Mills Memorial Baptist Church
Sunday Evening Worship - 8/16
  • My Faith Has Found a Resting Place
  • I'd Rather Have Jesus
  • Luke 19:45–20:8
    As we continue following the steps of Jesus through Luke 19, we are now only days away from the cross.
    Jesus has entered Jerusalem.
    He has been received by crowds.
    He has wept over the city.
    And now He enters the temple.
    What happens next is not quiet, or peaceful happening.
    Luke tells us that Jesus begins to cast out those who are buying and selling there.
    He declares, “It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
    Then He begins teaching daily in the temple.
    The chief priests, scribes, and leaders are furious.
    They want to destroy Him.
    But the people are listening closely to Him.
    Then, as chapter 20 opens, the religious leaders finally confront Jesus with the question that has been hanging over everything He has done:
    “Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?”
    In other words: “Who gave You the right?”
    Who gave You the right to come into this temple?
    Who gave You the right to drive people out?
    Who gave You the right to tell us what God’s house should be?
    Who gave You the right to stand here and teach these people?
    That question is bigger than the temple.
    It’s  still one of the most important questions anyone can ask about Jesus.
    What gives Jesus the right to tell me what is true?
    What gives Jesus the right to tell me what is wrong?
    What gives Jesus the right to tell me how I should live?
    What gives Jesus the right to claim my life?
    And if He does have that right, then another question follows very quickly:
    How do I respond to His authority?
    Jesus Christ has rightful authority over every life.
    And the truth I want us to see tonight is this:
    Jesus has every right to our lives, but His love gives us every reason to trust Him with them.
    As Jesus is confronted about His authority in the temple, this passage shows us why He has the right to rule our lives, why we can trust the One who rules us, and how we must respond to Him.

    I. Recognize His Right

    Look again at Luke 19:45:
    “And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought.”
    Jesus does not enter the temple like a tourist.
    He enters with authority.
    He sees what is wrong, and He acts.
    Then in verse 46 He says:
    “It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
    Notice how direct that is.
    Jesus doesn’t say, “I have an idea about how this place might be improved.”
    He does not ask the religious leaders whether they would be comfortable making some changes.
    He speaks as One who has the right to say what God’s house is for.

    A. He Speaks as Lord

    Jesus quotes the Scriptures. He brings together the truth of Isaiah 56and Jeremiah 7.
    God intended His house to be a house of prayer.
    But the people had corrupted what God had given them.
    Jesus says, in effect, “You have no right to redefine what belongs to God.”
    This is so important even for us today!
    Jesus does not adjust truth according to what is popular, comfortable, or convenient.
    He speaks truth because He is Lord.
    And if Jesus is Lord, then we don’t get to place His words on the same level as all the other voices around us.
    Our culture says, “You decide what is right for you.”
    Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
    The world says, “Your life belongs to you.”
    Scripture teaches that our lives belong to the God who gave them to us.
    That’s a major difference.
    And sometimes even as Christians, we want Jesus to be Savior without letting Him be Lord in very practical areas.
    We’re comfortable with Jesus forgiving us.
    We’re comfortable with Jesus comforting us.
    We’re comfortable with Jesus promising heaven.
    But then Jesus speaks about our bitterness, our relationships, our priorities, our money, our habits, our speech, or our plans, and suddenly His authority becomes uncomfortable.
    It’s  possible to say, “Jesus is Lord,” and still quietly say, “But not here.”

    B. He Acts as Lord

    Jesus not only speaks, He acts.
    He drives out those who had turned the temple into something God never intended.
    That’s why the leaders eventually ask, “By what authority doest thou these things?”
    They are not primarily asking whether Jesus is capable.
    They are asking about His right.
    “Who authorized You?”
    And here is one of the great ironies of this passage.
    Human religious authorities are standing before the Lord of glory asking Him to prove that He has authority.
    They think the temple belongs to them.
    Jesus knows it belongs to God.
    They think He needs their permission.
    He does not.
    And that brings the question very close to us.
    Sometimes our greatest struggle with Christ is not understanding what He says.
    It’s  accepting His right to interfere with what we want.
    We may understand very clearly that Jesus says forgive.
    But we still want to hold onto bitterness.
    We may understand clearly that Jesus calls us to purity.
    But we still want to protect a secret sin.
    We may understand that Jesus calls us to serve.
    But we don’t want our schedule interrupted.
    The issue is often not information.
    The issue is authority.

    C. He Is the Lord

    So what gives Jesus that right?
    That’s especially important if someone is still trying to understand Christianity.
    Christians should never be afraid of that question.
    Why should anyone trust Jesus’ claim to authority?
    The Bible’s answer begins with who He is.
    John 1:1 says:
    John 1:1 KJV
    1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
    Then verse 3 says:
    John 1:3 KJV
    3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
    Jesus is not merely a religious teacher who came along with another set of ideas.
    He is the eternal Son of God.
    He is Creator.
    Your life exists because of Him.
    My life exists because of Him.
    And if He is Creator, then His authority is not an intrusion into something that belongs to somebody else.
    It’s  His world.
    We are His creatures.
    He has rightful authority.
    Then throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus repeatedly demonstrated authority that belonged to no ordinary man.
    He commanded disease.
    He commanded demons.
    He commanded storms.
    He forgave sins.
    He raised the dead.
    He taught as One having authority.
    And after His resurrection He said in Matthew 28:18
    Matthew 28:18 KJV
    18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
    The word “power” there carries the idea of authority.
    All authority belongs to Him.
    So the real question tonight is not, “Will I give Jesus authority?”
    I cannot give Him something He already possesses.
    The question is:
    Will I recognize and submit to the authority He already has?
    And Christian, that question is not finished simply because you were saved years ago.
    Every day we are still deciding whether we will live as though Jesus truly is Lord.

    II. See His Heart

    If we stopped here, someone might say, “All right. Jesus is powerful. Jesus has authority. Therefore I had better submit.”
    As if his authority is of a tyrant that we need to be afraid of, but Luke has shown us more than that.
    He has shown us what kind of Lord Jesus is.
    And boy does that matter.
    Because the One who has every right to rule our lives is also the One whose heart is filled with love.

    A. He Grieves Over the Lost

    Just before Jesus enters the temple, Luke 19:41 says:
    “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it.”
    Think about that.
    Jesus is approaching a city that will reject Him.
    The leaders will oppose Him.
    Within days they’ll demand His crucifixion.
    Yet Jesus looks at Jerusalem and weeps.
    The Lord who has the right to judge them grieves over them.
    His authority is not cold.
    His holiness is not cruel.
    His heart is moved over people who are lost.
    That matters if you’re not yet sure what you believe about Jesus.
    You’re not being invited to trust a cold ruler who is waiting for an opportunity to hurt you.
    Look at Christ.
    Look at Him weeping over Jerusalem.
    Look at Him reaching sinners.
    Look at Him touching lepers.
    Look at Him receiving people everyone else pushed away.
    Look at His heart.
    And Christian, we need to see His heart too.
    If Jesus cared this deeply about people who were rejecting Him, can we become indifferent toward people who don’t know Him?
    We can get so used to being saved that we forget what it means to be lost.
    We can become irritated by the world instead of brokenhearted over people in the world.
    But when we follow His steps, we see a Savior who weeps.

    B. He Brings Good News

    Luke 20:1 says that Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and “preached the gospel.”
    The word gospel simply means good news.
    And if someone has never been raised around Christianity, we should not assume they know what that good news is.
    Here it’s .
    God made us.
    He made us for Himself.
    But every one of us has sinned against Him.
    Sin is more than making a mistake.
    It’s our rebellion against the God who has rightful authority over us.
    And our sin separates us from God.
    We cannot repair that separation by becoming religious enough, moral enough, or sincere enough.
    But God loved us.
    Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into this world.
    He lived without sin.
    He went to the cross and took the judgment that sinners deserved.
    He died.
    He was buried.
    And He rose again.
    And there is much evidence of that resurrection.
    And now forgiveness and eternal life are offered through Him.
    That’s good news.
    The One who has authority is not merely telling sinners what they have done wrong.
    He is telling them how they can be rescued.

    C. He Gives Himself

    There is something especially powerful about the timing of this scene.
    Jesus is only days from the cross.
    These leaders are challenging His authority.
    Soon they will arrest Him.
    They will mock Him.
    They will beat Him.
    They will turn Him over to be crucified.
    But don’t misunderstand what happens at Calvary.
    Jesus is not helpless.
    John 10:18 says:
    John 10:18 KJV
    18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
    The One with all authority willingly gives Himself.
    The One who has every right to demand your life gives His life for you.
    By the way, His Right naturally gives a demand over your life…however His love does not force it, it lovingly calls you to Him.
    It gives you the choice, the free will to come to Him.
    That’s why the cross matters when we talk about trusting Jesus.
    Faith is not God saying, “Trust Me because I am bigger than you.”
    God has shown us His heart.
    All we need to do is look at the cross.
    The Savior who asks for your trust stretched out His hands and allowed them to be nailed there.
    He bore sin.
    He endured judgment.
    He gave Himself.
    Galatians 2:20 KJV
    20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
    So if you struggle with whether Jesus can be trusted, don’t stare only at your ability to trust.
    Look closely at the One you’re being asked to trust.
    Saving faith is not faith in the strength of your faith.
    It’s  faith in the strength of your Savior.
    It’s now how strong or big our faith is…it is faith in how strong and big our Savior is.
    And Christian, that truth does not stop mattering after salvation.
    There are times Jesus asks us to obey when we don’t understand what He is doing.
    There are seasons when surrender feels frightening.
    There are things God allows that we would never have chosen.
    And in those moments, we can look back to the cross and say:
    “I may not understand everything He is doing, but I know His heart.”
    The One asking me to trust Him is the One who loved me and gave Himself for me.

    III. Choose Your Response

    Now we come back to the people in this passage.
    The authority of Jesus demands a response.
    And Luke shows us several.

    A. Will You Listen?

    Luke 19:48 says the people “were very attentive to hear him.”
    They were hanging on His words.
    They wanted to hear what Jesus said.
    You know, that’s a good place to begin.
    If you’re still trying to understand who Jesus is, listen honestly to Him.
    Read what He said.
    Look at what He did.
    Ask questions.
    Christianity does not require you to pretend that you understand what you don’t understand.
    God is not afraid of honest questions.
    But listen with an honest heart.
    And Christian, we need to ask whether we still listen that way.
    We can become so familiar with the Bible that we hear it without really hearing it.
    We know the verses.
    We know when the preacher is getting close to the end.
    We know the stories.
    But when was the last time the Word of God actually changed something in us?
    When Jesus speaks, do we listen because He is Lord?
    but there were some there that day that did not want to hear.

    B. Will You Resist?

    Verse 47 says:
    “The chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him.”
    They did not want to hear Him.
    They wanted to silence Him.
    And notice who they were.
    These were religious people.
    They believed in God.
    They knew Scripture.
    They were involved in the temple.
    Religion did not guarantee submission.
    Their problem was that Jesus threatened their control.
    And that’s a warning to those of us who have been saved for years.
    We may never say, “I reject Jesus.”
    But we can resist Him.
    We resist when we know we should forgive but refuse.
    We resist when God exposes sin and we excuse it.
    We resist when He calls us to obey and we keep negotiating.
    We resist whenever we say in our hearts, “Lord, You may have everything except this.”
    If He is Lord, there is no “except this.”
    Then there were some there that evaded the truth and conviction.

    C. Will You Evade?

    Then Jesus asks them about John:
    “The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?”
    And suddenly they are trapped by their own dishonesty.
    If they say John was from heaven, Jesus can ask why they did not believe him.
    If they say John was merely from men, they fear the people.
    Notice what they are doing.
    They are not asking, “What is true?”
    They are asking, “Which answer is safest for us?”
    Finally they say: “We cannot tell.”
    But Luke has already shown us that they could tell much more than they admitted.
    Neither answer was convenient.
    So they avoided answering.
    There is a difference between honest uncertainty and deliberate evasion.
    You may honestly say, “I still have questions about God. I am trying to understand.”
    That’s not the same thing as refusing to face what God is showing you.
    There comes a point where we must ask:
    Am I still searching for truth, or am I using uncertainty to avoid surrender?
    And Christians do that also.
    Sometimes our version of “We cannot tell” sounds more spiritual.
    “I’ll think about it.”
    “I’ll pray about it.”
    “Maybe someday.”
    And sometimes those are sincere words.
    But sometimes we already know what God has said.
    We just don’t want to respond yet.

    Conclusion

    So let us come back to the question the leaders asked Jesus:
    “By what authority doest thou these things?”
    What gives Jesus the right?
    He is the eternal Son of God.
    He is Creator.
    He is Lord.
    He demonstrated His authority throughout His ministry.
    He conquered death and rose again.
    All authority in heaven and earth belongs to Him.
    He has every right to your life.
    But then look at His heart.
    He weeps over the lost.
    He preaches good news.
    He goes willingly to the cross.
    He gives Himself for sinners.
    So tonight, the issue is not only whether Jesus has authority.
    The question is:
    How are you responding to His authority?
    If you’re saved, you already call Him Lord.
    Is there any part of your life where your response says something different?
    Something you will not surrender?
    Something He has told you to do that you keep delaying?
    Something He has told you to stop that you keep protecting?
    Don’t merely say, “Jesus is Lord.”
    Let Him be Lord there.
    And if you have never trusted Christ, you may still have questions.
    You may not understand everything tonight.
    But look honestly at Jesus.
    Don’t think that faith means forcing yourself to feel something you cannot feel.
    Faith is not pretending.
    It’s  seeing who Jesus is, hearing what He has promised, and placing the weight of your soul upon Him.
    You don’t need perfect understanding before you come to Christ.
    You need a trustworthy Savior.
    And Jesus is trustworthy.
    Look at who He is.
    Look at what He has done.
    Look at the cross.
    Look at the empty tomb.
    Then ask yourself:
    If this is truly who Jesus is, what will I do with Him?
    Will I listen?
    Will I resist?
    Will I keep avoiding the question?
    Or will I say, “Lord, I trust You. My life is Yours.”
    Jesus has every right to your life, and He has given you every reason to trust Him with it.

      • John 1:1KJV1900

      • John 1:3KJV1900

      • Matthew 28:18KJV1900

      • John 10:18KJV1900

      • Galatians 2:20KJV1900

Mills Memorial Baptist Church
millsmemorialbapt@gmail.com
989-843-6433
https://millsmemorial.faithlifesites.com
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