Trying To Kill the Gospel
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Standing against evil's most diabolical countermeasure-- the attempt to silence the Word of God.
Text: Luke 11:45-52
Date: 09/17/2023, the Combined service.
Series: "Luke: Thy Kingdom Come" Part 121
Description:
While lunching with a Pharisee and his friends, Jesus delivered a scathing commentary on religious hypocrisy with six woes based on their behavior. We have already studied the first three, leveled at the Pharisees in general. But now Jesus turns His attention to the religious leaders of the day. His harsh indictment not only unmasks the darkness of their souls, but explicitly reveals their evil intent to silence the revealed and inspired Word of God. Although we know this attempt will fail, we will nonetheless note the seriousness of this spiritual battle and the devastating effect it has had on the church throughout the millennia. Ultimately we will recognize the desperate need in our own day to continue to preach the unaltered Gospel, and thereby teach future generations to stand against evil's most diabolical countermeasure-- the attempt to "kill" the Gospel.
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I. Introduction, Matt. 27:62-66.
II. Exposition of the text, Luke 11:45-52.
A. Context, Luke 11:35, 10:27.
B. The woes to the "religious elite".
1. The lawyers take offense, vs. 45.
a. Identifying the lawyers.
b. The significance of "lawyers".
2. The burdens of legalism, vs. 46.
a. Unbearable burdens.
b. The hypocritical loopholes, 1Cor. 11:1.
c. The attempt to kill the Gospel.
3. The tombs of the Prophets, vs. 47-51.
a. Tombs for the victims of their fathers, vs. 47-48.
i. Building with wrong motives, vs. 47, Luke 11:41.
ii. Co-conspirators with their fathers, vs. 48, Matt. 23:30,31, Luke 11:53-54.
b. The wisdom of God, vs. 49, Matt. 21:34-37, Luke 19:41.
c. The consequences of hypocrisy, vs. 50-51.
i. Defining "generation".
ii. The blood of all prophets, vs. 51a.
1) The blood of Abel, Gen. 4:4,5,8, 3:15.
2) The blood of Zechariah.
a) Getting the "right" Zechariah, Matt. 23:35, 1Chr 24:20-21.
b) A heinous murder.
iii. The culpability of a generation, vs. 50, 51b, Matt. 27:25.
d. Interpreting the fifth woe.
i. Focus on the Revealed Word of God.
ii. Silencing the Gospel.
iii. The centrality of the Word of God, Matt. 28:12-13.
4. Obscuring the key of knowledge, vs. 52.
a. Defining the key to knowledge.
i. Defining "knowledge", 1Cor. 8:1-2, Rom. 11:33, Prov. 1:7, Matt. 11:27.
ii. How true knowledge is attained, Rom. 11:34, 1Tim. 6:16, Rom. 1:19-20, Heb. 1:11.
iii. Defining the key to knowledge, 1Cor. 1:23.
b. Taking away the key.
III. Application
A. Evil's strategy unmasked.
B. An attack on the Word.
IV. Conclusion
