The Human Face of God

People wonder what God is like, and thankfully the Bible does not keep that a secret today on Truth for Life weekend. Alistair Begg describes three scenes found in Luke chapter 19 that show us the human face of God. Today's message was first delivered on Palm Sunday last year, just as the COBIT 19 pandemic was ramping up. Well time of great uncertainty and it is a time of great uncertainty.

We do what we always do and that is we go to our Bibles, we turn to the Bible as the source of endurance and encouragement and of hope in the passage that we have read from the gospel of Luke is familiar material and it is recorded actually in each of the Gospels at a slightly different vantage point in John but nevertheless each of the gospel writers turn our gaze to this particular incident and understandably because while we may not read this in the press or find it on the Internet what we actually are confronting here is a crucial day in the most momentous week in the history of the entire world is not uncommon these days for hear people say we've never experienced anything like this before and of course that is absolutely true.

But nothing that we know now compares to the wonder of what took place on that day, and here in three scenes in this particular section of Luke in these three scenes.

We look is it where to use a phrase coined by some theologians of the past.

We look into the human face of God and you will remember perhaps that John records far as the incident when Philip addressed Jesus with that very issue.

And Jesus said to having asked that the Lord would show him the father. Jesus said to them, have I been with you so long and still you do not know me, Philip, whoever has seen me has seen the father is in light of that, that we look at these three very straightforward scenes that are recorded for us and let's remember that this is taking place in the last week of Jesus life. Let's also affirm the fact that we are dealing here with real history and with real geography were not delving into the realm of fables, but were dealing with facts and if you perhaps have not of late been reading the Gospels, or even been considering these things when you turn to the gospel writers, you will discover that they are not presenting us with ideas to accept or even with a philosophy to embrace, but they are presenting us with facts with events that took place in real time.

This is of vital importance and this distinguishes Christianity from many other spheres of philosophy and religion in the world.

We are not saved by believing a certain point of view of people often say to but that is surely just your point of view.

While it is our point of view, but we are not saved by believing a certain point of view of salvation is found in certain things that happened that Christ was born. That Christ died for sin that Christ triumphed over the grave that Christ ascended to heaven that Christ will return in the best of our points and are him writers have fastened this in our thinking. Many of us from our infancy on a hill far away geography student old rugged Cross, the ambling of suffering and shame and it was on that old cross that God's dearly loved son for a world of lost sinners was slain in the events preceding that day are recorded for is hereby look the first incident is recorded between verse 28 and 40 where we see Jesus writing on a donkey.

There's a tremendous amount that is going on in this scene, the crowds had been swelling Lazarus had been raised from the grave and on account of that there was a tremendous interest not only in Lazarus himself, but also in the one who had performed this great miracle. And so it was that many were part of this crowd on this day had been present for what we might refer to as a succession of partially understood surprises and they had seen things happen that they had never before considered and their songs were filled with expectation. They were singing from the sounds.

Blessed is the king who comes hosannas to the son of David and Sophie were seeking to summarize it, we would say that the whole event was filled with acclimation and yet privately and very unkindly with the indignation and frustration of the Pharisees and religious leaders, and with the question really the question of the ages. When Jesus enters into Jerusalem.

Matthew records the whole city was stirred up saying, who is this who is this and that. You see, when we come to these high points in the Christian calendar is the question that is inevitably raised. It may have been raised in your mind, you may have never given consideration to it. Up until this week. It may be that the events of this week of conspired to make you think along lines that have not been customary for you and I'm glad that if I have you within earshot. You can consider this with me.

You see, because Jesus here is making a deliberate statement Jesus were told earlier in the gospel has said his face steadfastly towards Jerusalem. Jesus realizes that he is fulfilling the prophecy that had been made all these hundreds of years before and Zachariah say to the daughter of Zion, behold, your King is coming to you humble mounted on a donkey now GK Chesterton has a wonderful point on the donkey which I will read all of it, but this is just a verse from it describing the donkey with monstrous head and sickening cry and ears like Aaron wings the devils walking parody on all four-footed things. In other words, for this is this is a strange creature and it was a strange creature upon which a king would write and what is very important to realize is that no one else in the entire Scripture do we read of Jesus writing. This is the only place where he writes when we confront Jesus we do not find Jesus shouting aloud in the streets, drawing attention to himself.

But here in this deliberate statement, he presents himself as the king on a donkey, gentle and lowly in heart, that are to be enough to cause us to sit down and chew on it for a while. What kind of King arrives on a donkey and then proceeds to where a crown of thorns and then in verses 41 to 44. The king weeping over the city, so remove your light from God on a donkey to God in tears and why is it that he weeps over the city. I think it is for two reasons. First of all because of the love that fills in. And then, on account of the judgment that awaits them. It wasn't of these people were disinterested in peace. They long for peace. But they thought that it would come militarily that it would come politically but somehow or another. There would be structures put in place that would make it possible for them to be triumphant over those who had opposed them, and so on understandable designs and desires. And yet, not the plan of God. Some of us today are looking for peace in a similar kind of way. We've never considered what Jesus says concerning peace and what it means to know this piece you see what is happened is that they have resisted all of the message that they have received and they have rejected the messenger who comes the pathway to peace has been made known to them. Jerusalem is a city loved by Jesus, but they haven't been the beneficiaries of the stories that he is told and of the miracles that he is performed are blind to it and it is on account of their ignorance and their blindness that Jesus weeps wound that even you, we might add, of all people, would that you had known on this day the things that make for peace, but now they are hidden from your eyes. Now you see this is not peculiar to the circumstances in Jerusalem. This is actually the predicament of humanity. This is the this piece that pervades individual hearts and families and life's and communities and nations that he is the Prince of peace is the only one in whom this piece may be discovered, that he who comes to rule and to reign as a king comes also was a prophet to speak in to our ignorance and to our blindness busy people think of sin, almost inevitably in terms of things that we do or things that we haven't done that we should do. But in actual fact, sin is a condition before it is an action and one of the pictures of the Bible uses of our predicament as sinners is blindness. It is sin that blinds us to the fine that we are at enmity with God, it is sin that blinds us to our need of peace with God. It is sin that blinds us to the provision that is being made for peace in Jesus we see what the Bible says is that the darkness the darkness is not as a result of the absence of evidence that may be considered the heavens declare the glory of God, but the darkness is actually on the inside that we are blind that we suppress the truth and we repress its impact on our minds and our wills and on our emotions and as a result of that we do not know God and as a result of that knowing peace with God is the great heart of the Scriptures. I don't doubt that there is there is not a person within earshot right now who has not been thinking this week about peace if I could find peace if I could find a measure of peace.

Some of us have been unsettled by the reality of the prospect of imminent death and in the night hours.

Our consciences stir and we say to ourselves, if only I could've peace for all those things that I've done for all the things that I have left undone. If only I could cast a veil over my past. If only it were possible for me to find peace in this moment, in this present predicament. If only I could look out to the future and discover peace if I could find it if I could have it. I would go for well here's what the Bible says it is first and knowing peace with God. We discover the peace of God, the peace with God has been granted in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Note when we look at this. We actually look at ourselves what Jesus is saying to these people here is listen. You did not know the time of your visitation may seem like a strange thing to say what he's pointing out is this the tragedy of those in whose company you know finds himself is simply this, that God has come and visited the has given to them the message of the prophets has given to them. The signs of God's wonder in the Warwick send in the words of Jesus and yet they are blind to it all and as a result of that you have this amazing picture that God weeps. I don't think we should see this is somebody reaching for a little hanky and dabbing his eyes know can you see them in your mind's eye. A great seething solving carpenter and why, because God loved the world so much that he gave his only son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

You see the warning of a coming judgment, a judgment that was actually brought upon them.

In A.D. 70.

History again records. This the warning of this coming judgment.

Listen, he says the reason you are where you are is because you did not know the time of your visitation. If you had only known as not an uncommon phrase because it will if I'd only known I would never have bought that if I'd only known I would never have moved there. If I'd only known I would never of narrator tragedy to end an eternity saying if I only know and so the Bible is given to us here in this Palm Sunday in order that we might know the warning of a judgment that comes falls from the lips of one whose eyes are filled with tears. The same Jesus who, looking on Jerusalem said how often would I have gathered you like a hen with our young but you would not come to me.

So the severity of God's judgment must be understood in light of the reality of God's love brings is then to the third and final see from the writing into Jerusalem and the way in which he weeps over Jerusalem and then the way in which he enters to cleanse the temple of Jerusalem. Note Luke, who says in his introduction that he's is plan was to give an orderly account really does a masterful job of meeting his own expectations because when we arrive here we really are] the beginning of the gospel record and when you go back to the early chapters of Luke, you realize that we are introduced to Jesus in the temple when Simeon takes him in his arms and declares of the wonder of God's salvation in that same chapter the record. Fast forward to Jesus as a 12-year-old boy and as his earthly parents come to find him. They find him seated in the temple in conversation with the religious leaders and remember on that occasion, he says the Mac. I'm not sure just exactly why it is that you are as distressed as you are.

Did you not know that I must be in my father's house in the temple in Jerusalem represented the place where God meets with his people and what Jesus is describing here is a circumstance that is so far removed from the intentions of God that it is inevitable that he is the great priest should clean the place up.

He knew the Old Testament.

He knew Isaiah 56 seven.

He knew that God had said through his prophet from my house shall be called a house of prayer for all the people's he also knew the prophecy of Jeremiah and it is the combined understanding of these things that allows Jesus to speak as he does so that in Jeremiah. You can read this on your own.

In Jeremiah chapter 7 and then later on are you have this word of warning concerning the fact that I have made for you a place in which you are going to meets and make your offerings and confer with me and then he says what are you going to trust in deceptive words, are you going to treat the place as if the building was the issue. This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. Please assess do not trust in deceptive words to no avail. Do not do all these wrong things in them and common standards before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say we are delivered only to go on doing all these abominations and then here's the question Jeremiah 711 and Jesus knew this has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes so Jesus as the Lord of salvation as the king has the prophet as the priest reaches back to the Scriptures that would be familiar to these people, and he quotes them.

The folks who had been indignant at the praise that Jesus was receiving are the same folks who are now presiding over this irreligious bazaar. The details of it are so well-known when we needn't rehearse them they they were changing money to an extortionate profit they were making the peoples offerings of creatures regarded as unacceptable in order that they might give to them acceptable offerings and to give them at a very inordinate price and all of this has been going on, filled up with animals and filled up with tables and chairs and far removed from what God intended for his place to be while those of the scenes and I leave them to God, riding on a donkey, God weeping over Jerusalem. God's cleansing the place of his appointment with his people. You see actually what is happening here. I wondered even did Jesus on this occasion in the court. Luke across into the temple.

Did you look across and see the curtain that was there, knowing in his mind, within a matter of days. That curtain would be torn from top to bottom that eventually this temple structure would crumble and be destroyed in one day. The dwelling of God would be in the presence of he who is the king what you want to do with this. You better settle this for yourself, as I do, your sensible people you read the Bible and prepared to consider the what were dealing with here is history were dealing with five. Have you looked at the identity of Jesus. Have you considered him, as he has made himself known in his words, and in his works to understand the tragedy that is here represented in this moment and it is a tragedy which carries forward into today because when you and I resist the day of God's visitation. There is nothing left for us but ultimate disaster you see Christ looks at this tragedy and he weeps of all the things that these days may be, surely it would be not wrong for anyone of us to suggest that this may prove to be for the nations of the world a day of guards visitation. In other words a day and a moment of opportunity when the king comes writing in which he weeps on account of the extent of his love, and the tragedy of our rebellion when he bids us come to him because he lives.

He cares he invites we need to seek God's intervention in our lives. As a moment of opportunity from today's message titled the human face of God on Truth for Life weekend with Alistair Begg Truth for Life. We count it a privilege to teach directly from the Bible every day of the year and that certainly includes this weekend as we celebrate Palm Sunday.

Our passion is to open the Scriptures with you each day so that together we can come to know and love and trust the Lord Jesus to save us from our sins and lead us to eternal life teaching the Bible plants and waters the seed of saving faith, but only God can use his word to open blind eyes and soft and hardened hearts in a way that transforms us into his children for all of eternity. Thank you for your support of this mission and is a tangible way of expressing our thanks we select books each month to help you grow in your faith. This is the final week and were offering a book titled the cross in four words.

This is a book that provides a brief history lesson on significant parts of the Old Testament, like the day of atonement or the idea of the scapegoat so that we can see just how crucial these are to gaining a complete understanding of all that was accomplished when Jesus died on the cross requester copy of the cross in four words by visiting Truth for Life.or Bob Lapine. Thanks for listing. Join us next weekend. As you celebrate Easter find out why the disciples hid behind locked doors following Jesus crucifixion the message titled life after lockdown the Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life learning is prolific