Luke's Gospel

Luke 11 29 to 36. As the crowns increased, Jesus said, this is a wicked generation. It asked for a sign, but none will be given, except the son of Jona. Chorus Jona was assigned to the ninevites, so also will the son of man be to this generation? The queen of the south will rise the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them.

For she came to the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, And now something greater than Solomon is here. The middle miniver will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it. For they repented at the Preacher of Jona, and now something greater than Jona is here. No 1 likes a lap and puts it in a place where it'll be hidden or under a bubble. Instead, they put it on a stand so that those who come in may see the light.

Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body is also full of light. But when they are unhealthy, Your body also is full of darkness. See to it then that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light when the lamp shines.

It's light on you. Okay. Well, a very good evening to you. It is a joy to be here. I do suppose I have the, the task of trying to keep us all awake this evening.

Don't they? I don't I suppose it's not the task of trying to keep myself awake. Given that, I don't even know anything on pasta, but, let let me let me pray for us as we, look at these versus together. Our heavenly father, we thank you for the truth. We thank you that, it is useful for our hearts and for our lives.

Thank you that we can trust in it. It is a hot evening. We know that Satan will wish to use this to stifle our concentration, but our heavenly father, we truly want to look at Jesus this evening and fix our gaze. Upon him help us we pray by the by the by the enabling of the Holy Spirit. And may we know him transforming our hearts by your word for for Christ we do pray on men.

Well, well, I don't know if, I don't know if this was your kind of thoughts as, Steve Steve was just reading, reading, I got it right Steve, right? Yeah. As he was reading out, reading out these verses, but It does seem on the surface that we we have these 2 these 2 kind of, portions or these kind of sections that don't really, go together. They seem a little bit random. I don't is, I don't know if you felt that as, Steve was, reading that and you kind of left wondering a little bit why they're next to each other.

But the more that you meditate on them, the connections do begin to surface. We will think about them a little later on as we, think about these verses together. But where we got to in Luke chapter 11, it's like it's quite it's quite a tense. It's quite a tense part of the chapter really because because Jesus has just driven out driven out a demon is from a mute man, driven out this demon from this mute man, a pretty wonderful to power, right, and jesus's kindness. And instead of him being gloryed in, He is accused quite shockingly of wielding demonic power in order to drive the demon out.

It's pretty outrageous accusation to make about our lord jesus, isn't it, but there's now suddenly opposition to cry it's being ratcheted up in his own ministry. I mean, can you get more opposed to the glorious Jesus Christ than labeling him as being demonic. Can you get more? A opponent apart of what's the word? Can you get more opposition to him than that?

But what's going on in the opposition? The spiritual hearts of the people he's teaching is is being exposed, isn't it? And it's not really that Jesus goes on to address in our versus this evening. I've got 2 simple points, before we, close our us is tonight. Here's your first point from versus 29 to 32.

Notice the wickedness of unbelief. Notice firstly, the wickedness of unbelief. The star of these verses, it seems to start pretty well. Doesn't it? So verse 29, 29, what do we read as the crowds increased?

That's your context. That's your context for what's about to them. The crowds are increasing. They're increasing because of the fame of Jesus, because of the miracles of Jesus, because of the exorcisms of Jesus, because of the preaching of Jesus. He's just driven out a demon from a man who was new, things seemed pretty good.

The crowd are increasing. You know, if I saw the crowds increasing in my own preaching, then you get ill 1 day? I don't know. I feel pretty happy about it. I'd probably feel on top of the world.

I certainly wouldn't be unhappy about it. But I certainly wouldn't wanna make the claim Jesus goes on to make. Look at what he says. As he looked at this increasing crowd, lots of people coming to see him, lots of people coming to his own popularity. What does he say?

Jesus said this is a wicked generation. Wow. That's pretty unexpected, right? Well, that's pretty unexpected. You see these crowds increasing, and he makes a strong moral evaluation, a kind of spiritual diagnosis, of his own culture, wicked.

Wow. Pretty strong. Why turn? Why why does he say that? Well, he well, he gets off to tell us.

It asks for a miraculous sign, he says. It asks for a miraculous sign, but not will be given it except the sign of Jonah. So why is it a wicked generation? Why is it a wicked culture? Is because a demand aside.

Now, are you seeing now you've seen that crop up already in Luke chapter 11 just back in verse 16, we read others, others tested tested him by asking him from a sign for heaven, the testing Jesus They wanna see if he's true. They're demanding a sign from heaven. You saw last week how our position to Jesus have increased after his healing of a demoniac. The opposition at heart is this refusal to believe Jesus, to believe who he says he is. That's that's what the opposition is, isn't it?

It's a refusal. It's a refusal to acknowledge it's a true king. That's that's what it is. That he's come he's come to our world to bring in the very kingdom of heaven. So, Jesus generation, They are wicked because they reject his claims.

They demand. They demand to see a sign so that he would prove himself. As if an accident wasn't enough. No. It's not enough.

They're with kids. They're wicked because they they think they are owed. They think they are owed sufficient evidence by which to see, and only by then, will they believe? That isn't faith. That isn't faith.

And Jesus says, it's wicked. He says, yeah, that's not gonna happen. Not gonna happen. You will be given no sign. You'll be given no sign except the sign of Jonah.

But it's asked for assignment, none will be given except the sign of Jooner for us Jooner was assigned to the ninevites. So also will the son of man be to this generation? Now that is even more shocking. That is even more shocking. Why?

What do you know the story of Jonah? I'm sure many of you know the story of Jonas, don't you? Sent to Miniver, of course, wasn't he? To preach against the city's wickedness and their sin. He calls he tries to defy god, runs the other way.

Finds himself in the belly of a fish 3 days, but it's defiance. Why? Why did he defy odds? What going on with the defiance? Well, he doesn't want the people of nineveh.

He doesn't want the people of nineveh being shown the mercy of god. Does he? They should be judged for their wickedness. They should be judged for their unbelief. They're pagans.

They're gentiles. Aren't they? They're not part of the covenant, not part of Israel, outsiders. That's why Jona divides. With the earth of them in his mind, but he was a sign, wasn't he?

He was a sign of judgment if they remained in their wickedness. That's what he went there to preach. It's why God wanted him to go there. That was the mess of his prophecy to the city if they didn't repent. He's a sign of judgment, isn't he?

This is shocking what Jesus says in these verses. This is shocking because here we have Jesus saying to his own people his own generation, your own wickedness, your own unbelief. It's no different to the gentiles. It's no different to the outsiders. That's shocking, isn't it?

At least at least the people of nineveh, Well, they didn't have the covenant. They they couldn't reject the covenant. They didn't have the son of god to reject. It's worth for Jesus generation. It's damning actually, what Jesus says here.

The people have the people a bit of a never divide this son of god. Well, Jesus sent Jesus is a sign of judgment to his own people just as Joonah was to nineveh. That's what he's saying. Their wickedness, right? The wickedness and, their unbelief and opposition to his identity, to Jesus crisis, just intolerable.

And notice how Jesus, he pushes it. He pushes it. The principle even further, so he gives 2 lessons, 2 lessons from the Old Testament, to illustrate, illustrate this point verse 31. Notice read with me, the queen of the South, the queen of south to rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemned them. For she came from the end of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now 1 greater than Solomon is here.

The queen of the south, queen of Sheba, isn't it? That's the queen of the south. You'll find you'll find that story in per King's chapter 10. She comes to king Solomon. Again, the queen of sop, the queen of the queen of Sheba she's a pagan.

She's a gentile queen, isn't she? Not part of the covenant, not part of Israel. And you're after listening to the wisdom of Solomon, She was able to say some pretty amazing words. I've got them recorded here. Praise B to the lord your god who is July it in you and placed you on the throne of Israel because of the lord's eternal love for trail, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.

What an extraordinary thing for a gentile queen to say. She didn't demand any more proof. She didn't demand a kind of miraculous sign from Solomon. She clearly recognized the very character of god in his reign. She recognized that he was living in the heart of this chosen king.

You know, Gentle Queen was able to recognize that. Due to set to his own generation, doesn't he? That gentile Queen, that gentile Queen puts you to shame. It's what he says, doesn't it? Because a king, the king standing in front of you is far greater than common, and yet you will not believe.

Queen of Sheba, she came from the ends of the earth just to get an audience with Solomon and his wisdom, oh, but King jesus who is wisdom, it sat who is wisdom personified or will he has burned? He has rejected. We will not believe in you. He gives another lesson, doesn't he from the old testament to illustrate this verse 32 from the people of Neneva themselves. Not only will the queen of the South Rights up in the judgment, but so will the men of nineveh?

They will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it. They will condemn they repented at the preaching of Jona and now 1 greater than Jona is here. In other words, You know, the words people of the people of the people of Linneva, they just took Jona at his word. They repented. They took donors preaching to be the word of god and repented.

They didn't see exorcisms. They didn't demand a miracle. They simply believed and repented on the authority of the spoken and preached word itself. And yet before Jesus' own generation stands 1 far greater than Jonah, and they refuse to humble themselves in belief. Give us a sign and then we will believe you.

Give us a sign in demand prove yourself. Prove yourself, but we won't believe they'll be doing exactly the same thing. When they slaughter to him on the cross, won't they? What do they say when he's dying? What do they say?

Oh, he shaped others? They said but he can't save himself. He's the king of Israel. Let him come down from the cross and we will believe in him. That's a demand again, isn't it?

Demand for a sign? We wrote beliefs. We'll remain in our unbelief until we see. And if asked isn't satisfied, we will not believe. We will refuse to place faith in this man.

That's a refusal, isn't it? To worship Christ acknowledge him from the hearts to true king. It is to be blind and it's to remain consciously intentionally, intentionally blinded sin, and in our belief. Now here's a question. Here's a question.

It's Jesus's generation. Alright? If Jesus Jesus was to sum up your culture, your generation, would he sum it up in the in the same way do you think? Yeah. I think I think he would.

I I think he would. Jesus's his own diagnosis of his generation. Suff is an accurate appraisal of our own. Don't you think? Absolutely.

What is? What is the height of wickedness? What is the height us of evil. Surely, it's it's it's his burning, right? Surely, it's his burning of the authority of our god.

It's it's it's a spurning of him. It's to refuse to concede the glory that his name is Jew. It's to disbelieve in him. It's to fall into unbelief. It happened in Eden.

It's what happens to our lord Jesus Christ. It's a refusal to repent and place saving faith in him. The 1 worthy of our love, our duration, and our worship. That is truly the height of wickedness. You cannot get more evil than that.

That defines the spirit actual state of Jesus' own peers, as far as he is concerned, it defines our own generation. For regeneration does not like being told it is wicked or evil, does it? Do they like that kind of language? Do they like the word sin? Not not not particularly.

Don't tell us we're simple. Save the words of words like sin, save words evil for, you know, the hitlers of this world. Maybe maybe Donald Trump can be labeled as evil, but we're not wicked. We're not wicked. Sholy, we are good.

But Jesus says, doesn't it? It's quite amazing, really. Jesus says, the grounds. The grounds for an evil heart. Ground for an evil heart.

Lies in your opinion your attitude of him. Doesn't he? That's that's the basis of Right and wrong. That's the basis of good and evil. Our own generation says we will not believe There is not sufficient evidence, it says.

We need a sign. We demand a sign. The burden of proof. The burden of proof lies with god. The fault is with him.

And so the 1 greater than Solomon and Jonah, the 1 in whom all the form that said Dayity resides. He's rejected. He's abandoned. He's he's disbelieved. That is a hallmark of an evil culture.

That is a hallmark of an evil generation. That is the hallmark of an evil heart. Unbelief is truly wicked. Jesus says. Because some of you here tonight may well hold that same opinion to Jesus.

I don't I don't know. Maybe you're demanding of god that he prove himself before you believe. But of course, Jesus says there is a judgment coming. God had revealed the fullness of Christ in himself If Jesus is not enough, if Jesus is not enough, nothing is. Is it?

Jesus isn't if Jesus is not enough, nothing is. If you know that this evening, you do not belong to this man. These words are for you. These words are truly for you. The man admin of they repented at the preaching of Joonah.

Have you repented at the preaching of Christ? Do not remain in your unbelief. It's the first point. Wicked. The unbelief, unbelief is wicked.

So what is needed? So what is needed given and the the problem of our hearts? Well, secondly point number 2, but it's 33 to 36. The need for good vision or the need for good sight. Let me read those verses to you again.

No 1 likes a laugh and puts it in a place where it will be hidden or under a bowl. Instead, instead they put it on its stand so that those who come in may see the light. Your eyes are a lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body is also full of light, but when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it then that the light within you is not darkness.

Therefore, if your whole body is full of light to no part of it dark, It will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines. It's light on you. Now, Now what on earth is going on in these verses? It it seems a bit out of place, doesn't it? Because Jesus suddenly suddenly turns into an optician with all of a sudden doesn't he.

He gives you a me and I test, very well. You know, the 2 sections they've seen completely unrelated, don't they? Do you know what I mean? They they they seem to run them. But there is a connection.

The connection has to do with silence. Notice how Jesus places the emphasis on the ID notice that verse 34, he describes the good eye versus the bad eye, the healthy eye versus the unhealthy eye. He's making a point about sight, isn't he? He's using physical sight, the kind of the pupil of the pupil of the eye, as a means, as a means to illustrate a critical spiritual spiritual point because the eye when you think about it, the eye is like a window, isn't it? It's like a window to the rest of the body.

The window to the soul or to the heart. It both lets in and it and it lets out. You can see into the body through the window of the eye. So if your eye is good, your whole body is good. If your sight is good, your whole life will be good.

But if it is bad, then your whole life, then your whole life will be bad, oral health is. Now, what's the connection? What's the connection between our previous verses here here it is? Here it is. When the people of Jesus' own generation, of course they demand to see, don't they?

They demand to see a sign from heaven to prove himself, you're seeing, you're seeing into their very hearts. Do you see that? We are seeing, we are seeing into the kind of inner disposition of their own hearts and their own desires. Because their wrong belief is kind of the darkness. It's the darkness coming out of their lives.

Their rise are bad, aren't they? That Jesus' opponents are bad, spiritually bad. That vision is spiritually, spiritually wrecked because of their unbelief. And we have this window, this kind of window into their hearts. Jesus condemns it.

That's the connect action between the verses. Because it's not what comes in that makes a person uncle unclean, but what comes of us. Jesus says that, doesn't he? In a a another another gospel. Jesus is saying is She's in here saying what we do, how we live, the choices we make, what we choose to believe, they expose them.

You can look into the very window, if I could put it this way. You can you can look into the very window of a person's line by how they live. So if you're someone, if you're someone with a greedy eye, What might your life look like? Well, maybe maybe there is a great desire for wealth. Maybe there is a great diet, a desire for money perhaps that's greed.

You know, greed will define the greedy art. The book of the book of proverbs, of course, how star that famous verse, doesn't it? About the man with haughty eyes. I love the word haughty. No 1 uses it.

I wonder wonder what people would think if I'd just said to them on the street. Oh, you look very horrible teacher's day. You probably think you probably think I'm giving them a good compliment, wouldn't they? So the youth were were very much, but but what is what is a man or a person with haughty eyes? Well, haughty is pride, isn't it?

It's it's arrogant. If you're if you have haughty eyes, your life will be defined by yourself, your own achievements, your own glory, your own intellect, perhaps or your own knowledge because your hoatiness, your pride. It's like a window. It's like a window into the heart. It defines you.

Someone with a lustful eye will be known by their promiscuity, won't they? By their sexual sin, a porn addiction. The lust It's like a window into the heart. And if the and if unbelieving sin, darkness It's the disposition of the heart, the whole life will be full of it. Won't it?

That's what Jesus is is saying. It will be full of darkness. What you gaze on in this life, it will define you. It will define you. It It will define how you live.

It defines the choices you make. It affects your deepest desires. So if sin is what the body lives for, then the whole body will be full of darkness. That's an unhealthy eye. It's an unhealthy vision.

The need then, the need then is for good eyes, isn't it? It's for pleasing eyes. 1 full of light. 1 full of light so that when others see you and others see you and the way that you live, they will see the very lightness of our lord jesus cry emanating from you. We need a good eye.

We need a healthy eye. How do we get that? How do we get that? We need gospel. We need gospel light to penetrate.

Penetrate the deepest parts of who we are so that we will be people full of truth and light with bodies full of light. We get a good eye actually. You get a good eye when you come to Christ and see him for who he is. You get a good eye when it dawns on you that the darkness of sin and unbelief is crushed at the cross and that alone because that the gospel. That's the gospel light that floods the very soul.

It changes the heart by the power of the Holy Spirit. It's when you perceive the beauty of Christ for the first time. That's how you get a good odds. It's how 1 becomes full of light to use the language of the passage. The light of his truth comes into us.

Doesn't it? Changes us. You know that that term full of light. It's quite an interesting little phrase, verse 34. Becky Matthews's Gospel, he uses.

He uses that phrase in chapter 17. Do you remember what happened to him? Afhew chapter 17. He takes a few disciples, of course, goes up to, goes up the mountain. He's transfigured, isn't he before his, before before his disciples, well Matthew tells us of a bright clouds, right?

A bright cloud that in enveloped envelope Jesus when he's being glorified. Do you remember that? Well, that's the same word. That Luke uses here because because Luke is saying like when your body is full of light, it's dazzling brightness. Having a good eye.

Correct. Spiritual sight will mean pleasing characters, having a good eye, being full of light makes you, doesn't it? It makes you useful for Christ. Think about, think about light just for a couple of minutes. Think about the property of light.

Like gifts, isn't it? It gives act. It's meant to benefit the the the beholder. That's that's what light does. What it's meant to do.

You'll notice actually that Jesus makes that point in verse 33. Doesn't he? No 1 likes a lamp, and puts it in a place where it will be hidden or under a bowl. In other words, she doesn't say, like, will benefit people. It will it it will shine out.

For the good of others. So your spiritual light, your spiritual light is meant to benefit and be seen by other people, isn't it? The idea of hiding light, now that's just a bit strange. That doesn't make any sense, does it? No 1 no 1 tries to hide the light.

No 1 puts it under a bold user says. But But what but why does Jesus feel feel he needs to make that point? Why why does Jesus have to stress the cause of hiding the light that makes us useful for him. Because it's a bit odd, isn't it? But again, but again, think about the property of light.

Perhaps I can perhaps I can push the the picture or the metaphor a little bit further. We love light, don't we? We love light. It can be beautiful. It can it can save lives.

It's a it's a it's a great it's a great thing, but can it can it not also be, well, pretty dangerous? No? It can be so dangerous. It might even destroy your sight. So you don't stare at the sun very long.

Do you because of the damage, perhaps permanent damage that the sun can do to you. It can blind you. Life Light can be dangerous. Carmen. So can your spiritual light.

So can mine. The light, the light that means we belong to Christ, it can be dangerous. So here's why I might wanna try and conceal it a little bit. So and so, whoever he is or she is, so and so, might hate me because of my love and my witness for the lord Jesus Christ. That's damage.

That's damage because of my Christian witness. Doesn't our light mean at times, sinners are called to repent Well, that's offensive because life is dangerous. Remember this, following Christ, We'll almost create a window which people will see into you and see into me. They will see into our hearts and people, some people will be too sensitive to the vibrancy of the light of Christ as he dwells in our hearts and lives because our light is dangerous. You know, I did a photography degree.

I did a photography degree when I was in, when I was doing my undergrad, I used all of the kind of traditional materials. Didn't do any of it on on on a on a digital camera, but, I'd I'd use a dark room. I had to go into pitch black rooms to do all sorts of difficult stuff, to just to try and get some photos processed. No light was permitted. No light was permitted whatsoever and I could be stuck in these little cubicles for, oh, hours on end and it was an absolute nightmare.

But I had it had to be absolutely pitch black because the light, the light would destroy the sensitivity of the materials I was working with. Isn't isn't that isn't that true spiritually with our own gospel witness? Doesn't it damage people? Only you sensitive to it sometimes? Doesn't it, doesn't it, impose on us a temptation to try to conceal who we are?

But you just have no 1 like to lamp and put it in a place where it will be hidden. You'll show it off so that it benefits the beholder. Think about where Think about where Jesus' own light led him. People see his goodness, don't they? They see his power.

They literally look at his perfect and beautiful light and they rejected. They say you will not believe. We will not give this man the glory he deserves. His own his own beautiful witnesses rejected by him. And if that is the way of the lord, It's a way to go to follow him.

Is it not? But in age, Unbelieving generation. Are we not the only hope? How else will the world see the glory of Christ, if not in us. Because that's that's the power of the gospel right there.

It makes your life beautiful. Makes your hearts beautiful. It lights up the very soul. And the more you gaze on Christ, look upon Christ. The more radiant our lives become because his His gospel truth is penetrating us.

And it's almost a window into our hearts and into our souls. By which the glory of Christ becomes absolutely undeniable. We pray before we close together. By heavenly father, we thank you for the glorious power of the gospel of our lord Jesus Christ. Thank you that it has transformed our heart so that we know longer living, darkness, and in the darkness of our sin and unbelief and opposition to yourself and to your ways.

Thank you for the hope that we have in the lord Jesus Christ. I pray heavenly father that we would be those that live out consistently. The goth for vibrancy by which you have created in us by the Holy Spirit, and may we be used and productively effectively as witness for witnesses for Christ himself. We pray in the glory of his name. Our men.