The sermon 'Discipling Sinners' explores the challenges faced by Jesus' disciples as they grapple with understanding His mission and teachings. It highlights three separate events in which the disciples misunderstand Jesus: arguing about who is the greatest, restraining someone doing good in Jesus' name, and wanting to call down fire on a Samaritan village. These events reveal their sinful and selfish impulses, which hinder their understanding of Jesus' impending crucifixion. The speaker emphasizes that Jesus was clear about His mission to go to the cross, but the disciples' sinful nature obstructed their comprehension. Jesus uses these events to confront and correct their impulses, teaching them that greatness in His kingdom is about humility and service, not power or status. The sermon also touches on the importance of recognizing allies, even those outside one's immediate circle, and avoiding zeal without knowledge. Ultimately, Jesus is portrayed as a patient teacher, discipling sinners who are slow to understand, and a Savior who willingly undertakes His mission to the cross out of love for humanity.

Title of the message today is Discipling Sinners. This is what we see Jesus doing. These are men who are real live believers. Judas is the exception to that. Jesus was very aware of that.

The other 11 are real, live believers, and yet they still have so much to learn. Sound familiar? I hope so. Today's text has three separate events. The disciples argue over who will be greatest.

The disciples restrain someone who is doing good in Jesus' name and the disciples offer to call down fire from heaven on an unwelcoming Samaritan village. And the context is very important. What is the context? The context is that Jesus had just set free this son who had been tormented by an unclean spirit from the earliest times of his life. And all the people could see that this was the hand of God at work and they were marveling and glorifying God.

But in that moment when all the people are glorifying God about the mighty things that Jesus is doing, Jesus says this to his disciples, let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men. Just when we're receiving all this honor, Jesus says, stop, don't get used to this. The Son of Man is going to the cross. That's the third time he's actually communicated that to the disciples in this chapter. So You don't have to go further back to find him saying the same thing and then further back from that.

It's all in a very compressed space. So that is the context. Jesus is receiving honor. He deserves all the honor, but he tells his disciples, do not get used to this because he knows in a short period of time he is going to the cross. They did not understand.

That's an understatement. They were clueless. It's as if he didn't say it at all. And as I said last week, he's actually planting seeds that will bear fruit in the future. He's planting seeds so that they'll know after the cross that the cross wasn't the plan being derailed, the cross was the plan.

He knew all along, he was communicating all along that he's going to the cross. Now in these three separate events, there are sinful impulses which are holding back their understanding. These impulses are on full display. Here's what I'm saying. It's not that Jesus wasn't speaking clearly.

So you ask, why didn't they understand? He said it three times in this chapter. He's going to say it more. They're still not going to understand. Is He not speaking clearly?

No, there's nothing wrong with how Jesus is speaking of the things that are coming in the future. Their sinful impulses, selfish impulses are holding back their understanding. And so Jesus is entering into these three events to confront those impulses. That's exactly what is happening in this text. Jesus is confronting the sinful impulses of his disciples that are keeping them from understanding the things that he's clearly saying.

He's confronting those sinful impulses to help them make progress. Jesus is discipling sinners who are slow to understand. God, as we come to this text, we pray that your spirit would be working freely among us to help us understand. There are things that followers of Jesus are very slow to understand because of the way that we are because of these remaining corruptions even after we're born again. Please let your spirit come and teach in a mighty way through this text of scripture.

I pray in Jesus' name, amen. Well, as almost always, we're subdividing. I'd like to start with Luke chapter nine verses 46 through 48. Hopefully your Bibles are still open. Follow along as I read Luke chapter 9 46 through 48.

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by him and said to them, whoever receives this little child in my name, receives me. And whoever receives him who sent me, whoever receives me, receives him who sent me. For Here in these verses we have Jesus correcting disciples who grasp for greatness. There is a grasping for greatness that is happening in our text.

So there's an argument, there's a dispute. The twelve are squabbling. What are they squabbling about? Which one of us will be the greatest? I mean, it could go without saying we're all great.

But which one of us will be the greatest? What is this all about? Jesus is the Christ. Peter said so in this chapter. Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one of God.

Jesus is the King who's going to have an eternal kingdom. So the friends of Jesus are going to be great. Those closest to Jesus are going to be great. I remember what I said last week about the first coming and the second coming. This is what's so confusing about the Old Testament prophecies is that there are prophecies about a Savior who will come in humility and will suffer and die and then there are prophecies about the Messiah about how he will come in glory to conquer and to judge and to reign.

And sometimes they're one sentence apart. And so it's confusing and the disciples are confused. And they're only thinking about these prophecies that will be fulfilled by the Messiah of him coming in glory and being a king of an eternal kingdom conquering judging and reigning. In all fairness these men do have a unique, special relationship with Jesus at this time. And they will have special positions of greatness when Jesus comes the second time.

So they're off but they're not completely off. Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 19 verse 28. Matthew 19 verse 28. So Jesus said to them, same men, Jesus said to these 12, assuredly I say to you that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on his throne of glory, You who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." So when you look at the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, it's really hard to get the chronology exactly right. It's impossible to know whether he's already said those words to the disciples or whether he'll say this after the fact.

I'm just pointing out that they do have a special relationship with him and Jesus actually has told them or will tell them that they will have special positions of greatness in his kingdom. All that's true. But understand at this moment, even with this being the future case, and they might know that this is the future case, it is not enough that I sit on a throne. My throne needs to be greater than your throne. Can you imagine that?

It's only fair after all. Isn't it obvious to everyone after all? Jesus took me up on the mountain. Did Jesus take you up on the mountain? So we're in the same chapter.

Jesus went up on the mountain with the twelve. No, with Peter, James, and John. Now, admittedly, the text doesn't say that this is what this dispute is about. The text doesn't say that. I'm not saying that.

I'm simply pointing out that the human heart will seize on things like that and draw all the wrong conclusions. Is this true or not true? The human heart will seize on this. Jesus went to the top of the mountain with Peter, James, and John and only Peter, James, and John and their hearts probably drew all the wrong conclusions from that. How do I know that?

Because my heart does that all the time. It takes a fact and draws all the wrong conclusions. When Jesus sent us all out to preach and do mighty works, again we're not even leading the chapter, this is how chapter 9 starts, Jesus sending out the disciples, the twelve, to preach and do mighty works, and they preached and they did mighty works, it should have been obvious to everyone which of us should be greatest when Jesus is king. These are the thoughts that are happening in their hearts. Jesus was perceiving these thoughts that were happening in their hearts.

Now the 12 aren't squabbling in front of him, even so Jesus knows all about it because the text says he perceived the thought of their heart. So Jesus takes a little child and He sets this little child right beside Him. And He says, whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me. And whoever receives me receives him who sent me, for he who is least among you all will be great." Jesus is teaching his students, that's all disciples means, means pupils, students, Jesus is teaching his Followers who have taken him as master who don't understand greatness about greatness So here are these men they don't really understand about greatness. And so their master is teaching his students about greatness.

Greatness in Jesus' kingdom is becoming like Jesus, who did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life for those who were totally powerless to help themselves and who had no way to ever pay him back. So this is what Jesus did. He didn't come to be served by us, but he came to serve us and to lay his life down for people who were powerless to do what needed to be done and who could never pay him back. What does it mean to receive a little child in Jesus' name? It means to undertake the care of a child and of those who fit that profile.

So there are those who fit the profile of a child who might not actually be young in age, but they they fit that description to undertake the care of such a person simply because you are a follower of Jesus. Why are you doing that? Because I'm a follower of Jesus. What profile is that? What is the profile of a person who is like a little child?

A little child is helpless. They cannot do for themselves what they need. They have all sorts of need. And the earlier, the younger they are, the more true this is. They have all sorts of needs.

They're totally ignorant of those needs. So they're helpless and ignorant in their helplessness and they have no ability to do the things that they need they are totally reliant that someone else would do these things for them. So helpless and dependent, often ignorant of what they need, Often thankless. How often does your infant thank you? That would be never.

About six weeks they start thanking you with smiles, but they're not doing it to thank you. They're not always thankless, but they're often thankless. And serving them is almost never for what they can give you in return. So it is the exact opposite of doing good to the rich and powerful. Think about doing good to the rich and powerful.

They have a thousand ways to thank you and often when you do good to the rich and powerful, even if you're not explicitly doing it for what they can do for you, you're hoping for it. So, worst case is you're just doing it for what they can do for you. Best case is you're not doing it for those reasons, but you wouldn't mind. Two things to say by way of context. One, Jesus did not have an idealized view of children as if they were deserving infants.

So if you're reading in this that Jesus is talking about a person who is a deserving innocent, you're getting it all wrong. That's not at all what Jesus has in mind. He does not have, and Jesus knows everything, so He knows children, so He does not have an idealized view of children. Listen to the last usage of this word, children, in the Gospel of Luke. So this is the very last time the same word has been used in Luke.

Luke chapter 7 verses 31 and 32. And the Lord said, To what then shall I liken the men of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another saying, We played the flute for you and you did not dance. We mourned to you and you did not weep." So Jesus is teaching about his generation in the least flattering terms and he says, it's like children who are demanding and unpleasable.

They demand that you do this and when you don't do it, they are displeased and let you hear of their displeasure. This is the last time Jesus used this word in the Gospel of Luke. So there is no idealized view of children as deserving innocence. That is not the sense here. When Jesus wants to speak in an unflattering way about his generation he says you know how children are demanding unpleasable to This was a culture that did not center around or idealize children.

It was a, when we talk about the Judeo-Christian ethic, I know this is anachronistic to use it this way of these people, but this is the Judeo- they're living in a culture informed by the Judeo-Christian ethic, meaning particularly about children and and parenting and how to view children the book of Proverbs. So no idealized view of children in the book of Proverbs. So he is speaking to people that view children like the book of Proverbs views children. Okay. What is Jesus really saying here?

Follow me boys, follow me boys. Once you've seen the king lay down his life and die for the totally helpless who can never repay Then you'll know what greatness really is Do something like that to be great That is what Jesus is teaching his disciples. Listen to Mark's version. So same events, different gospel. Mark chapter 9 verses 33 through 37.

Mark 9, 33 through 37. Then he came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house, he asked them, so this is Jesus and his disciples, when he was in the house, he asked them, what was it you disputed among yourselves on the road." What were you guys squabbling about on the road? But they kept silent for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And he sat down, called the 12 and said to them, if anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all. Then he took a little child and set him in the midst of them.

And when he had taken him in his arms, he said to them, whoever receives one of these little children in my name receives me. And whoever receives me, receives not me, but him who sent me. Now that is putting a fine point on it. He actually, Luke doesn't give us the additional detail, but in Mark we see he actually goads them into the discussion. What are you guys talking about on the road?

He already perceived what was happening in their hearts. He knew what their argument was about and he asks them. They're too humiliated to say and so they keep silent. So Jesus teaches them. This puts such a fine point on it.

If anyone desires to be first, if you want to grasp for greatness, grasp for this. Are you ready? He shall be last of all and servant of all. Why is that? Because the King has made himself last of all and servant of all.

And if the King's not above it, You're not above it, disciples. Friends, brethren, we are simply being called by Christ to Christlikeness. We're not being asked to do anything he hasn't done first and done for us. And we're being shown how opposite that is to our flesh. It's not just opposite to the flesh of these 12 men, it's opposite to the flesh of everyone who's been born since Adam and Eve.

So it's instruction. Yes, think like this, be like this, but it's a warning. This is not coming naturally. This is a confrontation to our natural impulses that would love to be honored. A final point.

We're going to revisit all of this almost exactly in Luke chapter 22. We're only in Luke chapter 9. Time is going to pass. Events are going to pass. More teaching, more praying, more of Jesus pouring into his disciples, and at Luke chapter 22, the night before he's crucified, we're gonna be back in this same place and he's going to have to say almost exactly the same words to these exact same men.

Just think of that for a moment. This is all so difficult for human beings to actually, truly learn that these 12 men who had so many advantages and privileges that we will never have struggled so mightily to learn these things. So what does that mean for you? Meaning you didn't have the advantages and privileges that these 12 men had living with Jesus and hearing Jesus and being personally instructed by Jesus face-to-face day after day for a period of three years and the night before he died he's back in this same spot having to say these same things to these same men again. What do you think that means for you?

If you thought you were coming in here today to hear an academic lecture that didn't apply to you, we should think again. We struggle so mightily to learn these things so that we might do these things. And the more you think, man, I hope this other guy is hearing this, he really needs to hear this, the more it's probably you. J.C. Ryle says this, wonderful as it may seem, this little company of fishermen and publicans, meaning fishermen and tax collectors, was not beyond the plague of self-seeking, of a self-seeking and ambitious spirit.

So I'm gonna stop there and now give an exposition of J.C. Row quote. That's probably not a good idea. But he's saying, these are fishermen and tax collectors. What right have they to be proud men grasping for greatness?

And Yet even the fishermen and tax collectors aren't beyond the plague of a self-seeking and ambitious spirit, " he continues, filled with the vain notion that our Lord's kingdom was to appear immediately. They were ready to wrangle about their place and precedency in it. Each thought that whatever place was assigned to his brethren, a principal place ought to be assigned to himself. And all this happened in the company of Christ himself and under the noon tide blaze of his teaching. Such is the heart of man.

Who was better instructed than these men? Certainly not you. You I'm sure you're instructed by others, but you're instructed by me. You are not better instructed than the ones Jesus was instructed. You're horribly instructed compared to the ones that Jesus was instructing.

But such is the heart of man that they still had this problem, even fishermen and tax collectors do. So that is verses 46 through 48, Jesus correcting disciples who grasp for greatness. Now back to Luke 9, next section, verses 49 through 50, this second set of events. Luke 9, 49 and 50. Now John answered and said, Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.

These two verses we have Jesus correcting disciples who alienate allies. Why would you alienate allies? Why would you push out people who have a disposition to be your friends? Because of what we're like, that's why. What do we know about the person in question and the circumstances in question.

So the whole subsection is just two verses and most of it's not even about what was happening. So what do we know about this person and the circumstances precious little that tells us that we don't need to know much at all to get what we need from the section. So you wonder all sorts of things. Stop it. You, they weren't get those details were not given to us because we don't need them to get what we need from this section.

Here's what we do know. It was the observation of the disciples that this person was in fact casting out demons in Jesus's name. So that was their view of it. Okay, Of what they saw with their own eyes, they came back and reported, this person was casting out demons in your name to Jesus. In other words, this person was doing good, good to cast out demons, yes.

Okay, so this person was doing good and doing it in association with Jesus' name, tying the good that they were doing to Jesus' name and crediting the power for it to Jesus' name. How do we really know how do we know that this person was really acting out of faith in Jesus? Well, in Acts 19, when the seven sons of a Jewish priest named Siva tried to use the name of Jesus as a kind of magic word for casting out demons, this is all in Acts 19, the evil spirit says, Jesus I know and Paul I know, but who are you? And this man possessed by this demon who says that overpowers these seven men and he sends them fleeing naked and wounded. So while we might know when a person is act is we might not know when a person is acting out of actual true faith in Jesus, it is apparently obvious that the demons do know.

So we might not, but the demons know. They have to go when a person is actually doing it in Jesus' name out of faith in Jesus. So the disciples see this, a man casting out demons in Jesus's names, they are eyewitness to this, and they forbid this man because he is not in the immediate circle with Jesus. They are, he is not, so they forbid him. That's what John reports to Jesus.

Jesus corrects him, John, saying, Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side. Now Let's take up two passages that can help us. The first is Numbers, chapter 11. Something very similar happens in Numbers, chapter 11. So Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, chapter 11.

Numbers chapter 11, I'll read verses 24 through 29. So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord, and he gathered the 70 men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him and took of the spirit that was upon him, the spirit that was upon Moses, and placed the same upon the seventy elders. And it happened when the spirit rested upon them that they prophesied although they never did so again. But two men had remained in the camp.

The name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other was Medad. And the spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle, yet they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses and said, Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp. So Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of his choice men answered and said, Moses my Lord forbid them.

They're not here at the tabernacle with us. I'm adding words now you saying I'm making eye contact I'm not reading now I'll go back to reading. They're not out here at the tabernacle with us, they're in the camp. They shouldn't be prophesying outside of what we're doing here. Forbid them.

Then Moses said to him, Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them. Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel. It's just like, it's like it's not happening in our immediate circle. Make them stop.

And Moses says, I wish God would put his spirit on everyone and so that everyone could prophesy. Don't be zealous for my sake. This was Joshua who said Moses forbid them. So in Luke 9, it's John. We love John.

Who doesn't love the gospel of John? Who doesn't love the contributions of John? The ministry of John. John's a good guy. Joshua's a good guy.

Who doesn't love Joshua? Who didn't love our study of Joshua and how he courageously led the people? And yet, this was a temptation for him too. Here's what we can conclude from Numbers 11 and from Luke chapter 9. The circle is not a boundary for God.

It may very well be a boundary for you in certain ways, but it's never a boundary for God. If God wants to put His Spirit and do something mighty and do good through people outside the circle. That circle, whatever it is, whatever the distinctions are, was never a boundary for God. He will not be restrained in these ways. The second text that will help us is Mark chapter 9.

So again, I'm going to Mark's version of the same event. Listen to how Mark captures this in Mark 9, 38 through 40. Now, John answered him saying, Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us. Almost exactly the same words as our text. Now listen to what Mark records, but Jesus said, is on our side.

So you get this addition in Mark that we don't have in Luke. No one who works a miracle in my name can soon afterward speak evil of me. The truth is the true people of God have few enough friends and allies as it is. True or not true? Do we have too many friends and allies the real people of God?

Too many! We have few enough as it is without alienating people who have a friendly disposition towards us. And the disciples would find that soon enough when they went out into a very hostile world with real enemies. Okay so what does this mean? Jesus says, let me get the words right, he who is not against us is on our side.

He who is not against us is on our side. What does this mean? At least these three things, maybe more but at least these three. One, it does mean that we should rejoice when we see people doing good under the banner of Jesus' name. Someone's doing good, casting out demons is good, it's not the only thing that's good, someone doing good under the banner of Jesus' name, you see it, you should rejoice.

May Jesus receive all the glory. Number two, it does mean that we can expect to see God moving in circles that are different from us in ways that bother us. Hello? Are you with me? Are you listening?

I'll repeat. It does mean that we can expect to see God moving in circles that are different from us in ways that bother us. They shouldn't be like that. Why is God doing good through them? That I am bothered by that I am bothered by this or that is obviously not a limitation to God.

Have you heard of not invented here syndrome? Because the idea didn't come from your inner circle, then your inner circle mercilessly picks it apart. Because it wasn't invented here. We didn't think of it. So we can think about a thousand reasons why not.

Audrey brace yourself. In my professional career, IBM was the worst at having not invented here syndrome. I'm sure it's different 20 years later. But with IBM, If it wasn't their idea and it wasn't their design, then the vultures would descend and pick you to pieces. Now, IBM has done you a lot of good, and IBM has done me a lot of good, but that did not serve them well 20 years ago in my professional career.

And that happens in the Christian world all the time. This didn't come from our group so we turn our most skeptical eye upon it and we pick it to pieces and to where it becomes of no value. And you can do that with any good thing actually. You can bring out the microscope and magnify every imperfection so that by the end the good thing is not even any good at all because it wasn't invented here. Three.

It does mean that wherever I can, I should focus on what God has given me to do and remain hopeful about others wherever I can does that mean in every place you can do this no I'm just saying wherever you can you should focus on the work God has given you to do, not work that God has given people outside your immediate circle to do, and remain hopeful about others? Have you heard of Don Quixote? So Don Quixote, it's a subject of two old books, but it's the adventures of a man who read too many tales of chivalry. His head was filled with nothing of tails of chivalry. So he turned himself into a wandering knight who went about on horseback with his lance and his armor looking for dragons to defeat.

And he had bad eyesight, so in one of his adventures, he thought that a windmill was a giant, And so he lowered his lance and charged at the windmill. This is Don Chiodi. How many times have you been Don Chiodi? And you lowered your lance. It's called tilting at windmill to tilt is when in when they were fighting each other you would lower the lance in charge okay tilting at windmills.

The windmill is not your enemy okay it's you You've made it into a giant but it's not a giant, you just have bad eyesight. And so you tilt at the windmills. This is about tilting at windmills. What doesn't it mean? At least these two things.

One, it doesn't mean that doctrine and life don't matter. So that no one should be opposed if they attach themselves to the name of Jesus. All you have to do is saying, I'm doing it in Jesus' name. Your doctrine doesn't matter and your life doesn't matter because you've sprinkled the name of Jesus on it. It does not mean that.

Bad doctrine should be opposed. And if life doesn't match doctrine, that should be opposed. There's no evidence of any of that in our text. You would need evidence of bad doctrine or evidence that life doesn't match sound doctrine in order to oppose. So it doesn't mean that doctrine and life don't matter so that no one should be opposed if they attach themselves to the name of Jesus.

It doesn't mean that. Number two, It doesn't mean that anyone who is doing good in the name of Jesus has an automatic right to be included in your circle or that you should necessarily join their circle or that you should necessarily endorse or promote what they're doing. All I'm saying is none of that's in this text. They don't invite this man to join their circle so he's not automatic, He has no automatic right to be invited in. They don't join his circle.

So that can't be what you must conclude from this. And they don't endorse or promote this man. They just leave him alone to do good in Jesus' name. That's all they do. So it doesn't mean that anyone who is doing good in the name of Jesus has an automatic right to be included in your circle.

Maybe they shouldn't be. Or maybe they should be. Or that you should necessarily join their circle. Maybe you should, maybe you shouldn't. Or that you should necessarily endorse or promote what they're doing.

Maybe you should or you shouldn't. But you can't glean any of that out of this text. Finally, in Luke 11 23, Jesus will say, when we get there, Luke 11 23, Jesus is going to say, He who is not with me is against me. And he who does not gather with me scatters. So when you set these two things side by side with no context, these statements are the exact opposite of each other.

Exact opposite of each other. But the circumstances couldn't be more different. Here someone is actually doing good in the name of Jesus. So Jesus says this, there Jesus's acts of good are being attributed to the devil by those who reject him. So Jesus says that.

The circumstances couldn't be more directly opposite, and so what Jesus says couldn't be more directly opposite. Ironically, in both cases, it's people who are casting out demons here and there, actually. Here, a man is doing it in Jesus' name, doing good in Jesus' name. There, Jesus' good, him casting out demons, is being attributed as a work of the devil by those who reject Jesus. So he says very different things to very different people in very different circumstances that shouldn't surprise us.

So that is verses 49 through 50. Jesus Correcting disciples who alienate allies We're reformed fault We're legendary for alienating allies That doesn't mean that sometimes that hasn't been appropriate isn't appropriate, but we should apply this to our little sphere and wonder to ourselves, Have we alienated people who have a disposition to be our friends? There was nothing to be gained from alienating. They're doing good in Jesus' name and they have honest hearts and we should leave them alone to do good. That could be true.

All right, final section verses 51 through 56 Luke 9 51 through 56 now came to pass when the time had come for him to be received up that he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem and sent messengers before his face. And as they went they entered a village of the Samaritans to prepare for him but they did not receive him because his face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them just as Elijah did. But he turned and rebuked them and said, You do not know what manner of spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them. And they went to another village.

That last phrase, just the last sentence is a crack up to me. No fire was needed from heaven, They just went to another village. It didn't have to consume the whole village with fire from heaven after all we could just go to the next one. These verses Jesus is correcting disciples who long to recreate a fiery judgment. Oh bring back the good old days when you could call fire on the unbelievers.

The time had come for Jesus to be received up. If you look in the gospels and you look at the words that are being used here, the Greek words, linguistically, this has everything to do with the ascension. So it is really good translation. This is about Jesus ascending to take his place at his father's side in heaven. So yes, Jesus is going to die.

The marks of it are all over this chapter, but the endpoint is actually rising from the dead and being received up into glory, and Jesus knew that too. The text says that Jesus steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. Listen to J.C. Ryle. J.C.

Ryle says, these are wonderful words. Can I ask for your attention? It's been a while and kids especially you probably tuned out so tune in for this one then you can tune back out jc ralph says this jesus knew full well what was before him the betrayal the unjust trial the mockery the scourging the crown of thorns the spitting the nails the spear, the agony of the cross, all were doubtless spread before his eyes like a picture. But he never flinched for a moment from the work that he had undertaken. His heart was set on paying the price of our redemption and going even to the prison of the grave as our surety.

He was full of tender love towards sinners. It was the desire of his whole soul to procure for them salvation. And so for the joy set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame. Hebrews 12 verse 2. Forever Let us bless God that we have such a ready and willing Savior.

All the unwillingness is on the part of man, not of Christ. It consists in the ignorance and pride and unbelief and half-heartedness of the sinner himself. But there is nothing wanting in Christ. Jesus knew it all and he set his face steadfastly to go and do that work out of love to sinners. Forever let us bless God that we have such a ready and willing Savior.

J.C. Ryle says it and I say, Amen. Jesus is taking the most direct route. So in Galilee, if you just draw a straight line to Jerusalem, you go through Samaria. So he sends some in advance into a Samaritan village to prepare for him to lodge there.

But because Jesus is headed to Jerusalem, and because Jews And the half-breed Samaritans, so Samaritans have some Jewish blood in their veins, but it's mixed with blood from other nations. When the Assyrians came and took the northern tribes into captivity centuries before, They took other captives from other nations and brought them into this region. And there was intermarriages between Jews and the members of these other nations. And they made their own worship, which was like their blood was mixed, their worship was mixed. The foreign gods came in and there was some Old Testament worship mixed in with it.

So these are half breeds spiritually and physically. Because the Jews and the Samaritans disagreed in the strongest terms about where you should worship. This is in John chapter four, the woman at the well. Our fathers say we should worship here on this mountain. This is Mount Gerizim.

It doesn't say that in John four, but that's where they were worshiping, Mount Gerizim. They had their own temple, had their own rival worship system. So it was happening in Jerusalem and it's happening on Mount Gerizim. The Jews in Jerusalem, the Samaritans on Mount Gerizim. So they did no agreement about where you should worship or how you should worship.

So the people in this village, they are not going to play host to Jews who are going to the Jerusalem to worship. MacArthur says this, this is a note from his study Bible, These people were descendants of Jewish mixed marriages from the days of captivity. They were rivals of the Jewish nation and had devised their own worship, a hybrid of Judaism and paganism, with a temple of their own on Mount Gerizim. They were considered unclean by the Jews and were so hated that most Jewish travelers from Galilee to Judah took the longer route east of the Jordan to avoid traveling through Samaria. So most of the time, if you had the time and you were a good Jew, you would actually cross over the Jordan River and go north along the Jordan River away from Samaria.

So you didn't even have to set foot in Samaria. Robert Stein says this, Josephus, so he's talking about the famous Jewish historian as a famous work called Antiquities, Josephus in Antiquities gave an example of the animosity of Samaritans toward Galilean pilgrims proceeding to Jerusalem to celebrate the various festivals. The reason behind the Samaritans' lack of welcome was simply the general Samaritan hostility toward Jewish pilgrims heading toward Jerusalem. So this is exactly what's happening in our text. Josephus says it was not that uncommon for Jewish pilgrims to be persona non grata, non welcome persons in Samaria because they knew where they were going and why they were going there.

James and John see this. And they say this, Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them just as Elijah did? So they're referring to 2 Kings chapter 1. If you want homework, 2 Kings 1 is a fascinating read. Ahaziah is king of the northern kingdom.

So 2 Kings is about the two kingdoms, the ten tribes, Israel, and the two tribes, Judah. And 2 Kings opens in chapter 1 with Ahaziah, king of the ten northern tribes Israel. He falls through the lattice of his upper room and he doesn't know whether he's going to live or die. So he sends a messenger, okay, to a false prophet of a pagan god to ask him, am I going to live or die? Elijah intercepts the messenger and says, is it because there's no God in Israel that you send to a false prophet of a pagan god?

Go back and tell the king, because of this he's going to die. So the messenger goes back. He says these things to Aaziah. Aaziah says, who told you this and what did he look like? He describes him.

He says, that's Elijah. He sends 50 soldiers to go get Elijah. When the 50 soldiers come, they say, man of God, come down and talk to the king. And Elijah says, if I'm a man of God, let fire from heaven come down and consume you. And that's what happens.

So the king sends another 50 men, and exactly this thing happens. Man of God, the king sins for you. If I'm a man of God, let fire from heaven come down and it consumes him. So the king says another 50. And the 50 come to Elijah and the same thing is playing out itself except for the leader of this 50 men pleads with Elijah that he would value his life.

And so God tells Elijah to go with these men and speak to the king. He goes and tells the king to his face, because you've sent to a false prophet of a pagan god, you're going to die and he died. So this is what happened. It happened in Samaria. It might have happened right where this is.

Samaria's Not that big, so it was in the same region. 2 Kings chapter 1 happens in the same region with fire coming down from heaven. It came down with a lot of the same issues, paganism, worship of the false things. These are all interrelated. So we can blame James and John and we can't blame James and John in sort of in different ways.

What does Jesus think about their suggestion? He rebukes them And he says this, you do not know what manner of spirit you are of. You don't know the flavor of the kingdom. You don't know what the kingdom is like. For the Son of man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them.

The truth is in that village most of those people had nothing to do with that and the ones that did have something to do that were acting out of total ignorance, acting out of their own personal histories. It was still sinful, still wrong. They were still worthy of condemnation, but it's not more sinful or wrong than you in your natural state or me in my natural state. I can't think of a better supporting text than John 3, 16 and 17. Listen to Jesus in John 3, 16 and 17.

For God so loved the world That he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved. Thank God for the first coming. Thank God for the incarnation, for the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us, and appearing in the form of a bond servant and submitting himself to death, even the shameful death of the cross for people like those people in that Samaritan village and these people like knuckleheads in Youngsville, North Carolina. I'm talking about you. This is the spirit of Jesus' kingdom.

He was sent to save, seek and save the lost. That's why he came. Not to call down fire from heaven? Would he have been just to call down fire from heaven? Of course he would have been.

Is just what you want? Is just what you want? Or is patience and long-suffering and a God who would leave heaven to die and make a way for you. Is that what you want? That's what I want.

This is the spirit of Jesus' kingdom. So did Elijah do the right thing? Undoubtedly. He acted under the direction of God and in the power of God. Would it have been the right thing for James and John to call down fire from heaven?

I don't think it would have come. I think heaven would have withheld the fire. Absolutely not. It would not have been the right thing. Listen to Matthew Henry.

Elijah was sent to display the terrors of the law and to give proof of that and to witness as a bold reprover against the idolatries and wickednesses of the court of Ahab, and it was agreeable enough to have to him to have his commission thus proved, but it is a dispensation of grace that is now introduced to which such a terrible display of divine justice will not be at all agreeable." It would have said the wrong thing about Jesus and why he came. It was a perfect way to display the terrors of the law. That's what Elijah was doing, so amen to that. But it would have said all the wrong things about Jesus and what he came to do. Listen to Robert Stein again.

This was the year of the Lord's favor. That's quoting from Isaiah 61, And Jesus quotes that actual phrase out of Isaiah 61 in Luke chapter 4. This was the year of the Lord's favor. It was a time when the disciples were to love their enemies and bless those who curse them. James and John went far beyond Jesus's directions on how to treat the unreceptive.

So remember in chapter 9 when he sent them out, he said, if they won't receive you, call down fire from heaven. No, that's actually not what he said. He said, wipe the dust off of your feet as a testimony against them. There will be a day of vengeance of our God, that's also Isaiah 61, but that day lies in the future and in any case is God's prerogative. If a village did not receive Jesus, the disciples were to go elsewhere.

For Theophilus and the other readers, the message was clear. Their attitude was to be one of father forgive them, for they do not know what they're doing. And then he references Jesus at the cross who said, Father forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. And Acts chapter 7, that's when Stephen is being stoned and he says the same of those who are stoning him.

So no fire is called down from heaven. They simply go to another village Here is a sad thought from Matthew Henry Matthew Henry says Jesus would have done them good and preached the gospel to them as he had some time ago to another city of the Samaritans, John 441. Think of how glorious Jesus's time was in that village of the Samaritans, when he met the woman at the well and ends up, so many of that city end up getting saved and trusting in Jesus. He would have been, if they pleased, the greatest blessing that ever came to their village, and yet they forbid him entrance. Such a sad.

If they'd have just received him, he would have been willing to do so much good in that place. Applications, I'll give you four. Number one, if I can, I want to help you see how this is you and me? Though I'm a disciple of Jesus, I am a disciple of Jesus, there is so much left in my heart that craves the place of honor. Do you see it?

You see so much in your heart that craves the place of honor, that grasps for greatness, that wants to be something in someone. Though I'm a disciple of Jesus, there is so much left in my heart that alienates people who should be allies just because they're not in my circle. If you can't see ways in which this is true of you, go find them and root them out. Though I'm a disciple, there is so much in my heart that wants justice for others, but grace for myself. That one should cut so deep.

Where are you crying out for God's justice on someone else? Is that what you want? You want justice? You sure you want justice? You want God to treat you like you deserve to be treated?

Is that how you have been treated? Is that how you want to be treated? Of course not. Number two, Jesus knows everything about you. He perceives the thoughts of your heart.

Matthew Henry says this, thoughts are words to him and whispers loud cries. Children, this is what you need to know about Jesus. He's inside your head. He knows all your thoughts. Thoughts are words to him.

You might as well have spoken it. Whispers are loud cries to him. You might as well have shouted it. He knows it all. Now, I want to speak of the terror of this.

The terror of this is that while you can put up a front for others, you never can to Him because He's perceiving your every thought, your every motivations. He knows it all. It's like you're shouting it all. And he is a just judge who could never overlook unrighteousness. And he knows all of your thoughts and motivations.

That's the terror of it. Here's the comfort. He knows exactly who he died for. From the first breath that you ever took to the last breath that you ever took. And so you know, 2, 000 years ago, as Jesus goes to the cross, He knew all of that.

He had all of the information. And if He saved you, He will never come to you and say, I never would have saved you if I'd have known you thought this, or did this for this reason, He knew it all. And He died for you anyway. And He saves you anyway. And knowing it all, even The sins that I will commit in the future, I don't know about them, he knew about them, and he died knowing about them.

So be terrified that Jesus knows the thoughts of your heart, but also in another way be so comforted because he never saves anyone without having known it all first breath the last. Number three, beware zeal without knowledge. In each of these cases, there is zeal without knowledge, especially for bidding the man outside of their inner circle and especially wanting to call down fire from heaven. This is zeal without knowledge. J.C.

Ryle says zeal without knowledge is an army without a general and a ship without a rudder. Amen to that. You don't want an army without a general. You don't want a ship without a rudder. And zeal can be one of the most harmful things in the world.

Some of the worst things in human history have happened at the hands of zealots, people who were zealous for their beliefs. Beware zeal without knowledge. Knowledge will be the general for that army. You need, we need armies, okay, and our armies need generals. We need ships, our ships need rudders.

Number four, finally, consider John. John's in two out of three of these accounts. He's the only one named with forbidding the man who wasn't in their inner circle. And he's in there with, it's James and John who are offering to call down fire from heaven. I want you to listen to Acts chapter 8 verses 14 through 25.

If you're taking notes, just note that. Acts 8, 14, and 25. Acts 8, 14. Now, when the apostles were at Jerusalem and heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. Now verse 25.

So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. This is not that long afterwards. John was one of these sons of thunder. That's what Jesus called James and John. Maybe it was a disposition like this.

The sons of John, you know what the son of thunder became? He became the apostle of love. That's what he's known as, the apostle of love. Read the gospel of John. Read 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John and tell me that can be the same man as wanted to call down fire on the Samaritan village.

I almost can't believe it. The only way I can believe it is you see this arc in all of the disciples of Jesus where there was so much they didn't understand, but Jesus brings them along. He is discipling sinners. He is changing them. He can make a son of thunder into an apostle of love.

He can, he does. God, thank you for our text. We have much to learn. Thank you Jesus that you make disciples of sinners. You take us when we know so very little.

It's worse than not knowing anything. The things that we think are so wrong and you have to correct all that, bring us along. Thank you that you do that. We praise you for your goodness to us in Jesus name, amen.