Luke 11:49-51

Luke chapter 11 reading verses 45 through 51 our focus this morning is on verses 49 through 51 but I’ll pick up with verse 45 then answered one of the lawyers and said unto him master thus saying thou reproaches us also and he said woe unto you also ye lawyers for you laid men with burdens grievous to be born and you, ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe unto you, for you build the sepulchers of the prophets and your fathers killed them. Truly, you bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your father, for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchers. therefore also said the wisdom of God. I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute, that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation. From the blood of Abel, under the blood of Zachariah. which perish between the altar and the temple. Verily I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation. God blessed to us his sacred and holy word this morning. Years ago when the British occupied India, a soldier rushed into the camp line, day and said that one of their fellow soldiers was drowning in a lake. This pond or lake was covered with these dense weeds, making it very difficult to even get out to him. And we find that he was in his final moments, manfully attempting to extract himself from the meshes of rope-like weed that entangled him and encircled his body. But sadly, the more he labored, the more entangled he became, and soon he sank beneath the waters and was covered over by the weeds and was never seen again. Commonly, people are so entangled by their sins that they cannot extract themselves. Inevitably, Their entrapment leads to their destruction, and there’s no escaping their fate. Such is the case of the lawyers and the Pharisees in our text this morning. These religious hypocrites sealed their own fate. Their stubborn hatred of the Lord Jesus Christ and His kingdom will guarantee their awful destruction. Not only them, but of their whole nation as well. Now we’re told here that Christ will test and expose the scribes and the Pharisees in verse 49. Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, some of them they shall. slay and persecute. Christ here is the wisdom of God. And so he is speaking of himself of himself here when he uses this phrase. For example, in 1 Corinthians 124, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. Plus, if we compare this with Matthew’s Gospel, Matthew chapter 23 and verse 34, Christ says, There behold, I sent unto you prophets and wise men and scribes, and some of them you shall kill and crucify. So the same type of language in here uses the word wisdom of God. And so it seems to me that the phrase is referring to Christ himself. Christ is authoritatively declaring and predicting what the outcome would be when his servants proclaimed God’s word to the Jews. In this, the Jews would imitate the vile conduct of their persecuting fathers, forefathers, in verses 47, 48, that they said they would, if they had lived in those days, they would not have killed the prophets. But the subsequent history of the church demonstrates that Christ’s prediction was completely fulfilled. Book Acts, the epistles, and especially the book of Revelations, tells us the outcome of what was predicted here. Either by their own hands, or by using the power of the Roman government, either imprisoned or put to death, martyred, if you would, the apostles and prophets and the godly teachers that were sent to them. Jesus Christ, who possesses all divine wisdom here, who knows the end from the beginning, lays out for us exactly what is going to take place. To Christ, the wisdom of God, who knows the end from the beginning, lays out for us exactly what is out for us exactly what is going to take place. foretells the persecution and slaughter of his servants. Now notice here that Christ tests the religious hypocrite so as to expose him. The scribes and the Pharisees proudly declared that they had lived during the days of their forefathers, they would not have harmed God’s servants, as I have mentioned previously. So the wisdom of God puts them to the test. so that they would discover they are wretched hypocrites after all. They really didn’t value the ancient prophets, as they proclaimed. They might presently build up and beautify their sepulchers and their graves that garnish them. But it’s all for show. It was all to be seen of men, just like they’re giving them. of alms, just like their fasting, just like their long prayers. Everything was for show to be seen of men. It is like the kiss of Judas in the garden when he betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ. It certainly was not a kiss of love. The Proverbs tell us this. He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be a curse to him. A loud voice. voice, extravagant praise, brings into question one sincerity. This excessive show in this, which makes you expect there’s an ulterior motive in what they are doing. And this is what Jesus is pointing out. They do have an ulterior motive. Proverbs 26, 24, and 25 says this in a very similar verse. He that hateeth, disseboleth, he disguiseth it, with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him. When he speaketh fair, when he speaks well of you, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart. Oh, they may speak well of the ancient prophets. But as we pointed out last week in our study, if they had lived during this, days of the prophets. They would have been right there with their forefathers calling for their deaths. And we said that Jesus pointed out, how do you treat the prophets today? How do you treat God’s servants today? That’ll tell you how you treat it would treat them back in the days of the ancient prophets. So Christ here is going to test the words of men. He’s going to show that they are going to be seen as hypocrites in these statements of these. For these Jews are going to certainly persecute and slay the prophets of Christ who would proclaim the same message as the ancient prophets of old, thus proving they were no different. They were the same character as their forefathers long ago. Now, I had Russell read that account of history. I had Russell read that account of Hazel in 2 Kings chapter 8th this morning. When the prophet Elisha came to Damascus, Ben Haddad was sent out to meet him. Ben-Hadad was the right-hand man of the king of Syria, and he was supposed to inquire as to whether the king would recover from his sickness or not. well Elisha says the disease from which your master is suffering will not result in death but Elisha says in effect the disease is not what’s going to kill him but he’s certainly going to die and you’ll notice in that account that Elisha kept looking at Heziel staring him in the face until he was ashamed because Haziel was plotted to smother the king and kill him so that he could steal the throne, which is exactly what he did. The prophet is brought to tears also as he contemplates Hazale, because as he reveals, I see all the evil you’re going to do to the Israelites. How you’re going to conquer their cities, how you’re going to kill the young men with the sword how you’re going to slay their children and dashing them against stones how you’re going to open up, cut open women who are pregnant and make sure that the children, the child dies as well. You’ll notice Haziel’s response he hotly resents this. You think I’m that kind of person that I’m such a dead dog that I would do such a thing as that? He couldn’t conceive of himself as being that cruel, that wicked, that perverse, but we know he ended up fulfilling the prophecy. How little do the unregenerate realizers suspect the desperate wickedness of their own hearts? When not exposed to temptations, they sometimes believe they are capable, they’re not capable of such mantras mantras. evils. I could never do that. In Haseel’s case, once he ascended to the throne, all restraint was thrown aside, and he certainly did do exactly what was predicted. And we see the same thing here with regard to the scribes and the Pharisees. Oh, we would never kill the prophets of all. No, they don’t think so, but they’re going to plot and kill the son of God, and they certainly are going to be killing and harming the true servants of God who come to them with the message of the Lord. So you’re told that Christ would test and expose here the scribes and the Pharisees. Secondly, you’re told the blood of God’s martyrs down through the ages would be required of this generation. verse 50 and 51 that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation from the blood of Abel under the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple verily I say to you it shall be required of this generation. The Lord is going to visit in an awful manner the iniquities of the fathers here upon the children. Even what was done in the past ultimately is going to culminate here in the judgment that falls upon the nation and on the scribes and the Pharisees of this particular generation. The purpose of Christ sending his last representatives before the nation is destroyed was that the guilt of the city of Jerusalem, those in the religious leadership might be exposed so that they would be left without excuse when the blows of God’s awful judgment fall upon them. Indeed, the more corrupt, the whole corrupt nature of the whole corrupt nature of the whole corrupt nature. here would be totally destroyed by the Roman government. The Roman legions would invade the land, conquer it, destroy it, level Jerusalem, and 70 AD. The temple would be completely demolished. Presently God waits until the Jews fill up the measure of their sins. I want you, You’ll notice how this is stated in Matthew chapter 23, if you would turn with me there. We can see how Jesus states it here, beginning with verse 29 to 36. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, because you build the tombs of the prophets and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous. And say, if we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves. They are the children of them which killed the prophets. As I mentioned last week, this phrase here, children is not just merely offspring, but you have the characteristics, the likeness of your fathers as well. And then he said, here, fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, your generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men and scribes, and some of them ye shall kill and crucify, some of them ye shall scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city, that upon you, may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous able under the blood of Zacharias the son of Barakias whom ye slew between the temple and the altar now you notice in verse 32 he uses this phrase fill ye up then the measure of your fathers there is a way in which God measures sin. And he has set a limit as to how much sin a nation or an individual can do without his judgment falling upon them before he unleashes his wrath his wrath. The destruction of Jerusalem was more terrible than anything that the world had ever witnessed either before or since. The book of Revelation, and certainly if you read Josephus, the Jewish historian, it gives us a lot in that department. If you read the book of Revelation carefully, you’ll note that the great city of Babylon is Jerusalem. It’s identified in Chapter 11 and verse 8. The great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where our Lord was crucified. So Babylon is where our Lord was crucified. It is where our Lord was crucified. It is Jerusalem. It’s a figurative expression, just like Sodom and Gomorrah would be used of the city as well. Even the Roman commander Titus seemed to see in his cruel work the hand of an avenging God. against them. Jesus foretold that this generation, his generation, the present generation, would bear the brunt of all the martyrs of Jesus Christ down through the ages. He speaks here of the first martyr to the last martyr of the Old Testament age. The first martyr, he speaks here of the first martyr, is able. And remember, the scripture tells us the murder of the righteous able by his wicked brother, Kane, was because Kane’s own works were evil, and his brothers were good according to Genesis 4, and that is according to the book of John, 1 John. Zacharias is identified here in Matthew. as the son of Barakias in verse 35 here in Matthew 23. He was the last martyr of the Old Testament. Now most associate this Zacharias with the account in Second Chronicles 2420, but he is specifically said to be the son of Johord Hoyeda, the priest. He can’t be the last martyr, but the minor prophet. But the minor prophet, Zachariah, right at the end of the Old Testament, is said to be the son of Barakaya, the son of Ido and Zechariah 1-1. The temple was rebuilt in his day, in his lifetime, but he ends up being martyred in the rebuilt temple. So he’s the last of the Old Testament martyrs. It’s God’s prerogative to visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children as he sees fit. And the wrath of God had been visited upon Israel from time to time, but it’s going to be much more fierce so as to utterly destroy them as a nation. The killing of Christ and his own prophets was the last straw. Israel would be totally destroyed. There’s not going to be a promise of a restoration as in the past. Now, Romans 11 tells us that God will always save a remnant from the nation. But as far as its reconstitution as a nation, that is not going to happen. The temple would never be rebuilt. The sacrificial system of the Old Testament, that regarding the Mosaic law, would be gone forever. For when Christ comes, of course, the worship now expands to all places in the earth, not just confined to Jerusalem. And we no longer need the blood of bulls and goats, but we have Christ’s precious blood sacrifices, the last sacrifice. The only sacrifice is. that we truly need. So these things pass away. And of course, there is a, what we call the spiritual nation of Israel, the true Israel of God, in which the olive tree in Chapter 11, has stripped from it the unbelieving Jews, but grafted into it, the Gentiles, believe and so there is a true Israel but of course it’s made up of those who are the elect of God and so we would agree with Paul I think at the end of Galatians 6 when talks about the true Israel of God and peace be upon them and we as the Gentiles are the sons of Abraham. We are the true circumcision, therefore we are recognized as Israelites indeed in its true sense. So the Lord would visit in a most awful manner the iniquities of the fathers upon the children. Now notice here we should take the heart this. Beware of filling up the measure of your iniquities. The Jews in Christ, they were obstinate. They were perverse so hard of heart, so hateful of God’s messengers, that they were ripe for divine judgment. The Jews continued on in their murderous ways of their forefathers, stubbornly opposed to Christ and his kingdom. And now a great divine principle is set at work here. There is a measure for all iniquity and every transgression adds to that measure. And when that cup gets full, God’s wrath is poured out. This phrase seems to be taken from the book of Genesis. You recall in the book of Genesis that there was a promise given to Abraham. that he would be 400, his offspring would be 400 years in a foreign land, Egypt, and then the Lord would bring them out and give them the land of Canaan. But he wouldn’t give them the Amarite land right away. And why was that? Because the sins of the Amarites were not yet full. I have to wait. There’s a period here I’m going to wait before I bring that judgment upon them. So God here teaches us, there’s a measure for all iniquity. Every transgression adds to that measure. God will tolerate a certain amount of sin up to a point, but when you reach that quota, his wrath will harshly fall. All those sins of yours from your childhood, your youth, your adulthood, your adulthood, are adding up to God’s influence. God’s measuring cup until it’s filled to the brim. And then his judgment falls. Now, this is the reason why people are not judged immediately. You might say, well, why doesn’t God strike these people down right away for the evil they’ve done? He’s still measuring out their sins. He’s still measuring. Be aware that every transgression, every, disobedience, not forgiven by Christ, is going to receive a just recompense of reward. Not every sinner’s measuring cup is the same size. Think about that a minute. God tolerates less sin and some and more than others. Pharaoh must have had a big cup. Because God, God, surely tolerated a lot, so he kept hardening his heart, and God kept sending the judgments and blows upon him until eventually he destroyed him in the Red Sea. There are those who sin and are struck down immediately by God. So we can’t be sure how big our measuring cup is. So you shouldn’t imagine you have the same size measuring cup as everybody else. God alone determines that measurement. So you don’t know how small your measure is, or how soon God’s awful blow night fall upon you. Knowing this, one day your majoring cup is going to be full. Then there will be no hope of escaping divine rat. There will be no remedy that’s possible. So if you don’t find remission and forgiveness of your sins in the Savior of the Lord Jesus Christ, you shall most certainly die in your sins. sins, as Christ said. So turn from your sins while you have opportunity. That’s the message of Scripture. Repent now. As Ezekiel 3311 says, Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways. Why for why will you die? Turn now. So beware of filling up the measure of iniquities. Notice one other thing here. Let me expand this out to the nation. Realize your nation’s sins will ultimately lead to national judgment. The awful judgment here of the Jewish nation is an example of what a nation may be expected to endure when they harm God’s messengers. Then they refuse to repent. of their evil ways. Nations are brought to destruction by a holy God when they fill up the measure of their sins, just like the Amarites of old. Psalm 917 says the wicked shall be turned into hell in all nations that forget God. God declares this. Touch not my anointed. Do my prophet. it’s no harm in 1st Chronicle 1622. But when a nation’s government persecutes God’s servants, imprisons them, and harms them in any manner, they defy this commandment, they greatly provoke the Lord, because he has a high regard for those who serve him. And he’s not going to allow that to go unchecked. You could hardly do anything worse than to reach out and the harm one of God’s servants, whether they be a minister, or maybe they just be a simple believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. And a nation should be fearful of touching one of God’s preachers. Nations are accountable for all national. sins. The guilt of shedding is innocent blood, particularly is going to be required of them by God. You know, we often talk about the infants that are slaughtered in a womb. But the harm God’s people is something God will not put up with long. Now, you and I live in dark times. for God’s ministers and for the church. The U.S. government is increasingly more and more hostile toward the people of God. Sadly, we are on the terrorist watch list. Can you believe that? They don’t want to bring any Christians back from Afghanistan. Why, they’re terrorists. We can’t have them come back. My friends, Can you imagine how ripe a nation must be? How hardened in its sin it must be. How right for divine judgment it must be when they act like this. And there is going to be a destruction of our nation unless God and His grace, and by His spirits, spirit sends a national repentance upon this nation and turns it back to himself. I cannot see us going too much longer in the direction that we are going. With all the lies, all the corruption, all the hatred toward the Christian and the church and so forth, what need there is to pray for our nation? What need there is to pray for our leaders. What need there is to pray that we might live a peaceable life and worship in freedom, but it is slowly being evaporated from us. Reformation of our society is essential. Spiritual awakening is absolutely necessary. And without it, there is no hope of recovery. For our nation or any nation. And Europe is not any better than we are. Sadly, when you think about it, it looks like there are more Christians underground in China than we have above ground here in the open and some of our so-called Christian countries. Because in that country, it costs you something to serve Jesus Christ. It costs you something to be a Christian. And they know what it is to live under a terrorist regime. and they appreciate, by God’s grace, of course, the gospel and the salvation that is in Jesus Christ. You remember how CJ was telling us when he went over there to teach, you know, he had to go over there under the guise of the vacation, take pictures of the china wall and everything else, but he also met with Christians, and they wanted him to teach 24-7 you know, in a warehouse somewhere with the windows drawn and they didn’t want anybody to know who he was and what they were doing there, fearful that they would be put to death or harm in some fashion. But they were eager to hear the Word of God taught. He said his voice gave out. You know, he just, you know, it was like, you do that for seven days straight or whatever it was he was doing it. It was like you know, that’s all he’s doing all day long, his teaching. And it was just, they were very eager to hear what he had to say. How I wish our nation would have some kind of an interest in the things of God like that. Well, the drowning British soldier got so entangled in the weeds covering that pond or lake that he couldn’t extract himself. And he died. My friends, people get so entangled in their sins they can’t extract himself. There is no hope for them. And they think that they can extract themselves, but they cannot. In fact, only Christ can untangle us from that mess. Such is the case with all religious hypocrites that are opposed to the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is going to test them. He’s going to expose them. For hypocrites, they are. And it will be seen that they’re hypocrites. Don’t be like them. You and I need a sincere faith, as we talked about in our last study. Let’s close with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we do give you thanks for this word. We’re mindful, Father, that you are the God who blesses your people that strengthens us as we study and ponder the word. There’s some solemn things in this passage, Father. I pray that we may lay them to heart ourselves and realize, Father, that there is a judgment that is going to come, either individually or nationally, for those who are hardened into things of sin and wickedness and will not listen to the message of the gospel of Christ. Help us as your people to carry the gospel faithfully, but we know, Lord, that we cannot open hearts, nor can we save souls. by our own abilities. It takes your power, your spirit, to do so. And we ask for your spirit to work, not only in us, but in the people who hear the message of the gospel. For it’s in Jesus’ name we pray with Thanksgiving. Amen. Let’s stand for the benediction.