The Posture of Faith, Part 2
Luke 7:11-23 ·May 28, 2023· Joel Passmore
Part of: Luke, The Posture of Faith
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Good morning again. We're in a sermon series on Luke, and we're actually in a sermon series within a sermon series. We're in Luke chapter 7. Luke chapter 7 is all about faith. This is part two of a four-part little sermon series that I'm calling The Posture of Faith.
So The Posture of Faith, because Luke 7 is, it's got a bunch of stories and accounts from Jesus and things that he says, and he's kind of making, he's showing us what faith is all about, what faith looks like. So let me ask a question. Who here has left a really negative review on a website before? Raise your hand. Some people have put their hands up real quick. I have too. Maybe it was on Google about a restaurant that you ate at that you were pretty unhappy with.
Maybe it was on Amazon about something that you bought. Here's one that I wrote, actually. So this is, I wrote this for the drum stool just that I bought last year. I sent back, but I gave it one star. Uncomfortable and stiff was the title of my review. I would have given it zero stars. I'll read it because you might not be able to see it. Cushion is hard as a rock. It is really stiff and hard to unfold and fold up. Bought this for my church's drummer, but I want him to not hate me.
So this piece of junk is getting returned pronto. I didn't have to say it like that, but it felt kind of good to say it like that. It really was the most uncomfortable thing I've ever sat on.
It feels kind of satisfying to write a bad review. Let's just be honest about that. I'm sure you can relate to that. And today we have more ways than ever to express our dissatisfaction with things all around us, right? The tone that we strike is that we're offended.
This bad product or that bad meal, that bad customer service, it offended me. Not offended like when someone insults you, but offended like our expectations were just sorely unmet. There was a cost and it was not worth it. And we're offended.
Now sometimes let's continue being honest and just say we carry that over to God. We get offended by his work. It doesn't meet our expectations. The costs are too great. If Jesus had a Facebook page, we might leave a bad review. Today we're going to see that Jesus moves towards people like us with compassion. With compassion.
He offers more of himself to people who would want to complain about him. He draws near with compassion. He calls us to look again at who he is and to trust him.
So turn with me to Luke 7. Let's read this passage. Let's be encouraged to see our Savior for who he is and to see again and to see again the compassion and the power that Jesus gives us. This is God's word. Let's pay attention to it. Let's rely on it because God is trustworthy and it comes from him. Starting in verse 11 through verse 23. It's also in your bulletins. Soon afterward, he, Jesus, went to a town called Nain and his disciples and a great crowd went with him.
As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother. She was a widow and a considerable crowd from the town was with her and when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, do not weep. Then he came up and touched the beer and the bearer stood still and he said, young man, I say to you, arise. And the dead man sat up and began to speak and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized them all and they glorified God saying, a great prophet has arisen among us and God has visited his people and this report about him spread through the whole country of Judea and all the surrounding country.
The disciples of John, that is John the Baptist, reported all these things to him and John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord saying, are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another?
And when the men had come to him, they said, John the Baptist has sent us to you saying, are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another? In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits and on many who were blind he bestowed sight and he answered them, go and tell John what you have seen and heard.
The blind receive their sight. The lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear. The dead are raised up and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.
Let's pray. Lord, show us more of who you are and draw us in. Lord, we need to be reminded that you are compassionate and that you have power and that your promises are sure. Work this word deep into our heart, Lord. Help us to respond to you with faith. Jesus, we pray this in your name.
So, today's sermon is the posture of faith part two. Trusting Jesus more than our experiences. That's what faith looks like according to this passage. Let's start with this, the compassion and the power of Jesus. Jesus and his disciples, they are coming from one place to another and a great crowd is with them and they come to a small town called Nain. It's a little awkward but the first thing that they encounter is a funeral procession walking out of the town.
Paul bears carrying the body of a man outside the town gate where he would be buried. Many people from the town are following but there's one person that Jesus focuses on. The grieving mother. This woman is a widow and her only son now is dead. This, in this time and place if a woman lost her husband and her sons it would spell disaster. This woman was now incredibly vulnerable. She had no income. She had no protection. There were no government programs.
She was completely dependent on her community to provide for her for the rest of her life. But then Jesus comes to town. And he takes the initiative towards her. Look at verse 13. When the Lord saw her he had compassion on her. That's what motivates our Savior. He sees her. He recognizes her need. And he moves towards her with love.
He tells her do not weep. She doesn't even know what he will do but she knows this. Someone with authority is paying attention to me. Someone with authority sees my need and is moving towards me.
Then he came up and he touched the bier. The bier this is a plank. It's basically like an open coffin. It's being carried and lying upon it is the body of the young man. Anointed wrapped ready for burial. He's headed to the grave but Jesus gets in the way.
Wait just a minute I got something to do here. Then he speaks. He talks to the dead man. He doesn't just talk he commands. Young man I say to you arise. And everyone is wondering what is going on. Maybe some people are mocking Jesus in their heads scoffing at him under their breath. Doesn't he know this guy is dead? But then the man responds. And not just like a muscular reflex or something not a spasm he sits up and then he talks. All these people see it.
All these people who knew that he was dead see the man sit up and talking. And everyone knows that the young man is alive again. And then the sweet follow through Jesus gave him to his mother. That's why he did it. To minister to her. Can you imagine the overwhelming happiness that they both felt right then? The cries the tears of relief disbelief joy and then the shouts of praise that were beginning to spill out from those two embracing one another.
look at what God has done. This is amazing. He was dead. She was bereaved. She was desperate. And a hard life ahead of her and all of that has been turned around because Jesus walked to town that day and decided to do something.
Fear seized them all. Now this is not fear like you might think of it. This is biblical fear. This is awe. This is respect. This is adoration. It's amazement to such a degree that you would be trembling. It's that kind prophet has arisen among us and God has visited his people.
Now they're right of course but they don't even know how right they are. In the Old Testament there's a couple of prophets Elijah and Elisha. Both of them raised a young person back from dead. Brought them alive again. One of those was the son of a widow. So they're thinking of these prophets and they're like it's a prophet like them. A new prophet has come on the scene but Jesus is greater than them. He's yet to be he's yet to show that but he is.
But regardless of what the townspeople think what we can see is that Jesus had compassion for the helpless and the power to actually help them. That is an amazing truth to rest in. The loving and the strong savior who can bring life to the dead. That is who Jesus is.
Reports spread about him through the region. Word is getting out about this. This is something even more miraculous and powerful than he's done yet. And the reports spread like wildfire and those reports they get to John the Baptist.
Now here's where the story gets hard. Let's talk about the confession and the doubt of John. John's disciples bring him news about this amazing miracle. John you've got to hear this. This thing that Jesus just did it's going to blow you away.
John listens and he sends back a message that just makes your heart break. Are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another? Now that is pretty shocking.
This is the man who was Jesus' forerunner. He was his warm up act. He was his hype man. He went ahead of Jesus preparing the way. Calling people to repent. He was sent to prepare people for the ministry of the Messiah and he was emphatic and he was genuine about that. He did it with fervor, enthusiasm, gratitude. He said he wasn't worthy to tie Jesus' shoes. That's how much he thought of Jesus. He said I am not the Messiah people. I'm not him. But then he pointed to Jesus and he said look there he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
He baptized Jesus. He saw the Holy Spirit come down on him. He heard the Father's voice booming over the scene even before he was born. He was in Elizabeth's womb and pregnant Mary draws near and John the Baptist leaps for joy in the womb because he came near Jesus for the first time.
He had been the most clear and the most fervent advocate for Jesus. And now he asks are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another? What is going on with you John? What's happening?
John is struggling. Let's remember where he is right now. He's in prison. We learn that back in chapter 3. Herod, the Roman ruler of the area had imprisoned him for preaching against adultery. Adultery that Herod was committing and also other acts of immorality that Herod was doing. Herod was tired of this street preacher stirring up dust and trouble against him. So he put John in prison.
Prisons in this time had terrible conditions. Terrible. We would call them inhumane. It's because prisoners were hardly even considered people. This was so hard, the conditions that he was in. He had a vibrant ministry. He was calling people to turn to God in repentance. He was directing them to Jesus. There was still work to do, but he is suffering in a cell, awaiting certain death.
Not only that, it's likely that Jesus is not doing what John expected the Messiah to be doing. John had come preaching a strong call to repentance. He had said, even now the axe is laid to the root of the tree.
Why is Jesus taking so long to bring some doggone judgment? He knew that Jesus had been proclaiming liberty to the captives. Why was he sitting in a Roman prison?
Jesus, how can you be talking about liberty to the captives and I'm here? Why won't he do what the Messiah is supposed to do? Now, if you've ever had doubts about your faith, if you've ever struggled deeply with what God is doing in your life or not doing, maybe you're relieved to see that John the Baptist did too.
You probably recognize what's happening here. The combination of hardship and disappointment, it brings on this kind of tunnel vision. It's like blinders are put on. That's all you can see is your difficult circumstances, your dashed hopes. Everything else gets screened out.
The unwelcome diagnosis, the chronic condition that doctors can't seem to treat, the notice of being laid off, the conflict with family, the mistreatment by someone that you just can't avoid. And maybe worse of all, the prayers for things to change and the difficulty to keep hoping.
I've been there. Many of you have too. Some of you are there right now. John was there too. It's heartbreaking to read his message to his cousin, the one whom he supported so fiercely. John just heard about a man being brought back to life, but he can't see beyond his prison cell.
Now listen, here's what you need to remember. Jesus is tender and he's kind. At this moment, just like he did with the widow, he moves in and moves towards John with compassion and power.
He wants to draw John's eyes back to him and off of his circumstances. To be reminded of the Savior that he believed in. So let's talk about this, the reassurance that Jesus offers.
Now I hope you notice this in the passage. Jesus hears the message from John and the first thing he does is he acts. He goes and does something. In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. This isn't just another round of healings. He's not just like you know what I can't worry about John right now I got to get back to work. No no this is a deliberate series of acts that he's doing.
These are deliberately chosen miracles. These are things that the prophets had said would happen when the Messiah came on the scene and the new age would be brought about. Look at this verse from Isaiah. In that day the deaf shall hear the book and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.
Words like these would be done by the one who is to come. Jesus thinks that actions speak louder than words. So he goes out and he does more of the work that proves that he is the real deal. Only I do these things because I'm the one who is to come.
We all know that actions speak louder once again John I am the one who was to come and I'm here now. He didn't have to do it but he did it out of love for John out of tenderness for his struggle. He works miracles.
Now the next thing that he does is important too. Take note of this. Jesus tells John's disciples go and tell John what you have seen and heard. Here's what's happening. Even though John is not experiencing the miracles himself they still point to who Jesus is. Go and tell John what you have seen and heard.
Jesus is reminding him John just because you're in prison does not mean that I'm a phony. The purposes of God have not failed. They are moving forward. Don't let hardship and disappointment cloud your vision. Believe in me is coming John it's coming and here is the evidence for it.
Friends don't let the timing and the location of his work throw you off. Don't be fooled by your own experiences. When it comes to the promises of God it is not a matter of if but when for you. It's not a matter of if but when. If you belong to Christ there is one Savior with a unstoppable and it includes all who put their faith in him. Don't draw a circle around your life and say you know what if I don't see God working in this circle then he's not doing anything.
He's not even who he says that he is. Don't do that. All who trust in Jesus have the same Savior the same Lord the same mighty God when you hear about his life or across the country or across the globe that is your Savior too.
You can look at that life giving work and you can say that's my life giving work too. It's not a matter of if it's a matter of when because I have the same Savior.
You can think of this as a principle of shared hope because we have the same Savior we have the same hope no matter where we see him at work so we should look beyond our own lives just like Jesus was calling John to do John look look beyond your prison cell look at the things that I'm doing you belong to me I am who I say that I am the work will be completed and you will be a part of it and friends this is exactly what we should do when we read scripture too he's given a story after story to tell us about his power and his love power and love that applies to everyone who believes no matter what circumstances you are in when you read David's words I waited patiently for the Lord he inclined to me and heard my cry you can say that's the same God that I have he listens to my cries as well when you read of Jesus healing the man whose legs had been lame for 38 years 38 long years you can say that's my healer he's going to do it for me I don't have it yet but I will never decay or break down and when you read about this widow this widow in Luke 7 getting her son back you should say there he is there's my savior his compassion to her is the same compassion that he shows to me just as surely as he brought life to that dead man he's going to bring life to me like John we need our eyes drawn up drawn up off of our own circumstances off of our own stories off of the property lines that we put around our lives to other people and other stories other examples of what God is doing when his
work or his timing doesn't meet our expectations when we followed him obediently and our lives are still hard Jesus wants us to fix our eyes on him he is still the same he is the same yesterday today and forever he's our God too when Jesus says blessed is the one who is not offended by me it's an invitation it's an invitation to trust him when we look at him when our eyes are drawn to him we remember he didn't just talk about compassion and love he did it he followed through actions speak louder than words the greatest cost was the one that he endured when he was punished for our sin and he gives us a future that is sure and is blessed and is greater than our greatest expectation that's the one that you can trust in every circumstance in your and here's a stanza from it tis better far that I should walk by faith close to his side I may not know the way I go but oh I know my God put your trust in Jesus friends not in your experiences let's pray Lord Jesus you are the trustworthy one and we know it because you proved it we were helpless lost sinners and you went out into the far country to bring us home Lord you know every circumstance and situation that everyone here is facing the hard ones and the good ones will you please draw near to each one of us lift our eyes up to you help us to see you as the trustworthy one please open up our ears so that when we hear and read about your work outside of our lives we can draw encouragement from that strength because we see that the same
savior that we have is at work that you are trustworthy that you will finish what you started in each one of us Lord thank you for your compassion and for your power we help us to love and treasure you more and thank you that you move towards us first thank you for your tenderness towards people like John who are struggling help us