Answering His Critics

Transcription

1 Answering His Critics Lk. 20: A.M.

2 Lady Nancy Astor, British Labor Leader Bessie Braddock & Winston Churchill

3 We are living in a time when applause is coveted - more than character. (By that I mean), it is more important today to be popular than to be genuine, honest, or faithful. Many men (today) choose the recognition of men over respect for God. RE. Popularity

4 Woe {to you} when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets. How miserable for you when everybody says nice things about you, for that is exactly how their fathers treated the false prophets. Luke 6:26 (NAS and Phillips)

5 There s trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular. Luke 6:26 (Message Bible)

6 When you stand for the Truth, you are rarely popular. Truth-talkers make waves. Other folks tend to frown at you. You are criticized. Your enemies multiply. Your faith is severely tested. The Truth Is

7 What we need to do is to learn from The Master how to answer our critics faithfully; How to be straight forward without being stringent and how to be corrective without being cantankerous. Jesus did it daily. He chose his battles. He didn t answer everybody always. Neither Silent nor Belligerent

8 If the need of the day was for Him to physically overturn the robbers tables in the Holy Temple, Which appears in Lk.19: He did that. If it was to absorb the lies - and blows of injustice - as He did during his mock trials, which appears shortly in Lk. 22: He did that. Jesus Answers His Critics

9 Luke 20:1 - And it came about on one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the Gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him. (*Remember he has just cleansed the Temple (AKA- Annas Bazaar) The Confrontation Begins

10 Luke 9:22- Jesus had predicted that- "The Son of Man [would] suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day." Earlier Prediction

11 Luke 20:2 - "Tell us, by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?" WE DIDN T GIVE YOU THE AUTHORITY TO TEACH IN THE TEMPLE! WE DIDN T APPROVE YOU USING THE TEMPLE TO PREACH YOUR GOSPEL! The Authority Question

12 If Jesus said God and then they could accuse Him of being blasphemer. But if by chance He did say men, then they could say- WE are the ones who approve the Temple sermons, and WE know that WE didn t approve you, you LIAR! TWO ANSWERS

13 Luke 20:3-4, Jesus answers the leaders question with His own question- "And He answered and said to them, "I shall also ask you a question, and you tell Me: "Was the baptism of John (the baptizer) from Heaven or from men?" Question for Question

14 John 1:29, 30, " The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30- "This is He on behalf of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me. 34- "And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." John The Baptizer said

15 Luke 20:5-6 And the [leaders] reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From Heaven,' Jesus will say, 'Why did you not believe him?' 6 "But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet." And they were right about this. On the Horns of a Dilemma

16 Luke 20:5-6 [And] they answered that they did not know where {it came} from. They were on the spot, and they knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, If we say heaven, he ll ask us why we didn t believe him; if we say humans, the people will tear us limb from limb, convinced as they are that John was God s prophet. They agreed to concede that round to Jesus and said don t know. (Message Translation) On the Horns of a Dilemma

17 Matt 23:27-28 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness " Rotten

18 Luke 20:8 - And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things." Jesus doesn t turn the other cheek. He fights fire with fire. He answers His critics with their own criticism. This to me is instructional. Jesus Replied

19 Luke 20:9-15 "A man (This is GOD) planted a Vineyard (The Kingdom) and rented it out to Vine-growers (the chief priests, scribes & elders), and went on a journey for a long time. The Clearest Parable Jesus ever Offered.

20 Luke 20:9-15 "And at the {Harvest} time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order that they might give him {some} of the produce of the Vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 "And he proceeded to send another slave; and they beat him also and treated him shamefully, and sent him away emptyhanded. 12 "And he proceeded to send a third; and this one also they wounded and cast out. (The Prophets) The Clearest Parable Jesus ever Offered.

21 Luke 20:9-15 "And the owner of the vineyard (GOD) said, 'What [then] shall I do? I will send my beloved son (THIS CAN ONLY BE JESUS); perhaps they will respect Him.' But, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders didn t respect Jesus. They loved power more than GOD! The Clearest Parable Jesus ever Offered.

22 Luke 20: "[So] when the Vinegrowers saw Him (GOD S BELOVED SON), they reasoned with one another, saying, 'This is the heir; let us kill Him that the inheritance may be ours. 15 "And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed Him. The Clearest Parable Jesus ever Offered.

23 Luke 20:9-15 What, therefore, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? What, therefore, will GOD do to those who refuse to respect and obey His Beloved Son Jesus? The Clearest Parable Jesus ever Offered.

24 Luke 20:16 -"He (GOD) will come and destroy these Vine-growers (the chief priests and the scribes with the elders) and will give the Vineyard (The Kingdom) to others [who will believe]." And when they heard it, they said, May it never be!" The Councilmen Reproved

25 13 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from men; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in 15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel about on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves Matthew 23: 13, 15, & 30-33

26 30-33 {You say} 'If we had been {living} in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in {shedding} the blood of the prophets.' "Consequently you bear witness against yourselves, that you are sons (second generation) of those who murdered the prophets. "Fill up then the measure {of the guilt} of your fathers. "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape the sentence of Hell? " Matthew 23: 13, 15, & 30-33

27 Sometimes Jesus would let the issue go if there was no chance for understanding. Other times He confronted the issue head-on when souls were at risk. He absolutely used wisdom and discretion in His answers and yet He never once compromised His principles, always (to quote the Apostle Paul) communicating the truth in love. It s True

28 Yes, I am being crucified, and it would appear that you have won, today. But you haven t won. Just wait three days. I may be dying today, but I ll be alive Sunday Morning.