Going Where Jesus Goes – A

Today, Pastor Jack tells us that Jesus is committed to reaching Jerusalem. His passion will soon be satisfied to die on the cross for the sins of the world. The Disciples are willing to follow Him but their motives are without a true understanding of what is actually going to happen there.

Father, we pray that this morning by the power of your Holy Spirit, you’d move upon our lives.
Lord, we ask in jesus’ name and all God’s people said, amen, grab your bibles this morning and turn if you would then to the gospel of Luke chapter nine, Luke chapter nine in our study versus uh this morning 50 Out to verse 62 today and a powerful portion of scripture, technically, verse 51, but that’s okay.
Uh Luke chapter nine verse 51 as you’re turning their uh I got to give you this up front.
We’re looking at a message entitled going where Jesus goes in church.
I want you to be aware of something that you need to be thinking this morning about where Jesus would go.
This is a non spectator message today. Are you a Christian? And we all would say yes, then listen.
It is absolutely essential that we as believers would respond regarding where would Jesus go today if he was physically back on earth?
Now, where would he go? Did you know that if you say you’re a Christian?
If I say that I’m a Christian, I would not only have to go where he is going.
I would want to go where he’s going.
If Jesus Christ came back in this moment to minister once again on earth, we would say, Lord take us with you.
Lord, send us out. Lord command us to go very, very vital, very important.
And I know that this message and what Jesus teaches is gonna set as it were an ax to the root of the tree, so to speak.

And it is going to hit us to think and to examine about where we are with Christ, who are we as believers?
Listen, are we really those who follow him? And here is the earth shaking reality.
You cannot declare that you are a Christian without following Christ.
The moment someone says, or where’s the T shirt that announces or puts a cross around their neck?
All those things indicate externally that we are heartfelt followers of Jesus Christ. Absolutely essential.
You can’t say you’re a follower of Christ without following him. And by the way, keep this in mind.
Note takers Bible students shut it down. By way of introduction.
We got a big introduction this morning because it is so important in this chapter.
In this verse beginning, verse 51 there is a set change.
Imagine for a moment that we’re in either Hollywood or New York.
And we are sitting in a big presentation, maybe it’s a Hollywood or New York play or a musical and all this stuff is going on and you’re watching and then if you’ve ever been to such a thing, there is a section where now that storyline is complete and the lights usually dim or another set of curtains opens up and it reveals an entire new set of events and what’s going on.
Literally in Luke chapter nine, we are at that moment, there is a set change and now everything is different, the light’s them down and then they open back up and the curtains open.
And we’ve got Jesus now moving to Jerusalem and everything changes all the way through.
By the way to the end of the book, the set chains is something very powerful.
So do keep that in mind.
We see Jesus and his disciples on the road, they’re on to Jerusalem there onto the cross.
Jesus is onto his death. He’s onto his resurrection, Jesus Christ.
Now, from this moment is now living his last six months on earth.
And it’s a constant challenge from this moment on as Jesus sets his faith and face, I should say to Jerusalem, the opportunities, the difficulties, everything becomes a challenge.
Luke chapter nine verse 51 it says now it came to pass when the time had come for him to be received up, that he Jesus steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem and he sent messengers before his face.
And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans to prepare for him.
And they that is the Samaritans did not receive him because his face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.
And when his disciples that as James and John saw this, they said, Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven to consume them?
Just like Elijah did. But you love these guys.
They’re hilarious and he turned and rebuked them saying you do not know what manner of spirit you are of.
For the son of man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.
And they went to another village.
Now it happened verse 57 as they journeyed on the road that someone said to him, Lord, I will follow you wherever you go.
And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.

Then he said to another that as Jesus said to another, follow me.
But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father.
And Jesus said to him, let the dead bury their own dead.
But you go and preach the kingdom of God.
And another also said, Lord, I will follow you, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.
But Jesus said to him, no one having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.
A lengthy introduction is important and then we’ll get into our points this morning.
This introduction is found and versus 51-56. And what we just read here, we see Jesus Christ.
It announces to us that he from this moment on has set his face to go to Jerusalem.
Dr Luke, the author of this gospel tells us that in very powerful words that Jesus has communicated to the disciples, that in his very attitude, you guys church, his very demeanor of his face.
Jesus now as it were wakes up one morning and there’s that set change. We are going to Jerusalem.
Everything’s different. There’s an intensity about it. His mission was set that is unto Jerusalem. His passion was resolute.
That is that he was going to die for the sins of mankind.
Note this Jesus is not, was not a victim of some Roman plot to kill him.
Jesus was not a victim by some Jewish plot to kill him.
Remember when the passion of the Christ came out worldwide, all of the debate was who killed Jesus and who’s going to be responsible.
And the Jews blamed the Romans.
The Romans blamed the Jews and the truth of the matter is we had to read the Bible and we had to conclude that we have to blame ourselves.
The Jews didn’t kill him, the Italians didn’t kill him. I killed him, you killed them.
The Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, it was our sins that put Christ on the cross.
But listen, Jesus wasn’t vandalized by that. Jesus wasn’t victimized by that.
It was in the heart of God to go to the cross for you and I and die in our place to be our sacrifice.
This that Jesus is going to Jerusalem is no accident.
There are those who have written books and some of them have been bestsellers about how Jesus got caught up in the flurry of the moment and wound up his, his whole plan went awry and he wound up being dead at the end of the week.
That’s insane. The old Testament prophets foretold clearly that Jesus Christ would come to earth and go to the cross for our sacrifice.
Verse 51 says that he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.
That word steadfastly means that it was like granite.
His face was set as it were in concrete in John chapter 10 verse 18, Jesus said no one takes my life from me.
I lay it down of myself.
I have the power to lay it down and I have the power to raise it up again.
This commandment I have received of my father. Nobody takes Jesus’s life.
See his face is set because he’s got a job to do.
And so Jesus and his seminary students with great expedition are moving to Jerusalem. There’s no accident to it.
It’s God’s plan and it’s all business. Don’t be offended by me putting it this way.
It’s all business to Jesus. Now, that business though is not some enterprise, that businesses that Jesus would go to the cross for us.
Jesus says it will allow me to say this. He’s rolling up.
Now from verse 51 on, he’s rolling up the sleeves of his robe and he’s gonna go to work.
It’s not that he hadn’t been working earlier.
He had been revealing us, revealing to us the heart of God and the nature of God.
But now it was all about his death and his sacrifice.
One scholar points out that Luke so articulately puts it together that as Jesus sets his face steadfast that it is a raw literalist that Jesus communicates with intensity of his ministry that approaches that he would go to the cross and become salvation for mankind.
In verses 52 to 54 we learned about the Samaritan factor of what’s going on and I don’t want to be labor that I didn’t say this.
The Samaritans. You see, why were they so upset with Jesus? The Samaritans?
Don’t we read in the Bible in another place that there’s the good Samaritan? Yes, we do.
The Samaritans though very quickly are a group of people. By the way, I looked it up yesterday.
There’s only 720 Samaritans left today in the world. They, you can trace them genetically.
They live by the way on Mount Gerizim. Still in Samaria today. And who were they or what are they?
They are considered by the Jews as half breeds.
They, they were Hebrew at one point in time, but they began to intermarry with the invading Kingdoms of Israel during the Old Testament period, predominantly those of the Assyrian Empire.
And there was Babylonian blood and canaanite blood in them.
And as they began to intermingle with these other pagan blood groups, uh they became as what the Jews would call half breeds.
They had their own worship system.
They believe that they held closer to the word of God than that the Jews were doing.
Uh Jews had their temple in Jerusalem.
The Samaritans had their temple or worship place there and mount in that beautiful mouth location.
And as they worship in garage seem, they had their own system and they believe that Jesus having done his miracles would naturally come to garage seem and declare that they, the Samaritans were the right form of worship.
You guys remember when Jesus went to the well of Jacob Jacob’s well in Samaria and remember what the woman said to him as they were conversing one with another.
And she begins to wake up to the reality of who Jesus is.
She says, our leaders tell us that we should worship God in this mountain.
But the Bible makes it very clear that Jesus has listened.
That’s not the point, it’s not here and it’s not Jerusalem, but the Lord is seeking those who will worship him in spirit and in truth, it’s not a geographical location, but there was great animosity between these two groups.
But they, in their bias and in their division, when they found out Jesus was not coming to their town to put the thumbs up to their worship system, they shut him down.
Can you imagine closing your door in Jesus and refusing him? What a pretty terrifying thing that would be.
You’re listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs.
You know, to hear more episodes and maybe catch up in the series, just go to Jack Hibbs dot com.
That’s Jack Hibbs dot com. And for now, let’s get back to our teaching.
Once again, here’s pastor Jack, Look with me in verse 57 going where Jesus goes, we look at this.
Jesus goes to our motives when you jump that down, it’s what we’re looking at this morning for.
That’s what the text is about.
Jesus Christ is probing the motives of these three men that we’re gonna be talking about this morning and every one of us to some degree or another need to examine our hearts to see if we are any way caught up in the things that these men were caught up in.
Verse 57 58. Jesus goes to our motives.
Now it happened as they journeyed on the road that someone said to him.
Notice this Lord, I will follow you wherever you go.
Jesus said to him, foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.
In other words, do you guys remember?
Was that that thing lost in space for those of us who are 100 years old, remember lost in space?
Anybody raise your hand, please encourage me. Yes.
Do you remember that ridiculous robot that would come out and say warning warning.
Will Robinson remember that warning, warning, severe atmospheric disturbance. This ridiculous robot would warn them about everything at any time.
There’s this warning that’s in front of your face. Jesus hears this man’s declaration. Notice this church.
He says, Lord, that’s a great statement. In other words, I submit to you fully.
You are my king, my leader, my ruler. I’ll go anywhere everywhere with you.
Warning warning, Jesus announces foxes have holes to live in birds, live in nests.
But, but the son of man referring to himself, I’ve got no place to live. I’ve got no nest.
I’ve got no place. I’ve got nothing. Are you sure?
Number one, we think about this motives that are without expense. What is this man thinking? He has a motive.
There’s no doubt about that. He comes, but he’s not counting the cost.
He’s got a motive, but it’s without expense. Meaning that, hey, I’ll just follow Jesus.
Maybe you’ve heard the gospel and you say, well, I like that. Everybody wants to be religious at certain times.
Everybody wants to have quote God in their lives at an opportune moment.
The truth of the matter is there are, there is such a thing that we need to be careful about having motives without expense, not counting the cost that someone said, Lord, I will follow you.
So the man makes the declaration by Jesus being Lord. He recognizes the greatness and the value of Jesus Christ.
Do you this morning? I trust that you do. But maybe you’re listening. Do you?
Can you say I value the very greatness and person of Jesus Christ? I value his words. I value that.
He’s speaking about the kingdom. I want that kingdom. Maybe you’ll say. And so Lord, I’ll follow you anywhere.
Listen, a lot of people church, listen, Sunday mornings. It’s natural.
People come to church supposed to go to church and they’re caught up in the moment.
Maybe it’s the awesome worship that you heard this morning and you get all excited and the angels are singing.
I’m gonna sing to, oh boy, maybe it’s Easter morning or maybe it’s Christmas morning or maybe it’s some event, maybe it’s an earthquake, maybe it’s something, oh, whatever the motive might be.
I’m coming to God. But why are you coming to God? Why is this man coming to God church?
Listen, Jesus knows the very heart of the man. He knows your heart. He knows my heart.
Why am I coming to Christ? You see, Pastor Jack, I brought my friend here today. Make it easy.
Will you make it smooth for them to come on into the family of God? No. Uh no way.
I’m not to make it hard either. Don’t get me wrong. I’m to present the truth.
If God is working upon your heart, you are going to say I want God, I want Christ.
I want this Jesus. Isn’t it funny?
Three events that will see this morning if these situations came to us today, we would be tempted like this.
Oh, oh, you’ll, you’ll follow you. You want to join the church? Come on.
Oh, you want, you want to do the other? Come on.
I’m not saying put hurdles in front of people by no means, listen, we can be very guilty of just quote, signing people up close quote and giving them the thought that, well, I guess now I’m a Christian.
I’ve signed on, I guess I’m in Jesus is warning against that. My friend as a Christian.
When you share Jesus Christ with others, you don’t need to worry about the outcome. Did you hear me?
You don’t need to worry about the outcome. You and I are to present the truth.
It’s God, the Holy Spirit that deals with the outcome. God doesn’t force anybody into the kingdom.
You’re not born into the kingdom. You’ve got to be born again into the kingdom.
Matthew 8 19, we learned this about who this man is Matthew’s account is this, that is that he was a certain scribe came to Jesus and he said, teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.
So a little bit of more light, Matthew records this man here that makes the statement, Lord, I’ll follow you anywhere that this man is well educated, that means he’s got money or he’s got sponsorship.
This guy’s got resources and he’s very intelligent.
He’s a scribe And this man whose intelligence says, Lord, I’ll follow you anywhere.
Now, you need to hear that for a moment.
Maybe you’re thinking this morning, I’m too smart to become a Christian man.
I don’t know what you think about science and creation and the evidence and all of that or God’s existence.
But my friend, the truth of the matter is uh if you are really smart and wise, I want to underline the word wise, you can be smart and be really dumb.
When it comes to being wise, you can be smart like a brainiac, you know, deciphering the latest problem and walk right through a stained glass window.
You know, being smart doesn’t necessarily mean you’re wise.
But what is great is to be smart and wise because if you’re smart and wise, you conclude, God gave me my brain.
Thank you Lord for it. And you look around at the world that is and say that this speaks about a divine, great engineer and he is ordered and that he is loving and that he cares.
Think this man was a thinker.
Matthew tells us he was described and he acknowledges that Jesus is worthy of being followed.
He’s an eye witness to what’s going on you and I were not there, this man was there and he said, I’m going to follow Jesus, at least that’s what he says.
But Jesus knows exactly what’s in the heart of man in the mind of man.
Jesus goes directly to his heart for a response to him.
So there is this challenge to us to be thinking, am I a Christian this morning?
And have I counted the cost number two to this motives that are without understanding, we can have motives without understanding?
That’s a dangerous thing. He says, I’ll follow you wherever you go. Really?
Wherever I have this question to ask, why would someone want to become a Christian church? Watch this?
Can I play with you for a moment? This is simply to generate within you some function?
Are you guys with me? Okay. Why would you want to become a Christian?
Why would somebody want to become a Christian? I want to become a Christian. Why?
Why do you want to become a Christian? That’s an important question. Do you want to become a Christian?
Oh, what’s the motive for that one? Or listen? Do you have to become a Christian?
I, when you read the Bible after reading the Bible, I at the end of reading the Bible, you come to the end of the book of Revelation and I do not want to say I want to become a Christian.
I have to become a Christian. I have to, I’ve read the book from cover to cover.
It makes perfect sense. It answers the very meaning of my life.
It deals with my guilt, it deals with my sin, it deals with my future, it deals with my past, It gives me hope.
It makes absolute sense. And on top of that, I cannot riff, use the love of God.
I must become a Christian. Can you say that today? Is that burning in your heart?
I must become a Christian. Listen, if you understand that, not because I want to see if I want to become a Christian.
That means my signing up so to speak is conditional.
I want to be a Christian as long as it’s smooth.
Uh I want to be a Christian as long as I have a place like little foxes have to sleep in and I’ll be a Christian and I want to be a Christian.
I want to be a Christian as long as I have like a nest, like a bird does I want, then I’ll become a Christian.
Well, who doesn’t want to be a Christian.
That’s not the gospel pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs here on real life radio with his message called going where Jesus goes.
Thanks for being with us. Today, you know this message today going where Jesus goes is part of Pastor Jack series called the Gospel of Luke.
It’s a series on the book of Luke and the unveiling of Jesus Christ to this world and will continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio.
Everybody. It’s time at this still the new part of the new Year. We’re still into it.
It’s great for us to stop right now and just, just get realigned in prayer.
And I just want to pray this for you, for us, Lord Jesus.
I pray that by the power of your Holy Spirit, you would lead and guide our real life radio audience, Father God, that you would give us vision, passion and lord that we would experience more and more that separation from this world while we’re in it caused us Lord to be so filled with the commitment of heaven that we might be on this earth, spiritually beneficial God that we would be active and busy about our Father’s business.
So lord, we pray that you would move in our lives.
We come to you right now and we just offer up again this rededication to be completely used by you.
And however, in whatever area you’d have us to be used in jesus’ name and all of God’s people said, amen.