Kingdom Principle: The crowd demands a sign from God. Not because Jesus’ miracles didn’t prove his identity as the Son of God, but rather they were not satisfied with the miracles Jesus’ performed. They wanted more. How often can we be guilty of wanting more from God and not accepting the good grace he has bestowed on us.
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The World is _________________________
Luke 11:30–32 (ESV) —31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them… 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
The people of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, but these people refuse to repent. Instead, they are insisting that Jesus do more, Jesus say more, Jesus be more.
The queen of the South went out of her way to pursue the Word of God through Solomon, Jesus went out of his way to bring the Word to the people.
2 Peter 1:19–21 (ESV) — 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Beloved, how much more, have we had the Word of God more fully confirmed in our generation. Which means brothers and sisters, we have no reason to doubt God’s goodness to us. We have no reason to doubt that God will fulfill his promises to us. We have no reason to question that God is for us.
1 Timothy 6:5–7 (ESV) — 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
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Luke 11:33–36 (ESV) — 33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
Jesus’ miracles were like the lamp that was set upon a stand. They were not obscure. They were not obfuscated. They were obvious. I mean just think about some of the miracles we have seen so far in the gospel of Luke.
Luke 11:14; 9:38-39, 42-43; 7:11-12, 14-16
The purpose of this parable in Luke 11:33-36 is to show that the authenticity of Jesus’ miracles was not the problem. The problem is that the people were blind to that authenticity because they were not being authentic in what they were demanding from Jesus. They needed to be awakened to spiritual light.
2 Corinthians 4:3–6 (ESV) — 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Be careful that you don’t fail to see
the work that God is doing in your life.
Romans 8:28–30 (ESV) — 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together
for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
