Created For Significance Pt 1
Created For Significance • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 21 viewsHave we become Pharisees? Have we become a people who only desire to be around like-minded people? Who only associate with those we are comfortable with? Is that what Jesus calls us to? It is easy to loose sight of our purpose in the Kingdom... To just sort of begin going through the motions, and only concern ourselves with those who act like us... But that's not what Christ calls us to! Pharisaical attitude will prevent accomplishment of our purpose!
Notes
Transcript
Have you ever been reading a part of the Bible, and something just hits you? It’s like God suddenly says, “Check yourself!” And you begin to wonder, “Is that me? Am I the one He is talking to… confronting… asking to change?”
That happens to me a lot!
Look at Luke 14:1-6
1 One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching him closely.
2 There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen.
3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?”
4 When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away.
5 Then he turned to them and said, “Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don’t you rush to get him out?”
6 Again they could not answer.
I kind a love this story! Here Jesus is, He’s been invited to eat with one of the Pharisee’s in his home… You do know that’s a big deal, right?
Anyway, He gets there, and doesn’t even make it into the house! When He walks up, Jesus sees all the people standing around, Watching Him!
Then He notices a man… He’s sick… his body is swollen… he’s in pain…
Jesus sees the man, and He thinks, “Ok, I get it! You brought me here to test me… You all believe it is wrong to do any work, including healing, on the Sabbath.”
This makes Him a little mad… understandably right? I mean, these guys don’t care that this man has dropsy… They don’t care that he’s in pain… They don’t care that he’s dying… Or even that his family will soon be without their husband, son, father…
They don’t care about the embarrassment and pain he’s feeling as he stands there in front of all of them… He’s just an object their using to get at Jesus!
So Jesus says: “Listen, I know what you’re all thinking. You all believe that it’s a sin to do good on the Sabbath. BUT… You ALL do good on the Sabbath if it suits your purposes… If your son falls into a well, do you say: ‘Oh, sorry son, you’ll have to tread water til tomorrow! It’s the Sabbath! And… you know… that’s work, and we can’t work on the Sabbath… God doesn’t like it when we do!”
“Come on, guys… If your ox stumbles into a hole on the Sabbath, you get pulleys and rope, and your friends and neighbors to help… You pull it out, so it won’t suffer… all because your economic prosperity is at stake… So don’t tell me that I should keep from healing this guy… God is far more interested in loving people than keeping rules.”
One pastor confesses that as he read this passage, he found himself thinking “Go get’ em Jesus!” But the Holy Spirit interrupted and said: “Find yourself in this story.”
(repeat)
Which character are you?
Imagine the scene: Jesus has been invited to this party… As He strolls up, He notices that all the other guests have arrived early (guess He wasn’t told)…
Their all gathered on the front lawn… (I picture them in a sort of semi-circle)… arms folded… looks of anticipation on their faces… “What will He do?”… “Will He break the Law?”… Some want Him to… Others want to see a miracle… It’s written all over their faces…
Standing right in the center… between them and Jesus… is a man who doesn’t fit in with the rest of them…
He’s not dressed nice… he’s not from the same social class… Jesus notices this man’s arms, neck, and cheeks are all swollen… He has dropsy!
He’s obviously in pain, and he’s going to die in the next few weeks or months if he doesn’t get help…
Can you see the scene?
Now…
“Find yourself in the picture.”
Am I Jesus? It’s a nice thought, but… He’s perfect, I’m not!
The sick man? Well… sometimes maybe… but I’m in pretty good health, reasonable shape, and I’m certainly better looking and more charming than most! … PLUS, I have confessed Jesus, so…
That only leaves one!
These guys were the Pharisees… They were highly educated, devoutly spiritual people who held positions of authority within the religious community… They spent years reading the Torah, the Bible of their day,… they knew all the rules and regulations, mostly, by heart… They tried their best to live their lives according to those Laws… And, they thought little of those who didn’t!
The pastor I mentioned earlier confesses that as he looked at that picture, he heard God say, “This is you… You are the Pharisee.”
OUCH!!!!
He goes on: “I had to admit, He was right.”
Is that us?
Where do we find ourselves in the picture? Who are you in this picture? (Be honest)
You see… Where we find ourselves in this picture will define how we understand the rest of this chapter…
Who are you?
The sick man? (I like to think so, but....)
Jesus? (That would be even better, but…)
The Pharisee?
Who are you in this picture?
Look at Luke 14:7-11
7 When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice:
8 “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited?
9 The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!
10 “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests.
11 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
What do Pharisees typically do in public gatherings?
— They posture — They maneuver for the “choice seats”… you know… those closest to the VIP’s… They “snuggle up” to the people they think will benefit them the most… They compare themselves to others… They join in with whatever the “popular” kids are doing…
In every line of work, social posturing happens.
We see it in the military, everyone knows who is the ranking officer and who is the junior… and there is always someone seeking favor!
We see it in companies… everyone knows who the CEO is, who the vice presidents are, and who sweeps the floors…
We see it in the schools… the super intendant… the principles… and the bus drivers…
It’s called the “pecking order.”
It happens in the Church too… only it’s more subtle… Pastors are supposed to be more godly and humble, so we don’t blatantly stratify.
BUT… The first question asked when one pastor meets another is “How big is your church?”
Maybe not in those words… It sometimes comes as “How many people do you have?”… “How many kids do you have?” … “teens?”… “young families?”…
It might progress farther… “What is your church doing?”… (what ministries are you operating?) “Have you written any books?”… “Do you speak at ‘revivals’ or conferences?”…
All this is an effort to ascertain whether or not you are more important than them…
In Jesus’s day, the more important you were, the closer you sat to the host.
It’s no different today, is it?
People constantly “jostle” for the position of prominence.
We all want to be close to that important person… to surround ourselves with the “rock stars”… the important people… the ones who might benefit our lives in some way… (visitors and “networking”)
But Jesus says this: “Don’t seek the best seat. Seek the place of humility, and then let God exalt you when it’s appropriate.”
I have to confess… I’m guilty of this… I’m guilty of comparing myself to others… and thinking I deserve recognition…
This “jockeying” for position happens in another way as well… seeking recognition, praise, prominence, position… having to be the center of attention… demanding promotion and privilege…
The result is Constant Frustration!
I’ve been there… I can’t count how many times I’ve caught myself thinking: “I DESERVE recognition… I should be in control… I’m better then they are… They need to allow me to be on those boards…
And then, I begin “jockeying” for position, BUT… every time that happens, God says, “Is that what you’re living for?”
All that self-promotion and maneuvering…
Is that what you’re living for?
That’s what Pharisees do!
11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.
When we engage in “jockeying for position”, that is exactly what we are doing! We are acting just like this Pharisee!!!
We need to ask ourselves: “Is that really what I want? What’s really important? What really matters?”
11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
That’s already a lot, isn’t it?!?
Guess what???
Jesus isn’t done yet!
— Have you ever noticed how Jesus gets you right to that point… Right to the point of just almost being overwhelmed with the heaviness of what He has said… and then has one more thing to say? —
Look at Luke 14:12-14
12 Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward.
13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.
14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”
Jesus is looking at their spiritual condition… at their hearts… at how they have been acting… and He says:
“You know how the world says to throw a party, but…”
“The Kingdom of God is not like that!”
“When you throw a party, don’t just invite all the nice, safe, beautiful, cleaned-up people who are already a part of your social circle. Instead, when you throw a party, take initiative… invite some not-so-cleaned-up people who don’t know how to throw parties. That’s what God wants! That’s what God will be pleased with!”
Think about the party we throw every weekend… Think about this church… the things we do… Who shows up?!?
(Not sure? Look around you…)
The nice, safe, already-convinced (or at least partially convinced) Christians!
What happened to the “not-so-cleaned-up, not convinced,” trying to figure it out, lost and desperate people?
(Confession) Now don’t stone me for this… I look at this and this is what I think: “God… Have we become Pharisees? Has my purpose in life gotten out of alignment? Have we become a church that doesn’t know who the party is for?!?”
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be a Pharisee!
Pharisees only worry about themselves… their wants… their needs… their desires… how they want things done… they NEVER consider the other guy…
Pharisees place STATUS over Humility… and only invite the “already convinced” to the party.
Pharisees only associate with those who “look like them”… Those they are “comfortable” with… Those who will personally benefit them…
Is that us?!?
Is that how we’ve been living?
I fear we have… I don’t know about you, but that’s not how I want to live… That’s not how I want to be!
So… I’m praying this simple, but powerful prayer;
“God, I’m sorry for living this way. I don’t know what to do, but I want you to change me.”
Two simple sentences… But they hold so much power!
We’ve talked about this… We are called to live simple, humble, faithful lives… SUBMITTED to the Love God has for us…
That’s what this prayer is about!
We have been saved… We are redeemed… WE HAVE A PURPOSE!!!
That purpose is not about us!! It’s about them!!!
We were Created For Significance, and that significance begins with them!!!
(We’ll talk more about that next week)
But I want you to understand… John 3:16-17… once we gave our lives to Christ… Once we put our faith in Him… We are saved… It’s not about us anymore!!!
Look at Mt. 28:19-20
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
“Go and make disciples of all the NATIONS...”
— “ethnos” — “Nations” — “the largest unit into which the people of the world are divided on the basis of their constituting a socio-political community”
Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains 1996: 129. Print.
In other words… People who have similar cultural and physical attributes…
Christ commands us to go to ALL the nations… to ALL PEOPLE… regardless of social or political standings… regardless of whether they are “our type” of people… regardless if they are people we are “comfortable” with or not…
“Go and Make disciples of ALL NATIONS!”
Let me tell you:
— God’s Word is powerful. He speaks to us through it… He gives us direction… guidance… comfort… through it, BUT… If we don’t listen… If we don’t let it speak into our lives… If we look at is as meant for someone else… Then it cannot do anything for us!
When we pray, we need to pray with the Psalmist:
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.
— Prayer is powerful. That little two-sentence prayer is probably the most powerful prayer I can teach you… It will change your heart… It will change your life… It will change your feelings of fulfilment… and it will change your sense of closeness with God.
It is a prayer of openness… of vulnerability… of humility… asking your Creator to make you His…
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
— It’s easy to become a Pharisee. It’s easy to get to a place in our lives where we think we have it all figured out… and to start living like the rules matter more than people do… It’s easy to get complacent… to stop risking ourselves and start just being comfortable… It’s easy to start overlooking, ignoring, or flat-out condemning those who aren’t following the rules, or that seem to be disregarding them…
God does not want us to be like that!
Luke 12:1 (NIV)
1 Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
— It’s easy to get fuzzy on the purpose of life.
— God wants outsiders invited to the party!
And… He wants us to do the inviting, not the avoiding!!!
As we continue to building chapter 2 of this church’s history…
Will you let God’s Word into your life? Will you let It change you?
Will you set aside time EVERYDAY to read it… to let it sink into your heart… and to listen to what God has to say to you… personally?!?
Will you pray?
— Not just for family and friends… for this church and our nation, but… for yourself…
“God, I’m sorry for living this way. I don’t know what to do, but I want you to change me.”
Will you join me in praying this prayer… every single time God reveals something that He needs you to change?
AND… Will you invite outsiders to the party, and into your life?
(prayer)