Calvary Chapel Cottage Grove
July 19, 2026

      • Psalm 35NKJV

  • When The King Comes Down
  • Living Water
  • Last week at the lake we looked the parable of the fig tree in Luke 13:6-9
    Luke 13:6–9 LSB
    “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit on it and did not find any. “And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ “And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in manure, and if it bears fruit next year, fine, but if not, cut it down.’”
    Yeshua wanted to urge the crowds that they were living on borrowed time and He had come to deliver them from judgment but they needed to show the fruit of repentance or they would fall as a nation and indeed they did by 70AD - 40 years later and wandered for over 1800 years until 1948 yet to this day they are still under threat of war. Many Jews have accepted their Messiah but not as a nation which will lead to the final week of Daniel known as “Jacob’s trouble” not the churches’.
    So let’s read as the heat of hatred continues for Yeshua as He attends a certain synagogue.
    Luke 13:10–13 LSB
    And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who for eighteen years had a sickness caused by a spirit, and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. But when Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.
    So this poor woman permanently bent forward for eighteen years. Luke describes her condition as a "spiritual sickness". Unable to look people in the eye, just the ground in front of her.
    So note this woman was just going to synagogue minding her own business and Jesus
    1] saw her condition - He see ours as well
    2] calls her over - He called us over!
    3] proclaims freedom first - The gospel is the good news of liberty!
    4] He laid hands on her and healed her . - He touches us, and our walk is changed
    5] She stood erect stunning the people - we stunned a few people when we stood for Christ!
    Yet in the midst of this life changing event the “officials” were so excited..
    Luke 13:10–30 LSB
    But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus healed on the Sabbath, answered and was saying to the crowd, [trying to embarrass Him] “There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”
    Rather than rejoice, this official was more concerned about the letter of the Law -
    This official was so caught up in the rituals of Judaism, he couldn’t rejoice in a woman being healed right in front of him! And that’s why Yeshua called this leaven!
    What does Jesus say?
    Luke 13:10–30 LSB
    “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath release his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead it away to water it? “And this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for—behold—eighteen years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?” And as He said this, all His opponents were being put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.
    The crowd was probably intimidated to oppose Sabbath rules but when Jesus called the leaders out for their hypocrisy they were free to rejoice!
    Luke 13:10–30 LSB
    Therefore, He was saying, “What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? “It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”
    Now He takes opportunity to remind them how He began His message as Messiah!
    Mark 1:15 LSB
    “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
    Again the kingdom of God operates in two ways:
    Presently -God's reign breaking into the world by the Spirit.
    Future -God's earthly kingdom will be fully established when evil, sin, and death are completely defeated.
    Mustard plants usually become big shrubs but a tree is abnormal meaning the many nations will be part of the millennial kingdom, note that the seed was thrown into His own garden - Adam was created in the garden of Eden - Jesus, the last Adam rose in a garden - So God's kingdom began small and has grown and after the tribulation period, all the nations who survived will be separated as sheep and goats and the sheep will nest under the Prince of peace, visible and more than anyone expected.
    Luke 13:10–30 LSB
    And again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? “It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sata [50lbs] of flour until it was all leavened.”
    So the Kingdom is like?… Leaven? Yes!
    The leaven isn’t visible but hidden. It represents sin so the emphasis is permeation—
    And we see both of them happening simultaneously.
    This is why we see good things happening, people repenting and returning back to Jesus [mustard seed] but at the same time false teachers using His name to enrich themselves, cover-ups of false prophesies, sexual immorality and allowing these offenders to continue in ministry abusing His name. [leaven]
    But right now everyone has space to repent and accept the free gift of forgiveness & the ability to stand upright.
    I entitled this message - “Our meek Messiah” because Yeshua described Himself this way in Matthew 11:28-30 as humble or gentle in heart and “meek” which doesn’t mean wimpy, week or harmless but it means “strength under control”. And He invited us to come!
    But... Why would the Son of God need meekness?
    Because His life would be full of mystery & suspicion even before He was born.
    And because of Isaiah 7:14, Mary was told by the angel Gabriel she would be found with child by the Holy Spirit - Joseph planned on divorcing her but the angel confirmed what Mary told Him.
    So imagine the rumors, the accusations thrown around for years growing up in Nazareth like being “born of fornication”.
    She would also remember the prophetic word given to her by Simeon when they brought baby Jesus to the temple to be circumcised in
    Luke 2:34–35 LSB
    “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— and a sword will pierce through your own soul as well—that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
    Not a comfortable promise to put on the kitchen fridge!
    Insinuations would increase when Yeshua began His ministry at age 30.
    On the day He went to His hometown synagogue & announced He was the fulfillment of Isaiah 61.1
    The Spirit of Lord God is upon me because He has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to captives and freedom to prisoners,
    Did they respond with joy? No, they kicked Him out of the synagogue and tried to push Him off the cliff
    So for the next 3+ years, it was the Gentiles and a few Jews who received healing & deliverance from demons, only to be envied, questioned and treated with contempt by the religious leaders. John 1.11 He came to what was His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
    Think of it:
    His own people allied with Rome to have Him crucified.
    He knew His disciples would abandon Him!
    Peter would deny Him, not once but three times,
    Judas would betray Him...with a kiss -
    And even after His brutal crucifixion He rose on the third day as He promised but not one of His disciples were there waiting - even the women who were there, not to greet Him but to anoint His dead body! Who told them He was risen? A gardener! [parable of the mustard seed]
    When the religious leaders heard the guards story they bribed the guards to claim His disciples stole the body.
    Even when the two men on the road to Emmaus told Him “we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel”. He was walking with them and they were clueless!!
    His disciples were in hiding -but He offered peace to His boys and personally came to answer Thomas.
    So Yeshua showed frustration and emotions like we do yet without sin!
    How? He was “Meek” - had strength under control.”
    But at times He does get irritated and who could blame Him?
    1] You recall when He came down from the transfiguration, with P, J & J, the other disciples had tried to deliver a boy with violent seizures and couldn’t do it. The father came falling on his knees to Jesus and said; “Lord, have mercy on my son. Jesus answered “O you unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?
    Does that response sound like Jesus is frustrated?
    2] He even made whips with rope and tossed over the tables of the money changers in the Temple:
    Why was He angry? Of course! The Sanhedrin had turned the house of God into a marketplace and people were getting ripped off. It was a righteous anger and a fulfillment of a messianic prophecy!
    What am I saying? Yeshua claimed He came not to bring peace but a sword! He promised families would divide over Him!
    As a man, Yeshua still had feelings of rejection, frustrations of no appreciation and disappointments just like we experience. Yet He was meek not “weak” as our English defines it
    but the Greek word is “pra-oos” = strength under control.
    Maybe you are fed up with unbelief in the world, a divided nation, a biased media, the surging support of communism, cover ups in churches, illegal immigrants trained by corrupt politicians on how to steal our tax dollars and form fraudulent businesses. Yet nothing comes close to what Yeshua dealt with.
    Be He is touched by the feeling of our infirmities!
    As a nation there truly needs to be repentance but if we reflect our Meek Messiah we have access to the same strength under control & understand these parables that it’s true:
    More people are coming to the kingdom of God than we know including Jews, Arabs, Chinese, Persians however.... the leaven of sin and rebellion is spreading at the same time.
    As Romans 1 says they SUPPRESS the TRUTH in unrighteousness and exchange the truth for a lie leading to depraved minds and no consciousness of sin.
    They hate Christianity, our nation and God! This shouldn’t surprise us! Just be aware
    (God's kingdom will spread visibly) but (corruption is currently spreading on the inside)
    And one day soon the door of the church age will shut and judgment will begin upon the unbelieving world so seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, understand you are also seeing the leaven.
    Let us go to the table and pray that you can be empowered by His meekness!!

      • Luke 13:6–9NKJV

      • Luke 13:10–13NKJV

      • Luke 13:10–30NKJV

      • Luke 13:10–30NKJV

      • Luke 13:10–30NKJV

      • Mark 1:15NKJV

      • Luke 13:10–30NKJV

      • Luke 2:34–35NKJV

  • Once Again
  • Better Is One Day
Calvary Chapel Cottage Grove
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