TO TELL THE TRUTH

Luke 11:27-36

RE. COMMUNICATION

Spiritual Leaders need to be friendly and personable. But not so friendly or personable as to undermine one’s position of Spiritual authority and responsibility among the flock.

We need to be sympathetic. But at the same time we must maintain an objective viewpoint, one informed not merely by our emotions but by a working knowledge of the Will of God.

We need to be approachable and relatable. But at the same time we need to maintain the proper distance of teacher and student, of leader and congregation.

THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF LEADERSHIP

On the one hand, Jesus was very friendly and very personable.

The tax-collectors and sinners loved Him.

But He was not so friendly or personable as to forget His Spiritual authority and responsibility in leading men OUT OF SIN and into a new and more God-Honoring life.

THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF LEADERSHIP

Jesus was quite sympathetic. He wept with Mary and Martha (and again) at the prospect of Jerusalem’s plight, due to her rejection of His teachings… (Jn 11:35 & Lk. 19:41). But at the same time He was never so overcome by His emotions, that He did not speak or teach soberly from His own deep knowledge of the Will of His Father.

THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF LEADERSHIP

Jesus was very approachable and deeply

relatable.

But at the same time He maintained the proper

Spiritual distance of teacher and disciple, of

Shepherd and flock, of Lord and led.

AND ABOVE ALL ELSE…

GOD’S LEADERS MUST ALWAYS

TELL THE TRUTH, ALWAYS.

Not “some” of the truth, not just the truth that

is “convenient” to hear. BUT…

THE WHOLE TRUTH, (*in Love to be sure), but

FAITHFULLY and WISELY.

LUKE 11:27-36

It’s Jesus at His best.

It’s Jesus demonstrating how to lead.

It’s Jesus TELLING THE TRUTH faithfully and

wisely.

*Even when it is not popular.

*Even when it means revealing sin in

someone’s life.

*But always with the Holy Ambition to save

men’s souls…

THE FIRST TRUTH

They were misguided (often superstitious) and

shallow in their faith.

They needed to recognize Jesus as God’s Son,

living and teaching the TRUTH in that present

time (v. 27-32), and they needed to seek out a

personal relationship with HIM.

THE SECOND TRUTH

Each person has their own personal

responsibility to seek out and to know the Will

of God in their inner man, and to obey Jesus

with their own hearts & their own souls & their

own minds.

RE. COMPLIMENTS

They can positively rekindle the fire in a

faith grown cold.

They can negatively reinforce one’s own

inflated opinion of themselves and perpetuate

ungodly egotism.

RE. COMPLIMENTS

When complimented just smile and accept the compliment with the encouragement with which it was intended.

Say, “Thank you for the encouragement.”

If it contains an element of criticism, try to take this to heart as well.

One of the best ways to respond - is to simply Give Glory to God and use the opportunity to share God’s grace and goodness.

A SPONTANEOUS BEATITUDE

"Blessed is the womb

that bore You, and the

breasts at which You

nursed."

"On the contrary, Blessed

are those who hear the

Word of God, and

observe it."

Luke 8:21 - "My mother and My brothers are

these who hear the Word of God and do it.")

BEING JESUS’ MOTHER…

Was a “blessed opportunity”—

But in terms of seeking and finding

salvation= she is no more blessed

than you or I.

Luke 7:28 –

{He} who is least in the kingdom of God is

greater than John the baptizer."

LUKE 6:46-49

“Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do

what I say? "Everyone who comes to Me, and

hears My Words, and acts upon them … is like

a man building a house, who dug deep and laid

a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood

rose, the torrent burst against that house and

could not shake it, because it had been well

built…

(An Unshakable Faith)

LUKE 6:49

“But the one who has heard, and has not acted {accordingly,} is like a man who built a house upon the ground without any foundation (NO TRUTH); and the torrent burst against

it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of

that house was great.”

(A Foundationless Faith)

KNOWN “SIGNS” (LK. 11:29-32)

SIGN ONE: (v. 29-30)

"This generation is a wicked generation; it

seeks for a sign, and {yet} no sign

shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah. (3

days in the fish)

"For just as Jonah became a sign

to the Ninevites, so shall the Son

of Man be to this generation.

KNOWN “SIGNS” (LK. 11:29-32)

SIGN ONE: (v. 32)

"The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this

generation at the judgment and condemn it,

because they repented at the preaching of

Jonah; and behold, something greater than

Jonah is here.

KNOWN “SIGNS” (LK. 11:29-32)

SIGN ONE: (Interpreted)

In other words, when I am crucified, and I am

buried and when I like Jonah, am resurrected

three days later, that will be the proof that “I

AM MESSIAH.”

Will you believe in Me then?

KNOWN “SIGNS” (LK. 11:29-32)

SIGN TWO: (v. 31-32)

"The Queen of the South (Sheba) shall rise up

with the men of this generation at the

judgment and condemn them, (Why?) because

she came from the ends of the earth to hear

the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something

greater than Solomon is here.

KNOWN “SIGNS” (LK. 11:29-32)

SIGN TWO: (Interpreted)

The Queen of Sheba PERSONALLY traveled from Africa to Israel to see and to know for herself of the wisdom of Solomon.

(Plus…)

The Ninevites PERSONALLY REPENTED of their sins, (The King to the lowest peasant, although they were not even Jewish), although they were among the most wicked and savage people of their day… because of the preaching of (a reluctant) Jonah.

JESUS’ CONCLUSION

I’M HERE TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH…

“SOMEONE greater than Jonah,” and

“SOMEONE greater than Solomon”… and you

neither seek Me nor repent because of My

teachings!

FIRST OF ALL… FOR SPIRITUAL LEADERS

Asking for “signs” is a sign of UNBELIEF. Another issue leaders have to deal with is unbelief, skepticism, even rejection. It’s heartbreaking.

TO TELL THE TRUTH: You preach your heart out, pleading for men to save their own souls before Hell and you are often met with a dull stare. Or a sad excuse. And many times with a yawn.

TO TELL THE TRUTH… SOMETIMES YOU WANT TO SHAKE

‘EM AND SAY – ANYBODY HOME?

I mean the “lights are on,” but apparently in regard to

their souls = NOBODY’S HOME.

A NEW METAPHOR: “LIGHT” (33-36)

God has given us His Word

God’s Light (and God’s TRUTH).

And the *KEY here is that YOU AND I are

responsible for how we receive that Word.

LUKE 11:33-34

33 ‘‘No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place

where it will be hidden, or under a bowl.

Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those

who come in may see the light.”

34 “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When

your eyes are good, your whole body also is full

of light (TRUTH). But when they are bad, your

body also is full of darkness.

LUKE 11:35-36

35 See to it, then, that the light

within you is not darkness.

(*FOUNDATIONLESS FALSEHOODS AND FEARS).

36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of

light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely

lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines

on you.”

JESUS’ LOGIC

A lamp lights up a whole room if it is uncovered.

Our eyes are like a lamp to our inner being (souls).

And if that lamp is uncovered and allowed to shine into

our hearts, our whole inner being will be lit up just like

a “lamp lit” room. (ILLUMINATED)

All of the “shadows” of SIN and DOUBT will be expelled.

(*Ignorance, shallowness, “signs”)

We will be enlightened, we

will see the WHOLE TRUTH.

SOURCE OF THE LIGHT?

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of

Christ. (Rom. 10:17)

The TRUTH Jesus reveals, the TRUTH OF GOD, is not

from man. It is from God.

John 1:5 - “The light [that] shined in the darkness, but

the darkness has not understood it.”

John 3:19 - “…{the} light has come into the world, but

men love darkness instead of light because their deeds

were evil.”

MANY PEOPLE TODAY…

Look for their own

“TRUTH” through

meditating or seeking

some personal ecstatic

‘spiritual’ experience or

visions or SIGNS, or

dreams or whatever it

may be.

But they will not find the

True Light that way,

because the True Light

cannot come from within

ourselves; God shines it in

from the outside, through

His Word.

THE TRUE LIGHT

2 Cor. 4:6 – “For God, who said, "Light shall shine

out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our

hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the

glory of God in the face of Christ.”

Why don’t all people then see Jesus as the light

of the world?

Why do they crave signs?

Why don’t they recognize Jesus for who

He is and worship Him?

BECAUSE…

(Says Jesus), the Light is not received into their souls.

(See below)

They have their “Spiritual eyes wide shut.”

They don’t WANT the Light to enter their lives,

choosing SIN over CHRIST in the ‘darkness’ of their

minds.

Matt 13:15-16 - For the heart of this people has become dull, and

with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes

lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and

understand with their heart and return, and I should heal them.‘

"But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears,

because they hear.

IN TODAY’S CONTEXT

Jesus wants EVERYONE who hear the Word of

God and to obey it.

He wants us EVERYONE to be His Mother,

Brothers and Sisters...(Or to use the illustration here),

He wants EVERYONE to allow God’s Light, (the

Truth), into their lives to drive away the

darkness of sin from their hearts and fill them

with THE TRUTH OF GOD.

THE OBVIOUS QUESTIONS

Have YOU refused to believe that

Jesus is the Light of the World?

Are YOU still living in darkness?

Don’t YOU see that Jesus is the

Light of the World?

Don’t YOU see that He wants

to save YOU?

BOTTOM LINE: TO TELL THE TRUTH…

Luke 11:28 - "Blessed rather are those who

hear the Word of God and obey it."