The Posture of Faith, Part 3

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0:00Good morning everyone. My name again is Joel if you don't know it. We are in a sermon series on Luke 7. We're in Luke and we're doing a little series within a series on Luke 7. I'm preaching four sermons on this chapter and I'm calling it the posture of faith. Part one was about the need for humility instead of entitlement. It's one thing about the posture of faith. Part two was about trusting God beyond what our own experiences are. Part three is today and Jesus is saying in this passage that God's been reaching out. He's been calling. His call is gracious. His call is persistent. His call is important. He's got great news for us but the people that Jesus is talking to, he says that they have been finding any reason they can to dismiss the call. To them, God's call looks a lot like this picture. If you can put this up, Grayson. Anybody gotten this call before?

1:08The people that Jesus is talking to, they think God is saying, I've been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty and so they let it go to voicemail and they find some way to just let it go and dismiss it. We all know what happens when we get that call. We hit the button on the left. Nobody hits the button on the right. We decline it. We dismiss it. What we're talking about is the something that is actually a profound danger. It's spiritual apathy. It's indifference.

1:43Just not caring very much. Not caring at all. Jesus sees it all around him and so as we approach this text today, I just ask you, what about us? What about us? How will we respond to God's call? So let's go to Luke 7. Let's have Jesus encourage us and challenge us with the words that he says to this crowd. This is God's word for us. Let's pay attention to it. Just like we would pay attention to God himself because he is speaking through his word. His word comes from him. It's trustworthy and true just like he is. So Luke 7 starting in verse 24. When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John. What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in king's courts. What then did you go out to see?

2:57A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before your face who will prepare your way before you. I tell you, among those born of women, none is greater than John. Yet, the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him. To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children, sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another. We played the flute for you, and you did not dance. We sang a dirge, and you did not weep. For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, he has a demon. The son of man has come eating and drinking, and you say, look at him, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Yet, wisdom is justified by all her children. Pray with me. Lord, only you can bring new life. Only you can cast out old ways of thinking and living, and replace it with new. Only you can satisfy us, Lord. But Lord, will we pay attention to you when you call? Lord, help us break through our hard hearts, unstop our ears. Every one of us, Lord, help us to listen, to pay attention, to respond to your call. Lord, do great things in us, because you are great, and we trust you. Jesus, we pray this in your name. Amen. Okay, so the posture of faith, part

5:19three, like I've been saying. The point of this text is pretty simple. Four words. Taking God's call seriously. Taking God's call seriously. This passage is a little odd. It might have struck you that way when you're reading it. Perhaps it's a little bit hard to understand at first. The impact comes when you see the line of reasoning that Jesus is using. And that line of reasoning is going to be the three points today of this sermon. So it starts with this. The first thing Jesus says is this. John is greater than you realized. Verses 24 through the first half of 28. So last Sunday, we saw the compassion of Jesus as he moved towards John the Baptist. John the Baptist was in prison. He was doubting. And Jesus was kind gracious towards John. He didn't disown John for his doubts. He did things to prove that he was the Messiah, and he sent a message of hope to John. And then he turns to the crowds in this passage. He turns to them, and he uses some rhetorical questions. And what he's doing is he's endorsing John, but he's also, he wants to remind them of what they saw in John to begin with. If they've forgotten, he wants to remind them, remember what it is that you saw in John? He says, what did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? He's asking, did you travel by foot all the way to the middle of nowhere to see someone weak? To see a pushover? No, of course not. They wouldn't have bothered to make that trip. They went out because John was powerful. John was compelling. John had

6:59authority. Okay, Jesus says, what then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? He's saying, well, was he powerful and compelling because he had money? Because he had fine clothing? Because he had this worldly importance? Was he living in a palace? Well, no, of course not. He didn't have any of that. His power came from something else. And then Jesus asks, well, what then did you go out to see? A prophet? Now, at this point, he has set up his audience to say, yes, that's it. A prophet.

7:37That's why we went out. We went out because God was speaking through John. He had spiritual power and we recognized it. That's what we went out to see. Now, now that Jesus has brought this back to their minds, he amplifies it. He turns up the volume. He turns it to 11. He reveals something that they didn't know. He says, yes, I tell you. And more than a prophet. John spoke on God's behalf, but it was more than that. Now, that's a strong endorsement from Jesus, something that would have made light bulbs go off in the crowd. What's Jesus talking about? I think that sounds familiar. But then Jesus takes things even further than that. He says, I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John. Now, that's quite a statement. Those born of women, let's understand this. Those born of women, he's talking about natural mankind, people in their unredeemed state, born ordinarily, descended from Adam with a sinful nature. Jesus says that among all of those people, as they naturally are, John is the greatest. And why? Because his work is the most crucial for mankind. Think of all the significant people who have ever lived. Picture them in your mind. People who have contributed the most good to humanity. Scientists like Marie Curie, Isaac Newton, and Alice Ball, who cured leprosy. Creatives in the humanities like Bach, like Jane Austen, like Michelangelo.

9:25Inventors like Gutenberg, like John Deere, and Stephanie Kowalik, who invented Kevlar. Think about humanitarians like Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa. Think about brilliant polymaths who contributed to a lot of different fields in their lifetime. Leonardo da Vinci, Ada Lovelace, Maya Angelou, Nikola Tesla, and also Aristotle. Picture them all at an imaginary event. They're coming in the door one by one. It's an all-time historical banquet of honor.

10:07One by one, they're introduced and they're recognized. Who goes last? Who gets the greatest honor? Well, according to Jesus, it's John the Baptist. He gets the greatest honor. Out of all those people, the wilderness preacher, dressed in animal skins, eating locusts and honey, he didn't have a home. And he was only in ministry for a few years before he was put into prison. A few years of effective work, not a lifetime. John is greater, Jesus says, than all the others. His contributions to mankind stand above all those other people. And why? Because John had one job and he did it well.

10:58He opened the door for the Savior and let him in. He opened up the door. Jesus quotes Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament. Behold, I send my messenger before your face who will prepare your way before me. John the Baptist had a cataclysmic announcement for all of humanity. The time is now. Now, the Savior is here. Turn to God and come into his kingdom. Do it now. Because God is working his promised redemption and he's doing it through that one right there.

11:40Not through me, through him. That's why he's the greatest born of all women. But listen, this is not Jesus' main point. He said this to tell them something amazing. John is greater than you realized and you can be greater than him. You can be greater than him. Jesus says, The one who is the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. This is the center of the passage. This is Jesus' main point. It stands before us as a glorious promise. So let's understand who Jesus is talking about.

12:18Those who are in the kingdom of God are those who have been brought in by faith. Those who have been spiritually reborn. Jesus said this to Nicodemus, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Anyone, anyone, anyone born not just of woman but born of the Spirit is in the kingdom of God and therefore greater than John the Baptist. No matter how small of a role that you play or you think that you play, we don't really actually know what our impact is in this lifetime.

13:00No matter how small you feel like you are in the kingdom of God, Jesus says you're greater than John the Baptist. Now some of you might be wondering, Well, how can we be greater than John? Isn't John in the kingdom of God? Isn't that kind of contradictory? Don't stress the saying too far, okay? Jesus is just trying to make a point. Yes, John is in the kingdom of God. He's not on the outside. He's not knocking and saying, I just wasn't in time. Okay?

13:27Jesus is saying that simply being in the kingdom of God is an honor that surpasses the highest level of earthly fame and recognition that you could ever, ever achieve. Just being in the kingdom of God. Imagine this. Kids, imagine this. Imagine a sheep among a flock. And this sheep is just remarkable. It's beautiful. It's perfect in every way. It could go to the fair and win prizes. Its wool is beautiful and perfect. Its walk is just what you would imagine a sheep would do.

14:03Its bleat is pleasing to the ear. That sheep stands apart of any group of sheep, any flock that it is in, that sheep stands apart and you notice that sheep. But now imagine another sheep. One that is not impressive at all. It's just an ordinary sheep. Its wool is knotted in places. It walks kind of funny. Its bleat is kind of annoying.

14:34But the farmer has brought that sheep into his house. He's treated that sheep like a member of the family. He's cleaned him up. He's brushed his teeth. He's given him a place at the dinner table. He's given him a name. He's named him. And he's given him a soft bed to sleep in. Now which sheep would you rather be? The impressive one among the flock or the one that's in the house? That's pretty ordinary. But it's in the house. That's what Jesus is saying.

15:13He's saying, come in. You can be greater than John the Baptist. His work was great. But if you're born again, you are counted even greater than he. He's holding out a promise to you, a promise of greatness. Church, do you want it? Do you want it? Now it's okay to admit that you want to be significant. You might find it surprising for a pastor to tell you that. It's okay. Kids, listen to me. It's okay for you to want to be significant. We were made for that.

15:53We were made to be significant. The problem is not that we want to be significant. It's that we want to be significant on our own. Apart from God. With our own methods, our own route, our own path. We want those things to build up our significance. We scramble and we hoard and we envy and we strive and we end up treating other people poorly all the while wondering, is it enough? Is it enough? Am I there yet? Am I significant yet?

16:27You and I were made to find our significance in God. And through God. Jesus is the one that leads us there. Those who are the least in the kingdom of God are greater than John the Baptist. He will make you greater than you possibly could be without him. Greater because you have peace with your creator. Peace right now with the one who made you. Greater because you're blessed with an eternal inheritance. Greater because you have a place in God's house.

17:02Greater because you have a seat at the king's table. Now listen, when you talk about me, when you hear me talk about having a seat at the king's table, when you hear me say things like that, I'm not trying to be flowery. I'm trying to be literal. I'm not trying to just use flowery language to be abstract and get you excited. The Bible teaches that there will be literal feasting, literal eating and drinking in the kingdom of God with the God that made you.

17:36It's not a metaphor. It's reality. It's what we've been promised. When I say that through Christ you have a seat at the king's table, you have a seat at the king's table.

17:51I hope that you believe that. I hope you remember that that's the promise we have in Christ. The kingdom of God is not visible now. We can't see it, but it will be someday. Everyone will see it, and those who live there will see their creator face to face, and they will not be afraid. They will be glad. There will be no more tears, no more death, no more suffering, only worship and discovery and joy and rest and peace.

18:28But there's a problem, and that's what Jesus turns to next. He's got a challenge for us. Because you can be greater than John, but you have to take God's call seriously. Jesus has a bone to pick with the people that he's talking to. People are being dismissive of God's messengers. He says, to what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children. You know, another time Jesus said we have to have faith like a child, but here the comparison is not a positive one.

19:08He references a saying of the day, we played the flute for you and you did not dance. We sang a dirge and you did not weep. That's a little confusing. Here's what Jesus is trying to say. They refuse to respond to the message that's put in front of them. They won't hear it. A happy song doesn't make them happy. A sad song doesn't make them sad. They say, no matter what you put in front of me, I will not be influenced. I will not listen. I will not be impacted.

19:40When they saw John the Baptist's strict lifestyle, they said he has a demon. That guy is crazy. You can't listen to what he says. And then along comes Jesus, sharing meals and drinking wine with so-called bad people. And they call him a glutton and a drunkard. He's immoral, they say. These people are scoffers. Nothing will make them listen. There's always some reason to dismiss God's call. To not care about what God is saying. That's what Jesus is calling out.

20:19Today we might call it indifference, apathy, disaffection, or just meh. Now listen, I'm generation X. I used to think that we were the ones that really pioneered sarcasm and ironic detachment. We might not have invented apathy, but we perfected it. I used to think that. But did you see what Jesus said? He's talking to this generation. The generation that he was talking to struggled with it. The truth is, is that indifference and scoffing, they are universal problems.

21:03Perhaps now more than ever. We are just overloaded with information. Crises, needs, calls to action. There are so many things to care about. We can't tell the meaningful from the trivial. And so we cope by dismissing. By just shrugging our shoulders. You ever use that emoji? And you're just like, I just can't care.

21:36It's no wonder that sometimes God's call gets the same response from us. I just want to tell you that is tragic. It's tragic to dismiss the one who can help. It's tragic to be indifferent to the one who cares.

22:00Jesus is speaking right now. He's speaking to our weary hearts. Do not shrug off the call of God. It's better to be wrestling with his call in the mess of your life than it is to shrug him off.

22:20The challenge is this. If you want greatness, be a seeker instead of a scoffer. If you want the greatness that Jesus offers, be a seeker instead of a scoffer. What God offers is right there for you, but you have to take his call seriously. He says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone, anyone, anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me.

22:55He's calling you to trust him, to turn from your sins and to put your faith in Jesus, the Messiah that John pointed to, the one who died in the place of sinners like you and like me.

23:10But he's also calling you to know him deeper, to make his truth your truth when you're confused. Maybe especially when you're confused. He's calling you to keep following him when life goes haywire, when it's costly, when it's hard. He's calling you to rest in him, to make his promises your greatest hope. Sometimes when it's your only hope.

23:42Now Jesus ends this passage with a short proverb. Wisdom is justified by all her children. Here's what it means. What is wise is proven through the fruit that it bears. What is wise is proven through the fruit that it bears. The blessings that we receive when we take God's call seriously, it proves that it is wise, that it's the right move to listen to him.

24:15So with this wake-up call hanging in the air, this moment where Jesus is trying to shake you out of your spiritual apathy, wherever it is, however much you have it going on in your heart, Jesus is trying to break through today. Don't be indifferent to the call of God. Great things await you.

24:35I want to give you three reasons to close very quickly why you should shake off your indifference and respond to God's call today. No matter what he's calling you to do, first is this, his call is significant. There are many, many trivial things in this life. Trivialities come at us right and left. More things that you listen to and hear throughout your week are more often trivial than they are meaningful. But God's call is significant. It's meaningful.

25:07It is the one that you should listen to. When in doubt, believe and remember that God's call is significant. The second is this, he cares for you. No one else trying to get in your ear or send you a message will ever love you like God will. Ever.

25:33Not even close. Not even a contest. And lastly, he wants you to thrive. He wants you to thrive. He wants you to flourish. He's not trying to get something out of you. He's trying to give you something.

25:54Look again at the scripture reading that we read earlier. It pictures a healthy tree. Blessed is the man who walks not, walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor, did you see this, sits in the seat of scoffers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord. And on his law he meditates day and night. What is he like? He's like a tree. Planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season. Its leaf does not wither.

26:32In all that he does he prospers. That is the promise of greatness when we take God's call seriously. Friends, do it today. I don't know how that call is showing up in your life, but it's the right call to answer. Don't dismiss it.

26:52It's significant. He loves you and he wants you to thrive. Let's pray. Lord, I pray that we would all, no matter what generation we're in, we would be different than the generation that Jesus is talking to.

27:15That we would listen. That we would not invent ways to dismiss you, to scoff, but that we would stop. We would take it seriously when you're talking. Lord, whatever you're calling us to right now, each one of us, will you make it louder in our ears?

27:39Lord, make us pause, stop us in our tracks, help us to listen, and help us to see again the promise of greatness that is ours when we're in the kingdom of God. Thank you for your grace and for your mercy. Do great things in us. Jesus, we pray this in your name.