The Essentials of Faith

(The audio recording of this message is unavailable due to technical problems.)

This was a message that was preached to emphasize basic steps that must come before and follow after one places their trust in Jesus Christ as Savior.

The Essentials of Faith

Introduction:

What comes to your mind when I read my sermon title, “The essentials of faith?” If you are like most people, I would expect you to start thinking of what we refer to as the “core doctrines” of the Christian faith. For those who have been around the church long enough you might automatically think about such important beliefs as: the existence of God, the sinfulness of man, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, the second coming of Christ, and so forth.

Well, those subjects have certainly been the essential or core beliefs of the church for a long time, but today I want to speak to you about some essentials of faith that I think must precede these other doctrines we hold dear. The “essentials” that I am talking about today are prerequisites to the kind of faith that accepts specific doctrines such as those I just mentioned.

As a way of introducing our subject today I want to ask three important questions for your consideration.

1. Whom do you trust?

2. What do you know?

3. How will you respond?

Let us take a look at some Scriptures to find the answers to these vital questions about life.

Whom do you trust?

Trust is a very important subject that involves the matter of faith. In this sense, we are not merely speaking of religious faith specifically, but also the kind of faith that enables you to trust the words or actions of any other person.

A television program preceding the 1988 Winter Olympics featured blind skiers being trained for slalom skiing, impossible as that sounds. Paired with sighted skiers, the blind skiers were taught on the flats how to make right and left turns. When that was mastered, they were taken to the slalom slope, where their sighted partners skied beside them shouting, "Left!" and "Right!" As they obeyed the commands, they were able to negotiate the course and cross the finish line, depending solely on the sighted skiers' word. It was either complete trust or catastrophe…. (http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/t/trust.htm)

In this account, the skiers who couldn’t see had to make a willful choice to trust the instruction and guidance of the partners who could see. Without that inherent trust, they would have never been able to ski down the slalom course successfully.

In all areas of daily life we are constantly required to make decisions about whom to trust or what to trust. Sometimes those decisions are of little consequence, so we may not put much effort into checking the reliability of the object of our trust. At other times the potential consequences are of great importance, which require that we give great diligence in order to determine whether the object of our trust is truly worthy of it.

In the specific realm of religious faith, the same principle is at work. We must decide if we are going to put our trust in God, the creator, or are we going to put our trust in some other object or philosophy of man.

Several of the Bible verses that were read earlier spoke of the value of trusting in God. There comes a point in our lives when we look around at the world of nature and decide that the same God who created such a magnificent world can surely take care of me. (Romans 1)

Then, to think that God not only created it all, but He set it up so that it runs perfectly and every little part of the creation does what it was designed to do. If He can do that then He most certainly can order my life and enable me to fulfill the purpose for which He created me as well.Am I really going to trust Him, or am I going to set myself up as the final authority and follow my own limited knowledge and understanding?

I don’t know about you, but I think it makes a whole lot more sense to put my trust in the God who created it all!

Am I going to trust the Word of God as the revelation of God’s will and purpose for me and for all of mankind?

A lot of people these days reject the Bible as the reliable and authoritative Word of God, but the alternatives that they come up with, in my opinion, are far more inferior than the source they have rejected. The same people who claim that the Bible cannot be trusted, think that it makes perfect sense for us to trust them. Why in the world would I reject the revelation of the One who created the whole universe, and put my trust in the knowledge, intellect and reasoning of someone that is so limited that they haven’t even visited every place on this planet, let alone the rest of the universe? Why would I reject the One who has lived forever but put my trust in someone who has only lived several decades?

I don’t know about you friends, but I think it makes a whole lot more sense to trust in God than in any of the ideas and philosophies of man. It makes more sense to trust in God’s Word than to trust in someone who has only a fraction of knowledge compared to God’s Word. The Bible has been around for millennia and it still confounds some of the most educated.

It still surprises some of the so-called experts when they discover that God’s Word accurately defines and describes something they never realized before. We may not understand everything we would like to understand, but we can still trust in God like Job who said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.”

What do you know?

The second question I want to explore with you today definitely relates to the first one because it is impossible to acquire knowledge without making a commitment of trust in the source of your knowledge. This question pertains to the matter of truth. What is truth? And, how does one know that the knowledge they have received is true?

Investigations of truth have claimed the earnest attention of people for millennia. Every human being wants to know that what they know and have learned is true. We want to have the assurance that we have not been deceived into believing errors.

One of the points that you have heard me mention before is the fact that some people claim you can’t ever know for sure what is true. They scoff at the suggestion that there is something called “absolute truth.” (That is, something that is true for all people in all places for all time.)

Truth was something that Jesus spoke about often, and the Bible certainly makes some significant claims about the truth.  Jesus claimed to be the embodiment of truth when He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6)

He further claimed that God’s Word was the source of truth when He prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.” (John 17:17)

But, as I said, we are living in a day when most of the philosophical and educational experts proclaim that it is impossible to know any absolute truth. They are quick to point out that modern science has demonstrated over and over that many things we used to think were true, have been proven to be false. So these “experts” tell us we can’t know anything for sure as absolute truth.

(What amazes me is: these same “experts” are the ones who get colleagues fired from their teachings positions if they question the absolute dogmas of evolution or global warming! So, I guess we are to conclude that there are at least two absolute truths – i.e. all humans descended from apes, and we are going to melt the globe by burning fossil fuels and releasing carbons into the atmosphere.

Oh, there seems to be another absolute truth according to some of these same “experts” – i.e. anyone who doesn’t endorse the idea of gay marriage is a dangerous bigot to be feared and destroyed. I hope I don’t sound too sarcastic.)

Well, I better swerve back on topic and stay away from political hot-button issues! I simply wanted to point out that many who claim there is no absolute truth really do believe there is, they just don’t like the truth that Christians have accepted.

There’s no better example in Scripture for knowing truth than we find in John’s first Epistle. Even though he was writing in a time period when only certain people claimed to have superior knowledge of truth, John repeatedly uses the phrase, “we know,” “we know,” “we know,” throughout this letter.

In just 5 chapters, John uses some form of the word “know” at least 37 times. It certainly sounds like John, who was an eyewitness of Jesus Christ and His ministry, knew some things with absolute certainty. He knew he had the truth, because He had seen and learned from the One who was the embodiment of truth.

Do you know the truth? Have you accepted and believed the truth about God, about man, about sin and about salvation?

How will you respond?

The third and final question I think we need to consider today has to do with the matter of obedience.

It seems perfectly logical to me that if I have accepted the fact that God can be trusted, and if I have accepted the Word of God as the reliable revelation of truth, then the sensible and logical thing is for me to respond to His truth with heart-felt obedience.

It often troubles me, and even confuses me how some people who claim to trust God and claim to believe the Bible as God’s Word, take the matter of obedience so lightly.

When God revealed His will and His truth to Adam and Eve, He expected obedience. The consequences of their disobedience reveals how important it really was for them to obey. When God revealed the Ten Commandments to Moses (not 10 suggestions), He expected obedience. When God revealed His truth in the Bible and took such care in preserving it through the centuries so we could have it and read it, I believe He expects obedience.

I know that there is confusion at times about what exactly applies to our culture and what only applied to ancient culture. That’s not my main concern. I’m concerned about the people who openly admit that they are disobeying God’s Word, but they go on anyway. They acknowledge that the behavior they’ve chosen is sin, but they persist in it anyway.

Dear friends, I’m just simple enough to believe that God expects obedience out of His children.

Jesus said to his disciples, if you love me keep my commandments.

Conclusion:

These three questions I’ve covered this morning are questions that must be settled before anyone can truly have a genuine relationship with the Lord.

At the beginning I mentioned that some decisions about placing trust in someone or something have little or no consequence, but other decisions have tremendous consequences.

These decisions I’ve been talking to you about today have the greatest consequence of any decisions you could ever make.

The choice of whom to trust will determine whether you and I go to heaven or hell and that consequence will last forever and ever.

Whom do you trust? What do you know to be true? How will you personally respond?

I hope that everyone one of us here today can sincerely and truthfully say:

“I trust in the God of heaven, creator of heaven and earth and in His divine revelation, the Holy Bible.”

“I know for certain that God has provided redemption from sin through the blood of Jesus Christ and I have been redeemed by faith in the blood that was shed for me.”

“I intend, by the grace of God, to carefully learn what God wants from my life and then obey His will as He reveals it to me.”

“I expect to live for God all the days of my life and when this life is over, to live in His presence for all of eternity!”

Beyond the Cross

(The audio recording of this message is unavailable due to technical problems.)

This is a message that was given on Easter Sunday 2015. It emphasizes the events that took place following the crucifixion of Christ.

Beyond the Cross

John 21:15-17 (NKJV) So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs." ¹⁶ He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep." ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.

Galatians 6:12-15 (KJV) As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. ¹³ For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. ¹⁴ But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. ¹⁵ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

Introduction:

It is not all that unusual for me to get the idea for a sermon from a song. Now, I must say that it is more common for my sermon ideas to come from the Bible! J

However, today’s sermon idea did come from a song; in fact, it came from two songs. One of the songs is the one that the choir sang just a little while ago, “I Will Glory in the Cross.” The other song is one that Kenton and Sonya sang last Sunday night in our singspiration service. The title of their song is actually the same as the title I’ve chosen for my message today, “Beyond the Cross.”

These two songs emphasize two separate themes, but they both focus on the cross with a resurrection message. In the song that the Shaws sang, “Beyond the Cross,” it emphasizes the literal reality of the resurrection as it proclaims, “Beyond the cross is a tomb that is empty…. And beyond that tomb is life everlasting.”

The cross wasn’t the end of the story. If it was, it would have been a terrible defeat. It would have been a victory for the forces of evil rather than good. But because of the resurrection, and because of the empty tomb, the cross is something that can be viewed as a victory for righteousness and a victory for the redemption of all mankind.

The song that the choir sang has this phrase, “I will weep no more for the cross that He bore. I will glory in the cross.” The author of that song, Dottie Rambo, seems to be saying, “There was a time when I would have looked at the cross and viewed it as a supreme disgrace; a tragedy; and a source of tremendous pain and sorrow. But now, in a post-resurrection (or post-Easter) world, I can look back at the cross and rather than see it as a tragedy and disgrace, I can brag about it.

“It is the only basis of my confidence that God has forgiven all my sins and I am at peace with God. I have a hope of eternal salvation. Hallelujah!”

Let us take a few moments to think about three different views beyond the cross.

I.              The first view beyond the cross is the literal reality of the resurrection.

In the scripture passage that was read earlier (Jn. 21:1-14) we heard the eyewitness account of one of the appearances that Jesus made to His disciples after the resurrection. I am not going to go into an in-depth discussion of this story, only to point out that Jesus took the steps necessary to appear to the disciples on several occasions in order to confirm His resurrection in their minds beyond all doubts. Here in John 21 is just one more example of such appearances.

Beyond the cross is the literal, physical, genuine resurrection of Jesus the Christ. He was dead but now He is alive, and as Luke said, in Acts 1:3, “…He showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs….”

I am thankful for the resurrection, and I am thankful for all of the “pains” that God took to validate the resurrection for those who might be plagued with doubts like Thomas.

II.        The second view beyond the cross is the victory over its scandal and tragedy.

In the mid-eastern culture and especially the Jewish culture, the cross was scandalous.

1 Cor. 1:23 “We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness.”

“stumblingblock” – same word that the word “scandal” comes from. However, for the Apostle Paul, the cross is no longer a symbol of scandal, tragedy and defeat, but it is the very object of his boasting.

Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

Because the Apostle had gotten “beyond the cross” he could look back on it now as something to be lifted up in honor, for on the cross our Savior shed His blood to purchase our salvation; our redemption. The very thing that the devil intended as an instrument of defeat and disgrace and discouragement has become the object of high esteem. That can only happen because of the resurrection.

This message can apply to each one of us in a narrow spiritual sense of realizing that our personal redemption was bought at the cross and we have nothing to brag about in ourselves, but only in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But it also can apply to us in a broader spiritual sense in recognizing that everything in our past that the devil has intended for our harm and for our destruction, can actually be turned into a great victory all because of the power in the resurrection.

III.  The third view beyond the cross is the assignment that awaits every disciple.

Finally, I would bring you back to the passage we looked at earlier in John 21.

If we pick up at verse 15 and read the rest of the story we discover not only that Jesus seems to be reinstating Peter to an intimate relationship following his embarrassing denial that he even knew Jesus, but we also learn that Jesus has work for Peter to do.

Beyond the cross, there is work for all of us to do.

The resurrection doesn’t mean that we all can now just sit around and enjoy all the blessings and benefits of His victory and just kind of “coast” on into heaven. No, the resurrection means that God has work for us to do in His kingdom, but the great news is that we don’t have to rely on our own strength alone to accomplish the task. We can rely on the grace and the strength of the One who conquered death and the grave.

We can count on the victory of our Lord to be our victory as well, while we are engaged in the work that He has for us to do.

Conclusion:

Beyond the cross is a risen Savior. He is alive and active in our world through His Spirit. Let’s believe it and let’s live it!

Worshiping Jesus

(The audio recording of this sermon is not available due to technical difficulties.)

This is a message that was part of a short series of sermons during the Lenten Season. It uses the Triumphal Entry of Christ as the basis for a message about worshiping Jesus.

Worshiping Jesus

Introduction:

A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His father returned from church holding a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, “Why do you have that palm branch, dad?” “You see, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved Palm Branches to honor him, so we got Palm Branches today.” The little boy complained, “Wouldn’t you know, the one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up!” http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/sermon-illustration-stories-easterpalmsunday-60638.asp

Then there was the pastor that was thinking about pasting Bible verses about the resurrection onto palm branches, but he reconsidered after he remembered that the Bible condemns palm reading! http://www.guy-sports.com/humor/saints/palm_sunday.htm

Today is celebrated as Palm Sunday, and we have sung songs to celebrate the lordship and kingship of Jesus. The message I want to bring today is the final sermon in a short series we have been doing and it is titled, “Worshiping Jesus.”

The topic of worship is a subject that is much broader than most people probably imagine. There is no possible way for me to adequately expound the subject in one sermon, so I will undoubtedly just “scratch the surface” today and then perhaps will revisit the subject again sometime in the future.

Since we believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, we will be referring to the worship of God and the worship of Jesus interchangeably throughout this message. However this very point may be the best place to begin. Are they essentially the same? Is it permissible to worship Jesus as we are commanded to worship God? There are two Scriptures that I want to use to lay the foundation for our topic: Worshiping Jesus.

Hebrews 1:1-6 (NKJV) ¹  God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ²  has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; ³  who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴  having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. ⁵  For to which of the angels did He ever say: "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You"? And again: "I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son"? ⁶  But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: "Let all the angels of God worship Him."

This quote from scripture is taken from Deut. 32:43, which reads, ⁴³ Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.

You will notice that the phrase mentioned in Hebrews (“Let all the angels of God worship Him.") does not appear in the text I just read, yet the Bibles I checked have cross references to this text as the verse being quoted. I learned after further study that the Greek translation of the OT (Septuagint), which would have been the “Bible” NT Jews would have been accustomed to using, does have this phrase at the beginning of the verse in Deut. So the apostle writing the book of Hebrews is affirming, under divine inspiration, that God has approved the worship of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Matthew 4:10 (KJV) ¹⁰ Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Again, we have another example where the OT passage that Jesus is probably quoting doesn’t exactly read that way in our Bibles.  Nearly all commentaries I consulted agreed that Jesus was quoting the passage found in Deut. 6:13, which reads in part, “You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him…” When Jesus quoted this passage, He used the word worship in place of the word fear.

We don’t have the time to go into a lengthy discussion here, but there are different examples in the Bible that would indicate that the word fear could serve as a synonym for worship, because it is closely related to the concept of reverence, and because those who “fear” the Lord are careful to honor Him and obey Him.

My main point for using this reference is to point out that Jesus Himself declares that God alone is to be worshiped, yet He does not attempt to stop any of the people who worshiped Him. Plus, Hebrews 1:6 indicates that God has ordered the angels to worship the Son. Therefore, the Son and the Father are both God and they are deserving of our worship.

Now, I would like to direct our attention more specifically to the question, “What does worship mean?”

And, then end up by exploring practical ways that worship is accomplished.

I.              What Does Worship Mean?

Let me provide just a few quotes from various theologians regarding the meaning of worship.

(Sperry, quoted in Wiley, Vol III p 45) “Worship is the adoration of God, the aspiration of supreme worth to God, and the manifestation of reverence in the presence of God.”

(Underhill, Ibid p 46) “…in the phenomena of worship, two currents of life meet – one proceeding from the transcendent God, the other flowing from the religious life of the subject. The descending current includes all forms of revelation, the ascending, all forms of prayer.”

(Prudden, Ibid) “He who has not learned to worship inclines to the belief that there is no being more worthy of reverence than himself…. The essence of worship is, that in itself it is dethroned and God enthroned. By it we recognize Him as somewhat other than a very powerful person whom we may use for our convenience and benefit.”

The worship of God reminds us that God is wholly and supremely different from us in His being, His nature, His abilities and His purposes. His ways are above our ways and His thoughts are above our thoughts. The most prominent terms used in Hebrew and in Greek carry the idea of prostrating one’s self; bowing the head; bowing down to the ground; or kiss the hand or ground towards something or someone.

For example, Exodus 4:31 (KJV) And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

Matthew 20:20 (KJV) Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.

The word implies that the one worshiping acknowledges the superiority of the one being worshiped.  It assumes the value, worth and honor of the object of worship. It also assumes the inferiority/humility of the one worshiping as well as the worshiper’s dependence upon the object of his worship.

All through the ministry of our Lord there were various individuals who are described as falling down and worshiping Jesus. One particular example is of the one leper out of the ten that Jesus healed of leprosy, who returned and fell down and worshiped Jesus to thank Him for the healing.

It would make an interesting study to go through the gospels and note every instance where it is recorded that someone worshiped the Lord.

I believe the most impressive account in the Bible of Jesus receiving the worship He deserves is found in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 5:8-14 (NKJV) ⁸ Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹ And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, ¹⁰ And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth." ¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!" ¹³ And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!" ¹⁴ Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

II.        How Is Worship Accomplished?

Worship is accomplished, first of all, in the preparation of the heart in proper humility and reflection upon one’s unworthiness in the presence of God’s supreme worthiness. Some people have such a narrow view and concept of worship. They presume that it is accomplished in the singing of songs and reciting some prayers. But, songs and prayers are worthless if the heart attitude has not been properly adjusted to consider the worth and supreme honor due to the object of our worship.

I’ve known of some people who refer to the time spent in singing praise choruses and offering of prayers as “worship”, but the rest of the church service is considered something other than worship. But we need to remember that worship also includes the hearing of the Word, and the response of obedience to the Word.

Worship also involves all service in the kingdom of God.

Romans 12:1 “I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.”

The term that Paul uses here for “service” is a term that predominantly refers to the performing of sacrificial services to God, which was always considered a part of their worship to Him. Now, Paul is urging believers to recognize that all our being, all our lives, are to be offered to God as an act of service or worship to Him. If we are Christians, everything we do is sacred and offered to God as a sacrifice.

Conclusion:

I want to close with just a couple of quotes.

(Foster, Elon; New Cyclopaedia of Prose Illustrations: First Series.)

Love for WORSHIP: [A minister of the gospel once said,] "I have in my congregation a worthy aged woman, who has for many years been so deaf as not to distinguish the loudest sound; and yet she is always one of the first in the meeting. On asking the reason of her constant attendance, as it was impossible for her to hear my voice, she answered, ‘Though I cannot hear you, I come to God's house because I love it, and would be found in his ways; and he gives me many a sweet thought upon the text when it is pointed out to me: another reason is, because I am in the best company, in the most immediate presence of God, and among his saints, the honorable of the earth. I am not satisfied with serving God in private: it is my duty and privilege to honor him regularly and constantly in public.’"

(Dr. J. Hamilton in Foster, Elon; New Cyclopaedia of Prose Illustrations: First Series.)

The temple itself is full of vacant worship. It resounds with rash vows and babbling voices. It is the house of God; but man has made it a nest of triflers, a fair of vanity, a den of thieves. Some come to it, as reckless and irreverent as if they were stepping into a neighbor's house. Some come to it, and feel as if they had laid the Most High under obligation, because they bring a sheaf of corn or a pair of pigeons; whilst they never listen to God's word, nor strive after that obedience which is better than sacrifice. Some come, and prattle over empty forms of devotion, as if they would be heard because of their much speaking. And some, in a fit of fervor, utter vows which they forget to pay; and, when reminded of their promise by the "angel" of the Church, they protest that there must be some mistake: they repudiate the vow, and say it was an error.

The comments from these bygone writers remind us of the supreme importance of worship.

Today, as we commemorate the triumphal entry of our Lord into the city of Jerusalem just a few days prior to His crucifixion, let us join our hearts and spirits in a pattern of worship that encompasses all of our daily activities as we follow Christ.

Loving Jesus

(To download an mp3 file of this message, click on the title above, or you listen by clicking the play button of the audio player shown.)

This message is part of a short series of sermons during the Lenten Season. This sermon uses the story of the woman who anointed the feet of Jesus as an example of showing extravagant love to the Lord.

Loving Jesus

Luke 7:36-50

Introduction:

What would you do to let someone know that you loved them very deeply; beyond what you could adequately express in words. I’m speaking primarily about love for someone other than your spouse – love that doesn’t involve physical intimacy, but is none-the-less the deepest heart-felt affection you can imagine. Maybe it is a life-long friend that has been loyal to you through all kinds of adversity. Maybe it is someone who has risked their own life in order to save yours. How would you let them know how much they are loved?

If you had financial means, you might consider a monetary gift, but it certainly would be a large enough amount that it would convey the greatest level of affection. Perhaps money isn’t an option. You might consider some deed or service, or a gift that is personally crafted, requiring a large amount of time and effort. What would you do?

A couple of months ago or more, I read this account in Luke 7 and began to ask myself, “Have I ever given a sacrificial gift to the Lord, just to let Him know how much I love Him and how indebted I am for His forgiveness and grace?” How about you?

So now I want to review this story in Luke 7 and try to discover some characteristics that would be true of someone who offers an extravagant love gift to Jesus.

I. First, let us describe the scene.

Jesus has been invited by a Pharisee to come for a meal at his home. Some writers believe that the invitation was merely for the purpose of critically examining the “prophet” in order determine if he was “true” or “false.”

We notice in the story that there a woman to the house and proceeded to engage in this extravagant display of love and appreciation to Jesus. How did this woman happen to be present at the house of the Pharisee? We are told that it was common in the eastern cultures for uninvited guests to enter the home and observe the occasion, especially if a rabbi was teaching there.

(v. 37 “…when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house….”)

It was also appropriate for the uninvited guests to become involved in conversation with the host, the guest or other visitors if they desired.

The sources I consulted about eastern cultures and customs describe the customary courtesies when a guest enters the home.

Bowing (may be just upper body or if greeting royalty or expressing deep gratitude, bowing down on knees and kissing the feet).

Greeting (Words of peace offered to visiting guest).

Kiss (right hand on the left shoulder of the guest/friend, and kiss his right cheek, then place left hand on right shoulder and kiss his left cheek). This is the equivalent of a vigorous, sincere handshake in western cultures.

(Note: The Apostle Paul tells the Christians in Rome, Corinth, and Thessalonica to: “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” He is addressing a custom that they all undoubtedly were already doing, so he just seems to be urging them to maintain warm, sincere, greetings when they come together. By adding the adjective “holy” Paul emphasizes the fact that this is more than mere cultural courtesy, but a display of Christian, i.e. holy, affection for fellow believers, minus any sensual overtones. One writer says, it’s hard to persist in strife and conflict with people you are frequently greeting in a holy manner.)

Washing of feet (because feet will be dusty/muddy/smelly from walking in sandals)

Anointing the head with oil (usually olive oil, sometimes mixed with spices)

All of these things I’ve just mentioned as a normal part of welcoming a guest were not done for Jesus by this Pharisee. (Reminded by Jesus in verses 44-46)

“Sat at meat” (KJV) or (Reclining at table, recent trans.)

Perhaps you’re wondering how it is possible for the woman to “come behind him” and be close to his feet. It was due to the normal customs regarding meals.

Tables were normally made with short legs, or in some cases the “table” was nothing more than a mat on the floor. It was customary for the people to “recline” around the table.

Two possible descriptions of how the reclining was accomplished:

      a. Cushions were placed parallel with the sides of the table, with the person reclining on left side propped up on left elbow, facing the table and eating with right hand. The legs could be slightly bent which would put the feet slightly behind the rest of the body.

      b. Cushions were perpendicular with the table, with the person reclining again on the left side propped up on left elbow, but legs and feet would be more or less straight back away from the table.

I have tried to describe some of the customs and details of the culture to make the story more meaningful. Now, let’s turn our attention to the event that unfolds before the eyes of the host and any other guests that might have been there.

II. Characteristics of the critic.

I want to take just a few minutes to talk about the Pharisee, because he represents the obstacles we will have to overcome if we are going to show Christ the kind of devotion and love that this woman did. Pharisees were considered to be experts in regards to the OT Law of Moses. They knew every minute detail of the Law, but they were only interested in outward appearance, not true heart-felt devotion to God. They were noted for their self-righteous pride and prejudices, which shows vividly in this account we are studying today.

He was judgmental.

“He spoke to himself…” – He was misjudging Jesus; thinking that He didn’t know much about this woman. (However, Jesus immediately demonstrated that he surely knew about the woman, because he even knew what the Pharisee was thinking.)

He also judged the woman – a sinner. (Only 1 writer, Adam Clarke, thought the word sinner merely meant she was a “heathen” or unbeliever.) Most scholars believe that the wording used here would probably indicate that this woman was a noted sinner; most of them agreeing that she was probably a prostitute.

The Pharisee had no compassion or desire to see her life turned around, but merely looked on her with disdain, contempt and condescension.

There are a couple of points of application we can make here.

Drawing from the example set by the Pharisee: What do we see when we look at a person who is living a lifestyle of despicable sin? Do we despise them and judge them, or do we see them as an eternal soul whom Jesus loves and for whom Jesus died?

Drawing from the example of the woman: Are we willing to demonstrate our devotion and sincere love to the Lord regardless of the judgmental attitudes of those who would criticize us, or will we let them deter us from it?

He was not hospitable.

After Jesus perceived the thoughts of the Pharisee, he proceeded to remind him of all the normal courtesies that he omitted when Jesus arrived at his home. Some writers believe that this omission was an indication that the Pharisee thought that he was a little better/higher than this itinerant preacher/teacher, who really didn’t deserve these basic courtesies from him.By reminding the host that he had failed to show even the most basic courtesies, Jesus amplifies the drastic difference between the self-righteous host and the humble guest.

He was wrong.

When Jesus finished with His comparison and explanation He had thoroughly proven how wrong the Pharisee was. He was mistaken about Jesus and he was mistaken about the woman. She may have been a notorious sinner, but now she is a follower of Jesus the Messiah – forgiven and on her way to heaven. And, as Jesus so vividly illustrated with his hypothetical story, she loved Him so much more than the Pharisee because she knew she had been forgiven such a large debt of sin.

Now, for the final point I want to focus our attention on the actions of the woman, which is the main point of this message.

III. Characteristics of the gift giver.

She was worshiping.

Earlier I described the customary bow that is given to welcome a guest. I mentioned that in some cases, if the host/greeter wanted to express the deepest kind of gratitude, felt inferior to the guest (e.g. member of royalty) or to request a great favor, they would bow all the way down on knees…

“worship” – to prostrate one's self

I believe that is the case with this woman. She’s falling at the feet of Jesus to worship and express the gratitude she feels toward him. The verb tense Jesus used when he said, “her sins, which are many, are forgiven,” (v. 47) is the perfect tense which indicates that forgiveness was granted in the past, and continues in the present.

She was passionate.

Weeping – At first I thought her tears were due to the remorse she felt over her sin. (Some scholars mentioned this too.) Other writers however, suggested that she was weeping tears of joy over being forgiven. (I came to agree with this view on the basis of the verb tense for “forgiven” indicating that her sins had already been forgiven.)

In any case, she was displaying great emotion and passion. In her passion, she didn’t appear to be deterred by what anyone else might think.

I don’t know about you, dear friends, but using this event as an example, I think it is not only appropriate, but it is even preferable at times for us to get a little emotional about our praise and thanks offered to the Lord. After all, think about what all He has done for us!

Our relationship with Jesus has to involve much more than emotion, but it sure would be awful boring and lifeless if there wasn’t any emotion!

She was extravagant.

We aren’t told by Luke in this account how much the oil or ointment cost. However, there is similar account that took place later in Jesus’ ministry that is recorded by Matthew, Mark, and John, i.e. an “alabaster box of ointment,” and … In the other accounts, it adds the words very precious/ costly. In John’s account, Judas Iscariot says the ointment could have been sold for “300 pence” (KJV); or 300 denarii. (1 denarius was worth a day’s wage. Today, even at minimum wage, that would be $58 for an 8-hour day. So, 300 denarii would be $17,400.)

Now, I know we can’t be sure how much she had or what it was worth, because it doesn’t say. But, we certainly are led to believe that it was expensive and it was precious. She didn’t care. She poured it out on the feet of the One who had shown her such grace and forgiveness.

What does Jesus deserve anyway? (The One who has forgiven my sins; removed guilt and condemnation; offered eternal life in heaven…)

She was undaunted.

She had to have known what people thought of her and how they might have been secretly criticizing her actions. She had to have known the risks of what people would even say about Jesus. (A woman of her reputation, showing such affection to a man right out in public. Some writers suggested that the perfumed oil she poured out may have been previously used in her sinful lifestyle. e.g. Prov. 7) Yet, she persisted and performed her act of devotion regardless.

When we look at our own lives, have we ever displayed these kinds of characteristics in the giving or gifts or displaying our affection for the Son of God?

Conclusion:

As I stated at the beginning, the more that I have meditated on this story, the more I have become convicted about the level of love I have shown to the Lord.

Have I ever been as passionate as this woman?

Have I ever been as extravagant as this woman?

Have I ever been as persistent and undaunted as this woman?

After all that Jesus has done for me, He certainly deserves this amount of devotion and affection.

What shall I do?

Well, I might think of a way to give Him a very large gift.

But there are other ways to show affection…

“If you love me, keep my commands.”

(To Peter) “If you love me, feed my sheep.”

“Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me.”

Only God can prompt us about what is appropriate for me and for you.

Let’s purpose to give an extravagant expression of devotion to the Savior Who has loved us, forgiven us, and showered us with so many expressions of His grace!

Knowing Jesus

(To download an mp3 file of this message, click on the title above, or you can click on the play button of the audio player shown.)

This message is part of a short series of sermons during the Lenten Season. It discusses the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Knowing Jesus

Philippians 3:7-8 (HCSB) ⁷ But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. ⁸ More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ

Introduction:

Last Sunday I said that I planned to do a short series of sermons leading up to Easter that were all related to the Lenten season.

The theme of the message last week was “Seeking Jesus.”

We stated that when anyone purposes to earnestly seek for Jesus, the Bible clearly promises that they will find Him.

I believe that the natural consequence of seeking and finding Jesus is getting to know Him.

Shortly after I came to Wayside I preached a sermon about knowing God. In that sermon I mentioned that knowing about someone is distinctly different than knowing them.

I would echo the same thought again today. Knowing Jesus is much different than knowing about Him.

You may have attended Sunday school and church your entire life. You may have learned all kinds of facts and information about Jesus and His earthly life.

You might be able to quote every parable He told and every miracle He performed. You might even be able to name every disciple and every city He visited.

But none of that knowledge about Him even comes close to the experience of really knowing Him in a personal relationship.

Today I want to speak to you about what it means to really know Jesus Christ.

I expect that there are many ways to define what it means to truly know Jesus, but I’m convinced that it includes at least three things.

I. Knowing Jesus means dying to self.

Matthew 16:24 (KJV) Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Whenever Jesus spoke to His followers about becoming devoted disciples, He frequently talked about cross-bearing.

Since crucifixions were common in Judea, the hearers would have been familiar with the sight of condemned criminals carrying their own crosses to the place of execution.

Somehow I believe that just hearing Jesus say these words would have alerted the listeners to the fact that following Jesus means the end of my self-willed, self-centered, self-indulgent life.

To know Jesus means to get the focus off of self and on to Him. (See Philippians 3:7-8 “…everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. ⁸ More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…”)

Imagine a conceited young man going out on a date with a young lady, presumably to get better acquainted with her and get to know her a little better.

Imagine the conversation starting out with him asking several questions to find out her answers…

How do you like my car? Do you share my passion for sports? What do you think about hunting and fishing? Ok, well now, that’s enough about you, let’s talk a little about me.

What little bit he tried to find out about her really had more to do with himself than they did about her.

When we are trying to know Jesus, we can’t get to know Him if we’re always trying to impress Him with our résumé.

Jesus and His desires, His plans, and His agenda are the most important things for me to know.

If I can get my self out of the way and focus on Him more and more, then I will discover a deeper knowledge of Him than I’ve ever had before.

Lord, help us to focus on learning the things that concern you, the things that you’re passionate about, and the things that you desire for me and for our world.

II. Knowing Jesus means practicing radical faith.

As I pondered and meditated about what it must mean to know Jesus more and more intimately, it seemed to me that there must be a deliberate practice of the kind of faith described and encouraged by Jesus Himself.

A. First of all, we must exercise the faith necessary to be saved or born again.

This is the beginning point. You can’t know Jesus if you’re not born again. Jesus told Nicodemus that a person must be born of the Spirit in order to enter the Kingdom of God.

It takes radical faith to accept the claims of Jesus and reject all efforts to save ourselves and only trust His sacrifice for salvation and forgiveness of our sins.

B. After we have sought and found forgiveness, and we have trusted alone in the sacrifice of Jesus for salvation and our hope of heaven, there remains a constant need to practice radical faith in following Him and learning more about Him.

Whenever we read through the Gospels and follow the accounts of Jesus teaching and guiding His disciples, we see a pattern of Jesus pressing his disciples to trust more, believe him more, expect great things, and attempt great things.

Throughout the Bible and all through church history there are countless stories about people who knew God intimately enough that they expected great things from God and they attempted great things for God.

I think this is the one area where I falter and fall short most often. (I’ve never been a big risk-taker when it comes to involving other people. There have been times when I’ve taken personal risks, but not as much when it needs to involve others.)

I’ve had numerous ideas go through my mind regarding ways we might reach out or otherwise impact our community for Jesus, but many times the ideas do not fully develop, at least partially due to fear of failure.

Surely, the more one comes to know Jesus, the more he/she will trust him and expect him to do exactly what he promises. This will translate into a confidence that “whatever Jesus asks of us, He will supply the grace, the courage, the wisdom and the strength to accomplish it.”

There’s a story about Peter walking on the water, which we often view as an example of his failure to fully trust the Lord.

However, think of it this way: When Peter says, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." (Matthew 14:28 NKJV), the only reason he even dares to make this request, is because Peter has been with the Master long enough by now that he expects miracles to happen whenever Jesus is around.

He knows that when Jesus is here, anything is possible. There appears to be no doubt in his mind initially, only after he gets out on the water and begins to look around at the storm.

Dear friends, if we can get to know Jesus more and more intimately, I’m convinced that we will be practicing a greater level of faith and will be seeing greater results from His power in our lives.

III. Knowing Jesus means a constant pursuit of more knowledge.

If Jesus is really God in the flesh, then that means that there is no limit to His attributes.

We can never know all that there is to know about Him. We can never come to the place where “we’ve arrived” and it’s okay to just “coast” the rest of the way home.

(Talk about Dr. Lake speaking at International Assembly last July on the topic of discipleship training.)

Randy Keeling has started this program of discipleship training in his church with some encouraging signs of initial success.

I have a burden to see us begin a program of consistent discipleship training in our church that will develop and grow stalwart followers of Jesus.

Conclusion:   Knowing Jesus is a lifetime adventure.

It all starts by giving our hearts to Him and receiving His forgiveness and accepting His Spirit into our hearts to transform our lives.

It continues as we consistently come to Jesus and seek more of Him.