And please turn in your copies of God's Word to the Gospel of Luke, Luke chapter 11, and we will read verses 27 to 36. Luke 11, beginning in verse 27. As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed. But he said, blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it. When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, this generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the son of man be to this generation. The queen of the south will rise up at 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 behold, something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it. For they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And behold, something greater than Jonah is here. No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore, be careful lest the light in you be in darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light. So ends the reading of God's word. Let us pray and ask for the blessing on his word. Lord, we thank you that we, even now, are not those who sit in darkness, but we have been made partakers of the light. We've been transferred from the kingdom of darkness and brought into the kingdom of the sun. And so, Lord, would you also continue to shine your light upon us through the preached word. Attend to your word by your spirit. Illuminate the texts to our souls, we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Well, in our passage, the Jews are seeking more and more signs from Jesus, more proof that he is the Messiah, as if he hasn't already given them ample evidence through the many signs he's already shown them. And many people are like that today. People often want some kind of sign from God. They want more evidence, more proof before they'll believe in God. You often hear atheists explaining that, well they would believe if only God would give them a sufficient sign. If only God would prove himself to them according to some way of their own choosing. If only he would give me some kind of empirical evidence. If only he would reveal himself in a way that I want him to. Well then of course I'd follow him, I'd have no choice. That kind of thinking is very arrogant, it's very mistaken, because God doesn't owe anyone a sign. And in fact, God has already given ample evidence to all people of his existence and of his power. As Psalm 19 teaches us, creation itself is testimony to God's existence and power. The psalmist says, the heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims its handiwork. Day to day pours out speech and night to night reveals knowledge. And thus even creation itself preaches the existence of God and it leaves all people without an excuse. Paul says the same thing in Romans 1, that the knowledge of God has been so clearly revealed that all people are left without an excuse. No one can say, I didn't know, nobody told me, I didn't have enough proof or evidence. No, the Bible declares that all people have sufficient evidence. But this malady of unbelief doesn't only express itself in the heart of the atheist or of the skeptic. At times, it can also creep into the heart of the Christian. God has not only given us the revelation of himself through nature, but he has most clearly revealed himself through holy scripture. But at times, we can have that same unbelieving impulse to want something more than what God has revealed through scripture. Whether it's the believer who's expecting God to speak to them in the still, small voice, or it's expecting of God dreams and visions and other mystical experiences, or it's expecting of God some kind of direct revelation to tell me exactly who I'm to marry or if I'm not to marry that person, or if I should take that job or I shouldn't take that job. And whatever mixed motives may be at play, and there may be good motives in this, in desiring signs, at its root is a dissatisfaction with scripture. It's a dissatisfaction with the sign and the message that God has already given us by his word and through his spirit. It is, in effect, saying that the word of Christ is not enough. Well, this is the very same kind of unbelief that our Lord encounters here in our passage. The Jews, discontent with what Jesus has already revealed, begin demanding more and more signs. Jesus, if only you'll give us one more sign, then I'll be your follower, then I'll believe. However, what we find is that our Lord responds in a way that both corrects and condemns their unbelief, but also in a way that leads us to a greater trust in what God has revealed. What will lead us into greater assurance, what will build our faith, and ultimately what will save our souls, is not the quest for new signs from heaven, but rather it is to receive the greatest sign that heaven ever gave. It is to receive the word of Christ. on the word of God incarnate, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's consider how Jesus leads us to a greater trust in him and in his word, as he speaks to the blessing of the word, the authority of the word, and the sufficiency of the word. So first, Jesus speaks to the blessing of the word. Now, as always, it's important to set the context. Jesus has just cast out a demon from a man who had been made mute. The religious leaders apparently see this, and then they charge him with being in league with Satan. He's performing this power according to the power of Satan. However, as we saw last week, Jesus masterfully shows how ridiculous their argument is, and then he turns the table on them. Well, that was one response, that accusation. Another response from the crowd was what we saw in verse 16. While others to test him kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. So while some are accusing him of being one of Satan's henchmen, there are others there who kind of see Jesus more as a circus act. They like his signs and they want him to keep doing them. We like to see this, it's interesting. That word test there, like every other occurrence of the word, goes back to Satan's testing in the wilderness. And so their seeking of signs isn't a positive thing. No, it's actually satanic. It is not faith seeking understanding. It's skepticism seeking signs. But it's not all bad. There is, I think, a partially good response that comes from the crowd, at least from one lady in verse 27. Look there. As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed. Now we don't know all of her motives in terms of what she's saying or why she's saying it, but essentially she's praising Jesus by pronouncing a blessing on Jesus' mother, Mary. And certainly there is truth to this. Mary was a blessed woman for bearing the Messiah. Think of how the angel Gabriel greeted her. Greetings, oh favored one, the Lord is with you. He then announced to her that she would play a unique role in redemptive history as the one who bears the Messiah. Recall when her cousin Elizabeth said, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Mary herself sang, for behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed. And so it's true, Mary is blessed among all women. Out of all of the women, out of the entire human population that had ever lived and will ever live, Mary uniquely was chosen to be the mother of the son of God and to nourish him at her breasts. That's what this woman got right. However, sometimes you can say the right thing, but maybe not at the right time. Or perhaps you can say the right thing, but there's more to be said. It seems like that's the nature of Jesus' correction here. You'll see Jesus' response in verse 28. Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it. So Jesus is saying that as blessed as Mary was for bearing him and nursing him, it is even more blessed if you are one who hears the word of God and does it. And even as we think about Mary, she is a perfect example of one who heard the word and received it and then did it. You know, we can't separate Mary's role in bearing Christ from how she responds to the word. Think back to the beginning of Luke where the angel appeared to the great priest, Zechariah, and the angel told him that his barren wife would conceive. What was Zechariah's response? Oh, wonderful, I believe. No, it was doubt. It was questioning. Zechariah wanted some kind of sign, and the sign that the angel gave him was a sign of judgment. He was made mute for a time. But when the angel told Mary of something even more impossible and miraculous, of a virgin conception, she didn't ask for a sign. Instead, she ultimately responded with the words, behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word. When God called her to be the mother of the Messiah, she believed and she obeyed. And then she acted in faith. Thus Mary's greatest blessedness is not seen simply in that she's the mother of Jesus, but ultimately it's seen in her response to the word of God. This seems to be what Jesus is getting at. As Augustine commented, Mary is more blessed in receiving the faith of Christ than in conceiving the flesh of Christ. Her nearness as a mother would have been no profit to Mary had she not borne Christ in her heart after a more blessed manner than in her flesh. Jesus here is continuing to teach a message that has already spanned throughout the opening chapters of Luke and even up until now, that true disciples are those who, like Mary, receive the word and do the word. This is the way of blessing. And this ought to be a comfort to you, dear Christian. It means that the blessing, or in other words, the goodness of God towards you, comes not through who your mother was, or who your parents were, or where you were born, or your blood, or perhaps even by your own works, but rather it comes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It comes through the simple reception of his word. It's important to remember, because at times, we attribute a state of blessing or a position of blessing to other things. Perhaps like the woman who yells from the crowd, we think that blessing must only come if we're belonging to some key family in the church. Or perhaps we're associated with the big movers and shakers of the world, and perhaps if we're not in the in crowd, we're in less of a state of blessing. Or perhaps we are in those places and we take pride from those positions. Alternatively, we may have adopted the world's view of blessedness and what blessedness looks like. Well, it looks like living for yourself. It looks like putting yourself first. It looks like a life free of trouble and trial. A life that doesn't give or inconvenience self for others. Blessedness comes as I listen to my own voice, and I do what's right for me. I follow my own passions. But Jesus makes clear that no blessedness comes through receiving his word. How is the word of God a blessing to us? Well, the Word blesses us in the sense that it provides us wisdom we need for life in this world. And we need a lot of help, don't we, to navigate this world as pilgrims and strangers in this land. We need the guidance and wisdom that Scripture gives us. But the greatest blessing of the Word is not is that it not only leads us in this life, but actually that it leads us through this life and into the life to come. As Paul says, the word of the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. What that means is that no matter what temporary trials or unforeseen challenges befall us in this life, Yet we can still say that we are blessed because of the hope we have in the life to come. Scripture promises us something far greater than what this world can offer to us or what this world can take from us. Jesus spoke to this earlier, didn't he? When he said, blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day, Jesus says, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. Oh beloved, let us prize the word of God as the only true source of blessing, for by it we are led into a greater knowledge of ourselves. We are led into a greater knowledge of who Christ is, the one who has all treasures of life and blessing and glory hidden in himself. And thus it is only in Christ that we are truly counted as blessed. So Jesus wants us to properly understand the blessing of the word. The second thing Jesus wants us to see is the authority of the word. Well, in verse 29, we see that the crowd of people around Jesus is growing and growing and increasing all the more. And recall that with the exception at least of this one woman, most of this crowd is hostile. Half of the people seem to think that Jesus is a demon, and the other half are only there because they've heard there's a magician, a trickster in town who's going to perform signs for them. This is not a crowd of people drawn by faith. And so Jesus now begins to say some very hard things to them, the things they need to hear. That's the wonderful thing about our Lord. It doesn't matter whether there's two disciples in front of him or there's a crowd of 2,000. He doesn't dilute the word. He doesn't play down the truth because, okay guys, we're drawing a crowd here, let's not talk about hell so much. No, he will speak the truth no matter who is in front of him, such is the faithfulness of our Lord. And he begins his faithful preaching with these words, this generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign. or despite all of the signs he's already given them, like feeding multitudes, raising people from the dead, casting out demons, giving sight to the blind. It's not enough for them. They want more. And Jesus says, this is evil. It's not good. They demand a sign, but he declares, No sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation." So they'll receive no sign except for one, except for the sign of Jonah. What is the sign of Jonah? Well, in Matthew's gospel, Matthew describes the sign of Jonah and attributes it to being more the resurrection. That's the point Matthew is making there, but Luke seems to be making a different point with this sign of Jonah language. Consider, how was Jonah assigned to the Ninevites? Well, it wasn't the fact that he was swallowed by a fish and then vomited up on land after three days, because all the Ninevites weren't privy to that. Actually, Jonah performed no signs in Nineveh. All he did was walk into the city, say a couple of sentences, it may have been longer than that, but it seems like it was pretty short and bland, and then walk away. He announced the coming judgment, and hence the need to repent, and then he left. The sign of Jonah, therefore, was that he went as a messenger of God, preaching the authoritative word of God. And as we saw earlier, as we read in Jonah chapter three, the result was that these pagan Gentile Ninevites responded to the word and repented. And Jesus says that this is the same sign that is for this generation. The son of man is preaching the same message with the same authority. calling them to repent in light of coming judgment. Well, next, Jesus pulls out another example of a pagan Gentile heeding the word of God and repenting. Look at verse 31. The queen of the south will rise up at 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. Well, the event that Jesus is alluding to is found in 1 Kings 10 and 2 Chronicles 9. During Solomon's reign, there was a queen in Africa who had heard of how wise Solomon was and all the wealth that he had accrued through his wisdom. And so she set about to hear of this for herself. And so she made this long, long, long journey to be with him and to speak to him. And there, as she arrives, she receives no signs, no miracles. She simply has the words of Solomon. She asks him questions, he speaks to her and teaches her, and she receives those teachings. And she shows her reception by giving him gifts. At what point is Jesus driving home with these Ninevites and now with the Queen of Sheba? Well, you see it in the rest of verse 31 and following, where Jesus continues. And behold, something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And behold, something greater than Jonah is here. Jesus is using these Old Testament examples of pagan Gentiles who only had the simple preaching of the word, and he's using it to condemn the Jews. who were demanding signs. A Gentile queen traveled a great distance to hear Solomon, and she believed. The Ninevites repented after hearing the bland preaching of Jonah. The queen had no signs, the Ninevites had no signs, only preaching, and yet that was enough. Well, if pagan Gentiles are satisfied with the word of God over signs, what does that say about these Jews? Here they are, and they have the Christ before them. They have the king who's greater than Solomon. They have the prophet who's greater than Jonah. Jonah had to travel a long way to get to Nineveh. The queen had to come a long way to get to Solomon. But here they have the son of God incarnate who has crossed the infinite chasm between heaven and earth to come and to speak and to preach, but they will have none of him. How much more ought they receive his words and be satisfied with his words? And yet, their response to the Son of Man is either to attribute his authority to Satan, or it is to reject his authority by demanding more signs. And for this reason, Jesus condemns them. He pronounces judgment upon them. Those very Gentiles who repented, having received much less than you, he says, will serve to judge you on the last day. And the sign of heaven that Jesus speaks of here, which is the preaching of the word, is the same sign he uses today. And it carries the same authority for us today. as it had in the days of Jonah, and Solomon, and of our Lord. Christ's word announces to us the message of the gospel. It tells us that we are great sinners. It warns us, like the Ninevites, that we have sinned against a holy God, and that there is a judgment coming for us. And left to ourselves, we deserve that judgment. But this same message carries with it the promise that God has made a way for sinners to be reconciled to himself. With the same authority, we are told that if we repent of our sins and we trust in Christ as the greater king and as the greater prophet, we will be spared the judgment we deserve. Whether you've heard the gospel a thousand times, or this is the very first service you've ever visited, You have a testimony greater than Jonah. You have a testimony greater than the Queen of Sheba. If you are looking for some sign from heaven before you're willing to believe. Let me tell you that that sign has come. Christ is the sure sign from heaven. He came from heaven to earth, being born of a virgin. He lived a perfect life. He died for sins. He was raised from the dead, and all of this was seen by many witnesses. He ascended to heaven, where now he sits at the right hand of God the Father, from whence he shall come to judge the living and the dead. Christ is the sure sign from heaven who has come. And even now he continues to reveal himself through the preaching of his word. The great promise and authority attached to the preaching of the word is that if you believe his word, and if you confess Christ as your Lord, you will be saved. Paul writes of this wonderful promise in Romans chapter 10. The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. That is the word of faith that we proclaim. Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the scripture says, everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. Dear friends, there is a day of judgment coming. And on that day of judgment, what will the Ninevites say of you? What will the Queen of Sheba say of you? Do not make the fatal mistake of these Jews who denied the revelation, the clear revelation of Christ that they received. Instead, receive by faith the word, trust in Christ, for he alone is the way of life. Well, the word of Christ is the way of blessing. The word of Christ carries with it authority that is to be received. Third, Christ speaks to the sufficiency of his word. Well, Jesus has just made very clear that sign seeking is evil. The demand for more and more signs beyond what God has chosen to reveal in his word is actually a manifestation, not of belief, but unbelief. But Jesus doesn't only go on the offensive. He doesn't only seek to attack what is untrue, the error. He also desires to build us up in the truth by redirecting our focus and building our confidence in the sufficiency of his word. And he does so through the imagery of light. Look at verse 33. No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it in a cellar or under a basket. but on a stand so that those who enter may see the light. Now the point here is very simple, maybe it doesn't even need explanation, but the point being if you have a power outage and you go and you light some candles, you leave them in safe places but around the house so that you can see where you're going. In a power outage, you would never light a candle and then hide it somewhere. That would defeat the purpose. A light is there to be shone and shown. The point being that Christ is like the light of a candle. Christ's light is not designed to be hidden, but rather revealed, and Christ reveals himself openly through the preaching of the word. Well, next in verse 34 and following, he shifts from the source of light to our reception of the light. He says, Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light. But when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore, be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no dark part, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light. Now, it's not easy to understand all of the parts of this analogy. Some of it has to do with how the ancients understood light and the eye's reception of light. But the point is made clear in verse 35 with the caution as to how one receives the light and whether we receive the light and what that says about us. God's word is the light. It's the light that shines from the candle. It's the light that shines from the lamp. And if we reject that light, we will be spiritually dark within. Those who are dissatisfied with the word and only seeking signs are those who are spiritually darkened. But those who receive the light of his word, who listen to his word and do it, are those who are blessed. and those who are filled with the light. The overall point that Jesus is continuing to make is that his word is sufficient. His word is sufficient to lead us into blessing. His word is sufficient to save us. And now we see that his word is sufficient to fill us with the light of Christ. His word is sufficient for all that we need for life and godliness. This is something that we confess in our confession of faith in chapter 1. The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith and life is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture, onto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelation, aka signs of the Spirit or traditions of man. So scripture is sufficient It is enough for us. But at times, like the skeptic, we sometimes want more from God. We want something other than what He has given us. And I think at times, especially when we suffer, we can feel that way. We want the explicit answer, Lord, why? I mean, sometimes the psalmist asks that question, doesn't he? Why, Lord? Are you sleeping? Are you not hearing me? Why am I suffering in this way? And at times, we want a specific answer. We want to know exactly what God is doing. Or perhaps in our suffering, we want a special and particular word beyond what Scripture has given. And perhaps in those motives and desires, they're not altogether wrong. There's a desire to. want to hear from God. There's a right desire in wanting to be near God and Him near us. And so perhaps one might pursue that still small voice or the casting of a fleece to test God or some other sign from heaven. But here, dear Christian, your shepherd tells you Hear my voice, receive my word. It is enough for you. Yes, even in your suffering, even in your doubts and your fears, the Lord Jesus says my word is enough. Its light is sufficient to fill you with light. Well, how can we follow Jesus' call in being careful to receive his light? Well, first by contenting ourselves in his word. Read through Psalm 119, as we read earlier, and there's a lot of sections, as you know. And even in the one we read, the psalmist is suffering, and yet he's delighting himself, and he's taking comfort in the word of God. Let his words be your words. delight yourself in Christ's all-sufficient Word. Certainly the Word of Christ doesn't answer our every question or our curiosity about God or heaven or angels or demons, but we can trust Christ, that He tells us what we need to know. He doesn't tell us everything we may want to know, but He has sufficiently told you all you need to know. And so, dear Christian, Your faith needs no other sign from heaven than the sign of Jonah, what God has given us here. Your faith has all that it needs through the word of Christ. And therefore, let us be content with his word. Let us be satisfied with his word. For it is the lamp that will guide your feet to the greatest blessing of Christ himself. Let's pray. Lord, we think of perhaps the historical analogy of that one Westminster divine who, before he spoke, kept scribbling those words, more light, more light. And Lord, that is our prayer. More light. Give us more of the light and revelation of your word. Teach us to be satisfied in your word. And Lord, even as we suffer, and we are a suffering body, Would you continue to comfort us in the ways that you have promised? And in those times, cause your comfort through your word to grow our confidence in your word's sufficiency. Lord, lead us by faith through your word until that glorious day when faith will become sight. We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.