Luke 13:31-35

Today, Pastor Jack tells us that we need to get Biblical in the face of threats. Knowing God’s plan, and keeping the finish line in front of us develops the confidence we need in uncertain times. To fully trust in Christ, and that He is above all that is going on in the world.

God is saying to you today:
“I’m orchestrating every detail of your life. I am always with you.
Whatever you are going through, I am right there beside you. Trust Me to take care of you and be faithful to you in every season that you walk through.”

We always tend to think that Jesus uh you know, might have said or done or, or moved in a certain way and, and I would think maybe we’re pretty close most of the time, I guess if we really meditate uh on, on the Bible and, and how Jesus presented himself and it’s pretty exciting to do.
I mean, he walked among us, the Bible announces and 2000 years ago, he revealed to mankind the very person of God.
But when we come to this portion of scripture, it’s altogether unique because of what Jesus says.
And it’s gonna put those who hear him back then on their heels and it’s gonna be a strong shot.
But in it all, I want you to be thinking about the title of the message that we get out of this portion of scripture and that is living with expectancy or an expectation, living with that.
What does it mean to live with expectation?
Well, you guys know well, that I love the Noah Webster 18 28 dictionary.
There is no other dictionary but that dictionary, it’s the original.
Everything else is just a, a knockoff and I encourage all of you to buy what you can buy it anywhere I think, or you can order it online.
It’s the 18 28 Noah Webster’s Dictionary of the American uh language in English and the word expectation.
This is what it says there.
The expectation, a deep confidence, a belief or strong hope that a particular event will take place to acquire or to maintain a mental discipline regarding an imminent events or to look forward to a long awaited hope the living being existing in a sense of expectancy.
Listen to this Noah Webster’s dictionary gives you this verse right after that definition.
My soul waited out only on God for my expectation is from Him. Psalm 62. What a strong word.
That is expectation. Every one of us has a sense of expectation regarding something in our lives.
What are you looking forward to?
And, and is it kind of corny for me to say that when we do have an expectation?
Um Even in the life of this old guy, I it’s, it’s right about here. I’m going right here.
It’s right about here. It’s like, oh boy, this is gonna happen today or a few more days.
I am a sucker for vacation. I love vacation.
And the part about vacation, I love maybe even more than the vacation is getting ready for the vacation and I drive my wife crazy because as soon as we’re coming back from our vacation, I’m talking about our next vacation, next year we’re gonna do this and going to do that.
Why? Because for me, it is the excitement getting to it.
It’s the 11 months or the 12.5 months getting to it.
That makes it so exciting, the expectation of it.
We live like that, you know, and whatever we’re doing tomorrow, we’ll all get on the freeway, we’ll do our commute and we expect to get to our jobs.
We expect to get to this thing or that thing. We expect to do this or the other.
Expectation is a very strong part of our lives living with it and we all do.
But what are we living for when it comes to expectation?
Listen to what Jesus has to say and what’s going on around him now as we pick up our march through Luke’s Gospel, we’re in verse 31 of chapter 13.
On that very day, some Pharisees came.
Those are the events of the preceding verses and they said to him, get out and depart from here for Herod wants to kill you.
And he said to them, go tell that fox behold, I cast out demons and I perform cures today and tomorrow and on the third day, I shall be perfected.
Nevertheless, I must journey today and tomorrow and the day following for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.
Oh Jerusalem. Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones. Those who are sent to her.
How often I wanted to gather your Children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings.
But you were not willing, behold your house is left to you desolate.
And assuredly I say to you, you shall see, you shall not see me until the time comes when you say, and I note the quotation.
He’s quoting the 118th song blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord?
What’s going on here? Number one, quickly, what’s transpiring uh as you see in verse 31 on that very same day, same day of what of what was going on in Jesus’s previous statements?
Look at verse 30 we looked at it last week.
Remember when Jesus said the last shall be first, the first shall be last.
And remember he talked about the warnings concerning the Kingdom of God from its inception.
That is the birth of the church age at the day of Pentecost.
All these thousands of years out to the day that the church will be taken from the earth.
Jesus gave a mega warning and we looked at those mega warnings that the church would grow, not necessarily in good ways but in bad ways that there would be church growth throughout the earth.
But all those attending church in large numbers would not necessarily be a good thing because there are those in church who are not as the Bible says of the church they come for religious reasons.
They come for their own psyche, maybe they think. Oh, I’ve done my time. I’m ok with God.
I guess I spent an hour in church and so away.
I go, that’s the wrong motive to come to church.
You want to come to know God, you wanna dive into the Bible and plus God says, gather together, come together just like we do, which is the first day of the week.
Today, Sunday is the first day of the week.
And it’s when the believers have been gathering since the resurrection of Jesus.
But this is very important because now what was said about the last being first and the first being last, there’s two groups of people in our message today that are first.
Number one here, it is first. In fact, he’s at the top of the food chain.
He presides over Israel, but he’s a representative of Rome.
What goes on in Rome, Italy is going to be executed on to the Jewish people in Israel because of Herod.
He’s the top dog. And then there’s some little pups around the top dog and those are the Pharisees, they’re the puppets.
They were to be bringing the word of God to Israel.
They were the religious Jewish leadership, but they’d become pawns of the powers that be and these powers that be at that time.
Now, of course, is Harrod. And if you remember earlier on Herod was upset with John the Baptist.
You remember the story, John, the Baptist busted him. Herod was upset about that.
So he, he had John the Baptist beheaded.
And now Jesus, as you’ve been reading, he’s making his way towards Jerusalem Harro doesn’t like that idea.
And so now there is this threat that goes out.
So note takers Bible students get ready to write these things down regarding living with expectation.
Number one, how are we going to do that?
How are we going to maintain that, that mental discipline that Noah Webster spoke about?
Well, number one is found in verses 31 to 33 that is we need to be a people seeing God’s plan.
You got to see it. You’ll never know it without knowing the Bible.
But assuming all of you read your Bible, you’ll see God’s plan. God’s incredible, awesome plan.
And number one is this, when we see God’s plan in and for our lives, it removes fear, the fear factor that’s against us.
Church, listen carefully. Fear completely disables you what we learned from Jesus here in the face of threats.
He’s not fearful. He said, well, that was Jesus. He’s God in flesh.
What does he have to be afraid of? Note this? He’s also 100% pure man as well.
God became man in Jesus Christ to communicate to us God’s word and God’s truth, Jesus Christ was tempted, the Bible says in all points like we are yet without sin.
So Jesus was tempted in that area of being fearful or being afraid.
He was not afraid because Jesus went to the word of God. What will combat?
Listen, what will combat your fear? I promise you.
It’s not drugs, it’s not a martini at the end of the day, it’s not smoking this or dropping that or snorting.
The other thing that only in the long run builds more fear.
God’s word is incredibly spiritually powerful and it will affect our lives.
But listen, seeing God’s plan for your life and mind removes the fear factor that’s against us.
So look at with me here in verse 31 on that very same day, some of the Pharisees came saying to him, get out and depart from here for here wants to kill you.
Church. Don’t get excited. You’re gonna be saying all the Pharisees are coming around now they’re gonna love Jesus now that’s not what’s going on.
It’s manipulation. Have you noticed how manipulation plays very, very powerfully and into this thing of fear?
Have you noticed that people who are the manipulators use fearful things to be uh usurpers of authority over the manipulated.
Have you noticed that when a, a marriage is messed up in sideways, that the husband or the wife or both of them together will, will play off of fear to manipulate one another?
The Bible says, perfect love. Cast out all what fear when the love is true.
When the love is right. You don’t have to worry about fear and the Bible makes it very clear that God loves you and I, and that we need not be fearful because God’s plan for our lives.
You either embrace that. You either say amen, man, bring it on.
I want to know God’s plan for my life or you don’t believe it and you’re gonna be fearful.
Do you see? Do don’t answer. But do you see? Do you understand that as a Christian?
And the moment you became a Christian from that moment on you are in God’s perfect will.
As a child, you’re walking with God and you’re praying and God lead me, God guide me, show me the man, show me the woman, show me the job, show me the direction Lord, what do you want from me?
And as you live your life like that, God is, is intimately connected with, with the leadership of your life.
It’s awesome. It’s a great way to live. It’s the only way to live.
But when God is not leading your life, somebody will, somebody will seek to go about leading or directing your life.
And you might say, well, um are you saying Jack that either somebody tries to manipulate and have control over my life or I’m supposed to let God manipulate and control my life?
Number one, God does not manipulate because that’s an act of desperation. God leads you and God guides you.
God wants to use. You see, God wants to use me. Yes.
But don’t think it’s like how people use you. Have you noticed how people use you?
Have you noticed how people use us when the world uses you? When the world uses you?
You’re tired, you’re burned out, you’re pooped out.
Pooped out is a Greek word for being really tired and messed up at the end of the day.
Um, you’re wasted when the world is done with you.
You’re exhausted when God uses you, you’re encouraged, you’re built up.
You’re strengthened as the Bible says, you go from glory to glory. It’s amazing.
There’s a big difference when you see God’s plan, fear will be removed.
In fact, the Bible says in Proverbs 29 25 you have to write this down. Proverbs 29 25.
The fear of man brings a snare boy. Isn’t that true?
But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.
It’s an awesome thing to realize in tyrannical rules in um in despotic regimes.
How do they go about leading by love by encouragement? Look at your world history.
Look at the kings of this world right now that are under the tyranny of oppressors.
The people are tortured, the people are brutalized. The people are spied upon the people are threatened. Why?
Because when you manipulate people like that with fear, you can control them. See, why is that important?
Because Herod and the Pharisees have come together to try to manipulate Jesus with the threat of fear that he might be out of Jerusalem, that he might leave Jerusalem.
You said, why is that important? Because God has a, an appointment in Jerusalem. God has a plan in Jerusalem.
Can somebody think you’re probably wearing it around your neck? What plan did God have regarding his son in Jerusalem?
Jesus was to go die in Jerusalem and nothing was gonna stop him from getting there.
And that’s an awesome thing to remember that you and I can know the love of God that will empower us, that we not be fearful, but go into this age in which you and I live in or that situation or that project or that issue of your life and every one of us have issues of our lives and fear will play a factor and we’ll either bow down to the pressure of those that are pressuring us or we will stand assured upon God.
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, but God does not want you and I to be manipulated at all.
I’m gonna give you a great example of.
This is acts chapter five verses 40 to 42 this is a, this is the face that we need to have regarding threats because Jesus is being threatened and will be threatened.
Will be, have you been threatened? We are threatened. Acts chapter five verse 40. It’s about the apostles.
They’re all excited. They’ve been out preaching the gospel. People are getting all excited and coming to Jesus sins, forgiven.
People are getting healed. Now, when they had called for the apostles to come to them, the council, they beat them and commanded them that they should no longer speak in the name of Jesus and let them go.
Oh, imagine this. All you pastors get together.
We want the pastors of the churches in this community to come up here to the city council.
We gotta talk to you. They show up all these pastors probably think they’re getting an award.
Hm What am I gonna pass through the year award? They get beat up.
The city council calls in the cops, beat these people up, they get all beat up.
And now after they’re all beat up, the council says no longer go out and preach and teach the name of Jesus anymore or don’t pray in Jesus name anymore.
What are we supposed to do? Ok. Sorry, it won’t happen again.
You see, Jack, aren’t we supposed to obey the laws of the land? Yes.
Until those laws disobey the Bible. Your allegiance is to God.
First, greatest citizens of any town should be the Christians.
But when a society begins to go against the will of God.
The Bible makes it very clear that we are to stand up. Unfortunately, very few people stand up.
But these guys look what it says, it says and they let them go.
So the apostles departed from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for his name and daily in the temple and in every house, they did not cease to teach and to preach Jesus as the Christ.
Wow, I love this incredible disobedience.
I believe personally, by the way that those days could come to us again, you know, in the not too distant future already, there’s state legislation going on here in California that would make certain verses of the Bible illegal.
And we’re fighting that what happens if they make them illegal.
Then the next Sunday, we preach a message on those verses that are now illegal.
Jesus is not fearful.
He knows what the plan is and you and I have a plan. God has given us for our lives.
Number two, under this point, seeing God’s plan develops confidence, the confidence that we need.
Well, God’s in control, I can rest if God’s in control. Have you been in an accident?
Look, I know it was an accident but God’s in control. He knows what’s going on.
Did God cause the accident? I look, I don’t know about that part but I know this.
God knew the accident was gonna happen because God has no accidents.
He knows everything that’s coming to you and I it’s an accident.
God knows everything he says, why didn’t he stop it? Because he’s working something out?
Listen, I, I, I, I gotta tell you something, um, God, God is at work and he wants us to be confident.
And have you noticed that you’re very confident? Can somebody tell me what you do?
Are you a uh what? Tell me, say something, a counselor? Are you confident in your counseling? Yes.
Anybody, what a cater? Are you confident in your catering very much?
He says, I heard teacher over here. Are you confident in your teaching?
Have faith, my friend.
He says, yes, I am confident as a teacher but not with the budget cuts.
Well, listen, when you’re confident in something you’re bold about it, you can walk into your counseling session because you know what you’re gonna say and you’ve learned over the years by experience what you’re going to do.
Ok. Your catering comes with expertise over and over again.
You hone these things that you are providing and what you’re presenting until it comes becomes an art, an art at second nature.
It just happens, you’re teaching whatever it is. What you’re confident in is your strength, right?
When it comes to our Christianity, does God want us confident or not confident regarding our Christianity?
He wants us confident. Now watch this.
When we are not confident, we are timid and we are fearful and we are insecure and we make mistakes right now.
Why am I bringing this up?
Jesus says in verse 32 you go tell that fox circle that word fox behold.
I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow circle the word Fox because it doesn’t mean that he was a really good looking powerful politician from Rome.
It’s one of the most despised words that the Hebrews used in that day.
You go tell that little bony legged wheezing around, sneaking around, scared to show his face, poor representation of a human man.
Tell him this, you see Jack, you’re making it up. I’m not making it up.
You see why I told you, Jesus says some words that you’ll never see him using another place of scripture.
Jesus says, you go tell that man who I despise. That’s the words he used.
See, there’s no way Jesus despised anybody.
This is the only guy in all the Bible that it’s clearly recorded that Jesus despised, Herod.
In fact, you know the Bible, remember when Jesus is re arrested and brought before Herod and Herod questions him.
And what does it say? Jesus answered him.
Not a word that no, I don’t know how it is today, but in that culture that is a display.
It is a declaration of absolute disgust. He said, Jesus would never do that. Jesus did that.
Jesus speaks to him boldly, does he not know?
Does Jesus not know that this is the number one kingpin of the Roman Empire in Israel.
Yes, he does. But Jesus answers to the March of a, of a different kingdom. He has confidence.
When we don’t have confidence as Christians, we go around apologizing for owning a Bible, we go around apologizing for saying praise God, we go.
Oh, I’m sorry. There’s a sticker on my car. I’ll take it off. No, no, no, no, no.
What is that? As a Christian?
You and I there’s no excuse that we should know what we’re doing in this life and we should not be fearful.
Our God loves us and he’s given us a plan and listen to all the people that will live around us.
They can’t stand us. They say things about us. There goes a Christian again.
Listen, they don’t realize it, but they need us. They need, they need your love for them.
We need to remember that we can be confident.
Listen, how confident Jesus was in John 10 17, Jesus is therefore my father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.
No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself and I have the power to, to lay it down and to raise it up again.
That’s confidence. Ephesians 3 11 according to the eternal purpose which God purposed in Christ Jesus, our Lord in whom we have boldness and access with confidence that word confidence means full trust.
God says to his kids. You come to me. I’ve got a plan for your life. My goodness.
In Galatians, one Paul the apostle said, I know that God separated me from my mother’s womb to be a preacher of the gospel.
You say, well, I’m not a preacher of the gospel. I’m a police officer. I’m an engineer.
I’m a housewife or whatever, God from your mother’s womb separated you to his purposes.
And that is absolutely true. And the moment you say, could that be true?
I want to see that happen in my life. Then listen, what are you?
What has God called you to do? Be that person, whatever you are.
If it’s a counselor, a teacher, if it’s a caterer, Lord, God, I’m gonna get up this morning.
I’m gonna do this to your glory because you made us, you know, us inside and out all the way through.
God. Give me your wisdom for today and you don’t need to be afraid.
You don’t need to be threatened by that pastor and bible teacher, Jack Hibbs here on real life radio with his message called Living With Expectation.
You know, this message is part of Pastor Jack’s series called the Gospel of Luke A series on the book of Luke and the unveiling of Jesus Christ to the world.
And we’ll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio. This is Jack Hibbs.
And what do you know about Bible prophecy.
And do you know that 27 to 33% of the Bible is prophetic in nature?
Simply meaning this, that God wrote the Future down in advance. It’s called Bible prophecy. God’s Bible.
The book that you probably have at home is able to tell you about the future.
That’s the God that we serve is a God who knows the future.
And if you want to know how to understand that our good friend Dr Ed Heinen has written a book titled 15 Future Events that Will Shake the World.
You got to get a copy of that book, 15 Future Events that Will Shake The World.
It’s available for a gift of any amount at our website Jack Hibbs dot com. That’s Jack Hibbs dot com.
This program is made possible by the generous contributions of you.
Our listeners visit us at Jack Hibbs dot com. That’s Jack Hibbs dot com.
Until next time, Pastor Jack Hibbs and all of us here at Real Life Radio.
Wish for you solid and steady growth in Christ and in his word, we’ll see you next time here on real life radio.