Living Waters Christian Fellowship - Lake Nacimiento - California

27  And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”
 28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
 29  And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
 30 “For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.
 31 “The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
 32 “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
 33 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.
 34 “The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.
 35 “Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.
 36 “If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

Introduction  God offers us wonderful, amazing gifts, such as love, forgiveness, healing, enabling.  But we need to do something with it - maximize the effect, both for our lives and for others around us.  Take full advantage, let God’s light and love flood in and completely take over.  Charter, “Let it all in.”

27  And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”
 28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

The woman who cried out is saying, “Jesus!  We really, really like You.”  Jesus is saying, “Really?  What are you doing about it?”

1. Jesus offers His life to us, ministers to us, does wonderful things  v13-14

13 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
 14  And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.

2. Jesus expects a response  v27-28

27  And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”
 28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

So Jesus expects us to:

a. Hear the Word of God  v31

 31 “The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

She went to great effort and expense to hear the Word of God

b. Keep the Word of God  v32

 32 “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

The Ninevites heard and then kept the Word of God, they did something with it, repented, changed their minds and their evil, brutal ways.

3. Responding to Jesus is necessary for salvation  v28,  13:5

 28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

13:5 “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

It’s not enough just to hear and consider, we must act on it, repent, let God’s Word change our minds and our lives for the better.


4. The response is urgent  v31-32

 31 “The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

 32 “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

Jesus is the One speaking, the Logos of God.  This makes the message extremely important and the response urgent, mandatory, compelling.

5. Jesus is gracious to give us signs  v29-30

 29  And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
 30 “For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.

What is the “sign of Jonah”?  Since he was called to preach to the Ninevites, ran from the call, was consumed by a great fish, died, and was vomited out to live and preach again, the sign of Jonah is one of resurrection, new life, second chances.

What Jesus did for the mute was a powerful sign that He can give us a new and better life.  But some people asked for an even greater sign before they would believe. 

v29-30

These same people would soon see Jesus die and then rise from the dead as well.  The resurrection of Jesus is the #1 sign that He is who He said He is, and that everything He stands for is true.

What signs has God given you to help you believe?  What signs is God showing the world today?  Israel.

6. Those who refuse to respond come under condemnation  v27-28, 31-32

27  And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”
 28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

 31 “The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
 32 “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

7. The Word of God is like light  v33-36

 33 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.
 34 “The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.

 35 “Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.
 36 “If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

Light enables us to see the true nature of the reality of what’s around us.  A toe is an instrument for finding furniture in the dark.  We like light, awareness, truth.  Bus headlights.

What do we do with light?

a. Perceive it  v34a

 34 “The lamp of the body is the eye.

b. Receive it - let it in  v34

 34 “The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.

c. Let it fill your whole life  v34-36

 34 “The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.
 35 “Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.
 36 “If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

Every part of our lives should be full of the light of God, His truth, His love, the awareness of the true nature of the reality around us.  No part of us should remain in darkness, stumbling around, unaware, making bad choices, poor decisions, not loving God, not treating others right, suffering the consequences.  Jesus has give us light, and we need to perceive it, receive it, let it all come flooding in and illuminate our whole existence.

d. Lift it up so others can see as well  v33

 33 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.

How are you doing that in your life?  Are you faithfully and consistently joining with your church family to encourage them and to worship God?  Are you giving to support the work of God here and around the world?  Are you helping out in the children’s ministry?  How are you letting your light shine?

Conclusion  v27-28, 36, 33
27  And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”
 28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

 36 “If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”
 33 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.