Luke 6:6-11

Today, Pastor Jack shares that Jesus is now taking back His authority, by doing what is right, even on the sabbath. But, the Jewish leaders scrutinize His every move, taking something wonderful like healing and restoration, and choosing the law above God’s mercy.

Dear Lord,
Today…….I am asking all my prayer warriors to say a prayer that may help others. So many people are hurting right now. Many are struggling with finances and need jobs. Some are facing foreclosure and don’t even know how they are going to make it from week to week.. Many are lonely. . Many are heartbroken. . Many are facing sickness and health is fading. . Some are dealing with difficult family members. Many have lost HOPE.. Tonight, let us put our prayers and faith together decree and declare breakthrough over our families. Financial miracles WILL take place. Jobs WILL be found. Our Bodies WILL be made whole & sickness WILL flee. Marriages and relationships WILL be restored. Family members WILL find Jesus. Heartbreaks WILL be healed. JOY WILL be restored and HOPE WILL be found. In Jesus Name. Amen!!!!!! Keep God First…….

If you were to be a police officer and you’re on a stakeout and you’ve got information that this person is evil.
You are on a stakeout spying on somebody rightfully so because the guy is evil are you with me?
That’s not the word. This is a stake out against righteousness.
This is a stake out against that which is good.
These guys are trying to stop something that’s wonderful. I love this. It’s a doomed insanity.
So to speak. These Pharisees and scribes the religion is they get together and they form this little huddle from hell.
All right, here’s what we’re gonna do. You bugsy.
You hide behind the baptismal and uh and guido, you be out there in the pew and blend in the moment he steps out of line.
You just raise this issue with Jesus ready break and they, they disperse the word means to track like an animal to scrutinize with a wrong attitude to be watching.
When is he stepping out of line? That’s the spirit that they came to synagogue with.
Can you imagine going to church with that kind of a heart? I pray. Honestly, I am not joking.
The pastors and prayer elders get together before service and we pray as the Lord leads, but almost every Sunday and Wednesday and everything in between.
Dear Lord, we pray. Don’t let anyone come here that’s not supposed to be here.
And Lord bring those that are in Jesus name. Why?
Because we don’t want any scribes and Pharisees or people with this kind of heart.
They come to church like this. Let’s see what we can find out wrong. Shame on you.
Let’s see. Let’s go and see what we can find fault with.
Where’s his robe anyway, how come Jack doesn’t wear a robe? Where’s his tie?
And what’s with that blue shirt?
If you’ve come to church with that heart, shame on you pharisee it’s no different instead of coming.
You know what in a crowd full of people. I don’t care who’s here. I’m gonna worship God.
I’m gonna love on God. And then, then as I focus my heart on worship, I might be touched by heaven through the word of God.
And then I can relate to one another and minister and love on one another.
But when we come to church as they went to a synagogue, let’s find fault.
Jesus exposes that in a very powerful way. Let’s remember his authority.
The Bible says in Psalm 24 1 that the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof and the world and all those who dwell in it.
That’s you too. And me too. You don’t believe in God, tough.
You dwell in his world and he knows all about you. He loves you too.
And maybe you did come here to criticize or to find fault. He loves you.
Still, he might wind up spanking you a little bit later, but he loves you. Still.
We’ve come to worship him. Says the scriptures in Matthew chapter two.
Second point is found in verse eight when the Lord is honored, Jesus Christ is taking back that which was ruined, that was part of his mission.
And ever since the garden of Eden man’s mind has been ruined our minds.
That’s why we study the Bible. You guys might say, how come I’ve been here for two weeks?
What’s with the Bible? Oh guys spend so much time in the Bible.
You know what we need to be brainwashed.
Our minds have been polluted by the things of sin, the things of this world, the things of this life.
You bet we need to be brainwashed.
The Bible needs to scrub our brain, scrub our hearts and scrub our minds.
We need to put in and don’t tell me that it doesn’t matter.
There’s thousands of people in this room that can say to you right now, the more I’ve gotten Bible, the more I’ve had this thing happen in my life or the more I’ve drawn closer to God or the more God has used me or whatever it might be or the more peace we have in our home or the more excitement I have about God, it’s awesome.
What God is redeeming back, Jesus is rescuing that which was lost.
It says in verse eight, but he knew their thoughts. You ought to circle that. There’s another great deity.
Verse Jesus knew their thoughts. And so what did he do? Did Jesus leave?
Because it would have been politically correct to leave? No.
Jesus says to the man who had the withered hand a rise and stand here and the man arose and stood.
That’s awesome. He knew their thoughts. Jesus knows our thoughts in Psalm 94 11.
The Bible says, the Lord knows our thoughts and the thoughts of men. Did you know that?
I hope you know that now you know that watch this.
What are you thinking about when I count to 3123, Jesus knew that before he thought it.
Isn’t that cool? What are you thinking about right now? Jesus knew that before you thought it.
You know what Jesus knows what you’re gonna eat for lunch today.
He, he knows what you had for dinner last week.
He knows what you’re gonna be thinking next Tuesday at four o’clock and he knows every thought in between.
He knows your thoughts. He knows my thoughts. You say Jake.
If you knew my thoughts, then when you set me up like that, why didn’t you think that bad take that bad thought out?
Of my mind because you know what though? He knows our thoughts.
God has allowed us a little bit of sovereignty and we’re responsible for our thoughts.
You know that if you let your thought wander off and lollygag around, you know, out there in Lulu land, our brain is like a tool, our mind, our, our, our meditation, we’re supposed to govern it.
Discipline it. Jesus has come to fix that these guys, they came scribes and Pharisees their thoughts were evil, hateful, damaging.
You know what’s amazing about this? What amazes me is that these men should have understood.
First of all, if they believed in Jesus or not, they should have understood their own scriptures that told them from the Old Testament that God knew their thoughts.
If my thoughts, by the way, as a Christian, I name the name of Jesus.
The Bible tells me if I’m not a steaming you more highly than myself, then I’m wrong.
Think of that. Think of this for a moment. You guys, this is unbelievable.
You won’t hear this anymore. The Bible says that I should be thinking of you more highly than I think about me.
You know, that means that means when we sit down a table, I should make sure that you get the biggest slice of the pie.
That means if the parking spot is open that slot, I defer to you instead of pulling up, I had my blinker on.
If Christ dwells in me as a believer.
I’m supposed to be making decisions and living my life that betters you. Now, I live a very public life.
If I live a life outside these walls that you can read about on the front page of the newspaper that does not better you.
But you said, well, Jack, that’s because you have a public life.
No, your life, I need your life and you need my life as brothers and sisters in Christ.
And because that’s true, I need to lift you up. What’s the best for you?
I hope and pray that if you stopped any pastor in this church and ask them, what’s one of the major thoughts or words that comes out of Jack’s mouth?
It will be this. How does it better the body of Christ there?
How are the people made better by this taking that Lord?
What do you want to do if I love you? You should be doing better.
We live in a culture that I love me and you know what I don’t care about you.
It’s tragic. Jesus has the man standing right in the midst of them right there in the middle.
It’s wonderful to see what’s about to happen. Why?
Because look at verse eight, man’s hope had become a memory man was fallen, man was lost.
Jesus was coming to this man’s heart and to that synagogue to renew that which was ruined.
And think for a moment about hope being renewed, maybe you need hope renewed in your life.
Jesus is going to do this to not only the onlookers but to a certain man that says as Jesus there said to the man who had the withered hand, a rise and stand here, the old king James version most accurately presents it.
It says it this way, Jesus said to him rise up, stand forth in the midst, the word means listen, stand in the middle of all these people.
It means that the man is surrounded by a crowd of people.
Jesus put this trophy to be right there in the middle.
You see, but Jack, he’s got a crippled hand that’s kind of rude. No, it’s not.
Jesus is gonna do something glorious by the way.
Do you see, do you see any angel pushing this guy out there? Come on, get out there.
No, the man gets up. He responds, you see him fighting with Jesus.
In fact, wouldn’t it have been amazing to have been there?
Jesus looks, there’s a man with a withered hand, Jesus looks and he says, arise, stand right here in the middle.
See, that’s all we know about this story.
Everyone’s come to church, everyone’s gathered around, there’s people there to experience the reality of God and there’s people that are criticized and there’s a man there with the withered hand.
Jesus says, OK, I want you to stand right in the middle. Guido.
He all perks up and bugs he gets out his camera to get some forensic evidence going.
Jesus is gonna do it. Why they, they suspect him, they suspect Jesus to do a holy thing.
That’s what Jesus is guilty of.
So everything’s set, why Jesus is gonna show mercy to a man who had a withered hand and these scribes and Pharisees church.
Are you listening? They could care less about mercy. They yelled and screamed law and tradition.
They knew nothing about mercy, forgiveness, grace and love.
If they walked in this sanctuary right now, you’d be impressed.
I’m telling you right now, you would be impressed with what they looked like and even how they talked.
Wow, these guys look at these guys impressed by outward things, but you have no idea what’s inside their heart.
Jesus knows Jesus knows. Wow. Look how holy those guys are. Why? How do you know that?
We don’t know that only God knows that I have in my library. A humongous Bible.
I mean, it’s huge. It’s about 5.5 inches thick.
It’s probably, I don’t know however big that is 18 inches, 20 inches tall, huge.
What if I would have come walking out here like this? I got it like this. Come up.
You went. Wow. We are obviously gonna have a very big Bible study.
Look, he’s got a big Bible.
Get honey, get out the big notes and get the big pen for the big Bible study.
That, that’s not how it works.
Jesus says a rise and stand here.
The man is right there in the midst and mercy is going to be exposed right in front of them.
And the truth of the matter is right there at that moment, put yourself in their sandals right there on the spot.
And here’s the question that God laid on my heart in studying this message Jack.
If you were in that group, if you were in that synagogue, sitting there, what side would you have been sitting on?
Well, your side, Lord, because there’s a group here, these guys, these Pharisees, you know, they should have said they were representatives of God, you know, they should have said right then and there Jesus, excuse us, please, Jesus.
What can we do to help you in your ministry?
You know, it’s taken a few of us quite a long time to catch on.
I think we got it now. We’re here to serve the people. You are serving the people.
How can we help? You know, why you would respond that way or how you could respond that way.
There’s only one way. It’s because you’ve experienced mercy in your life.
Have you ever been around a brand new doctor or a brand new nurse?
You’re their first patient, by the way, they never walk in and say hi.
It’s really great to meet you, Jack. You’re my first patient. Hope it turns out ok?
No, you know what I want a doctor who’s already been operated on himself?
I mean, not doing operations that too well.
What does he, what does it, does he know what it feels like to have your skin cut open?
And then a nurse, I want to have a nurse who is a seasoned nurse, man.
I want to have a nurse who knows what it’s like to get poked there. I wanna know.
Isn’t it wonderful Christian? You can agree or disagree.
But if you look for a moment and evaluate people that are real true blessings to you, they are people who have gone through it.
They’ve experienced mercy. And that’s why you gravitate toward them. Friends who say Christians who say are you ok?
Not are you ok friends?
Christians who say, hey, there, is there anything I can do to help you out rather than condemning?
Listen people who have suffered or people who can minister. That’s an awesome thing, Jesus. He extends mercy.
These men, these religious group, they never gave mercy because they never knew mercy because they never received mercy.
Shame on me. If I fail to show mercy, mercy causes comfort. You tell me about Jesus.
Your friends tell you at work. You tell me about Jesus.
You know what if your friends only knew the right question to ask if our friends or family who they don’t know Jesus if they knew the right question to ask.
Here’s the right question to ask for all of you nonbelievers.
You should ask every one of us as Christians.
If you believe what Jesus says, if you believe your gospel, then show me mercy.
You Christians show me honesty, show me a reason why I should leave my life of sex, drugs and rock and roll or arrogance, pride, wealth, and whatever, which give me a reason to leave my Gods.
If you are Jesus is who he says he is.
Then where is that in your life? Where is the mercy?
A Christian who has experienced God, we should drip mercy and grace and humility and peace and comfort.
People should say I want your Jesus. What’s going on with you? You’re a weirdo.
Everyone’s freaking out because there’s layoffs or the interest rate went up a half a percent and what’s with you?
You have peace and your calm. It’s my Jesus, it’s not me.
He said, don’t worry, I’m not gonna worry.
And I wrote this down and it’s for me.
And if it blesses you then fine. But God lay this on my heart, Jack.
If you’ve received mercy in your life from me, then show it Jack.
If you’ve experienced salvation in your life, then tell others.
If I’ve given you hope, then tell others about my hope.
And Jack, if I’ve loved you, then you tell others that I can love them.
And I thought about that if I did not church, are you with me?
If I do not do those things. How dare I call myself a Christian?
Oh, I’m going to heaven. Where is the Lord? Hallelujah. But I don’t tell you.
Yes, I don’t want to say anything cause I might be embarrassed. I’m going to heaven.
If we really believe that there’s a heaven, we’d shout it from the hilltops.
Truth is what we really believe comes out. And that’s a fact.
If you really love something, you’re gonna tell people about it, it just comes out of you.
If you’ve experienced mercy, salvation, the grace of God, how can we really say that?
We believe it and we don’t tell anybody about it.
Someone once said it spreads by word of mouth. I think it’s true.
And as I looked at this, Jesus says to the man stand and a rise or a rise and stand here be right in the middle.
Something’s gonna happen. Can you imagine the anticipation man? I’ve been awesome to see this.
Can you imagine you’re sitting there? What if you’re sitting next to the guy?
And Jesus says, arise and stand in the middle?
He didn’t say, hey, you with the withered hand.
He says a rise and stand in the middle. And I thought about that for a minute.
If Jesus now look, if the scribes and Pharisees would have said it to me, hey, stand up, I would have just sat there but Jesus turns and he looks a rise and stand in the middle.
Can you imagine the tone. We can only imagine the tone a rise and stand in the middle.
I bet you with the tone of Jesus.
And the look, I wonder if those sitting next to him, is he talking to me?
Is he talking to you? I thought he, I think he’s talking to you. No, he’s not talking to me.
I think it’s him. I don’t think it’s him. Who’s he talking to? It looks like you me.
He can’t be talking to me. I have a withered hand. He must be talking to you.
No, I think he’s looking at you, but look at him. Listen to him. Forget it.
If it’s not, if you’re not gonna stand up, I’m gonna stand up.
If he’s not calling you, then I’ll get up. Maybe I’ll just get up anyway. I’ll go with you.
Listen to him. Look at him. He’s looking right at you.
I think, I think he’s talking to you.
The guy gets up, he’s standing there and he’s circled by onlookers. Witnesses.
Can you imagine? Scribes are all ready to catch the great crime.
Jesus is going to bless somebody.
And it says here in later end of this verse, I see man’s value had fallen away.
Look at verse eight and he arose and he stood, the man is standing there, he’s deformed.
His hand is withered. Jesus boldly puts them on display and in a moment there was going to be a masterpiece work done by Jesus and he stands there and Jesus speaks to my heart and maybe to your heart, Christian, maybe I should start saying to people a rise and stand.
You know why? Because God said that to me, God says it to me, Jack, get up, stand.
You’re all right. I’m gonna make something really great out of this. But Lord my tongue, it doesn’t work.
You guys. I have old Bibles that I wrote in saying God, if you’ll just heal, heal my tongue, I’ll speak to other people.
I have that written down 1977. Oh God, heal my tongue and I’ll tell others about you.
Maybe you’re here today. Oh God.
If you just fix this in my life, Jesus says, stand up, stand in the middle.
And as I thought about this, God’s desire is to touch your life.
This is what the Bible has to say.
God wants to touch you and people would want to keep you from that.
You know what? Forget them. I want to say that nothing can come between me and my Jesus.
The only reason why I hesitate is because I know me and I scare myself to death.
There go I but for the grace of God.
But Lord, I can pray God if I’m asking from you, anything that is harmful to you or to our relationship don’t listen to it.
God, if I’m ever going to request of you or head off in a direction that’s not right.
Stop it. Lord, if I’m heading this direction or that direction and it’s not right end it.
God don’t listen to me when I complain or I’m tempted to doubt, don’t even hear me.
Lord, please. I don’t want to stray. Jesus says, Jack then arise and stand in the middle.
I thought of that and I thought about Adam and Eve made in perfection and they were tempted.
And the next thing you read about is God is coming into the garden.
He did it every day. He came into the garden every day. Where’s Adam and Eve?
They’re hiding from the presence of God and Christian.
What is your most passionate desire in all this world is to be in the presence of God.
You might say I been hiding from God all my life.
You stop pastor and bible teacher Jack Hibbs here on real life radio with his message called when the Lord is honored.
Part one. So glad you could join us today when the Lord is honored.
Part one is part of pastor Jack’s new 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 we’ll continue on the next edition of real life radio.
Now, imagine what could happen to your spiritual life when you make devotions a part of it.
Now, a special time with the Lord to both talk to him and listen to him is a great thing to read a verse from scripture.
Let God know what it means to you.
And pastor Jack understands the importance of devotions and it’s why he shares personal experiences in a devotion type setting at his website.
Simply go to Jack Hibbs dot com on that tab that’s labeled devotions.
Once you’re there, you’ll find a brand new devotion each week.
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And if you are blessed by Pastor Jack’s devotions, which I’m gonna say you probably will be.
There’s a way for you to email him and let him know all about it. Tell him about it.
You can do it directly. It’s all right there at our website Jack Hibbs dot com.
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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.