Habakkuk Part 3

I. Introduction

1. Prayers

Bible memory

Romans 8:23 ESV

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Title

Catch- What do people believe it means to “have faith?”

Disney says- Have faith, little one, 'til your hopes and your wishes come true

Faith vs facts

confidence from Latin fides (faith). with faith

When the reformation happened, the Romans Catholics were strongly against Salvation by Faith by Grace alone through faith alone

They said that righteous works were necessary and the super holy people, the saints, had extra righteous deeds tht the church coudl give to normal people like you and me

people often characterized faith as a casual acceptance of the truth

To respond to that the reformers worked hard to define what faith really means in 3 elements

To believe in Jesus, we must first know something about Him. This content comprises the notitia of faith

We must also affirm the truth of this content. Millions of people know something about Christianity but do not believe it is true. Saving faith requires assensus, the conviction that the content of the notitia is truth.

Demons affirm the truth of what God has said, but they do not trust Him (James 2:19). Fiducia — the entrusting of ourselves into the hands of Christ, the Living Truth

We can illustrate the relationship between the elements of saving faith in the following manner.

I can go to the airport and recognize the fact that there is an airplane in front of me. I can acknowledge the fact that the airplane and its pilot can hurtle down the runway and leap into the air for sustained flight. I can study the principles of aeronautics and comprehend that when air rushes over a curved surface it creates lift, which thus enables the airplane to fly. But I must trust the airplane and its pilot, board the aircraft, take my seat, and ride the airplane in order to demonstrate my faith in it. A bare knowledge of Christ and his claims is insufficient for salvation. We must trust that he is the only way to be saved from our sin and the only one who can give eternal life.[1]

[1] http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/doctrine-saving-faith/

3. Review of the book

Jesus gave a convicting sermon in chapter 6 where he called people to not just call him lord, but do what he said

Then we’ve seen some examples and struggles of faith in chapter 7

The centurion had amazing faith, trusting Jesus’ total authority to heal his beloved servant

We also saw the struggle of John the Baptist’s faith as Jesus did not do what he expected

But Jesus assured him and called everyone else to follow the king.

The tax collectors did

The pharisees and lawyers didn’t think they needed to repent

I. Saving faith exemplified and explained

We are going to talk about

1. The faith of the woman (36-38)

i. Explanation

a. Her Notitia/knowledge (36-37)

A pharisees named simon according to verse 40 invites Jesus over for a meal

according to Josephus there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time

and it was considered a good manners to invite a visiting rabbi over for dinner, especially if had just taught

But we see the pharisees keep doing this, not because they want to learn from Jesus, but they want to challenge him

Luke 6:7- And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him.

Luke 6:11- But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Luke 14:1–3- One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”

Eat bread together was supposed to be an occasion for intimate fellowship; treachery or less than friendly motives among those sharing a meal would repulse ancient readers

But now Jesus is reclining at the table like this first century statue

people would eat while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away

This is how painters would present the image

But if the table setup would ben more like this model

So, couches would have be setup around the table like this

And behold! (this is Luke ways of getting our attention to the main thing)

A sinful woman of the city enters the scene

What is a sinner? Do we think that is bad?

The word means someone who misses the mark

And while most commentators believe she is a prostitute, the text only says sinner

We understand sin as probably less atrocious than it actually is, but remember psalm 1

Psalm 1:1- Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

But Jesus was friends of these people Luke 15:1- Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him

This sinful women knew something about Jesus

What did she know? Obviously, he was there, but what must she have thought to go?

She brought an alabaster flask of perfume

An alabaster jar normally had a rather long neck which was broken off for the contents to be used. It served primarily as a container for precious substances such as perfume

We will see in her actions that she knew who jesus was

Hebrews 11:3 ESV

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

There are certain things we are required to believe about Christ, namely, that He is the Son of God, that He is our Savior, that He has provided an atonement, and so on.

The centurion knew Jesus was Lord, she knows Jesus is savior

Her knowledge then compels her

b. Her Assensus/conviction (38)

We find that she is standing, wetting, wiping, kissing, and anointing him

these words detail the woman’s every move, much as if the onlookers were watching her every step

While this 1890 painting is called the The Ointment of the Magdalene, and this woman does not appear to be here it gives a pretty good representation

Sitting around the table, it would have been pretty easy to come up behind Jesus

She weeps, we know because verse 50 she needs peace… she must know she’s a sinner

So whether they are tears of sadness or tears of Joy, we do not know

A Walk with God: Luke 35. Jesus Rebukes Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:44–50)

This woman was sophisticated, worldly, rich enough to afford expensive perfume, but the one thing she didn’t have was peace—for only Christ can bring peace to the heart of a human being.

But the word wet is translated rain other places and she’s crying so much

Women usually wore their hair in breads like these preserved ones

Letting down one’s hair in public was shameful and even a ground for divorce, but in her deep gratitude toward Jesus the woman forgot social propriety and used what was available to wipe Jesus’ feet—her hair

She kisses his feet

It was a mark of affection and of reverence.

Feet got dirty in Israel walking in sandals on those dirty roads

After clearing them off, she got down to kiss those less dirty feet

It was also the practice of request, and of those who had an important plea to present

What did a women known as a sinner risk going to Jesus in this way and throwing off social norms?

There were many to mock her, Jesus could have turned her away, she could be wrong

But

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Nelson’s New Christian Dictionary faith

confidence in God’s promises and trust in the events recorded in the Scripture

Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth Faith > Conversion

The mind embraces knowledge, a recognition and understanding of the truth concerning the person and work of Christ. The heart gives assent, or the settled confidence and affirmation that Christ’s salvation is suitable to one’s spiritual need.

Heb. 11:24–26 “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”

Moses’s faith consisted of the resolute conviction that the riches of Christ’s glory were more valuable than the treasures of Egypt (Heb. 11:24–26). He did not just intellectually apprehend that Christ was more precious; he was persuaded in the depths of his heart that it was true.

She was so sure, he alone could save her she committed fully to going to him

She would throw off her sinful lifestyle

and she didn’t care about any reproach

c. Her Fiducia/Trust (48-50)

Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth Faith > Conversion

The will responds with trust, the personal commitment to and appropriation of Christ as the only hope for eternal salvation

We see the result here

Jesus says her sins are forgiven

Her faith has saved her

But if faith is trust in something else

What is she trusting in?

Faith is only as valid as its object. You could have tremendous faith in very thin ice and drown.… You could have very little faith in very thick ice and be perfectly secure.

—Stuart Briscoe

Stuart Briscoe

She has saving faith

Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth Trust

Murray insightfully notes, “Faith is knowledge passing into conviction, and it is conviction passing into confidence. Faith cannot stop short of self-commitment to Christ, a transference of reliance upon ourselves and all human resources to reliance upon Christ alone for salvation. It is a receiving and resting upon him.

Paul will later explain this

Romans 5:1–2 ESV

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand

Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth Trust

One demonstrates his faith that bread satisfies hunger not merely by confessing, “Bread satisfies!” but by eating the bread. In the same way, one demonstrates his faith in Christ not merely by saying, “I believe!” but by coming to Christ, receiving all that he is, and entrusting to him all that the believer is.

ii. Illustration

1. During Martin Luther’s day people people would go on long trips to Rome to climb these steps to make peace with GOd

But the Luther movie showed well how shocked he was this by this, because he read his bible

Book quotes (None Greater)

Bavinck, "going to God and seeking his face does not consist in making a pilgrimage but in self-abasement and repentance." The sinner's distance from God is due to sin, yet this distance is not locally but spiritually (Isa. 59:2).

iii. Application

Luke 7:47 says the woman loved Jesus much. What evidence is there of that love in the previous verses

Has Jesus made her love the basis or ground or cause of her forgiveness? Or is it the evidence she has been forgiven? Why?

Jesus then takes the opportunity to teach everyone present

2. The commentary by Jesus (39-50)

THis event leads to

a. Drawing out the doubt (39-40)

Simon, looks as Jesus and makes two false assumptions

#1- A true prophet would not allow a sinful women to touch him

#2- Jesus did not know this woman

Notice in verse 39- Who is Simon speaking to?

Yet, Jesus knows what he is saying to himself

Jesus gently respond to this man by drawing him into a parable.

and Simon listens

b. Storytelling to disprove the doubt (41-43)

He tells the story of a creditor who would keep records of debts like this one

There are two debts

a 500 denari debt, so if a denari worth about a day’s wage for a laborer; this would be an amount worth not quite two years’ pay, working 6 days as week

50 is still a big deal, about two months

According to indeed.com, in OC that amount is between $18-28/hr

So that’s 8,000 or 80,000 dollars

Both came to him begging because they could not pay and he forgives

The word comes from grace, meaning “to bestow on one a favor or kindness.”

WE talked about how its the same word Romans 8:32: “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give [charidzomai] us all things?

Out of his riches, he gives a gift

Jesus asks Simon, which will love him more

Why does Simon says the larger debt?

Greater forgiveness, right?

c. Pointing out the differences of faith (44-47)

This is really all about Jesus

(1) Jesus knew Simon’s thoughts (cf. 5:22; 6:8);

(2) he knew that the woman was a sinner as the parable shows and thus refuted Simon’s wrong though

(3) Jesus is able to forgive sins—something God alone can do

(4) Simon’s and the woman’s standing before God was revealed and determined by their attitude toward Jesus.

Simon’s attitude towards jesus

He did not wash his feet, which may not have been expected, but was nice

A Walk with God: Luke 35. Jesus Rebukes Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:44–50)

But for some reason, the Pharisee made no provision for Jesus to have his feet cleansed. Neither did he greet him with the customary kiss. As is still the custom in many parts of the world, upon being greeted by your host you would exchange a kiss on the cheek and on each side of the head. A further amenity that the Pharisee suspended was that of supplying his guest with olive oil. Travelling for any distance would result in the hair also becoming encrusted with dust, so the olive oil was given to allow the guest to freshen up after being out in the hot sun and dusty streets.

He did not offer a kiss of greeting and kindness

He did not offer oil

it is evident that Simon in no way expressed any affection toward Jesus when he came to his home

But the woman

Jesus’ point is that the person who realizes how great a gift forgiveness is (because they have a deep sense of sin) has a great love for the one who forgives

A Walk with God: Luke 35. Jesus Rebukes Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:44–50)

Love is at the heart of the Christian faith: love for God out of which comes an abundance of love and compassion for others. The apostle Paul writes, ‘If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing’ (1 Cor. 13:3). This was the Pharisee’s problem: he had no love in his heart because he didn’t know what it meant to be forgiven: Jesus said, ‘he who is forgiven little, loves little’

And they all walk about shocked… how can this man claim to forgive sin?

But what question do you think Simon was asking?

Simon may have been asking how did this man know what I was thinking

Because he was was truly GOd

iii. Application

Why does forgiveness of worse sins mean more love towards God?

How should we treat someone who has some really bad sins in their past?

Any thoughts on saving faith?

IV. Closing prayer

End