Luke's Gospel

Well, well, good evening for me. I'm Rory as has been said, and I'm a hurt man at the moment. As many of you know, I am an everton fan. And today, it looked like we might get a point of Liverpool of our biggest rivals, and, it wasn't to be. So we went 1 note down.

Thanks to our number 1, England keeper, best on mercy side. So, if I start crying mids, and then I apologize, man. Right. Let's pray and let's get stuck into the server. Father, thank you, for this time that we get to spend now in your words.

We thank you that, in it, we see the young lord Jesus and, what he promises to be. We pray father that as we see who you are, that we will be amazed and that we want to follow you more closely. So he prayed us in Jesus' name. Oh, man. Okay.

Well, this is a good thing, isn't it? Promising. We've now got our Christmas tree up. So that's exciting. Most people have been wearing Christmas jumpers already, which I think is a bit inappropriate to say the least it's only to say over the second.

Steven, you've taken yours off. You haven't ever seen Christmas jumper on, so I understand. Yeah. I understand why I took it off. But when when Christmas time comes around, especially when we were we were little children, I I guess, maybe you're still like this, especially if you're, like my wife who who decorated the the room as soon as December came about, and and she's very much looking forward to Chris as I guess.

But we we were always used to really look forward to Christmas time. Well, not only were the the the school school not only did school break up, but also you had that that that that time when you would spend it with family, and they would get you lots of presents, which was great. And you, you know, you'd say hi to them, but then you'd take the present. And it was great. It was exciting.

We longed for Christmas to come. We longed to see our presence and the gifts that we wanted to come to us. We long for stuff. Now I wonder now, maybe you maybe you don't long so much for Christmas. Maybe that's not what you desire for.

But I guess there's things that we still long for. Every single person in this universe longs for things and things that we might Eagerly an expect expense expectantly wait for. And I I wonder what it is for you. What is it that you want more than anything in this world? What is it that you wish you had that would make your life better.

That would give you maybe relief that might give you satisfaction that might fulfill you. See, I was trying to do a little bit of research and see what people long for in today's, society. The first, the first, The first website I clicked on wasn't very good at all. It was like an Oprah garbage, to be honest, said people desire artichokes, avocados and kiwis, and I was like, this is nonsense. So I I got off that 1 quite quickly, but then I, I got on Forbes And, Forbes said, you know, the the the 8 things that people most desire are happiness.

Money. There's no surprise there. Everyone always seems to want money. Freedom, peace, joy, balance, fulfillment, and confidence. They're the things that people want.

They want these things in their life, and they they try and get them in different ways. And it's interesting if you look at the culture, they have like mixed mixed messages of how you're meant to do this. 1, side might say, oh, listen, you just gotta do it all. So in fact, this article saying you need an abundance of self love, which I don't find too hard. I'm a very lovely person.

I know you don't doubt those things. We need to believe in ourselves without fail despite the evidence around us that says we're not ready to soar in creating what we belong to. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? Yeah. So in 1 sense, the, The culture says you have to do whatever you want, and you can find satisfaction.

But then we get another sense. We get confused and mixed messages because You just look at the advert advertisements. What are they all trying to say to you? They're saying, don't be satisfied. Don't be fulfilled with what you have.

You need to get something else. So the fact that you, Rory, still have an iPhone 5 I think it's a 5 s I've got. That's not good enough. Right? You need to get the iPhone XRS 2 2.

I don't know. Nonsense, as far as I can see. IPhone 5 s is the way forward. But it's trying to say, don't be satisfied with what you have. And actually, I don't think that this world and this society and this culture that we live in has a clear message that fulfills your longing.

But I think the good news here that in this passage that we're looking at tonight, we see that Jesus answers the longing. Jesus answers the longing for happiness. Jesus answers the longing for peace, for joy. For fulfillment, for freedom. And we're gonna see that in this passage.

We're gonna see why he's able to do that because of who he is, and what he came to do. So last week, Tilly took us through, Luke 2 verse 1 to 20, and we kind of left the story with Jesus being born and you had the the ringing of of the the shepherd's praises in our ears. They go away, glorifying god saying, wow. Jesus the king, the Messiah is here. And so we pick up this story 1 week later, and we see who Jesus is.

And so I've got, a few things I want you to see who Jesus is. The first thing I want you to see is that Jesus is the sinless 1. Jesus is the sinless 1. So time and time again in this passage. Luke's Luke wants us to understand this.

He wants you to understand that Jesus meets all the requirements of the law. Jesus matches up to the standards of god. So if you just look down with me at this passage, look, verse 21, on the eighth day when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus. This is the first part of fulfilling the law. You chop a little bit of flesh of a little boy.

That's what they all did in those days. Abraham was told to do this, and every Jewish boy since then got this little bit of flesh chopped off. Then it goes on verse 22. The time came for the purification rites required by the law of Moses. Into verse 23, they go to present them to the lord as it is written in the law of the lord.

And then it goes to verse 24. They offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the law of the lord. Now, there's more. Don't worry. Look, verse 27.

When the parents brought in the child, Jesus to do for him what the custom of the law required their get invested. I could keep on going for years, I think. Verse 39, when Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the law of the lords. And then lastly, verse 51, he goes to Nazareth with his parents and he was obedient to them. This is what Luke's trying to drive home here.

I think it's quite obvious because he's he's said it about, I don't know, well, 18 times. He's trying to show us that the lord Jesus always obeyed. He was always fulfilling the law of god. From the day dots, from a week old, he's fulfilling the law. And then from the ages 12 to 30, he's obedient You see that verse 51?

He was obedient to them. I know I mean, we seem to be getting more and more parents in this church as as the weeks go on. I I lose count of how many babies you've got, but imagine your child was perfectly obedient Wouldn't that be like the most beautiful thing ever? You've been saying, Dean, you'd be saying, imagine Lucas was perfectly obedient. You'd you'd be like, Lucas, can you go and make me a cup of tea?

Oh, yes, dad. And Lucas comes in and he and doesn't punch you. That's a shot. Makes you a cup of tea. There you go, Dean.

Might say, dad, daddy, do you know? If you make but this is what Jesus was like. He was perfectly obedient. He always completely obeyed. This is, this is a verse When did I get there?

I'm flicking around here. This is a verse from Peter. Peter is 1 of the the disciples that followed you is around, for 3 years. And so I think he's got a pretty good idea of what Jesus was like. This is what he said.

He committed no sin. And no deceit was found in his mouth. This is a man who never spoke deceit. It was always truth. He never did wrong.

He never got it wrong. He always did right. He always did what god actually wanted him to do. In fact, so he always matched up to the perfect standards. Now many of you know that I am a teacher of history, whether I'm good or not, that some people could tell you and some people might not be able to tell you.

But this last week, I've been marking assessments constantly for 1 of the schools I work at. And in history, you have like 16 mark questions. It's a kill. And most of our kids, at the school I work at are not the brightest bunch that I mark in these year 11 things, and it's it's depressing. They've gotta fulfill a certain criteria to get 16 out of 16, they usually get about 4.

It's it's depressing. And you're like, Drew shall tell you, at home, I'm there, Mark, and I'm screaming at the kids even though they can't hear me because they're so they've done so badly. But they never match up, but this is the point Often we don't match up to the standards that are there. But if Jesus was taking a 16 marker in obedience, He would definitely match up and get 16 out of 16, don't know if that that works. But anyway, he always matched up.

And so let me ask you this, how do you match up to that standard? How do you Meet the requirements of god. I mean, do you even know what regard god requires of you to be perfect? See, it's often the case that actually we don't really know much about the lord of god. We don't really know much about what he wants at maybe we got a little bit in RS lessons that, you know, that there's something about, what those the, the commandments, the 10 commandments.

Yeah. That's them. What are they? Do not do not murder, or maybe do not steal. Yeah.

That's what I heard about the Bible. Something about on a re I was watching pointless the other day and there was a they would they this to this, did you Venners watched it? 2 people picked the Bible as a category and they had no idea about the Bible, the Wallies. I was there getting pointless answer, after pointless answer, I've been very smug. And they they they did.

Oh, they had to try and find a word in Exodus 20 where the the 10 commandments are found. That was a point, like, with 6 letters of mourning. They were like, there's something about respect. Respect respect. You respect your parents.

Let's go respect. And it's not. It was honor. I think it was, I don't know, it was a pointless answer. So lucky.

Anyway, honor your father and mother. Don't know where come from. Anyway, even those laws that we do know, actually I know in my heart that I don't match up to those those laws. So if I take do not murder, Jesus says those who hate in their hearts have murdered. I might I might not have got a knife and stabbed someone.

I might not have shot someone, but I tell you what last week, and and some of you might have heard me talk about this. I played football. And the number 10 I hated with a passion. I actually I I couldn't sleep that night because this number 10 had got so much in my head. And sadly, I didn't forgive I hated.

I've stolen, honor your father and mother. Well, I've don't do it. I haven't done that often. You just ask my mother, and she'll she'll tell you a few stories. If I should tell a few stories about all 4 of the boys and, well, let's not go into Stephen's past.

Sorry, Stephen. In fact, we don't even match up to our own law. I mean, I I just think about the the laws of this land. We're not meant to speed, and I and I must confess Sorry. I know that it feels like a bit of a confession time now for me.

I don't even I, you know, I've I've spared. I've I've I've done various things that you probably could say. Don't match up to this law. And so this is the predicament that actually we find ourselves in because this is what Galatians 3 10 says about that. For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse.

As it is written, curses everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the book of the law. So in other words, if you don't if you don't match up to 1 of these standards. If you just get 1 wrong, if you've dishonored your mother and father once, you don't match up. And so, therefore, you're under a curse. Therefore, you're under the judgment of god.

Therefore, we're sinners and that is our biggest problem that we need dealing with. That is what you should long to solve. But this is the good news is that here in this passage, we have Jesus. Jesus is the perfect obedient right, and sinless 1. That's the first thing.

Jesus is the sinless 1. The second 1, Jesus the savior, verse We're looking at verse 25 to 38 here. So here you go here are in the temple. You've got Mary and Joseph. They've got little baby Jesus.

They're they're doing the various things fulfill the law that's getting it right. And then suddenly, we're kind of introduced to a new character in verse 25. In fact, When, when he's introduced in the, in the original text, it's like, behold, look. It's like, when you point to someone, look over there, here's a bloke coming along. In fact, we're introduced to 2 new characters now.

We've got these these old kind of fogies, called Simyan and Anna. And then you can can imagine as old people do, they're sort of doddering around the shuffling, you know, they're kind of on the walking stick and the there they go. Because Anna's probably a hundred odd. You know, she she's not been married for 87 years on top of the 7 years that she had been married, so she's ancient. She's going out the out the door.

And Simien is clearly old as well because look in verse 26, he says he he would not die before he'd seen the lord's Messiah. So here we've got 2 really, really old people. Their bones are creaking that, you know, when you you see old people, they're groaning as they sort of walk and they've got backache and they're snooped over. I mean, there's 1 lady in Cheston. I don't know how she must be in agony because she's like, that's literally her over there.

It's crazy. So they're probably a bit like that. They've got, you know, varicose veins. They're wheezing. They're out of breath when they've just walked from the chair to the stage.

The this they shuffle slowly to get from a to b, but they're not like, you know, you get different types of old people. We get those really grumpy old people that swear at you for walking past them and like spit at you. I'm just sorry. I've never been spat that or no person. Just some.

They're not these aren't grumpy old people. Now they're they're quite the opposite. In fact, there's a lot of joy here And Semilane, both have something in common. They're both waiting. They're both longing.

You see that Simian is waiting in verse 25. And in verse 37, Anna is fasting and praying. When you fast and pray, is because you're waiting for god to do something. And so here we have Simyan. And he's waiting in verse 25 for the consolation of Israel.

What is the consolation of Israel? Well, it to be comforted is to find relief. Yeah. It's funny because it's been 400 years anyone's heard a word of god, and now we're getting god's word constantly. And Simien is waiting for him god to come in and relieve his people and save his people.

And so He's he's he's looking forward because he's been told to that that actually he before he dies, he's gonna see the lord's Messiah. See that in verse 26. He's gonna see the lord's king. And so he's not that grumpy old person. They're the grumpy old people who just go out back at my day.

We, we everyone was lovely, and we had a great time. And, everyone was respectful. Not back in my day. It was just great. Oh, the golden age the golden days, and, it's terrible now.

These young people with their pink shirts on, it's disgraceful. Anyway, he's not that guy. He's looking forward. He's looking forward to god's promise, to god promised king. And so the Holy Spirit prompts him to go into the courts, and he sees this bait.

Like, he's probably got cataracts that he can just see. Through his eyes, this little baby boy, and he does what only old people are able to get away with. Okay? This is a funny thing about old people. They the more the older you get, the more you can get away with stuff, I think.

So he goes in in verse 27 of and, he sees this baby in verse 28, he takes him in his arms. Now can you imagine if I walked up to a stranger and just said, oh, give me the baby. I think, especially if it was me with kind of horrible beard. They'll be like, oh, no. Get away.

You horror. But old people seem to get away with it. So he takes this baby and he praises god in verse 28. And he says, you can now dismiss your servant in peace. I can now die.

I'm now satisfied. I'm now at peace. I've now got more joy and more happiness. This is the best day of my life. And probably because he's old and old people shout all the time, Anna overhears, what's going over here, and she's then falls over.

And she's like, oh, great. Someone else and see she starts shouting about it as well. Now the thing about what they both say is they both tell us who Jesus is. They both tell us about his identity, So in verse 31, well, after well, verse 30, he says, for my eyes have seen your salvation. My eyes have seen your salvation.

He's holding this baby in his arms, and he's saying their salvation. What is this baby's name? Jesus. What does Jesus mean? He will save his people from their sins.

Jesus is the savior. Jesus is the 1 who is coming to, save people from the sin. That's what we've seen is our biggest problem just before. That's what Jesus is coming to do. In verse 38, Anna calls him the redeemer.

In other words, he's come to buy people back He's going to buy them back. And so who is it that he's buying back? Who is it that he's saving? We'll look at verse 31 to 32. My eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations, a light for revelation to the gentiles, and the glory of your people, Israel.

So this isn't just 1 group of people. This is all nations. This is what Isaiah 49 6. Says it is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and break back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the gentiles that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Listen. I'm not just saving 1 nation. This is what Jesus is saying. I'm not in the business of just saying a few people. I'm in the business of saving all types of people.

Whether that's European, African Asians Asians, the Motivians. That's why we're talking about the Motivians. We're not going on. They're a nice people and they live in Mali. No.

We wanna see these people saved because that's what Jesus has come to do. To save a small nations, too small for god. He saves all nations. So we have Jesus the sinless, and we have Jesus the savior. And thirdly, we have Jesus the son.

In verse 41 to 52. Jesus the son, So you kind of fast forward 12 years. It's like 1 of those movies. They sort of cut. They do a little montage of, I don't know.

Jesus's grown up as a baby boy. As a toddler, things getting broken. I don't know. Then he comes to 12 years old. And we're back on our way to Jerusalem.

We're back in the temple, and you've got this great big celebration called the Passover, and they're probably loving it. They're they've dance, they've partied, they've eaten. It's been fantastic. And Mary and Joseph go, right? Let's go gang.

We're off let's go back to Nazareth to, back to carpentry. But the only thing is there's a problem. They've left their 12 year old son Jesus back in Jerusalem. And so they they you can see how it happens that at first he must be with someone else. Okay.

Can you go check with uncle uncle Freddy and and auntie Julia. Although he's not with them. Maybe he's with, granddad. No. He's not there either.

Okay. This is this is getting really worrying now. Where is Jesus? And you know that feeling when you've I don't know if you've ever been lost or lost someone. The feeling is horrible.

You know that gut wrenching sickening feel where you're just like, I and you're just bearing and you're looking around and you can see no nothing that you want to see. It happened to me when I was about 3 or 4. Back at Anfield of all places. I hate that place. We we I don't know why we're dark darted everton fan.

And what dickens were we doing in anfield? But we were in anfield, and I was very young. And now we go down to leave Anfield, and then suddenly, I turn around And no 1 was there. There was just thousands of people, but no family member. It was horrible.

And I guess the same experience was the same for dad. I hope this the experience was the same for dad. Hope he didn't try and lose me. Anyway, he'd have to do a lot of explaining to mom if he didn't find me. Fortunately, I was found Hey, I'm here.

But that that's that gut wrenching horrible feel. And they're like, where is Jesus? And so they have to go back to Jerusalem, and they're looking for him. And when they find him, what do they find? They don't find, a little boy like I was to stressed and blubbing with snot bubbles probably and cry in my eyes.

I was like, where's dad? And then, and look in. No. They find Jesus in the Temple Court in verse 46 to 47, and he's absolutely stunning people with his knowledge, with his understanding of scriptures. Like, there's there's these really big dogs of of, scriptures.

They know what they're talking about, but Jesus is like phenomenal. He's like a child prodigy. You know, those type of kids that you're like, you're weirdly clever. Yeah. I never get to teach them.

I get the little bottom sets in school. Like those those sort of kids that can do 1 mass equation and he's filling in the answer while he's working out another mass equation. Well, Jesus is like that, but with old testament scripture. Okay? He's a child prodigy.

But what follows is what I really want us to grasp. Look at verse 48 with me. You get Mary and Joseph, and they ask in a hurt fashion, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you. That they're her, obviously.

But look at look at Jesus's response in verse 49. Why were you searching for me? Didn't you know I had to be in my father's house? Here, we have the very first recorded words of the lord Jesus. I don't I think we probably glaze over that.

This is the first word here we we have have of Jesus. And what are what is it that he says He says father. He says father. Now, in the old testament, the Jewish people never used the word father, not often anyway, not for god. But Jesus has got a different relationship with god.

It's unique. He's he's god's son and god is his father. In fact, Jesus in the New Testament uses the word father, 66 times. And that is what he has come to save people for. He's the son And he wants to bring people like you and me, wants to bring you into a relationship with a father.

We heard this morning if you were here when Rory, the other Rory, the better Rory was speaking. And he said, What type of father is this father? Well, he's not like our earthly fathers who get it wrong. You're good or bad. No.

This is a father who always does good. This is a father who always has our best interest in in in heart. And this is a father who will always be there. And this is what what god is god wants to save us for. It's Romans 8 15 says the spirit you receive does not make you slay so that you live in fear again, rather the spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.

And by him, we cry abba father. Jesus wants to bring you in to a relationship with god the father. So here we have Jesus the sinless, Jesus the savior, and Jesus the son, all lovely s's, and then I go and ruin it. Fourthly, Jesus's destiny, what will yours be? Jesus's destiny, what will yours be?

Look with me, at verse 33 to 35. Charles father and mother marveled at what was said about him, then Simyan blessed them and said to marry his mother, This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be spoken against so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed, and a sword will pierce your own soul too. See, we've seen that he's a savior. We've seen what he will save his people from sin. We've seen what he'll say he was for, a relationship with a father.

But we now see a glimpse of how he was safe, and we now see what our response should be to this saving Jesus. Look at verse 35 again. At the end, it says, and a sword will pierce your own soul too. That's what Simyan says to Mary. Now remember Mary beforehand, she she felt blessed, she felt happy, she felt joy that she was giving birth to this, this beautiful, Jesus, the king, the promised 1.

But now there's a promise that you'll be hurt. And this is a pointer to the way that Jesus is gonna achieve saving. This is the first shadow in Luke of the cross of the lord Jesus Christ. Here we have the sinless 1, the right 1 taking our sin. Look at Galatians 3, verse 13.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us for it is written, cursed as everyone who is hung on a pole. This is what Lord that this is what Sydney's pointing towards in 30 33 years time, the lord Jesus will hang on a cross. And Mary, you're gonna stand there looking at the 1 you loved and cherished and looked after, and it's gonna hurt you. But why is he doing it? What he's doing to save you.

He's taking your sin on so that you can have his rightness. Like, if if I if if a child is getting something wrong in terms of his school work or her school work, everything's teacher today. I don't know why. I'm surrounded by them. He doesn't go he doesn't go to someone who's also getting it wrong and going, oh, help me out.

How am I getting how can I get this better? No. We need you need to go to someone who can get you better, who can be perfect, who can sort it out. If I'm a sinner, don't go to another sinner to sort myself out. I don't go to myself to sort myself out.

I need to go to a perfect 1. And the perfect 1 In this passage, said I'm willing to take your sin, and you can be right with god. If you look at the end of Luke, if you flick over to Luke 23, a few pages on, We see the lord Jesus on the cross at the end of this gospel. And this is what the lord Jesus is willing to do for us. First 23 and sentence number 44.

It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until 3 in the afternoon for the sun stop shining. Here, we have Jesus suffering hell on our behalf. Just like in Egypt, when god was rescuing us, people have you ever seen that film, Prince of Egypt, I recommend it. If you haven't, fantastic. I remember watching the cinema my dad.

You get a whole pitch black scene. Why is it pitch black because god is coming in judgment, and he's killing the first borns. On the cross, we go forward, and we see darkness, and we see god judging the firstborn, his darling son on a cross. For us. So we can be right And as he hangs on the cross, look what happens.

Verse 45, it continues and the curtain of the temple was torn in 2. Why is that significant? Because the curtain in the temple separated god and people. Now that Jesus has died, and he's paid the price for sin, The curse and it's torn from top to bottom as if to say, God, I'm gonna rip that open now so that I can have relationship with people. So that people can know me now as father.

So I can now have access to him as father. I saw that now I can have all the things I long for. I can have peace. I'm no longer at war with God. I can have happiness because I'm no longer at war with God.

I can have joy. I'm free from sin. That's what he's doing on the cross. And so what you do with this knowledge, what you do with this act on a cross determines what will happen to you in the long run. Look at the first part of 34 of chapter 2 again.

Lot of flick back over. The child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel. Either you will accept this message or you will reject it. If you accept it, it's for your rising. If you reject this message, it is for your ruin.

So will you oppose it or will you accept it? See, you see that? He'll be a sign that will be spoken against. If you look throughout Jesus's life, there's people constantly opposing him. If you look throughout history, there's people constantly opposing him.

But if you're gonna oppose Jesus and what he's done for you, Ultimately, that will cause your destruction in your downfall. But If you accept it, then you will have re resurrection. You will have a father. You will have a king. You will have an eternity with him.

So what will you do with god's king? See, what you're gonna do with Jesus shows us your heart. See that? Verse 35, the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. Jesus, the son of god died for you.

If you reject, you're shown as our your heart that you hate God. If you accept, then you're shown as your heart that you want to accept him and love him. So what are you gonna do tonight? What will you do tonight? What will you do with god's king?

What will you do with the lord Jesus? Will you just go on and reject him, or will you trust in him? And if you're a Christian tonight, and you thought, oh, well, I've heard all this before, well, stop that for a start. Look at Simmy and Anna. Simmy and Anna are amazing examples of what godly people should live like.

And they live on the that side of the cross where they didn't see Jesus do this. And look at them. They pray. They live righteous. And they look forward unexpectedly to the coming lord Jesus.

So let's live like them. Reembrace the savior that is the lord Jesus. See how glorious he is tonight. Reembrace him. And on this side of the cross, let us as brothers and sisters in Christ, let us live for him.

Let us live righteous lives, and let's put off sin. Let's put on the clothes of righteousness. And as we do that, do it all in the eager expectation of the return of the king. See, the lord Jesus died, yes, but he rose again, and he promised to come back. And when he comes back, that will be the day of redemption when we go home to be with him for eternity.

So let's look forward to that day. Let me pray. Father, thank you. For the lord Jesus. Thank you that this is not a fairy tale.

Thank you that this is true. And that this is rooted in history. Thank you that the lord Jesus was sinless. And that as a sinless man, he was willing to go to a cross and die to save us. To be in your family.

Father helped us to see this more clearly and help us to clutch to it more daily. Help us to look forward to the day when you return when you bring us home to be with you. Repay this in Jesus' name, amen.