The Lord hears you (Luke 18:1-14)

 An opportunity arises before me. Nay, two. One I've already begun, with a goal of seeing it through for (almost) the next month. The other knocked on my door twice in one morning. I have some needed prep work to do before I jump full force. My answer must be "yes". I say that, knowing full well that my history has been littered with previous opportunities of different kinds where I said I was going to say yes and then didn't do it. That must change. For my sake and more importantly my love's sake, it must change.

Luke 18 popped in my Bible reading program on the same morning that the second opportunity knocked twice on my door. Although the entire chapter has six sections, again, two spoke to me loudly, almost as if shouting to say "the Lord hears you!"

Luke 18:1-8, NKJV

1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ”

6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

Luke 18:9-14, NKJV

9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

These two passages are like arrows to two distinct prayers/complaints in my heart. But faith is reading the Bible, including passages like the above, and believing that God will show up and do something about it. If the people I'm thinking about where I'm shouting/crying for justice (in my heart) don't repent, God will indeed deal with them. But, all the same, if I - even I myself - do not repent of my unbelief, then God will indeed deal with me, along with all the other sin I have. After all, I'm not the only one crying out for justice here.

I get the sense that the above passages are more likely to be preached from the pulpit at progressive churches rather than conservative ones. I haven't been a member of a progressive-leaning church in a while now, so I've lost touch with how they should go about preaching what they think God is saying. All I know is, this is still the Word of God, and it should be interpreted exactly as God says it should be. Which, in this case, was Jesus speaking, and because He is indeed God, He states exactly how these should be interpreted:

• Will we believe Him for all that He says and commands us to do, when He comes back to earth to reign?

and,

• Will we humble ourselves and not look down on others?

It's a popular thing among progressives to beat up on the Pharisees. But, any of us can be Pharisees if we're not careful, regardless of background or worldview. Instead, the Bible exhorts us not to harden our hearts but rather hold out to the end.

Galatians 6:9, NKJV And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Mark 13:13, NKJV And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

However, we do this by faith, believing that God can do all things including the impossible:

Luke 18:27, NKJV But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

This is all while knowing that faith in and of itself is a gift from God:

Ephesians 2:8, NKJV For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Luke 18:29-30, NKJV So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

There's so much more, but time is short. It's time to move on the aforementioned opportunities.

Sermons from Good News: Growing to maturity

Introductory Bible verse:

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭103‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/psa.103.1-5.ESV

Sermon message:

You can carry someone on your faith for awhile but then they’re going to have to extend their own faith and grow on their own faith.


Thesis: Growing to maturity.

Goal of become a fully functioning Christian with power.

Your age doesn’t matter; how much time you’ve been in church doesn’t matter either; it’s about how much you’ve spent time with Jesus and grown to be like Him.

Another note: gifts don’t correlate to maturity. You can be gifted and immature.

It’s all about how close you’ve grown close to Christ. How much you’ve spent time with Christ and grown in knowledge of Him.

2 Peter 3:18

but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

The more knowledge we have about Jesus the more we mature.

Ephesians 2:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

By grace = by Jesus Christ

The more we understand about Jesus Christ and fall in love with Him, we really get more mature and develop a better foundation under our feet.

Ephesians 2:9

not of works, lest anyone should boast.

If we get obsessed about the “hard work” we did we would lose any maturity we would’ve begun to have/develop.

Everything we need in order to mature is found in Jesus Christ and in the Word of God.


Point #1: Jesus is our example of maturity.

Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Ask “what did Jesus do?”

Luke 2:52

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

We need to increase in wisdom and understanding.


Point #2: The Word of God nourished believers.

The Word of God nourishes believers with the nourishment needed at every stage.

1 Peter 2:2

as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

1 Peter 5:8

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

The above two passages: the word “may” is used. In the first, you “may” or “may not” grow depending on whether you desire and receive the pure milk of the Word. In the second, the devil “may” or “may not” devour you, depending on how close you are staying with God. In both cases, it is dependent on what you do, whether you receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord and choose to grow in faith and knowledge of Him, or whether you don’t.

Caution: don’t let condemnation bring you down on the next verse. It’s just conviction, not meant to be condemnation.

Hebrews 5:12

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

Sometimes we may need spiritual milk and not meat if your maturity isn’t there yet. But it’s an exhortation to mature.

Hebrews 5:13-14

For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

“Full age” - full age in Christ; mature in Christ.


Point #3: Signs that show you are maturing.

• One way is the presence of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.

Galatians 5:22-26

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

• Another way is whether we are walking in the truth of the Word of God.

Be very accurate if/when you’re giving a testimony—don’t exaggerate it.

2 John 1:4

I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father.

John 8:32

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

• Another way is whether we are about our Heavenly Father’s business. The Great Commission. Witnessing.

Mark 16:15-16

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

• Another way is whether the words of our mouth speak life or death. Speaking faith or speaking unbelief. Confessing well or confessing poorly.

James 3:2-18

2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 3 Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.

See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Closing Statements:

What you say with your mouth can sabotage your growth and efforts in maturity.

By the grace of God we can choose to confess well and quit confessing poorly. We cannot do it on our own. But we can do it on God’s strength.

Wisdom from above is first pure, peace loving, always gentle, wiling to yield to others, full of mercy, full of good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

From The Bible Recap: Even A Little Yeast Ruins Solid Teaching

 

Matthew 16:5-12, NKJV

5 Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.”

8 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? 9 Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? 10 Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? 11 How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?—but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Mark 8:13-21, NKJV

13 And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.”

17 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? 18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?”

They said to Him, “Twelve.”

20 “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?”

And they said, “Seven.”

21 So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”

 

Commentary from The Bible Recap:

After rebuking the Pharisees and Sadducees, two groups of leaders in the religious community, Jesus turns the experience into a teaching tool for His disciples. As He often does, Jesus uses the things around them as metaphors, but sometimes, like today, it can be confusing for the disciples because they think He’s talking about the physical thing, not the spiritual thing. Jesus compares the teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees to leaven.

For those of us who don’t spend much time in the kitchen or on the cooking channel, here’s a quick leaven lesson: it makes bread rise, and a tiny amount leavens the whole loaf. The Jews have long-standing ties to unleavened bread, and they even have a feast that features it – the Feast of Unleavened Bread, also known as Passover.

Back to the illustration: Jesus says the teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees is like leaven. In other words, just getting a little bit of their teaching mixed in with what you believe will impact the way everything pans out. These two groups have some major differences with each other … but the thing they have in common is that their teachings are primarily focused on morality. You can probably see how this would have the veneer of religion but without the heart behind it. And you can probably also see how that would impact every area of your life, like Jesus points out.

The minute morality becomes the goal, we start to fix our eyes on our actions instead of the saving action of Christ. When we focus too much on “being good people” – whatever that means – it can actually begin to negatively impact the way we view others and treat others. We can become self-righteous, looking down on others who haven’t “gotten their act together” like we have. When we’re primarily concerned about looking like good, upstanding citizens, [it becomes] offensive to be confronted with the truth that we are actually sinners in need of a Savior. You can see how morality can easily hijack the gospel while wearing the same Sunday suit. So Jesus warns His disciples to watch out for that teaching and that mentality, because it will impact everything. It will leaven the whole loaf of your faith.

Jesus points to His two food multiplications to remind His disciples that what He offers – the Gospel – is always enough. There were 12 baskets left over after Multiplication #1 with the Jews – one for each of the disciples – and there were 7 baskets left over after Multiplication #2 with the Gentiles, representing perfection and completion. Jesus wants His disciples to understand that He is sufficient for each of them individually and for all the people of the world. But they miss the symbolism He’s pointing to, so He explains it.

[It’s] interesting that Jesus fills His disciples in on the truth, but He doesn’t fill the Pharisees and the Sadducees in on it here. Remember how He warned His disciples in Matthew 7 “do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample on them underfoot and turn to attack you?” (Matthew 7:6) He demonstrates that here. Going to battle against a hardened heart is a waste of your time and energy. Not even a good and true argument can change someone’s mind. Only God can soften hearts and open eyes to see the truth.

From The Bible Recap: Faith Not In My Faith But Rather In My God

 

Matthew 9:18-19,23-25, NKJV

¹⁸ While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.” ¹⁹ So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.

²³ When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, ²⁴ He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. ²⁵ But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.

 

Luke 7:12-15, NKJV

¹² And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁴ Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” ¹⁵ So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.

Devotional excerpt from the Bible Recap:

What was your God shot today? Mine was in the necessity of Jesus taking action. A few times in today’s reading, Jesus said things like, “your faith has healed you.” But there’s far more going on there than meets the eye. This happens a lot with Jesus. There are often many layers to what He’s communicating. In order to see what He’s communicating, not just what He’s saying, we have to take a look at the whole story He’s telling us. If their faith alone had healed them, Jesus wouldn’t have had to show up or take any action at all, because their action of belief would have been sufficient. But it wasn’t. Jesus is necessary. He has to make it happen. And beyond that, we’ve seen that He heals people who don’t even have faith at all, like the dead man and the dead girl (reference bible passages). He heals people who don’t ask for it. He heals people who don’t ask for it but who do have faith, and people who do ask for it but who don’t have faith. There is no formula. This is not a combination lock. It’s a relationship with a compassionate God. Our faith on its own cannot heal, no matter how strong it is. But the object of our faith can. Faith in my faith is impotent idolatry. And frankly, I don’t know the future; I don’t know what is best; I don’t know what His plan is. So if I’m trying to mantra my way into healing, that sounds a lot more like demanding something instead of asking for it. And Jesus says, “ask”, not “demand.” Demanding is setting ourselves up to be the god who calls the shots. But God-honoring faith has a goal. It terminates on an object. And it’s not about what we’re believing for; it’s who we’re believing in. Faith in my faith is foolish, but faith in my God who is powerful and loves me is worship. He’s where the joy is.

Devotionals from my Bible app: Good Grief (Matthew 5:4)

Note before sharing the devotional: a transcription of the devotional’s video lead - I typically haven’t shared them in these types of posts.

Hey, what's happening, YouVersion community, my name is Derwin L. Gray, I am the lead pastor and cofounder along with my wife Vicky of Transformation Church in the greater Charlotte, North Carolina area. And Matthew 5:4 says this: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” The word “blessed” in the Greek is the word “macros”, and “macros” literally means “happy.” So, a literal translation would be “happy are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” What in the world is “happy”? Jesus is tying our happiness into mourning and God's comfort. What does it mean to mourn? To mourn means that you are sad. So there’s a lot of things to be sad about. First of all, the personal things in our lives to be sad about, whether it’s our own personal sin, whether it’s the way we’ve been wounded, the way we’ve wounded others, as we look at our culture, as we look at the world, that is a lot to mourn and to be sad about. A part of us discovering the happiness that God has called us to experience is to grieve or to mourn, that we cry out and say “Lord, this was wrong,” “this wasn’t just,” “this is bad,” “this hurts.” And in the midst of all of that, we see a crucified Savior who says “I know, but I also rose on the third day, defeating sin and death and evil.” And our hope and our comfort and our happiness is rooted in the One who says “I know your pain, I’ve absorbed your pain, all of the injustice was poured out upon Me so that all of My grace and mercy can be poured upon you.” And the reality is that we may mourn on Friday, but Sunday is coming. In other words, what we don’t grieve won’t leave. So may we grieve so that the God of grace will give us the comfort and the strength that we need. So, “blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Good Grief

Can anything good come from grief? From mourning a deep loss? From weeping over a profoundly heavy heartache?

While grief is a necessary part of life, no one longs to grieve. But in the second beatitude—a series of promises Jesus made about God’s Kingdom—Jesus said this:

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Matthew 5:4 ESV

No one can appreciate rain more than someone who’s lived in the desert. No one can value food more than someone who’s truly been starving. And no one can know God as their Comforter like someone who’s desperately needed comfort.

Death, decay, and disappointment are a part of this world. But even in our sorrow and suffering, God stands ready to comfort us—in unique and meaningful ways that only He can.

The Holy Spirit is often called the “Comforter,” as well as “Helper,” “Counselor,” and “Advocate.” This is who He is. Even in our grief, He’s the God who meets us right where we are.

And so, how does God comfort us? He does this through His Spirit, through His Word, and by working in and through His people.

Do you have the eyes to see how He’s pursuing you? Have you opened your heart to His comfort?

If you are a follower of Christ who is mourning today, remember: Jesus Himself promised that you will be comforted. He’s always good, He’s always faithful, and He’s right here, ready to help.

https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.5.4.ESV

Prayer: God, You see those who mourn, and You promise to comfort them. Please bring healing to my heart when I grieve. Give me hope when I’m feeling hopeless, and strength when I’m feeling. Show me how close You are in the midst of my mourning. In Jesus’ name, Amen.