratively, Calamitous; also (passively) Ill, i.e. Diseased; but especially (morally) Culpable, i.e. Derelict, vicious, facinorous; neuter (singular) Mischief, malice, or (plural) Guilt; masculine (singular) The devil, or (plural) Sinners.
“Done”—poiew—1) To make; 2) To do. Strong—To make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct).
:20—“also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.”
Herod Antipas also had John confined to “prison” because of his stinging “rebukes.” John’s imprisonment is stated & elucidated elsewhere in Mat. 4:12; Mat. 11:2-3; Mat. 14:3-5; Mk. 6:17-20.
Mat. 4:12—“Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.”
Mat. 11:2-3—“And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples & said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?””
Mat. 14:3-5—“For Herod had laid hold of John & bound him, & put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.”
Mk. 6:17-20—“For Herod himself had sent & laid hold of John, & bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her. For John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Therefore Herodias held it against him & wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just & holy man, & he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, & heard him gladly.”
This additional “evil”(:19) of Antipas’s is itself noteworthy because Antipas attempts to ‘shut down’ John’s ministry & its scathing “rebuke” of his own behaviors.
Antipas would later have John put death(Mat. 14:5-12) for petty reasons.
“Added”—prostiyhmi—1) To put to; 2) To add—2a) i.e. To join to, gather with any company, the number of one's followers or companions—2a1) he was Gathered to his fathers i.e. Died. Strong—To place additionally, i.e. Lay beside, annex, repeat.
“Shut up”—katakleiw—V.—1) To shut up, confine. Strong—To shut down (in a dungeon), i.e. Incarcerate. Used 2X.
This verb literally means shut down, possibly with a reference to closing down the door of the dungeon, though it makes sense as a perfective use of the preposition, like our "shut up" without a strict regard to the idea of "down."—RWP
“Prison”—fulakh—N. f.—1) Guard, watch. Strong—A guarding or (concretely, guard), The act, the person; figuratively, The place, the condition, or (specifically) The time (as a division of day or night), literally or figuratively.
Argumentation/Illustration:
‘Political Correctness’ is damning to both the Christian & the Christian faith!
Mk. 15:6-15—“Now at the feast[Passover & Feast of Unleavened Bread] he[Pontius Pilate—governor of Judea] was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion. Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them. But Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. Pilate answered and said to them again, “What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” So they cried out again, “Crucify Him!” Then Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!” So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.”
Application:
?Does Your Gospel ministry survive/endure/weather POLITICAL ATTENTION/Interference?
?Your Gospel ministry Active & Enduring?
5—Active Gospel Ministry must survive/endure /weather...
INTRODUCTION To JESUS(:21-22)
Explanation: (:21-22)
:21—“When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; & while He prayed, the heaven was opened.”
Jesus Himself was baptized by John following the baptism of “all the people.” It is not important to Luke, but we are told elsewhere that John questioned Jesus’ wisdom regarding John’s preparatory water baptism.
Mat. 3:13-16—“Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, & are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered & said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; & behold, the heavens were opened to Him, & He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove & alighting upon Him.”
However, the wisdom is apparent in that as Jesus sought God His Father, that “the heaven opened.” Prayer is the means by which “the heaven was opened” to reveal the heart & mind of God in the current circumstance of Jesus’ baptism.
“Prayed”—proseucomai—1) To offer prayers, to pray. Strong—To pray to God, i.e. Supplicate, worship.
“Heaven”—ouranov—1) The vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it—1a) The universe, the world, 1b) The aerial heavens or sky, the region where the clouds & the tempests gather, & where thunder & lightning are produced, 1c) The sidereal or starry heavens; 2) The region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal & consummately perfect where God dwells & other heavenly beings. Strong—(through the idea of elevation); The sky; by extension, Heaven (as the abode of God); by implication, Happiness, power, eternity; specifically, The Gospel (Christianity).
“Opened”—anoigw—Strong—To open up (literally or figuratively, in various applications).
:22—“And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, & a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.””
Upon heaven opening, “the Holy Spirit” Himself came down “upon” Jesus. He descended in a physical bodily form that all present could witness, particularly John. A major aspect of this event was that John should recognize Jesus as the Messiah(Christ).
Along with the descent of the Spirit of God, came a “voice.” The declaration was spoken directly to Jesus in the 2nd person. God declared Jesus to be His “beloved Son.” The voice of God also directly declared to Jesus that He was “well pleased” with Him.
**Both the presence of the Holy Spirit & the Father’s(implied) declaration are an undeniable endorsement of Jesus as the Divine Anointed Son of God. There is no other.
Jesus had not yet entered His public ministry at this time.
Jn. 1:29-36—“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! “This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ “I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. “I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ “And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!””
“Descended”—katabainw—V.—1) To go down, come down, descend—1a) The place from which one has come down from, 1b) To come down—1b1) As from the temple at Jerusalem, from the city of Jerusalem, 1b2) Of celestial beings coming down to earth, 1c) To be cast down; 2) of things—2a) To come (i.e. be sent) down, 2b) To come (i.e. fall) down—2b1) From the upper regions of the air; 3) metaph.—To (go i.e.) be cast down to the lowest state of wretchedness and shame. Strong—to descend (literally or figuratively).
“Bodily form”—swmatikov—1) Corporeal, bodily,1a) Having a bodily form or nature, 1b) Pertaining to the body. Strong—Corporeal or physical. Used 2X.
(CONT...)5—Active Gospel Ministry must survive/endure /weather...
INTRODUCTION To JESUS(:21-22)
“As/Like”—wsei—1) As it were, (had been), as though, as, like as, like; 2) About, nearly—2a) Before numerals, 2b) Before a measure of time.
“Dove”—peristera—N. f.—1) A dove. Strong—of uncertain derivation; A pigeon. Used 10X.
“Upon”—epi—Prep.—1) Upon, on, at, by, before; 2) of position, On, at, by, over, against; 3) To, over, on, at, across, against. Strong—a primary preposition; properly, meaning Superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution [with the genitive case], i.e. Over, upon, etc.; of rest (with the det.) At, on, etc.; of direction (with the accusative case) Towards, upon, etc.
“Voice”—fwnh—1) a sound, a tone—1a) Of inanimate things, as musical instruments; 2) A voice—2a) Of the sound of uttered words; 3) Speech—3a) Of a language, tongue. Strong—aAtone (articulate, bestial or artificial); by implication, An address (for any purpose), saying or language.
“Beloved”—agaphtov—Adj.—1) Beloved, esteemed, dear, favorite, worthy of love.
“Son”—uiov—Gives prominence to & emphasizes the idea of relationship, and considers especially the inward, ethical, and legal aspects of parentage. Strong—apparently a primary word; A "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship.
“Well pleased”—eudokew—1) It seems good to one, is one's good pleasure—1a) Think it good, choose, determine, decide, 1b) to do willingly, 1c) To be ready to, to prefer, choose rather; 2) To be well pleased with, take pleasure in, to be favorably inclined towards one. To think well of, i.e. Approve (an act); specially, to approbate (a person or thing).
Argumentation:
Mat. 5:11-12—““Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Lk. 2:34-35—“Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against “(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.””
*Lk. 7:19-23—“And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’” And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.””
Mat. 13:55-58—““Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? “And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”
*Lk. 14:25-27—“Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”
Jn. 6:51-59—““I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. “For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. “This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.” These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.”
Illustration:
A daughter introducing her new boyfriend to her parents/Immediate scrutiny & offense!/INTRODUCTION To JESUS
Application:
?Does Your Gospel ministry survive/endure/weather INTRODUCTION To JESUS?
?Your Gospel ministry Active & Enduring?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Survival(& rescue) with a deck of cards
Action:
Active Gospel Ministry must survive/endure/weather...
1. MISINTERPRETATION/Reasonings(:15)
2. COMPARISONs(:16)
3. SEPARATION/God’s Public Plan/Exhortative PLAN(:17-18)
4. POLITICAL INTERFERENCE/Action/Oppression(:19-20)
5. INTRODUCTION To JESUS(:21-22)
Presented 01/08/2012pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
