최중현 교수(롬한인장로교회) 영어설교- True Blessing(Luke 11:14-28)

True Blessing 

(Luke 11:14-28)

1. Everyone, what do you think is true blessing?

(1) Is it money? Maybe it’s honor? Or maybe it’s health? Of course, there are many other things, but today the author said that the Lord Himself is a true blessing. So today, I want to think about true blessings in the four cases in Luke 11:14-28.

(2) First of all, you should know that the text is related to the prayer the Lord taught us last time. Let’s remember what we said last time. In Luke 10, when the disciples failed to demonstrate the ability they had received from the Lord, they asked the Lord why, and the word He mentioned was prayer. We confirm Mark 9:28. [When he entered the house, the disciples asked him quietly, and he asked, “Why were you not able to cast out the demon?” He said, “This kind cannot come out except through prayer.” The prayer given was the [Lord’s Prayer]. However, in verse 13 of the main text, he mentioned the Holy Spirit, saying, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give you the Holy Spirit.” Then why did he mention the Holy Spirit at the end of the prayer? The answer is in verse 14 of the main text. So, let’s cast out the demon that makes us speechless, and the Pharisees say that the Lord was empowered by Beelzebub.

(3) Then why did the Pharisees not acknowledge the Lord as the Messiah?

It is because there was a great misunderstanding of the Lord. So, if you look at the entire incident in the main text, you will find a misunderstanding about the Lord.

1) First, let’s check the first case.

First, who are the parties to this case? In Matthew 12:24, Matthew pointed out that these were the Pharisees. Then, what was the interest of the Pharisees? You should know that it is money. So, in Luke 16:14, Luke emphasized that the Pharisees were money lovers. So, in their conception, the Messiah was [Matario], a blessing in this world, and they dreamed of a Messiah who would give them wellness in eating, wellness in living, and political freedom. But what is the purpose of the Lord’s coming? That is why they misunderstood that the Lord was empowered by Beelzebub. That’s right. If we do not discover the reality of the Lord, we will never be able to attend the Lord as our Savior. So, the woman’s confession in verse 27 did not know the reality of the Lord at all, so the Lord pointed it out.

2. Then, what is the reality of the Lord that the Lord spoke of in the case of the text?

(1) Let’s find out the 3 blessings the Lord said in the 4 incidents in the text.

1) Let’s look at verse 20 for the first blessing. That’s right. You must know that [the true blessing is the one who is held in the hands of God]. Looking at the background of the text in Matthew 12, it was emphasized that conflict with the Pharisees arose because of the Sabbath issue. So, the word given to them is the 20th verse of the main text. That is why the Lord emphasized [God’s hand] by paradoxing the beginning of the text with [but]. So let’s read verse 20. That’s right. Those who are held in the hands of God are truly blessed. Like the lyrics of Hymn 419, God is covering us with [God’s hand] like a hen sets her chicks. Do you believe this? Then why is it the hand of God? This is because in the Hebrew text, the hand means power. So, in Exodus 8:19, Moses emphasized [God’s power], and at this time (Hebrews) it is written [“the finger of God”] in the original text. That’s right. God says that the hand is the power of God. So, in [Mark 3] and [Matthew 12], the words of the text are written as [the Holy Spirit]. Then why did Luke write the Holy Spirit as the hand of God? That is what I wanted to emphasize that the power of the Lord is ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit, the power of God, not Beelzebub. So, at the end of the prayer, the Lord mentioned the Holy Spirit in advance. But what about our lives? God always leads us by his hand, but there are many times when we forget this fact. So, in Exodus 4, the question God threw to Moses was “What is in your hand?” That’s right. If hand and power are the same in Hebrew words, how was Moses supposed to answer? Nevertheless, Moses mentioned the staff. Then God made him throw down his staff, and it was only then that he realized that it was the power of God. So, from then on, Moses called the staff he had [God’s staff]. Everyone, we are those held in the hands of God. So, as in verse 20, please believe that we are blessed. At that time, I hope that we will eventually believe that the kingdom of God will come. Hallelujah!

(2) Let’s look at verse 28 for the second blessing.

That’s right. [The true blessing is to hear the word of God and keep it]. At that time, there is a pronoun of Pharisees and scribes. That’s what hypocrite is. It is to show people. That’s why the Lord’s warning in verse 23 of the text is that “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” That’s right. True blessings are those who hear the word of the Lord and keep it to the end, but when you see people, they hear the word and keep it, but they do not keep it to the end. So, as in verse 24 of the main text, [the situation in the end will be worse than before]. However, Matthew added, “This wicked generation will also become like this” in [Matthew 12:45]. That’s right. A life of faith is listening to the Word and keeping it to the end. How about modern people today? It means living a church life and living a life of faith as you feel. So, I pray that we engrave the words of the text into our hearts, listen to them, and live by keeping them to the end.

3) Let’s look at verse 32 for the third blessing.

All: [Blessed are those who see and understand the sign of Jonah]. The Lord performed many signs during his public life. The miraculous sign shows the sign that the Lord is the Messiah. However, the Pharisees did not acknowledge the Lord’s sign. Then the sign that the Lord showed was two signs. Then what are the signs the Lord has shown? It is the sign of Jonah and the sign of Solomon.

(2) Then, what do the signs of Jonah and Solomon mean?

According to the Bible, the Lord dealt with Jonah’s sign three times in his lifetime. The first is emphasized in Matthew 12, Matthew 16:4, and Luke 12:54. Then why did the Lord emphasize Jonah’s sign like this? It’s because miraculous events happen to Jonah. First, he did not go to Nineveh, but when he went to Tarshish, the opposite side of Spain, God caused a strong wind to cause him to sink into the water, and a great fish swallowed him and eventually went to Nineveh. And the second is that the people of Nineveh fasted and repented even though he shouted for just one day at the city of Nineveh. So what is the meaning of these two signs? It is a foreshadowing of the Lord’s death and resurrection, and that God’s disaster was reversed through the miraculous preaching of the gospel. That is why he warned that if they did not repent, the people of Nineveh would stand up at the judgment and those who disbelieve will be condemned.

(3) Then, what is Solomon’s sign? That is, those who have enlightenment like the Queen of the South are blessed. But what were the Pharisees like at the time? So, in verse 32, we must find the Lord, who is greater than Jonah and greater than Solomon.

[Conclusion]

So what is true happiness for us? That is, you must discover the Lord. So, in order to see the reality of the Lord, let’s check [isn’t the light within you dark] like verse 35 of the main text. So I bless you to become blessed people who open spiritual eyes and listen to the voice of the Lord and live according to His Word.