The Hiddenness of Jesus, Part 3

Jeannie Greer why are people so able to raise questions and doubts.

The answer was goodness. God has preserved his revelation in such a way that those with proud rebellious parts missing and those with childlike hearts get the Bible gives enough evidence for those whose hearts doesn't just show up, down, all the skeptics mean he is God, and could certainly present himself fairly convincingly right today on Senate life pastor Jeannie Greer gives us Jesus's answer to this question why Jesus actually hides himself from certain people part of our kingdom come series.

Grab your Bible and pen and let's join Pastor JD with the conclusion of his message titled headedness of Jesus jumped to course or do you best. For if the mighty works he says you had instead been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would prepare the long-ago sitting and suck all the dashes you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven know you will be brought down to hell to Hades.

Jesus says to his apostles. One hears you. You see, here's me, the one who rejects you rejects me, the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me for 21 of that same hour he rejoiced in the holy spirit and he said I thank you father, Lord of heaven and earth.

You have your keyword in these things you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and you have revealed them to little children. 23 then turning to his disciples, he said, Blessed are the eyes and see what you see I get to questions. I will try to ask of this text okay one wider wise and understanding why is it that they miss God. The second question I want to ask of this text is how do we find certainty in what you believe about God.

Question number one what are the wise and understanding. This God who recovered you before logical premises: because our hearts are naturally blind. The gospel repeatedly presents men and women in a natural state of blindness. We saw this when Jesus first launched his ministry. Look for and describe what was going to be like one of his primary task was to be to open the eyes of the blind and yes he was talking about the physically blind, but he was talking about something even more significant than that and that was the spiritually blind those people who were unable to see the glory of God was all around him. The blindness of our hearts was a kind of willful blindness that grew out of our sinful attitudes are simple disposition what the Bible teaches you is that God the Holy Spirit restores your mind, so that all the sudden your eyes are open, you start to see evidence all around you, and I have seen this before but it takes a change of the heart to be able to see that kind of evidence numbers are God will not be found through human achievement.

Because if he could be. That would contribute to human pride. The way to find God.

For example, if the mastering science. The really smart scientists would say we found God because we were smarter than everybody else we know God and truth.

Best because were the smartest and we went to the best schools they would boast the way to God the way to find I was through religious piety. The really religious people would say we found God because we were morally superior to everybody else and they would boast that their personal goodness was what enabled them to find God. God says you will not find me if you anything that would allow you to post it back in this passage, Jesus says, God's things from the wise and the understanding and you have revealed them of your own choice to little children.

Yes father, for such was your gracious will.

Grace means we didn't deserve it. It was your gracious will. Nobody knows who the father is verse 22 except the son and anybody, to whom the son chooses to reveal him. In other words, in other words, Jesus says, God people who find you find you only because you reveal yourself to them.

If I didn't really even find you, you found them. Number three is 1/3 reason why I'm sending this God because God will be found only by those with childlike heart gotta be found only by those with childlike harbors 2121 he says hey you revealed these things to children, people with childlike hearts recognize the truth about God when it is presented to them. Now don't go off your childlike heart is not being done or simplistic. In Luke as we study the childlike heart is humble it.

I'm thinking more about self than it should. Childlike heart is submissive. It recognizes authority, namely the authority of God.

Childlike heart is not cynical people with childlike heart. Look at the evidence for Jesus and they see that it is true before God be found by those who want to know and not use them for something else several times in the series of talk about people who don't want to know God is that we use WC example piñata you got is not your piñata would faith is not a walking stick that you got just right with your walking stick of faith that out from the piñata comes, whatever you need God to use as a means any other man. God is the end God is only known by people who want to know it for him. All of us have the experience to be not having a friend who only calls us when they need something from us have experience they only call you when it's time for them to move like that doing. We want to be known for us, not for what we can do for somebody. God is only known by those who want to know it for him.listen, God reveals himself in a way that the only way you'll find him is if you want to know and for him not for what he can do for you. Otherwise you skewers himself so that you miss God reveals himself in a way that the only way you'll ever know. In this if you want to know if her him otherwise. He obscures himself so you will find why did the wise and understanding miss God one because their hearts are blind that can be overcome anything that they do their miss God because God reveals these things to children. God is in a way that shatters their pride and God will not be used as a means any other. The second question I told you is how do we know the certainty of what you believe about God. That's verse 23 attorneys due to his disciples, he said, Blessed are the eyes that see what you see, you learn the truth and the certainty about God from the story of Jesus in seeing what the disciples saw about Jesus we see God in us the whole Gospel of Luke, because the gospel of Luke claims to be eyewitness accounts of who Jesus is and what Jesus did… Except one thing about look at it. Luke said I set out to find the truth about Jesus to find eyewitnesses that you give me accurate stories salute went on this project know how long it took public several years chasing down evidence here rumor. He is my dog okay I don't want him to Jesus little knowledgeable and fed 5000 people. Is that true yes okay Risa, but I doubt somebody else and says I heard at one time Jesus surf across the sea of Galilee. Once out of the other is that true know he walked not serve you write that down right Seleucus is this research receiving eyewitness testimonies about about Jesus. Luke is part-time crime scene investigator part-time journalist in part-time Indiana Jones that's Luke any presents eyewitnesses accounts so that you can see in Jesus. You can see the truth about God.

Now how do we know that's the question how do we know that these are eyewitness accounts. What we have here and are not just made up stories they're not your forgeries and are not legends will ears out because there's so many things about the stories that just smacked of eyewitness accounts is a great book written by God: but Mabel taught eyewitnesses of Jesus. The discussion shows you how the way these Gospels were written not written like legends.

There's too much counterproductive stuff recorded in the Gospels that you would never just make up rightly. For example, on almost every page of the gospel of Luke the apostles or buffoons are always getting stuff wrong.

The rejecting children there's and arguing about who's the greatest in one account right let you know the gospel writers record Jesus calling Peter Peter, who became the head of the church calling him Satan now is that what you want to know about your pastor is that in a conversation with Jesus. Jesus was referred to him as Satan. Now you let me have likely edges and outcomes is what Dominique will be Satan. Why would you record that embarrassing fact. If it were true, why is it that Luke says the first people to discover who discover Jesus's resurrection when it nodded it may not mean a lot to you but in the first century. They were like chauvinist out, you know, the wiser and in those days a woman's testimony would not be accepted in a court of law, unless it was substantiated by man's menu.

I think that's ridiculous.

And it is ridiculous, but the point is, in those days if you were trying to prove is usually resurrected would not make out that women were the first one to see him. You make of the men of the first want to see him and the women were sitting around going like this with a golf club say how awesome the men are. That's how you would record it got way too much counterproductive stuff in there to be alleged ears moving it got way too many random details to be legends.

I try to point out a few of these for you as we go through this one, 11#the story Zacharias did record that the angel that appear was standing on the right side of the altar that has nothing to do with the plot. Nothing is just a memory that a guys telling you how he saw it. Luke chapter 8 I love this one woman that Jesus touched and healed her of her flow, but it's is immediately her floral flow blood ceased. Who would know that the woman would know that eventually talked all Gospels like this.

For example, my favorite examples. Mark chapter 14 in the midst of the really serious reflection on the garden of Gethsemane, Mark records a detail about one guy fleeing naked that has nothing to do with what nothing. Why would you recorded what happened and that's the kind of thing you include in your telling a story, whether it has anything to do with the water not fair to me about you. If I go to Walmart to buy myself a pair of jeans and mom bear some dog runs the store naked when I told my wife about the situation.

Later she's you hear about that guy even though he had nothing to do with the paired teams and I bought right. This is the kind of thing you record when you're when you're with your accounting something that you so these are not Mr. legends because they don't really like myths and legends, but they were it was the disciples making up details, which sounded like it was true. There's a genre of literature. That's what is called historical fiction.

There's a lot of it today where people make up details to make it sound like it's historical but is fiction.

The problem with that theory that genre of literature first showed up in about 1800 something so what you're saying is that the apostles invented a genre of literature, 1800 years before anybody else did they use that and then that Chandra disappeared for 1700 years. Three showed up magically in the year 1800 really that's what you think as I thought. It takes more faith with some like that invisibly. What I believe CS Lewis Oxford literary scholar Elsie was his day job.

She also said I been reading poems, romances, vision, literature, legends and myths all my life. I know what they're like. I know none of them like this. But Gospels of the gospel text are only two possible views either. This is historical reportage, oral some unknown ancient writer without no predecessors or successors suddenly anticipated the whole technique of modern novelistic realistic narrative the reader to see this is simply not learn how to read.

You will be a legend is Beowulf Iliad read those you see will legends written like a single remote.

Like what the message itself is another reason is to counterproductive to me made up to counterproductive to me made up the message that Jesus was Lord Hiroshima did gain the apostles any power or prestige that it lost them their lives. We know that from the very beginning. Those who preach this gospel. Those who told me stories were highly persecuted group church history tells us that all the apostles died a brutal, unnatural death, except for John who was boiled in oil.

And God is an old man, which has its own disadvantages.

Well, died this morning for Steph James. He was the half-brother of Jesus, the secular Jewish historian Josephus said that James was martyred because of his belief in Jesus. He believed we know that Jesus was God that he died and rose again, that's all the more remarkable when you consider the fact that James, as I showed you at first did not believe in Jesus at all. There's a question most of you have brothers, what would it take to convince you that your brother was the Lord from heaven. James killed fourth is to think there's there's no reason mother make this up what you're saying is said and made up the stories about Jesus means there were sitting around when they after Jesus had died there fishing appear jumpstart me like I know with thought about it that he resurrected to be the leaders of this new religion except let's teach everybody to Jesus kingdom is not one that gives you power and riches on this earth so well more money and when people attack us will never fight back and maybe, just maybe, for what you will all die brutal martyrs death us and our family and be humiliated in all the disciples like now that's a great idea send me out. No, it's too costly to be alleged say well maybe maybe what happened is they told some stories and then other people like beef them up later. That's Dan Brown the da Vinci code. That's I got there is a later they can insert the parts. These accounts are entirely too early to be legends. Most of these New Testament books written within 30 years of Jesus death and that's too early for a legends spring up you will, but maybe they begin they told stories. Then later, like you have scribes with their own agenda when in like added some stuff for the telephone game give her this the telephone game is where your plague is where I tell you something and you tell somebody make those tomatoes money or time to get over on the Circle be 20 version of the story has nothing to do with the first version. Therefore, developing an anybody play the telephone game are you talking about, and I've heard it said that that this is how the gospel work is that the stories about Jesus and gradually they grew to a point that nobody can even recognize here is the one that okay unlike the telephone game when when when one person wrote this down and the other person copied it. If the person who copied and made a bunch of changes this person who was originally told the story is still able to see the copies of the person is making.

It is almost like we play the telephone game for the company and and and and after I told you the story I listen to you tell them the story and I get the correct story that your telling why you're telling it all 20 times I'm doing and that's what's happening is that these copies are being made and all these original copies are still in existence, Tertullian and the end of the second century, Tertullian refers to the fact that a lot of the original letters of Paul are still in Galatia and Ephesus. Now there's a question as to whether or not I was actually true or not.

The point is, they had this understanding that there were these original copies out there and so the idea that you could just added a bunch of stuff into it and nobody really known that, or nobody been able to say that's not what was in the original, or policy.

That's not what I thought.

It's just not accurate. We also know that from the very earliest days of Christians from the very earliest times they believed all the central components of Christianity. They believe in the death of Jesus. You know me know that because the very first Christians we know nobody disputes is all celebrated communion was communion symbolize the death of Jesus. They all worship on Sunday.

That's an undisputed industry to fact, know why they worship on Sunday not Saturday. All the reverence of worship done because they believe Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday. Well, believe in Jesus divinity you how Internet first Corinthians which was written 5580.

The book of Philippians which was written 5780 both of them recorded him that talks about Jesus deity. I him that the early church was already singing. So Paul is merely reflecting on this him they were to sing the talked about the deity of Jesus. All I'm saying is this stuff is too early to be alleged now you hear all this, but why did God make it plain. Why are these wire people able to bring up questions like this.

Why, why is it that people can cast doubt on these things. Why, what in the angel hover of the Bible.

Like you said why don't have a DVD in the back of the Bible that shows you eyewitness footage of the stuff. Why are people so able to raise questions and doubts. The answer was fitness hidden us. God has preserved his revelation in such a way that those with proud, rebellious hearts message and those with childlike hearts get the Bible gives enough evidence for those whose hearts were no God heard this before the Jesus is hidden himself and the revelations of that you got have the right kind of hard to see it. Chapter 16 is a man whose and help you once Jesus to send back some of it was brothers Jesus really got Moses and the prophets let them read the Bible and demand memory object is if somebody came back from the dead, they would believe Jesus is no if they will believe Moses and the prophets. They will believe us money comes back from the dead, they might believe on the outside but they would never believe for the right reasons. It would believe they want to know God, so God reveals it in a way that you gotta have the right heart to see it. This of Jesus is what Jesus said and Lucas are due this couple weeks ago the gospel like a seed, a seed, you can you can you can lose it you can you can throw away you can eat it at that seed has the capacity to become a tree that is so large that one of its roots could split a marble slab into the startup so small you could just neglect Jesus. That's when my kingdom is this it starts out small, it's easy to miss its hidden but got the right heart you'll see the evidence for it in your belief.

So here are my questions for you.

Do you have the kind of heart that is open to doing whatever God tells you to do. Now that's what you can find God so you won't follow God because he is offensive. You has nothing to do with the evidence it has to do with the radical changes that would meet your lifestyle and beliefs furthers you that are believers you lost that childlike heart lost it. We think will not be torn up into adulthood as a believer you never brought a childhood do you approach God with a sense of surrender, and humility and willingness regardless of what he says to you, I want you to ask a bunch of questions but I want your heart to be surrendered even before you know the answers. Finally, as you guys are sharing Christ with other people. Matthew this. You now understand why we emphasize prayer so much as you understand that the reasons that your friends will believe doesn't have to do with the fact that you're not presenting the evidence to the very well. The reason I will believe is not because the evidence is not clear, it's because their hearts are not in a place to believe and that's not something you can change to something God has to change which is why before we talk to men and women about God, we talk to God about these men and women talking to minimum at about God talking to God about them because I know that yes on preaching the gospel of the Lord to believe they got given a heart they got any given faith in their eyes have to be open so that he could see the evidence, the problem is not the evidence is not clear you're not a good enough preacher and I'm not in a breach of the problem is that you blind that's of the middle spirit change. That's why we spent so much time people Jesus opened he's done for them. You're listening to Summit like JD Greer, Senate life, we believe the gospel isn't just the diving board into Christianity. The entire pool and God is the one who invites us into the water to help you dive deeper into your relationship with Jesus. JD has written a new black titled going to do with your life, JD, along with your new but listeners can get a bonus study guide to go along with it right yet we were to special edition workbooks go along with this new book it's got some devotionals that are team and I wrote with some guided reading to many of the scriptures that are referenced in the book included in this it'll take you more deep into those I really, you know, the more the things behind what you do with your life. This book is that I really like it has a chance to be a defining moment, if it moment for people whether they are college students and young professionals looking at the front end of their career. Whether it somebody at the halfway point can't rethink with the second half looks like.

Whether somebody is nearing retirement thinking about how to invest his next chapter. I think there's really something in it for everybody at every stage of how to ask the question where I'm at with what God's given me how to why how to use this for eternal purposes. How do I not wasted if you got a JD grid.com there's information there about how you can reserve copy this book. We would love to give you a copy for you, becoming a gospel partner with us you get to be a part of this gospel expansion hears of this program but we give you copy this book and the devotionals go along with it that I think it also help you ask good questions about your life.

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