Luke's Gospel

This is a series that we've been doing in our evening services and we've reached Luke chapter 9 and we're going to be reading from verse 51 through to the end of the chapter. As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him, but the people there did not welcome him because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples, James and John saw this, they asked, lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them? But Jesus turned and rebuked them.

Then he and his disciples went on to another village. As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, I will follow you wherever you go. Jesus replied, foxes have dens, and birds have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. He said to another man, follow me, but he replied, Lord. First, Let me go and bury my father.

Jesus said to him, let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of god. Still, another said, I will follow you lord, but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family. Jesus replied no 1 who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of god. Oh, good evening. My name is Pete Woodcock.

I'm pastor of the church. If you're new here, so it's lovely to have you with us. Do you wanna know the scores? Yeah. Yes.

Yeah. Well, who who wants, Federal to win? Hands up. Okay. Yeah.

But all I'll say is there are holes in Swiss cheese. That's all I'll say. I don't know. I have no idea. Okay.

I guess it's a draw. There we go. Last week, you know, thinking thinking about Wimbledon. Last week, I saw some absolutely amazing. I don't know whether you saw them, close-up pictures, from Windbledon of a number of the top tennis players.

And the close ups were really intense right in the face. And they were in the face after they had thrown the ball up and were about to, you know, bring the racket down on the ball and it was the utter focus on their eyes was amazing. In fact, they all look very distorted. They all had quite distorted faces. Because their eyes were just focused on the ball and then, concentrating on on hitting that immense focus.

Or if you if you don't if you don't like, tennis, then have a think about sprinters. You know, they they they're crouching at the starting line and their heart are pumping and thumping and their eyes are focused where their their eyes are focused on the finishing line. And all their muscles are tensed up and they're they're ready to explode into action, and there is a listening intently for for the gun or whatever it is that goes off. Well, with those sort of images in mind, that's exactly what you've got here in the in this passage with Jesus. Jesus is resolutely focused, and that's the first point I want you to get from this passage.

Have a look. Jesus is resolutely focused on the finishing line. Look at verse 51. As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem, resolutely set out. The old King James version says he steadfastly set his face.

And and that's what the word means, resolutely steadfastly. It means in the original language to fix, to your whole direction, and your look and gaze is so so much focused on on the ball or on the finishing line that all of your energy and all of your body is taken up with with what you're looking at. And that's what's going on here. Now this is a massive turning point in Luke's gospel. Luke has written this and he's a master storyteller, and this is like the turning point in Luke's gospel.

Up until this point, Jesus has mostly been in the north of the country around around galilee. But from this point on, he turns south and he turns, to head for Jerusalem. He sets his face. He fixes his eyes on Jerusalem. And Luke you'll find as we go, from now on is constantly saying Jesus was passing through on his way to Jerusalem.

Jesus was moving on, passing through, carrying on in his journey. And Luke is constantly telling us until you get to chapter 19 towards the end of his gospel where Jesus finally arrives in Jerusalem. So this is a big thing going on here. Now verse 51 comes after the story that we were we were looking at last week when we were looking at the transfiguration. Ben was opening up that story for us.

That true story of of the transfiguration where we see something of the the glory of Jesus sort of revealed in this magnificent white. Now I've got no time to to go over that, but 2 of the people on this hill of transfiguration that were talking to Jesus that really sum up the whole old testament were Moses and Elijah. Now you don't have to know much about them, but they were there. And they were talking to Jesus and in chapter 9 verse 31, we're told what they were talking about. Listen.

They spoke about his Jesus' departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. So this is being talked about. The glory of Jesus is revealed, and Moses this great old testament character and Elijah, this great old testament character, are talking about Jesus departure, which would be fulfilled in Jerusalem And then verse 51, the way Lucas structured this is Jesus sort of turns the corner, comes down the hill. Faces Jerusalem. Resolutely, you know, tightened lips, set jaws, fixed eyes.

On Jerusalem. And what's gonna happen in Jerusalem? The cross, and then the resurrection, and then the ascension. All the things are gonna happen in Jerusalem, and Jesus is fixed on it. Look at verse 51 again.

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. Set out for the finishing line. Now notice That actually the finishing line isn't Jerusalem. The finishing line is heaven. Is heaven.

Do you see that? Jerusalem is is the departure lounge. For heaven. So he's resolutely looking to heaven or Actually, that word taken up to heaven just means ascend or ascension. And what that really means is that he's going back to his father.

He's going back to heaven. He's going back home. But the departure lounge for home is Jerusalem, and all that was gonna happen in Jerusalem. Do you get it? Verse 51.

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem He knew it was time. His life is timed. Is planned. He's got god's watch on, if you like. The alarm clock's gone on.

This is god's timing. Now turn the corner, down the hill, resolutely going to the departure lounge in order to go back home. There's a clear plan. Actually, Paul, who's a writer in the New Testament part of the Bible. He writes a book called Galatians, and he says this.

When the set time had fully come, see, set time, proper time, the alarm clock's gone off, When the set time had fully come, god sent his son born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law. That we might receive adoption as sons. It's time. It's time He's been born. He's taught.

He's done miracles. But now it's time He's time to set people free. It's time to bring about adoption. It's time to bring people into the family. It's time to go home.

It's time to go home. So I need to go to Jerusalem. Now let's just get this clear. What's the connection between Jerusalem and going to heaven? Well, it's not that Jesus knows his time is limited, and he's got a bucket list, and god, I'd love to see the sights of Jerusalem again.

Know, he's he's not he's not taken up with silly things like that. Oh, wouldn't it be nice to do do a tour around Jerusalem and go to the temple again and have a have a mooch around there just to see what those pharisees are up to, see if they're selling any goods again. This isn't a bucket list job. He knows that this is the completion of his mission. This is what he's always been about.

And the only way to return home, the only way to return to the father, the only way to heaven, the only way to ascend to heaven is via Jerusalem, via Jerusalem, and all that will happen there. So he sets his face like a runner for the finishing line. Like those blokes looking at the tennis ball intensely. He sets his face. He knows the only way To get to heaven, to get to the father is through Jerusalem and what happens there.

To be the savior, he has to go to the cross, and it is essential. It's not some marginal thing. It's in the timetable of god. It's the climax of his save your hood. He's rescuing, if you like.

The way to the new kingdom is through the cross of Jesus, through the cross of Christ. Some of us are going to Belarus. We're on the team to Belarus. And our departure to Minsk is Gatwick. It's not Heathrow.

It's Gatwick. Yeah? If we turn up heathrow, we won't get there. It's the wrong thing. Funny thing is we're coming back to heathrow.

That's how nuts it is. But but the departure is from Gatwick. I think it is anyway. It is Gatwick. Yeah.

But the best thing is to look at the ticket and find out, isn't it? That's our departure. And this is the departure lounge. Now, Luke, when he's writing this, gotta remember Luke doesn't just sort of write in isolation. Luke is showing that the whole Bible has a big whole story.

And I guess he must be reminded of words in Isaiah, which is an old testament book, a prophet in the Old Testament, that was written thousands of years before this event. But in Isaiah chapter 50, Isaiah is describing the Messiah, the Savior god's promised King. And listen to these words. Listen to it. I offer my back to those who beat me, my cheeks, to those who pull out my beard.

I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting because the sovereign lord helps me I will not be disgraced. Listen. Therefore, I have set my face. Like Flint. And I know that I will not be put to shame.

There's this Messiah king who Isaiah thousands of years before Jesus is describing This wonderful king who's coming to the rescue, and he sets his face a flint to a place where he will be mocked and his beard will be pulled out, and people will beat him and spit at him. Isn't that amazing? Hebrew says this, a book in the New Testament, For the joy set before me before him. Sorry. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of god.

Do you see that? So there's the cross, That's the departure lounge for the joy set before him, which is beyond this. He endured the cross He endured the cross because he knew that he was going to this glorious place, this place of joy where he would take a whole group of adopted, redeemed children, with him. The only way For anyone to get to heaven is through the departure lounge, the cross. So we gotta get this into our head.

Don't minimize the cross. The trouble is we're tempted to minimize the cross because when you talk about a dying savior. You've got to ask the question, but why did he die? And then you have to bring another s word up, not just savior. You have to bring up sin, and no 1 likes that anymore.

And so we're tempted to to move or sideline or not concentrate on the cross because we don't want to talk about sin, but this is essential. He fixed his eyes. It's essential. You wouldn't get Jokovic or you wouldn't get federer throwing the ball up and and looking around at his little kids. Federaries twins.

So I get throwing the ball and see if I can see that? Do you see that? I'll see if I can hit it. They're totally concentrated because it's the most that's why everyone's there. The crowds are there to see that.

And so this is essential across. So he fixes his eyes. There is no sons of glory if there's no departure lounge. And there's only 1 departure lounge, and that's the cross. That's the only way to heaven.

So it's essential. No 1 will go there if he doesn't open up the way. Through the departure lounge that he finds in Jerusalem. So he set his face. That's the first thing.

The second thing is, I want you to see in this passage, is the message must be proclaimed now. Look at verse 52. He sent his messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him. Now notice their messengers. Okay.

They're not just to make arrangements for Jesus, and they're not just sort of making a nice route through some area, this this area. They're messengers. They're not there to book a premier in for Jesus, and, they're they're not there to sort of make sure he's got breakfast. Their messages. In other words, they're sent by Jesus to this American village to proclaim, to speak, to bring the message.

Yeah. And then you'll notice that they're not received. In fact, they're rejected. But if you read it carefully, look at verse 52 carefully, It's not them who are rejected. It's Jesus who is rejected.

So look at it. And he sent messengers on ahead, Who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him? Sorry. I've lost my notes up, but it will go on and it will say that it's they rejected Jesus. They rejected Jesus.

That's a that's an that's an extraordinary thing. So it's telling us that the messengers of Jesus, if they're rejected, if people reject the messenger, they act actually reject Jesus. So that's worth noting. Now, why have they rejected Jesus? Because he's heading to Jerusalem.

Now if you know anything about the history of Samaria and the and the and the Jewish nation, you'll know that they didn't like each other very much. The Samaritans had another place of worship that they said is is the place of worship above and over Jerusalem. So there was contention. We worship god here in Samaria, and you Jews worship god in Jerusalem. So when they hear that Jesus is traveling through some area to Jerusalem, they're saying How dare you?

We don't wanna welcome you because you're saying that our worship isn't right. Do you see that? That's the sort of thing that's going on here. And that's now listen. For us, it's very unlikely that we'll be rejected if you mentioned Jerusalem.

But it's very, very likely that you will be direct, rejected if you mentioned the cross. Very likely. It's very likely. And we need to know that We take this incredible message out. And if we mention the cross, what happens at Jerusalem If we start saying there's only 1 departure lounge to heaven, we're gonna be rejected because people say How dare you?

What about our god? What about the way we worship? Now, I love this because it's interesting, isn't that Jesus is going to Jerusalem. He's going to the cross. He's going to be resurrected.

He's going to be ascended and going home. There's all this going going on. And so people today say, we don't have to go anywhere to find salvation or heaven. Stop pointing us to go somewhere. We stand where we are and we look within.

How dare you tell us to go outside or go anywhere? So then people get all stroppy like these samaritans. How dare you say that we've got to go to Jerusalem. How dare you say that's the only departure lounge to heaven. How dare you say that the cross is the place where we need our sins forgiven?

I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to Jesus. I'm not going to So that's where we all have rejection. Now, how did Jesus respond or or rather how did the disciples respond to this, rejection? Look at verse 54.

When the disciples James and John saw this, the rejection, they asked, Lord, Do you want us to call fire down from heaven and destroy them? Yeah? Yeah? Now that's 1 response, isn't it? People are rejecting the departure allowance, the cross, our savior, Well, let's kill them.

Yeah? Now before you condemn them and laugh at them, haven't you felt like that? Haven't you? When you've talked to people and people have rejected Jesus haven't you? Am I the only 1?

I I remember very clearly being in Cerberus talking to an atheist who was absolutely 1 of the most arrogant little things I've ever ever met in my life, arguing and, dismissing Jesus and mocking Jesus, I prayed when he walked down I absolutely prayed this when he walked down the high street that the 71 bus would flatten him. I actually prayed out loud in in Serbian and Highistry. Lord. So I don't wanna have a go at these. I understand that.

I've done that. I've done I've done that many times. And some of it is just self protection and pride because you might have lo lost an argument, but some of it, let's give them the benefit of the doubt. Is because we love the lord Jesus, and these people have walked away from him. So fire come down.

And also, you gotta remember this. Remember in transfiguration, when they were up the mountain, some of them saw Elijah and Moses. Well, if you read about the story of Elijah, you know that Elijah did call fire down on people's heads. 2 kings chapter 1. There's a story where Elijah was rejected as the prophet of Israel by the king.

And, Elijah said then the king will die, and the king heard this and and sent a commander with 50 men to go up to do, elijah, really, to try to make him change his mind. And elijah, when he saw the commander and the 50 men called fire down and all were dead. So the king sent another commander with another 50 men. And those 50 men turned up to Elijah, and Elijah saw them, and they rejected Elijah, and they disrespected him. And so Elijah called down fire.

And they were dead. So the king sent another commander with another 50 men. It's a great story in the Bible. And this commander had a bit more with him because he thought my, what? You know, I've got no hope.

And so he came humbly and he respected the prophet and he was allowed to live with his 50 men, but the king died. So actually, they would have known that story. They've just heard about Elijah up the Mount Transfiguration, and they're doing old testament stuff Call down fire. If they if fire comes for rejecting the prophet Elijah, why wouldn't fire come for rejecting the king of kings. So don't ever go at them.

Rejection of the king is serious. And actually rejection of the king will bring fire. It's just that they've got their timing wrong. It's just they've got their timing wrong. This passage is all about timing.

It's not the time for fire and judgment. Bear will be that. You're right that if people reject Jesus there's fire and judgement, but at the moment, we're in the time of the cross. We're in the time of departure lounge. We're in the time of salvation.

We're in the time of where enemies can be friends, where people can be adopted, where there is salvation. We're at the time of the cross. Now how does Jesus respond to their response? Well, he rebukes them. He rebukes them not because there will be a judgment for those who reject Jesus because they've got their timing wrong.

We're in the time of suffering and dying to self and being rejected, like we've just seen Jesus rejected. We're in that time at the moment, so it's the time of mercy where the departure lounge is opened up. So do you see what we've learned here? Quite a lot of things. It is essential Jesus dies He's fixed his face.

It's essential. This is not just a sort of add on. If that isn't the heart of our message, we have no message. It's essential that the message goes to the world, but we will be rejected. We will know rejection for it.

But that's part of us bearing the cross. Because we're in the age of the cross where we show mercy and plead for their salvation. So verse 51, As the time approached for him to be taken to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. Now, 1 more point. If this is true of Jesus, Is it not true of his followers?

If he was resolute in going to the cross, Is it true of us? And this is what this next section is about? This is how Luke brilliantly connects. This next sec section So here's my third point. Resolute followers of Jesus.

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. He was determined. He wouldn't be distracted. His focus isn't fuzzy. He's absolutely on this.

But what about his followers? Will they go the distance? Will they follow him to Jerusalem? Will they take up the cross and die to self daily? Will they do it?

If the master did it, then the servants who follow need to do it. And so we're introduced to 3 would be followers of Jesus. And the questions that are asked is, what are the things that are gonna stop us following Jesus? Basically, they're the they're the sort of questions. Just have a look at these 3.

We won't be long on them. The first thing is This place, and you need to know if you're gonna be a would be follower of if you're gonna be a follower of Jesus, who is going to Jerusalem, and then going to heaven, If you're gonna be a follower of Jesus, you need to understand that this place right here right now is not home. This is not your home, so don't settle. That's the first thing. Look at verse 57.

As they were walking along the road, where are they going? Jerusalem remember. As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, I'll follow you wherever you go. Brilliant. You know, I'd have that as a convert immediately.

Brin' or baptize you. I'll follow you wherever you go. Jesus replied. Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the son of man, that's a that's him, has nowhere to lay his head. I'll follow you wherever you go.

He says. Now Jesus doesn't say no, you won't, and he doesn't say yes, you will. The emphasis here is look, okay. If if that's what you're going to do, if you're going to follow me, you need to understand where I'm going. And I'm not going immediately home.

I'm going to Jerusalem and then home. The way home is through the cross. You see what he's saying? So don't settle down here Foxes have cozy little holes. We've got 1 under our decking.

Little, little cozy foxes all living living under there. It's brilliant. Birds of the air have nests. We've had some starlings up in our eaves. And it's a cozy little thing.

In fact, even though they fledged, these young lads, I see them early morning. I guess they're lads because they're all sitting on my my drain thing, all in a row. Wistening at the women going past. It's amazing to watch them. They're young birds because they're slightly slightly haven't got all all the the, adult colors.

And they're all in a row going woo. Woo as this bird goes past. I started doing it to them. And I did it this morning actually and this it was 1 on his own this time. He was looking down at me and I was going whooo like that and he didn't know what to do.

And he thought, no, you know, I'm after the girl. It's not you. And you know, so they have nests. And they keep coming back these sort of lads to the nest where they were born. It's quite interesting to watch them.

So this this is home because it's home. This is the world. It's cozy, it's wonderful. But if we're following Jesus, this is not our home. Our home is beyond Jerusalem.

Beyond the cross. To get to the home, you have to die to this world. Daily. Do you see that? So our struggle To be a follower of Jesus is that we just wanna be comfortable here.

We wanna settle down. It's very enticing to settle down, isn't it? Just comfortable. Just settle down. Not radical anymore.

Not really following Jesus. Trying to make this our home. Everything is about this home. All of our thoughts are about here and now and building a den and building a nest, and it's all here. And yet Peter tells us in the Bible, that we're aliens and strangers and we're passing through to our real home.

That's our home. That's where we're citizens. And so when people say uncomfortable things to us, because of what we believe, we we sort of can be devastated. Well, it's obvious they're going to do that because we're aliens and strangers. And people don't like foreigners and aliens and strangers.

They take odd jobs. You know, we don't understand them. Can't they speak our language? People get all sort of worked up about aliens and strangers and foreigners. Don't they?

I mean, if if you live in this country and you were born in another country, what it's like. You're not English. You know? I lived in Australia or called a well, I can't tell you what they called you. But I was called a pom every day.

Oh, here's the pom. Here's the pom. I was I was an alien and stranger. Yeah. You pom.

Winging pom. They were the most whinging people I'd ever met in my life. Winging pom. No. I'm not whinging.

You're the whingeing. You're whinging at the whinging pom. Anyway, let's not get into that. But do you see what's going? You see, we don't live here.

This is not our home. Of course, people won't understand us. When we say that there is only 1 departure lounge. There's only 1 way to heaven. Who do you think you are?

What about my religion? What about what I feel? Jesus was determined, and he's saying, if you're following me, you gotta be determined for the joy set before you endure the cross for the joy of homes set before you. Enjoy what you have to endure in this world here. So this is not your home.

That's the first thing. So this is not your home. So our priority, and here's the second thing, is to preach. Look at the second man. Verse 59.

He said to another man, follow me. Where's Jesus going? To Jerusalem, to the cross and then to home. He said to another man, follow me, but the man replied lord, first let me go and bury my father. Jesus said to him that the dead bury their their own dead.

But you go and proclaim the kingdom of god. Now in case you get all worked up, it's likely that this father hadn't died yet because in the these days, as they do in lots of hot countries, the day your dad died, you buried him. You know? So this is probably saying, you know, oh, okay. Look, let let me, you know, do the normal stuff that you're meant to do with your father and family, and when he dies, then I'll follow you.

But the big issue here that Jesus is showing is priority. He's saying get your priorities right. Don't settle down into the normal processes of life and just take up the normal priorities that the world is telling you, you're not at home in this world get the priorities of heaven, and the priorities of heaven are much bigger. The priorities of heaven is that you preach. You preach the kingdom.

You proclaim the kingdom. That's the priority. So be careful. We've just getting taken up with what everybody else's priority is. And in his case, he was talking about, you know, following his family in some way.

We must proclaim. Just as Jesus knew that he would have no home and was rejected in Samaria and was going to the place of great rejection We are to be rejected. We will be rejected. This is not our home. But on the way Jesus is to preach in the time of the cross and salvation, Jesus is to preach.

You preach This is the urgent message. This is urgent. You get this right. Even though people don't wanna hear it, Even though they'll they'll be happy for you to do almost anything, but to preach, they won't like it. That's the urgency.

So this is not home beyond the crosses home. So our priority is to preach, so here's the third thing. Keep pressing on. There's the third person. Look at verse 61.

Hope you're with me. Still, another said, I will follow you lord, but first, let me go back and say goodbye to my family. Jesus replied, no 1 who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of god. So Here's a bloke, and in his case, it's the pull of family, and he wants to go and say goodbye and all of that sort of stuff going on here. But Jesus' point here is No.

No. No. If you're following me, you determine you you you'll have this determination to follow me. If you're running, you go to the finishing line. If you're hitting the ball, every attention is on the ball.

If you're plowing a field, then you don't look back if you want a straight furrow. If you're plowing a field and you're looking back, alright? I'll just say goodbye. It's gonna be all over the place. In other words, Get your priorities.

Right. Yes. This is not your home, but press on to the goal. Keep straight line. Keep pressing on.

Don't be fuzzy. Don't turn back. Stop looking back. So they're the things. Keep going to the cross.

Keep dying to self. That is the age that we're in. That is the time that we're in. This isn't settling time. This isn't home time.

This is cross time. This is proclamation time. This is dying to self time. Press on with that. Keep going with that.

And is Jesus worth following? Yes. Because he opens up a departure lounge to the new heaven and a new earth. And a hundred years from now, you won't be worried anything that you were worried about. It will mean nothing.

And all of the little trinkets that we were so precious about getting will mean nothing. A hundred years from now. But in glory, we'll be with with this new wonderful savior in this new, wonderful creation. We'll be home. We're adopted sons.

We're in glory. So take heart. That's what this is saying. Keep pressing on. Press on.

Press on to the higher calling of your lord. Press on. People all try to shake you up and twist you and have a go at you, but press on. Yeah? To that higher calling.

There are there is you're gonna have to shake the dust off off your feet sometimes as you move and follow and go towards the cross You see Jesus isn't you gotta get this. The word follow is so important. Jesus isn't a static god. You don't bring Jesus into your home and set him up and say hello, Jesus. Welcome to my home No.

No. No. You leave your home. You follow. You walk.

He's the walking god. You follow. And where does he go? To the cross. To the place of death, to the place of execution, and then after that, resurrection, and then after that, ascension.

I've said it before, but the Nike tick, we should have that. Not some, you know, sports thing. It's a tick. It's a Christian thing. It's used in the new testament, the Nike.

It's a tick you go down like all ticks down into that sharp v. You die to self. And as you die to self, then you will rise again, and the bit goes right up. That is the Christian message. So press on, dear friend.

Press on. Many will say to you prove to me that he is lord, show me a sign. And the sign is I'm pressing on. This is not my home. I've got my plow on going forward.

I love this god because he's opened up away the departure lounge for heaven. So how are you doing? Father, you know all of us in this room, you know where we are, you know the challenge that we need to have, but we may be people of the cross proclaiming the gospel in this age. Help us to do this for your glory in Jesus' name, our men.