The Sound of Silence

King Herod the ruler should be Jesus day waited a long time he met Jesus and he came to them with a lot of questions were things he wanted to know, but Jesus would give him no answers today on Truth for Life. Alister Meg begins a new series from the Gospel according to Luke.

He observes how Jesus silence spoke volumes about hearings. Were in Luke chapter 23 tells us that the arrival of Jesus was an occasion of great delight for Herod because for some considerable time. He had been hoping that the events of life would fall out in such a way so as to give him the opportunity of meeting Jesus of Nazareth since he was the ruler over the districts where Jesus had mostly appeared in his public ministry. The news of his miracles.

They record of his teaching the account of his personality and his influence would have routinely found its way back to him in his position of authority and now, in this instance, here regarded for his in the 23rd chapter of Luke had it is curious in the prospect that Jesus may actually perform for him. That's what you read that in the eighth Darcy had been for a long time wanting to see them because far from what he dared about him.

He he thought that it might be possible for them to perform a miracle and he plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. The way in which Jesus responded to the question of the leaders was on account of the find that he knew exactly what their motives where and we have to assume that this is the exact same in relationship to Herod. Look at verse nine. It's the most amazing versus for me in the whole of the gospel records Herod plied him plied him even the word in English is a terrific word is replied.

He worked in he kept coming back to him. He was on him with many questions, but Jesus given no answer. Now what is this is Estes is missing another evangelistic opportunity. We said this morning that had when they came to them and they said Dell is are you the Messiah is essentially dismissed their question why because he knew the motives of their hearts. And here comes an individual was apparently full of questions had been longing to see Jesus hope that he might perform a miracle get some one-on-one agonizes over the opportunity plies, and with every question he can come up with. And all we hear is the sound of silence invite all the noise that is in this little five or section is coming from somebody other than Jesus. The noise of Herod's voice.

The noise that comes from the chief priests and the teachers of the law who are vehemently accusing him, urging upon Jesus all of their accusations in the hearing of Herod, then the noise of the soldiers ridiculing and mocking and all of the tongue fully rated goes on there. The striking thing about it is this month's is the sound of silence. Look at the progression is Luke gives it to us. Herod had been wanting to see him. Verse eight he plied him with many questions.

Verse nine he ridiculed and mocked him. Verse 11 and he sent him back to Pilate. Verse 11 as soon as Herod realized that Jesus was not going to give him what he wanted. As soon as he realized that Jesus was not going to perform a miracle for him was not going to respond to his superficial curiosity. Then Herod gave vent to his real feelings.

It would've been possible with that. I suppose for the story to read that he plied Jesus with many questions. Jesus gave him no answer and then look went on to tell us that he prostrated himself before the Lord Jesus and cried out to him for mercy and for forgiveness cried our Lord Jesus, I know why it is that you're not answering me.

I can understand that. But please, but no, as soon as he doesn't get what he wants, then his real attitude comes to the four and along with the soldiers he drops down to the level of those who are subservient to him and he joins the soldiers in this dreadful Sharad ridiculing and mocking him, dressing him up in a shining role and then kicking them out and sending them back to pile. So with the son of God before him all that Herod could ultimately do was join the mocking crowd.

He has Christ the Savior before him, and at the end of it all. He dresses him a he ridicules.

He mocks him and he sends them away. Now does this send any kind of chill through your body. I hope it dies. Do you see that there is a frightening aspect to this. I hope you do because there would there was a time in Herod's life when he actually wasn't like this.

Mark tells us in chapter 6 that Herod was actually pretty well into the preaching of John the Baptist that he liked to listen to John the Baptist preach you so you get the idea that somehow or another. When he listened John the Baptist meet and agitated. It started not he was tender to it. He was sensitive to it. Perhaps he went out and he said no.

I think what he saying is that it is time for me to turn over a new leaf. Or perhaps what he saying to me is that I need to be a better person than I am. As we misinterpreted perhaps as a form of moralism, but his wife, system unit every time you come back from one of the John the Baptist services your your change man but it only lasts for a wee while because when the preacher's words began to cut right into his heart began to address and in a personal way in his life when the preacher's words began to confront him with his own sin, then at that point he didn't want to hear anymore because you see John the Baptist was gutsy enough to put his finger on the part of Herod's life that was so indicative of his Max as Herod had seduced his half-brother Philip's wife got rid of his own wife stole his half-brother's wife shacked up with her. Try to make everybody accepted the way people do.

After all, it's in the past now to change. It's not embarrassing anymore and so long, but here comes this crusty little preacher and the preacher says them puts his hand on his just and he says Herod is actually not right for you to have your brother's wife lazy. At that point he got a distinct dislike for John the Baptist's preaching of the story, the record of it is best in Mark chapter 6, you may want this to turn into it. I think I'm going to read it to you because some of you are looking at me in such a way that I think the story is perhaps news to John had confronted Herod's message was clear. Repent verse 17 of March 6 Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested and had them bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom he had married. Be careful who you marry gentlemen, ladies, you better be careful who you marry. Getting married is a big deal. This lady was not a good influence on him he had started it off, but she wasn't helping anything at all for John been saying to Herod. Verse 18 is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife, so Herodias nursed a grudge against John and she wanted to kill and but she wasn't able to because Herod feared John protected him knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. Here's the sentence I was referring to when Herod Herod John. He was greatly puzzled, yet he liked to listen to him in the King James version as is and he did many things are finally the opportune time came on his birthday. Herod gave a banquet for his high officials, military commanders and the leading men of Galilee, and when the daughter of Herodias came in and danced. She pleased Herod and his dinner guests.

They are try get a picture here right to basically high-level party anything that she was a ballet dancer. You're not getting the picture of tall okay so there is a kind of seductive, lustful die mentions what is going on. And the king said to the girl you dance well you know you just asked me for anything you want and I'll give it to you.

And he promised her with a note whatever you ask. I'll give you up to half my kingdom so she went out to center Imam Heymann Harris. As you give me anything I want, what should I ask for the head of John the Baptist.

She answered I once the girl hurried into the king with the request.

I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on the platter. The king was greatly distressed because it results in his dinner guests even wonder if users are immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. This is staggering is not as is amazing and the man went beheaded John in the prison brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl. She gave it to her mother on hearing of this, John's disciples came and took his body and made it in a two suddenly in an instant.

The combination had been more than Herod could handle the party's pride.

The promise with an oath tract.

Maybe he said to himself. On that occasion what I'll deal with things. One day, but I'll deal with things.

My time in my way. I'll deal with things when I'm ready. Maybe that's one of the reasons he fancied the opportunity of meeting Jesus he thought that on his terms and in his time, without influence or involvement on the part of anyone else he would be able just one day to hook up with Jesus plying with questions and get what he wanted from Jesus. But, on the one occasion he got a face-to-face with Jesus. Jesus wouldn't speak to Jesus wouldn't answer at the time when Herod was ready to do business with Jesus. In actual fact deep in his heart.

He was an interest in Jesus call that by responding in silence, thus giving Herod the opportunity to display his true colors and he gives vent to his feelings by saying well and guys, let's just ridicule and blaspheme and amend abuse them and dress them up in an elegant rope and ship them back to pilots you see what it happened to Herod is what can happen to anyone.

He was trapped by his lustful heart if you like. I thing that Herod had a sex problem. I think he had a problem with lust and that problem which he thought he was handling in a quiet secret way.

He was not handling it all and what it was actually doing was making a dreadful, damning impact on his soul. So much so that his time passed he was last unless in a position to respond to the good news of the gospel and I think this one area is simply symptomatic of his unwillingness to deal with sin in general in his life.

There had been trying in the past when his conscience had been tender was way in the past. Now in Luke 23. He has a hard he doesn't respond to the silence of Jesus. As I said to you by seizing the moment to admit his sin to ask for forgiveness know he simply seizes it as an opportunity for amusement. The silence of Jesus infuriates in his true colors are displayed. Ultimately his rejection of John's preaching led to the point where he could only ridicule the one, of whom John had spoken for John's whole ministry was essentially behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world essentially was a no follow me follow him.

Don't come to me go to him. My good friend Sinkler puts it this way unless we silence in sin will silence conscience unless we pay attention to God's word.

The day may come when we despise God's son and reject and then God will have nothing more to say to us to get that you see why I say that this phrase this sentence he plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer is one of the most staggering shilling sentences in the whole of the new test.

I don't misunderstand things I keep bumping into people who have a perverse view of the work of God in salvation keep meeting people who think that people who desire to trust in Christ may be prevented from doing so shut out of does it whereby God and at the same time that others who have no interest in trusting Christ will be compelled to trust Christ against their will. The New Testament teaches neither of those things. The New Testament encourages us to realize that anyone who will come to Jesus in childlike trust repenting of our sins and embracing his offer of salvation will be safe. There was nobody who desired to know the forgiveness of God who didn't receive and there is no one who's in the family of God who was compelled against their will.

So what do we make of head. Herod dresses him up as a king, not realizing that he wants sends them back to Pilate.

In verse 12. In that day Herod and Pilate became friends and before this, they had been enemies here in this section, and indeed it proceeds beyond this, inasmuch as Isaiah 53 foreshadows the cross, but here in this section we had a classic fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah that he was despised and rejected by men and a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and suffering because of you consider from their 63 of 22 on all the way through the response of the Sanhedrin, the response of pilot. The response of Herod the response of the soldiers both in the context of his initial custody and 22 and their involvement with Herod here in 23 when all of these individuals to call that their human eyes could see and all that their human minds could apprehend and when they added it all up in relation to looking at Jesus result was zero but he took everything he saw and when they process everything that they thought and the Adderall lobby came out as they were able to despise him and to reject when men and women see this lovely servant of God and find no beauty in him than it reveals the bankruptcy of their human emotions when men and women are one with those who despise and reject him, and it exposes the misguided nice of the human will. When men and women appraise Jesus and conclude that he is nothing, and it condemns their minds is corrupted by an participants in their sinfulness and what this ultimately reminds us of is this, that every aspect of human nature is inadequate and every avenue along which, by nature, we might arrive at truth and respond to God. Every aspect of our human nature as opposed to God is that there is none that seeks God. No, not one every avenue down which we may go by nature will find to be a dead-end street and nothing but divine revelation can make is wise for salvation can make Jesus known to us and can draws near to Christ and on the over dramatizes, let me say this as clearly as I can. Let's say you're a teenager here tonight and you've been listening to me and others preach. And that is a tenderness in your heart to the gospel, but you have never believed, and for whatever reason you determined that there is going to come a day when you've done ask her why when you fulfill this goal. When you reach that dream and when that day comes, you're going to deal with all of this because at the moment. Frankly you're very tender towards the things of Christ, and although you sometimes kick up a fuss about coming to the services. Somehow or another.

There's still a part of you that is very open to the claims of Jesus that I want to say to you trust Christ, while the going was good. Trust him to not for two reasons.

One, you may die tonight and go to hell to you may live under a prolonged teaching of the Bible and reach a point where when your true colors are revealed, you find that the tenderness of your teenage years has been replaced with such a hardness of that you actually have no interest in Christ, a tall, safe, to despise sin and reject so many old songs flood me when I speak like this because I sound like people I used to listen to when I was a boy archaic old song weight. Not till the shadows lengthen till you older role tarrying out and live for Jesus everywhere you go. Life at Baxter's very brief, like the falling of a leaf like the binding of a sheaf be in time know if that's a word to the teenagers. One of those of you who are in your mature years and still you do not believe you have even an inkling that you should then just lay hold on is great and precious promises he died for sinners.

If you're a sinner. He died for you so trust an open invitation to anyone to trust Christ listening to Alistair Beggham Truth for Life with the message called the sound of silence part of our new series called the Gospel according to Luke teaching God's word is at the heart of all we do here at Truth for Life. Our mission is simple.

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Hope you'll join us tomorrow as we examine another government official who failed to take a stake Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by the truth or lying worth Learning is for Living