Are You Ashamed of God?

Luke 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels. 

I can remember being a teenager and not always seeing eye to eye with my parents. In fact, from the perspective of a “young adult” my parents were just plain wrong at times and it was hard to promote my parents decrees as if I agreed with them.  In other words, at times, I was ASHAMED of my parent’s rules and restrictions.  I was ASHAMED that they would not let me go to parties that we all knew had drinking and other “seedy”activities.  I was ASHAMED that my parents restricted me on whom I could date, because they wanted me to marry a Christian woman that would help me be a better Christian!

Please make sure you understand this distinction.  There is a significant difference between not completely understanding and/or completely agreeing with a particular command and being ashamed of it.  There are many commands of God that I do not understand the “whys” of.  There are even some ordinances in place that I do not necessarily agree with.  But because of my love for my Father and Savior...because I want to please my God....because of what he has done for me, I will keep them and defend them to the death.

On the other hand, if one is ashamed of a command, two separated things usually takes place. First, they will simply disobey it.   In all honesty, however, their disobedience is not simple at all. It is carefully thought about and the law completely disregarded as having NO legitimacy.  But secondly, those ashamed of God’s commands also will generally ridicule and mock those commands.  They will declare them as being out of touch, out of date, short sighted, narrow minded, old fashioned, or just plain restricting fun and or happiness.  They are ASHAMED of those laws.

There are many commands in the Word of God that many so-called religious people are ashamed of.  This bog does not have the time or space to deal with them.  Just one example though to make my point.  Ever increasingly are religious people becoming ASHAMED of the Bible’s clear and unambiguous teaching against homosexuality.  However, the religious world is embracing that sinful behavior more and more all of the time.  They not only disobey it, they make fun of the religious folks that still support the Bible’s teachings.

Notice carefully how Jesus sees this now.  If you are ashamed of his words (i.e. his laws commandments and restrictions) you are ASHAMED of HIM!  Now notice what that actually means!

Luke 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

Jesus will be ashamed of us.  Remember, there are only two paths.  Righteousness and Unrighteousness.  Pleasing or Ashamed.  Heaven or Hell.  The implication is obvious.  If  we are ashamed of him and his teachings, He will be ashamed of us when it counts the most....and we will be lost.

Reflecting the SON, 

Dennis Hogan

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

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He Spoke with Authority!

Luke 4:31-32 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. (32) And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power (authority). 

As Jesus travelled around Israel during his ministry, the one thing that he did consistently was to teach and/or preach.  We are told that his purpose in his existence was to SEEK and to SAVE the lost.  Salvation, from a spiritual stand point, is offered through knowledge so Jesus spread the message of salvation through his teaching.

But Jesus’ teaching is different, and it was recognizable by those that heard.  Jesus spoke with Authority.  This is not a description of his preaching style, but rather the foundation from which the truth comes.

When I preach each Sunday I stress to encourage every member to take their Bibles and turn with me to the passages that I use.  I want everyone to SEE the authority from which I speak.  I say “that if I am doing my mission correctly that I am ONLY reflecting what the Bible says.”  

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 

A preacher should NEVER give his own opinions, ideas or philosophies as it pertains to ANY spiritual matters.  

But Jesus was different.  Jesus spoke with authority.  He was the source of the truth!  He was not just perpetuating the teachings of the Old Law....He was establishing a NEW Law!

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

So why is Jesus able to speak with authority?  Why is it that he was able to establish a new covenant?  Three Reasons:

1.  He is God!

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

2.  He is the Son of God

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; 

3.  He is the Founder Christianity

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

If Jesus is all of those things...and he is.  If Jesus is spoke with such authority, doesn’t it stand to reason that we should listen to him as an authority?  When I was growing up, I remember a series of E.F. Hutton commercials.  In them, two people would be talking in a public setting and one would say:  “My broker is E.F. Hutton and E.F. Hutton says.....”

And the entire room would stop what it was doing and listen intently for what was about to be said.

Jesus is far, FAR more significant that EF Hutton.  What Jesus talks about is enormously more important than stocks and bonds.  Therefore, shouldn’t we follow that lead of those in the commercial and listen to EVERY word that Jesus teaches and have the courage to apply it to our lives!

Blessed be the Lord God!

Luke 1:67-79 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, (68) Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, (69) And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; (70) As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: (71) That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; (72) To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; (73) The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, (74) That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, (75) In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. (76) And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; (77) To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, (78) Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, (79) To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. 

As we look at the text this morning, let us consider the context that leads up to it.  Earlier in the chapter, an angel of the Lord appeared to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, and informed him of the upcoming birth of their son, John (Luke 1:11-17).  But due to Zacharias’ and his wife’s old age, he doubted the news that the angel delivered (Luke 1:18).  So to prove who he was and by whom he was sent, the angel struck Zacharias mute until the birth of John (Luke 1:20).  In verse 64, we find that Zacharias’ mouth was finally loosed and so he spoke the words of our text today.  Keep in mind that the passage makes clear, as Zacharias is speaking, he is filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesies...that he is speaking the specific message of God!  We will single out a few statements that we want to key on this morning.

1.  God has visited and Redeemed his people (vrs. 68):  It is simply amazing the Love that our Father has for us.  He knew that we were unable to save ourselves...he knew that we were unable, ON OUR OWN, to be reconciled back to him so he made the ultimate sacrifice to bridge the gap.  That sacrifice was Jesus, as God (John 1), literally visited us as a man for the purpose of washing away our sins, which is what causes our separation from God.

2.  Raised up a Horn of Salvation (vrs. 69):  The term “Horn of Salvation” is used in the Old Testament (Psalm 18:2).  It symbolizes strength and power.  The power of God to save man is far more powerful than that which Satan has with sin and temptation.

3.  The Words of the Prophets are about to come to Pass (vrs. 70):  Nearly a third of the Old Testament are books of Prophecy.  Much of the prophecy was written for the contemporaries of the writers of that time to help guide them in their own lives.  However, there is an enormous amount prophecy given about the coming Messiah which Jesus will fulfills and is revealed later on in the book of Luke.

4.  He Will Remember the Covenant Made to Abraham (vrs. 73):  While the Israelites benefitted from the promises that God first gave to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, much of the promises were much more forward looking.  The ultimate fulfillment of the those promises comes from the embodiment and sacrifices of Jesus (Galatians 3:29).  Those prophecies are about to come true as Jesus is due to come into the world.

5.  John Will be a Prophet who will Prepare the Way of Him (vrs. 76):  In this prophecy uttered by Zacharias, he tells of the future of his newborn son.  He will prepare the way of Jesus.  He will be a preacher that will get the Israelites ready for Jesus to come and to make his way ready.

6.  John will Give Knowledge of Salvation (vrs. 77):  In his preaching, John will give knowledge of Salvation.  It is so interesting how God phrases this.  Salvation is NOT some sort of mysterious “event”.  Salvation is not a purely emotional occurrence.  But rather Salvation is based upon KNOWLEDGE.  One cannot be saved without PROPER knowledge of who God is, what he has done for us, and what he wants from us.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

That is why Paul wrote this:

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

The ONLY way that man can be saved from our sins is to have FAITH in our Great Creator.  That faith comes only from a knowledge of God’s word and then a specific application of that knowledge.

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 

As we begin this day, let us keep in mind the enormity of God’s Love and all that he has done to make his salvation available to us.  Then let us search out his will and have the COURAGE to follow it in every detail!

That We Might KNOW!

Luke 1:1-4 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, (2) Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; (3) It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, (4) That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. 

Luke opens the his account of the gospel of Christ by stating his thesis:  That we might know with certainty!

An important characteristic of being a follower of God is confidence!  The Bible does not teach of having a suspicion about whether there is a God.  It does not speak of an optimism that there is a Messiah and savior, but rather that we can have an absolute security of that which we believe.

So how can we have this kind of confidence with what Luke has to write?  Luke states that he had a perfect or complete understanding of these things...”from the very first”.  Luke does not give us detail about that statement but but there are several conclusions that we can make.  

First, it appears that some of what he writes he was a personal witness to.  This was a small world, and it would seem logical that his path would have crossed with Jesus’ somewhere along the line.  If he was just an investigative reporter after the fact, it would not have made sense that he use the phrase “from the first”.  The Bible speaks often of people that heard about Jesus, heard that he was coming nearby and decided to see him and learn about him first hand.

Luke 19:1-4 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. (2) And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. (3) And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. (4) And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 

It just seems obvious that an intellectual and inquisitive person like Luke would have behaved similar to Zaccaeus and went to see Jesus when he was nearby.  I would even conclude there were times that Luke might have even followed Jesus around witnessing  many of these things first hand

Secondly, several other versions interpret verse 3 as

Luke 1:3  ....since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning

Not only did Luke see many things for himself, he also had enough interest Jesus to investigate him as well.  Luke was a physician so he was an educated and intellectual individual.  In the same way that we could trust the investigation of Walter Cronkite many years later, we can trust the work of Luke.  

But "knowing" is not the end result.  We should not just know about God for the sake of knowing.  The knowledge of who God is, ought to inspire and motivate us to act in a prescribed manner.  Once we have certainty of what we believe, due to the work of men like Luke, we must put that belief into action and BECOME the people that God wants us to be.

Be Doers...Not Just Hearers!

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

As Americans, we understand that one of the things that makes us special is our American Constitution.  That document that makes sets us apart, establishes our freedoms and in many ways, makes us special throughout the world.  Because it is the foundation for our government and liberties, we cherish it, value it and defend it.

For those that claim to be Christians, the Bible in many ways is much like the Constitution.  The Bible is our law.  Likewise the Bible establishes our Freedoms. And if used correctly sets us apart from the rest of the world.

But that statement is really the main point of our text this day:  “If used correctly”!  It is amazing to me how that the Bible can be so easily discarded as irrelevant.  The Power in the word comes from its Application!  But don’t so many other things in life?  How useful is an electrical socket if you do not stick the plug into it.  It has enormous POTENTIAL in its unused state, but it is useless without application.  Medicine is the same way.  You can be dying with a bottle of medicine in your hand and still die if you don’t put the medicine in your mouth.  The Bible is NO different!  The Bible ONLY has great Potential, unless and until it is applied to our lives!

James tells us not to be hearers only but to do what it is that we hear and read.  But look at the last statement that he makes here.  “Deceiving our Own selves.  If we think that we can read the word of God, maybe even become great students of it, even to the point that we have it largely memorized, but we do not APPLY the commands, restrictions and liberties contained within, we are only FOOLING ourselves.

Don’t lie to yourself.    If you want to be a follower of God, know the word of God by studying it regularly.  But don’t stop there....Do what the Bible tells you to do.  Refrain from what the Bible says to avoid!  Think how it tells you to think!  Be what it tells you to be!