Sunday
Morning Bible Study
April
3, 2016
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved? Regular: 2900 words Communion:
2500 words Video=75wpm
Luke was a doctor and a traveling
companion of the apostle Paul.
He wrote this book while Paul was
in prison.
In writing this book about Jesus,
Luke made use of other older documents like the Gospel of Mark, as well as
extensive eyewitness accounts.
Jesus’ ministry is well under way, and the people have been amazed not just
at the things He’s been teaching, but the things He’s been doing.
Last week … Jesus was invited over to the house of a Pharisee for dinner.
The Pharisees had many good points
about them.
They believed the Scriptures were
inspired by God.
They believed in miracles, angels,
resurrection, and heaven.
They have a lot of similarities to
us.
When the Pharisee expressed surprise that Jesus was not performing the
traditional ceremonial handwashing before eating, Jesus launched into a pretty
harsh critique of the Pharisees.
Jesus’s rebuked the Pharisees for being more concerned about their outer
appearance rather than the state of their heart.
11:45-54 Lawyer Woes
:45 Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying
these things You reproach us also.”
:45 one of the lawyers answered
Illustration
A Mexican bandit made a specialty of crossing the Rio Grande from time to
time and robbing banks in Texas. Finally, a reward was offered for his capture.
An enterprising Texas Ranger decided to track him down. After a lengthy search,
he traced the bandit to his favorite cantina, snuck up behind him, put his
trusty six-shooter to the bandit’s head, and said, “You’re under arrest. Tell
me where you hid the loot or I’ll blow your brains out.” But the bandit didn’t
speak English and the Ranger didn’t speak Spanish! Fortunately, a bilingual
lawyer was in the saloon and translated the Ranger’s message. The terrified
bandit blurted out, in Spanish, that the loot was buried under the oak tree in
back of the cantina. “What did he say?” asked the Ranger. The lawyer answered,
“He said, ‘Get lost, you turkey. You wouldn’t dare shoot me.’”
Some lawyers can’t be trusted…
Not all lawyers are bad though…
Illustration
Needing Proof
A man went to his lawyer and told him, “My neighbor owes me $500 and he
doesn’t want to pay up. What should I do?” “Do you have any proof?” asked the
lawyer. “Nope,” replied the man. “Okay, then write him a letter asking him for
the $1000 he owed you,” said the lawyer. “But it’s only $500,” replied the man.
“Precisely. That’s what he will reply and we will have him!
lawyers – nomikos – one
learned in the law
But it’s not just any old law they were learned in, it was the Law of
Moses.
They were religious experts.
These men would take the Law of Moses and interpret it in order to teach
people how to do it.
Lesson
The Law vs. Legalism
Some Christians say that under the New Testament, there is nothing good in
the Law of Moses. Paul would argue
against those folks.
(Romans 7:7 NKJV) What shall
we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not
have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness
unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
The law shows us what the holiness of God looks like. It gives us a clue as to God’s standards.
There is value in us learning and studying the Law.
The Law was not intended to produce salvation, but to convince man of his
guilt and his need for a Savior.
Paul wrote,
(Galatians
3:24 NKJV) Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that
we might be justified by faith.
The law showed us our need for Jesus.
Jesus died in order to pay the penalty of our sins.
Legalism occurs when we take the Law further than God intended it to go.
In the early church, there were a group called the “Judaizers” who believed
that you couldn’t be saved unless you were circumcised and kept the Law of
Moses.
The early church got together and resolved the issue.
It was Peter who spoke the winning argument when he said,
(Acts
15:10–11 NKJV) —10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of
the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we
believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in
the same manner as they.”
Men aren’t saved by keeping of the Law.
Men are saved through trusting in God’s grace, God’s gift
of Jesus’ death for our sins.
:45 You reproach us also
reproach – hubrizo
– showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect; one who injures another by
speaking evil of him;
from hubris – insolence; pride, haughtiness
When Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, the lawyers realized they were guilty as
well.
He had hurt their feelings.
Lesson
Legal Pride
These lawyers are taking Jesus’
comments about the Pharisees as an insult to them.
They are even accusing Jesus of
acting out of pride.
I’d like to suggest that the ones
with pride are the lawyers.
There is a certain pride that comes
when you live your life by strict rules.
You feel a sense of pride that you
are able to accomplish such difficult things.
:46 And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens
hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your
fingers.
:46 Woe to you also, lawyers!
Don’t mistake “woe” for a similar sounding word…
Woe – ouai – alas, woe
In Hebrew the word is owy – woe!
alas! oh!
Have heard the expression, “Oy vey”?
It means “Woe! Woe!” or, “Woe is me!”
The “oy” is
straight from the Hebrew. The “vey” is a
newer version of the same word from the Aramaic.
It’s found over 100 times in the Bible.
It’s a word that’s found 71 times
in the Old Testament.
Isaiah alone uses it 23 times.
It’s found 41 times in the New
Testament.
Luke uses it 15 times.
It’s even woven into the book of
Revelation.
After Jesus’ initial criticism of the Pharisees, He pronounced three “woes”
to the Pharisees.
The first because they were good at
tithing down to the last tenth of their spice garden but they neglected the
bigger things in life like justice and the love of God.
The second because they loved
attention, wanting people to notice them.
The third because they were hidden IEDs
of uncleanness, people walk by them and are polluted because of the condition
of their hearts.
Jesus is now going to pronounce three “woes” on the lawyers as well.
I find it interesting that there is another group of three “woes” in the
Bible, mentioned in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 8-12) concerning the Great
Tribulation before Jesus comes back.
:46 you yourselves do not touch the burdens
load – phortizo
– to place a burden upon, to load; metaph. to load one with a burden (of
rites and unwarranted precepts)
burdens – phortion
– a burden, load; of the freight or lading of a ship; metaph. of burdensome
rites
hard to bear – dusbastaktos
(“hard” + “to carry”) – hard to be borne
touch – prospsauo
(“toward” + “touch”) – to touch
It might carry the idea of touching
something to remove it.
It was also used of physicians
(like Dr. Luke) gently feeling a sore spot or the pulse.
As experts in the Law, the lawyers were good at telling other people what
they needed to do according to the law, but they didn’t do so much of it
themselves.
Their motto was “Do as I say and not as I do”.
Lesson
Too many loopholes
This first “woe” is because the legalist is good at using all sorts of
Scripture to condemn others, while conveniently excusing their own behavior.
The other day a friend asked my opinion about an article concerning
Christians and the upcoming elections.
The author is a pastor who made several points.
With all his points, he found Scriptures to support his
ideas.
He believes that Christians have a responsibility to vote
in the upcoming elections.
He said we should vote responsibly, that if the final two
candidates are not truly Christian, the believer should still vote, but vote
for the person who supports the policies that are closest to a Christian
worldview.
He started off the
article by talking about how important it is to vote for the right person
because the next President will be appointing a replacement for Justice Scalia
on the Supreme Court, and there are important issues facing the Supreme Court.
He talked about
how horrible President Obama’s picks have been, especially since the Supreme
Court has recently ruled that gay marriage is okay.
Here’s what made me chuckle.
When he talked about the previous election in 2012, when
faced with the choice of voting for Obama or Romney, he himself chose not to
vote at all because Obama was too liberal and Romney (though more conservative)
was a Mormon.
He broke his own rules.
Though I would
agree that a Christian has a responsibility to vote in the election, and though
I would agree that when you can’t vote for a clear believer, you ought to vote
for someone that at least is heading in the right direction, I would disagree
with how he justified his own views with Scripture, sometimes even
contradicting himself.
The legalist is acquainted with all the “loopholes”.
That’s how they can excuse their own bad behavior or attitudes while
condemning others.
Some lawyers make it their goal to always find a loophole…
A young Ivy League lawyer was driving to a hearing in
another town, which he was late for. While driving through back streets, the
lawyer, in a rush, decided not to stop at a stop sign, but rather slow down. As
he continued on his way, he saw a state trooper pull up behind him with lights
on. After checking his speedometer, the young lawyer decided the officer must
be wanting to pass him. Reluctantly, he slows down and allows the officer space
to continue on. However, when he pulls over, the officer pulls up directly
behind him. As the officer approaches the car, the lawyer rolls down his window
and with a smug expression asks, “How can I help you?” The officer replies, “Do
you recall pulling straight through a stop sign at the intersection about a
mile back?” “Well, I slowed down.” “Well, in this state, stop signs mean stop,
not slow down.” The young lawyer, feeling cocky, thought he could outwit the
small town cop: “If you can prove to me what the difference between stopping
and slowing down really is, I’ll pay the ticket, if not, you have to let me
go.” The officer thought about it for a moment, then replied, “Okay. Sounds
like a fair deal. Get out of your car.” The lawyer rolls his eyes, and proceeds
to get out of his car. The officer unsheathes his nightstick, and begins to
mercilessly beat the lawyer to the ground. He paused for a moment and smiled:
“Now, would you like me to stop? Or should I just slow down?”
When I am honest with myself about the Law, I see God’s standard as being
impossible to keep completely.
If I’m honest with myself, I realize that I need God’s grace.
The problem with the person caught in legalism is that they can’t admit how
far short they fall. They’re just good
at the loopholes.
:47 Woe to you!
Here’s the second “Woe”
:47 For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
:48 In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers;
for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.
:47 you build the tombs of the prophets
you build – oikodomeo
– to build a house, erect a building; to build (up from the foundation); to
restore by building, to rebuild, repair
tombs – mnemeion
– any visible object for preserving or recalling the memory of any person
or thing; a memorial, monument, specifically, a sepulchral monument; a
sepulchre, a tomb
The lawyers were among those who repaired and beautified the monuments for
the prophets.
:47 your fathers killed them
The lawyers would have to admit that it was their own ancestors who killed
the very prophets whose tombs they built.
:48 you approve the deeds of your fathers
you approve – suneudokeo
– to be pleased together with, to approve together (with others); to be
pleased at the same time with, consent, agree to; to applaud
JFB: Out of pretended respect and
honor, they repaired and beautified the sepulchers of the prophets, and with
whining hypocrisy said, “If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should
not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets,” while all the
time they “were witnesses to themselves that they were the children of them
that killed the prophets” (Mt 23:29,30)
(Matthew 23:29–30 NKJV) —29 “Woe to
you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the
prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would
not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’
you build – oikodomeo
– to build a house, erect a building; to build (up from the foundation); to
restore by building, to rebuild, repair
tombs – mnemeion
– any visible object for preserving or recalling the memory of any person
or thing; a memorial, monument, specifically, a sepulchral monument; a
sepulchre, a tomb
Their very acts against Jesus would show that they were no different from
their fathers.
:49 Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and
apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’
wisdom – sophia
– wisdom, broad and full of intelligence; used of the knowledge of very
diverse matters
I will send – apostello
– to order (one) to go to a place appointed
prophets – prophetes
– in Greek writings, an interpreter of oracles or of other hidden things;
one who, moved by the Spirit of God and hence his organ or spokesman, solemnly
declares to men what he has received by inspiration, especially concerning
future events, and in particular such as relate to the cause and kingdom of God
and to human salvation
apostles – apostolos
– a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders
persecute – edkioko
– to drive out, banish; to pursue; to persecute, oppress with calamities
:49 some of them they will kill and persecute
Jesus is predicting that more prophets and apostles will continue to be
raised up by God, persecuted, and killed.
When Stephen was on trial for
preaching Jesus, he said at his trial:
(Acts 7:51–52 NKJV) —51 “You
stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy
Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they
killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have
become the betrayers and murderers,
And after that they killed him.
:50 that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation
of the world may be required of this generation,
may be required – ekzeteo
– to seek out, search for; to demand back, require
which was shed – ekcheo
– to pour out, shed forth; metaph. to bestow or distribute largely
foundation – katabole
– a throwing or laying down; a founding (laying down a foundation)
world – kosmos
– the world, the universe
generation – genea
– fathered, birth, nativity; that which has been begotten, men of the same
stock, a family; the whole multitude of men living at the same time
:51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between
the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this
generation.
perished – apollumi
– to destroy; to perish, to be lost, ruined, destroyed
altar – thusiasterion
– the altar for slaying and burning of victims used of
temple – oikos
– a house; the house of God, the tabernacle
required – ekzeteo
– to seek out, search for; to demand back, require
:51 from the blood of Abel
Abel was the second son of Adam and Eve. When Abel and his older brother
Cain brought offerings to the Lord, the Lord accepted Abel’s offering, but
rejected Cain’s (Gen. 4)
(Genesis 4:3–5 NKJV) —3 And in the
process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of
the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel lso brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat.
And the Lord respected Abel and
his offering, 5 but He did not respect
Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that Abel’s offering was accepted because he
had offered it with faith. (Heb. 11:4)
(Hebrews 11:4 NKJV) —4 By faith
Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he
obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and
through it he being dead still speaks.
Abel was right with the Lord, and Cain wasn’t. Cain became jealous of his
brother and killed him, the first to kill one of God’s people.
(Genesis 4:6–8 NKJV) —6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry?
And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do
well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the
door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” 8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when
they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed
him.
:51 to the blood of Zechariah
Joash was only a little boy when he became king over Judah, but he had the
help of Jehoiada the priest, who raised him and taught him the ways of the
Lord.
As long as Jehoiada was alive, Joash was a good king. But the day came when
Jehoiada died, and Joash began to do wicked things.
Zechariah was the son of Jehoiada, and when Joash started doing wicked
things, Zechariah rebuked Joash, and Joash responded by having Zechariah killed
right there in the Temple (2Chr. 24:17-22)
(2 Chronicles 24:17–22 NKJV) —17 Now
after the death of Jehoiada the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the
king. And the king listened to them. 18 Therefore
they left the house of the Lord
God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon
Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. 19 Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them,
but they would not listen. 20 Then the
Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood
above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God: ‘Why do you transgress the
commandments of the Lord, so that
you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.’ ” 21 So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king
they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. 22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada
his father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, “The Lord look on it, and repay!”
:51 from Abel …to Zechariah
It almost looks as if Jesus is saying that they will be guilty of killing
the prophets from “A” to “Z”, but that’s just a coincidence with our English
alphabet.
“a” and “Z” are the first and last letters of
the English alphabet, but not that of Hebrew or Greek.
In the Hebrew Old Testament, the books are in a slightly different order,
with 2Chronicles being the last book in the Bible.
Jesus is indeed talking about all the Old Testament prophets, but by
talking about the first guy murdered in Genesis, to the last guy murdered in
2Chronicles.
Zachariah the son of Jehoiada was
not the last historically of the prophets to be killed, but the last of the prophets
killed that was recorded in Scripture.
Quite a few prophets died after
Zachariah, including Isaiah.
:51 it shall be required of this generation
These lawyers were just like their fathers who killed the former prophets and
would be held accountable before God because of their rejection of the One the
prophets foretold – Jesus.
This second “woe” is about …
Lesson
Hindering God’s work
Sometimes God decides to do a work that’s a little out of the ordinary.
It might not even fit our idea of how God should work.
In the late 60’s, God began to work in a little country church on the edge
of town in Costa Mesa California, a little church called “Calvary Chapel”. One of the craziest things was that hippies
were getting saved, and God was using them…
God used Lonnie in some amazing ways, even though he was
actually quite a flawed individual.
Some churches were quite upset at what was happening
because some of these long haired barefoot hippies would show up in their neat
and clean Sunday services.
Some claimed that using rock music in church and speaking
in tongues was all a work of the devil.
In Acts 5, Peter and John were on trial before the Sanhedrin.
They were simple, uneducated fishermen, but they had been with Jesus.
They had been causing much grief to the religious leaders by continuing to
preach about Jesus. God was also doing
amazing things like healing people, and even sending an angel to miraculously
release them from prison.
During this trial before the religious leaders, a Pharisee named Gamaliel
stood up to speak:
(Acts
5:38–39 NKJV) —38 And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone;
for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is
of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”
When God chooses to use someone, even if it’s a little unorthodox, do you
want to stop them because they don’t dot all their “I’s” and cross all their “T’s”?
Legalism hinders God’s work.
:52 “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You
did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”
:52 taken away the key of knowledge
taken away – airo
– to raise up, elevate, lift up; to bear away what has been raised, carry
off; to move from its place
the key – kleis
– a key
from – kleio
– to shut, shut up
The keeper of the keys has the
power to open and to shut
In the NT it is used to denote
power and authority of various kinds
knowledge – gnosis
– knowledge signifies in general intelligence, understanding
hindered – koluo
– to hinder, prevent forbid; to withhold a thing from anyone; to deny or
refuse one a thing
The “key” of knowledge is the thing that the lawyers know the most.
It’s the Scriptures.
Lesson
Just read it
The lawyers were considered the “experts” in the Scriptures, in the Law of
Moses.
The problem was that some of their ideas about the Scriptures were totally
off and not only were they keeping themselves from understanding the truth
about Jesus, they were keeping others from understanding the truth about Jesus.
Some religions will give you the idea that the Scriptures are too hard to
understand and too complicated unless you listen to them and their
interpretations.
God doesn’t seem to agree with this idea.
John wrote,
(1 John 2:27 NLT) But you have
received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to
teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know,
and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you,
remain in fellowship with Christ.
Don’t misunderstand.
God uses teachers in the church.
The point is that God can teach you all by Himself.
Even Moses, the author of the Law, wrote,
(Deuteronomy
30:11–14 NLT) —11 “This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you,
and it is not beyond your reach. 12 It is not kept in heaven, so distant that you must ask, ‘Who will
go up to heaven and bring it down so we can hear it and obey?’ 13 It is not
kept beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to
bring it to us so we can hear it and obey?’ 14 No, the message is very close at
hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.
Do you have trouble understanding your Bible? Here are some tips:
You must be born again.
The Bible says that an unbeliever will struggle to
understand the Bible.
(1
Corinthians 2:14 NLT) But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from
God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only
those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.
Until you’ve given your life to Jesus, until the Holy
Spirit is in you, you will have a hard time understanding.
You might need an easier translation.
Maybe you’re not that good at reading. You might find it beneficial to simply get an
easier to understand translation, like the New Living Translation.
You just need to read.
Learn to develop a “waiting for further information” file
in your head.
If you read something and don’t understand it, file it
away for later. It may simply mean that
you haven’t read enough of your Bible yet.
I’ve had a lot of my questions answered over the years
simply by reading the Bible over and over again.
:53 And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees
began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many
things,
vehemently – deinos – terribly,
grievously
to
assail – enecho
– to have within, to hold in; to be held, entangled, be held ensnared; to
be engaged with, set one’s self against, hold a grudge against someone
to cross-examine – apostomatizo (“from”
+ “the mouth”) – to recite from memory; to repeat to a pupil (anything) for him
to commit to memory; to ply with questions, to catechize, and so to entice to
answers
many things – pleion
– greater in quantity; the more part, very many
:53 the scribes and Pharisees
The “lawyers” were also known as “scribes”. They were the ones responsible
for making careful copies of the Scriptures.
:53 began to assail Him vehemently
They have “unfriended” Jesus
He has hurt their feelings.
:54 lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might
say, that they might accuse Him.
lying in wait for – enedreuo
– to lie in wait for, to lay wait for, prepare a trap for
from – enedra
– a lying in wait, an ambush
to catch – thereuo
– to go a hunting, to hunt, to catch in hunting; metaph. to lay wait for,
strive to ensnare, catch artfully
He might say – stoma
– the mouth, as part of the body: of man, of animals, of fish, etc.
They’re trying to “catch something
out of His mouth”
:54 that they might accuse Him
might accuse – kategoreo
– to accuse; before a judge: to make an accusation; to accuse formally
before a tribunal, bring a charge against publicly
from – kategoros
– an accuser; a name given to the devil by the rabbis
From this point on they are going
to start writing down everything He says in order to gather evidence and accuse
Him before the court.
Lesson
Looking for faults or truth?
There are some ministries whose sole purpose is to find things wrong with
others.
They often call themselves “discernment” ministries.
There is value in discerning truth from error. John wrote,
(1 John 4:1 NKJV) Beloved, do
not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God;
because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
(Galatians 1:8 NKJV) But even
if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we
have preached to you, let him be accursed.
The problem comes when you start to find “error” in every little thing.
Illustration
In 1992 a Los Angeles county parking control officer came upon a brown El
Dorado Cadillac illegally parked next to the curb on street-sweeping day.
The officer dutifully wrote out a ticket. Ignoring the man seated at the
driver's wheel, the officer reached inside the open car window and placed the
$30 citation on the dashboard.
The driver of the car made no excuses. No argument ensued - and with good
reason. The driver of the car had been shot in the head ten to twelve hours
before but was sitting up, stiff as a board, slumped slightly forward, with
blood on his face. He was dead.
The officer, preoccupied with ticket-writing, was unaware of anything out
of the ordinary. He got back in his car and drove away.
That’s the mindset of legalism – Don’t pay any real attention to the person
in front of you, just write a lot of tickets.
Many people around us are “dead in transgressions and sins.” What should
catch our attention most is their need, not their offenses.
They need a Savior, not a citation.