LUKE 13: PERFECT LOVE

Luke Chapter 13 explains to us
why the message of repentance
is the most perfect form of God’s love.

Think about it.

Why would Jesus share
the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree,
or The Narrow Door,
if He didn’t want us to know
how serious He is
about turning back back to Him.

If you think Heaven
is open to everyone,
then you clearly do not know
what the Word of God says.
It's so important that we don't miss this,
it is really a matter of eternal life or death.

Do you remember
what Jesus said
when his disciple asked him,
“Lord, will only a few be saved?”

He said,
“Work hard
to enter the narrow door
to God’s Kingdom!”
Many will try to enter
but will fail.”

“When the master of the house
has locked the door,
it will be too late.
You will stand outside,
knocking and pleading,
“Lord, open the door for us!”

But he will reply,
“I don’t know you
or where you come from.”

Then you will say,
“But we ate and drank with you,
and you taught in our streets.”

And he will reply,
“I tell you, I don’t know you
or where you come from.
Get away from me,
all you who do evil -
There will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth!”
Luke 13:24-28

I don’t know about you,
but his answer is a LOT scary to me,
many who walking confidently
are actually deceived.

We have to get this right!
Many have not taken the time
to dive into God's Word -
to get to know Him personally.

They walk around proudly,
serving their fellow man,
truly believing
they are going to Heaven
because they are morally good.

But this is NOT what God's Word says.

Where in the world,
does this falsehood come from?

I can’t find anywhere in the Bible
that this is what God says.
In fact it says just the opposite,
if we don't know him,
we will be eternally dead.

He does say
that His greatest command
is to love Him, and
to love our neighbors as ourselves,
but this can only be done
when we truly understand
how He saved us from eternal death.

According to the Word,
it’s only the blood of Jesus
that brings us back
into relationship with Him,
and it’s through a personal relationship
that we can truly know who God is.

And when we know Him,
we come to understand
how much forgiveness is foundational
to spreading the love of God.
 
When we truly understand
the cost of our sin,
we will have no problem
forgiving our fellow men,
because it's only then
that we understand
how much He forgave us.

God became a human
so that He come in flesh,
die on the cross,
and spill His Holy blood
as our final sacrifice -
Why?
Because He knew
there was no way in hell
that we could obey the Law.

This is the difference
between Christians
and the religious,
or even universalists.

It’s all about Jesus!
Only Jesus leads the way.
As scripture says,
“There is one God,
and there is one mediator
between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus,
who gave himself
as a ransom for all” the world.
1 Timothy 2:5-7

Unforsaken
only comes through repentance - 
The blood of Christ is poured
into human repentant hearts.

Jesus says it like this,
“A man planted a fig tree
in his garden,
and came again and again
to see if there was any fruit on it,
but he was always disappointed.”

“Finally, he said to his gardener,
“I’ve waited three years, and
there hasn’t been a single fig!
Cut it down.
It’s just taking up space
in the garden.”

The gardener answered,
“Sir, give it one more chance.
Leave it another year,
and I’ll give it special attention
and plenty of fertilizer.
If we get figs next year, fine.
If not, then you can cut it down”
Luke 13:6-9

Do you not see,
how tolerant our God is?
He is the gardener
asking for more time,
patiently waiting
for the fig tree to bear fruit.

Time.
He is giving us time -
Time to change our minds.
Time to repent.
Time to stop our adulterous ways.
Time to remember how good He is.
Time to stop.
Time to apologize,
get on our knees
and bow our heads to Him.

Why do you think He describes
the children of Israel
as an adulterous wife,
who have strayed,
and walked away from Him?
It’s because He is a relational God.
Even His own seed is Three in One.
His whole being is pure love!
He is so desperate for us,
that He sent His only son
to be a living sacrifice
to cover our sin with His blood.

This purification
comes through a choice.
God asks human beings
to become his virgin wife;
He washes away our sin,
and makes us fully clean.

This is what repentance means!

The church has been set apart for Him.
We are to keep our lamps burning,
and prepare for the wedding feast.
This is the promise
to the human heart
that invites His Holy Spirit in.

Wow!
Holy Spirit is so good!
This is the perfect place
to talk about
the mustard seed and yeast.

Jesus said,
“What is the Kingdom of God like?
How can I illustrate it?”

“It is like a tiny mustard seed
that a man planted in a garden;
it grows and becomes a tree,
and the birds make nests
in its branches.”
Luke 13:18-19

This made me think,
when God created Adam
and placed him in His garden,
was He expected to be like
the mustard seed
and multiply in love?

Jesus also said,
“The Kingdom of God
is like the yeast a woman
used in making bread.
Even though she put only
a little yeast in
three measures of flour,
it permeated every part
of the dough.”

So once again
we see the concept of pregnant, 
where a little seed of something
grows into something more.

It does not matter
whether it’s bad or it’s good,
whether it’s a mustard seed of faith
or a little yeast of sin.
It's still represents
the concept of birth and growth,
whether attached to the blessing or the curse.

This is why Paul says,
“For by the grace given to me
I say to everyone among you
not to think of himself more highly
than he ought to think,
but to think with sober judgment,
each according to the measure
of faith that God has assigned.”
Romans 12:3

Scripture says,
“Faith comes from hearing,
and hearing through the word of Christ.”
Romans 10:17

Therefore we can discern,
that Faith is a partnership
between you and God.
When you seek Him in his Word,
He impregnates you,
and puts a measure of faith in you.

As the seed of His Spirit
grows inside of a man,
that man will automatically
grow more like Him.

But if he does not,
we can assume something is wrong,
It means there is
a misalignment of His soul,
and this is known as blasphemy to God.

So we must pay attention,
when God starts tugging on us.
He is such a good father,
that He wants to correct us.

It doesn’t surprise me
that we see Jesus healing
a woman’s bent back
and making it straight;
This is included in Luke Chapter 13.

Scripture says,
“One Sabbath day
as Jesus was teaching
in a synagogue,
he saw a woman
who had been crippled
by an evil spirit.
She had been bent double
for eighteen years
and was unable
to stand up straight.
When Jesus saw her,
he called her over and said,
“Dear woman, you are healed
of your sickness!”
Then he touched her, and
instantly she could stand straight.
How she praised God!
But the leader in charge
of the synagogue
was indignant that Jesus had
healed her on the Sabbath day.

"There are six days
of the week for working,”
he said to the crowd.
“Come on those days to be healed,
not on the Sabbath.”

But the Lord replied,
“You hypocrites!
Each of you works
on the Sabbath day!
Don’t you untie your ox
or your donkey from its stall
on the Sabbath
and lead it out for water?
This dear woman,
a daughter of Abraham,
has been held in bondage by Satan
for eighteen years.
Isn’t it right that she be released,
even on the Sabbath?”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭13:10-16‬ ‭

So this brings me to the barren fig tree -
the human race is under the curse;
Born into sin.
Not bearing God's seed.

Why do you think Sarah was physically barren?
God needed to show us
how He can create
something from nothing!

Isn't our God good?

Despite her doubt,
He fulfilled His Word,
He gave her a son -
who filled the sands 
with many men, and many nations;
Nations who would return
their hearts to Him
so that He could impregnate them
with His Word.

And through Issac,
Jacob came,
and through the line of Judah,
David was born.

A shepherd boy,
who became a King,
setting the stage for Jesus;
Jesus came as a lamb,
to be slaughtered as a human
so that He could resurrect as our King.

Today,
Jesus sits at the right hand of God,
making intervention for us;
while He waits patiently for man
to accept Holy Spirit baptism
through the act of repentance. 

But if a man
refuses to repent
and come back to Him,
then God allows
his heart to stay hard,
Which is not good!

It will stay
in its natural form,
full of self and void of God.

Spiritually barren
and all alone,
this is the story of people like Pharaoh,
yet God will use them to let His people go
so that they can make their way back home.

The understanding of spiritual fruit,
Helps us not only discern human behavior,
and human hearts,
But it also gives us wisdom
about spiritual truths.

Jesus said,
“Beware of false prophets,
who come to you
in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly
they are ravenous wolves."

"You will know them by their fruits.”
Matthew 7:15-16.

Then He said,
“Do men gather grapes from thornbushes
or figs from thistles?”
Even so, every good tree
bears good fruit,
but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”

“A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not
bear good fruit is cut down
and thrown into the fire.
Therefore, by their fruits
you will know them."
Matthew 7:17-20

I cannot tell you,
how great this advice is!
If you want to know
how to discern spirits,
you must first repent
and give your heart back to Him.

Then,
as you pursue Him,
He will give you understanding
to what His parables mean,
and He will whisper spiritual truths
into your ear.

He will open your eyes
to what you need to see,
so that you can walk forward
boldly and courageously.

His desire is that you will join the Lord's army,
and become a vessel for Him,
through the ministry of the reconciliation of men.

The true testimony of Jesus
must be told,
He is the Messiah,
the resurrected Son of God.
It’s only his blood
that covers our sin,
and it’s only His Spirit
who can discern the intent
behind the hearts of men.

This is why we are told not to judge;
and this is why we are commanded to love.

We must know,
that water baptism
is ONLY the outward expression
of our inner declaration;
and it does not replace
the inner desire of a man’s heart,
to be transformed in Spirit and
walk in fellowship with Him.

Spiritual Alignment comes
when we repent;
when we die to self
and give God back our hearts.
A person must decide
where their heart resides,
does it beat for Him,
or for them?

Jesus set His face like flint,
and walked boldly into Jerusalem.
There was nothing
that would stop Him
from fulfilling the purpose
of why He had come.

Jesus said,
“Go tell that fox
(speaking of the Herod Antipas),
that I will keep on
casting out demons
and healing people
today and tomorrow;
and on the third day
I will accomplish my purpose.
Yes, today, tomorrow,
and the next day
I must proceed on my way.
For it wouldn’t do
for a prophet of God
to be killed except in Jerusalem!
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
the city that kills the prophets
and stones God’s messengers!
How often I have wanted
to gather your children together
as a hen protects her chicks
beneath her wings,
but you wouldn’t let me.
And now, look,
your house is abandoned.
And you will never see me again
until you say,
“Blessings on the one who comes
in the name of the LORD!”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭13:31-35‬

As I come to the end
of Luke 13,
Let me just remind you again,
“There will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth,
for you will see
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
and all the prophets
in the Kingdom of God,
but you will be thrown out.
And people will come
from all over the world -
from east and west,
north and south -
to take their places
in the Kingdom of God.
And note this:
Some who seem
least important now
will be the greatest then,
and some who are
the greatest now
will be least important then. ”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭13:28-30‬ ‭

And lastly,
remember what Jesus said,
when people came to Him
about Pilate murdering
people from Galilee
as they were offering sacrifices
at the Temple of God.

He asked,
“Do you think those Galileans
were worse sinners
than all the other people
from Galilee?”

“Is that why they suffered?
Not at all!
And you will perish, too,
unless you repent of your sins
and turn to God.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭13:1-3

What did you hear in all of that?
I’ll tell you what I heard.

I heard that none of us are good!
We all sin, and we all must repent!
We all sin, and we all must forgive!
Without forgiveness,
we are bound to the root of bitterness,
which produces pure hate
instead of pure love.

So I ask you this,
what kind of fruit do you bear?
Do you live, breath and speak
from the curse or the blessing?

We must keep our eyes
focused on Christ,
and we must beware
because it is easy to fall
into the pit of despair,
Satan is the prince of the air,
and his only goal is to deceive men.

So hold onto hope
and proclaim Jesus as Lord;
He understands what you have to endure,
and He is preparing a room for you
in His Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus is the true prophet,
and He is our King.
He is our Holy priest,
and He is the only Judge
who can condemn or acquit.

Here is your alter call.
Will you bring it all
to the foot of the cross?
Will you put your trust in Him?
Will you open His Word and search for yourself,
that the only way to be blessed
is through the blood of Christ?
Will you give him your heart?
Will you give him your life?
Will you be a living sacrifice
so that others can come to know Him?
Will you choose to love and forgive,
even when it is hard?
Will you die to self and accept this new life?