30th Mar 26 | 13:54
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LUKE 19 45-48 JESUS THE TEACHER 04 Teaching from an eternity perspective
📖 Luke 19:45-48
31Jan2021 - *Teaching from an eternity perspective* - _Luke 19:45-48_ - JESUS THE TEACHER 4 – Bible reading: _Colossians 3:1-3_
Jesus was teaching daily at the temple and the people were attentive to hear Him and they were also astonished at His teaching. Jesus taught the people on the basis of what He did at the temple.
_Luke 19:47-48 And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, (48) and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him._
_Mark 11:18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching._
The difference in the teaching of Jesus was because it came with authority. _Matthew 7:29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes._
What was His authority? His authority came from the fact that He was the word, who was with God, who was God. The word had become flesh. He was Emmanuel
I would like to look at three specific reasons why the teaching of Jesus came with authority.
The first reason for the authority of Jesus in His teaching was because it was teaching that came from the perspective of God and not from the perspective of man.
_II Corinthians 4:18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal._
_Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. (9) "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts._
God’s thoughts and His ways are far higher than ours. This is the reason why the Bible encourages us to set our mind on things above and not on things of the earth.
_Colossians 3:1-3 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (3) For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God._
How is it possible to have God’s thoughts and God’s ways? How is it possible to set our minds on things above and not on things of the earth?
To have an eternal mindset, we need to reckon that we are dead and that our life is hidden with Christ in God. We must identify with the death, burial and the resurrection of Jesus, which is the gospel message, in order to have the mind of Christ.
Though many of us claim to have received the gospel, the reality is that we have not identified with His death, burial and resurrection. This is verified by the fact that we still continue to look at life from a temporal perspective and not an eternity perspective.
The Lord sees us and He can see that we are looking at the issues of life from a temporal perspective and that we are not looking at the issues of life from an eternity perspective.
One such example of Jesus’ teaching with an eternal perspective was not to live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
_Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD.' "_
‘Bread’ represents the material needs of life. We are acclimatised to live our lives on the basis of bread. Many of our long-term choices and our short-term choices too, are all bread-based. Jesus is teaching us to live our lives on the basis of His word and not bread alone.
The people were attentive and astonished at His teaching. This could be our response too, at His teaching. Nevertheless, we are called not just to be good hearers of His word but doers of His word.
_James 1:22-25 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (23) For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; (24) for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. (25) *But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does*._
*Thought to ponder*
```Let us follow the pattern of Jesus in first doing His word and then teaching it to others.```