Worship Service
Good morning.
A friend of mine who is a pastor in Kansas shared with me that each morning since his daughters have been school-age when they pray together before they go to school. He's taught them and he asked them this question. What are we going to do today? And they respond we're going to look for the Lonely People. and he's taught his girls to think of that as a natural part of their life when they go to school if there's a kid sitting at a table by themselves eating or kid left out of a group their job as Christian is to look for those lonely people and find them and be their friend and that beautiful Can you imagine what kind of impact that might make if churches and parents and Christianity as a whole are children were raised not to say well we're going to do this or keep my circle the wagons, mentality instead go be Salt and Light and we encourage them to to look for those maybe that child this lonely in first grade that makes her friend won't be that child. That's lonely in 12th grade that makes bad decisions. It's a beautiful thing in the illustrates what we talked about last week when we kicked off the sermon series about looking at the way Jesus loves and trying to learn from him how to be people of love and compassion loving begins with looking is how we ended last Sunday on her sermon. We noticed this pattern that Jesus looks at folks and he sees them then just overlooked them and that allows that to generate compassion and he moves toward helping them and that's the pattern we see you in his life and we want to continue this morning asking how do we show love and compassion in a christ-like manner? Because we need the help we need the assistance. It is not natural for us to immediately go somewhere and say I'm looking for the lonely people. I'm looking for the folks who look like they need something and go to them. We need to be trained and equipped and encouraged to do that until we want to look in the scriptures at what Christ models for us. I don't want to look at John chapter 9. Look at this passage as for me or to us, there's some great theology In this passage, but let's focus on the relational aspect what happens between the people in this passion passage what's happening? Relationally. It says he walked along he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him Rabbi who sinned this man or his parents that he was born blind Jesus answered neither this man nor his parents and he was born blind so that God's Works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day night is coming when no one can work as long Cuz I'm in the world. I am the light of the world when he had said this he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's I sang to him go wash in the pool of Siloam, which means sent then he went and washed and came back able to see. It's an interesting passage. When you look at the relational aspects just noticed this first off Jesus looks at the man. So the pastor says he's there walking along and Jesus sees this man born blind and evidently when you think about it. It seems to be the Jesus looks at him intently enough that the disciples catch on that. Jesus is looking at their going through a gate where this pool was located. There's probably a big crowd. Okay. So so something stands out enough about Jesus looking at this man that they bother to say. Hey, okay, we see that Jesus is really looking at this person until they raised the question. Hey who send this man or his parents that he's born blind and by this pool as we enter the gate begging for assistance. Now the disciples look differently than Jesus. Both of them look differently than the other disciple see an issue to discuss who send Have we ever slipped into that? ourself thing people as issues or objects You know, I looked up the phrase that children should be seen and not heard. And I was heartbroken to discover but not completely surprised. I guess that it came from a sermon in the 1500s from a pastor that advocated that sort of thinking maybe well-intended but certainly not christ-like and not biblical and sometimes we can slip into that sort of thinking we're like the disciples. We just see you know one okay, there's kids here. We going to have them manage and no one sees them as people or maybe when we see people who have needs or problems. We can meet Lee like the disciples say can change the nation. I wondered and suddenly were discussing the issue and we're not seeing the person that's actually right in front of us. It's very easy. I think just slip in that path that the disciples are in so quickly Jesus. Different than the disciples he sees he doesn't see a blind man. He sees a man. Who happens to be blind? And there's a difference and it changes how they interact in this passage. Now, let me just as an aside here. Talk about how Jesus sees you and I because it's important to be reminded of this. I love this quote that I've shared before j i Packer said there's a tremendous relief and knowing his God's love to me is utterly realistic based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me so that no Discovery now can disillusion him about me in the way. I am so often disillusioned about myself and quench his determination to bless me. That's worth writing down or go on my Facebook. I posted a few weeks or months back. God sees us just like he sees this man born blind and he knows everything about us. There's no surprise awaiting him. He's not going to go on. I can't believe you did that. Are you thought that and his compassion is ever new for us? So even though we're going to talk about seeing others and showing compassion for toward them. We need to be reminded that the basis of that is the fact that God has seen us and showing compassion toward us and if you've never known that truth that God looks upon you and loves you with compassion and offers you Grace then please talk to me or someone else after the service. That's the gospel. That's the good news. That's what we want Paul to spread in India. We want those children not to be thought of as you know, you just need to be seen and not heard just get out of the way and you know, you're just children and that sort of thinking that the present Everywhere all over the globe. We want them to know the good news that God sees them and love them and cares for them. And we want them to have that Foundation to impact the way they look at others the way we're striving to have an impact the way we look at others the disciples immediately assess judge and discuss the man like an object or an issue. And again, do we slip into that? Have you ever had a meal at a restaurant and at the end of the meal you couldn't honestly say whether the waiter or waitress was a man or a woman? Have you been so fixed on yourself and your meal and there just an object right there? Just Brookfield. They're just bringing me what I want and if my glass gets too low then I had I noticed the glass in one of their going to get me a refill on my teeth, but maybe we can go through an entire meal and never see the person that is serving us or a clerk at a store. It's so easy to slip into that and the disciples just immediately without even really seeing the man. They just to meet Lee start talking about the issue was born blind who send in some of us are even now I wanted to say I want you to preach on that question Robbie. I don't want you to talk about how Jesus interact with people. I want to know the answer to the question. Why did I ask who sent him or his parents and we want to talk about that issue. But what I want to say is what is the model and the example that Christ gives us in this passage in the way. He treated that man born blind. It's so easy to step into judging and be quick to judge because what it does is it creates distance between us and that person with their issues or their struggles and it elevates us above that person. And that's just the nature of the Fallen human heart. It is so much easier to see somebody who's homeless and talk about homelessness as an issue instead of engaging that individual and hearing their story talking to them as a brother or sister under the one God the Father even if they are a prodigal brother or sister, they're still only one Creator and Wanamaker and it's so much easier just to suddenly be talking about that issue or two assassins that boy that guys that guy must have made some bad decisions that gal must have you know, what we just want to kind of get an I'm I'm as guilty of this as anyone. I mean Can we be honest for just a moment? Do you find it very easy to judge people. What do you think when you see parents out in public and I've got a child. That's just disobedient as the day is long. Do you think yourself come on? We're trying to eat here. Can you get that child too? And if you can't control the child, then you need to get up and leave the restaurant because rest of us are you ever slip into that? You see somebody who's in dire need anything boy, they they put them self in that sort of pickle. You see somebody who maybe maybe they're overweight or maybe they're smoking and you just immediately think I'm I don't smoke. I don't have that extra poundage, and we just so quick to judge and is asking if I relate to that. Maybe it's just me. And if so pray for me, but when I when I read this about the disciples, I thought it's such a short distance between seeing and suddenly assessing evaluating judging. Here's your problem. You need to straighten up and fly, right? Why don't you get a job? Why don't you know have a salad? Why don't you know, we we're so quit the kind of think in those terms and that's the opposite of Jesus In this passage who models for us something very different than what we naturally going to gravitate toward. Aw. Tozer said this about Sandy said Sam has many manifestations but its Essence is one a moral being created to worship Before the Throne of God sits on the throne of his own self foot and from that elevated position declares, I am But the fundamental issue with sin we're putting ourselves. We're elevating ourselves above others judging others assessing others now fortunately Grace awaits. He says every man who suddenly realizes that he is a usurper and sets on a stolen throne. Because only God knows only God is in that position of judging, right? We need to realize what we're doing that work work work pushing God off the Throne of our life and flopping down on this stolen throne and setting ourselves up to assess others and that's not what Jesus model for us and think about it if anybody had the right if anybody had the right to walk through the village to walk down the street and say well this person this way because of that and this person didn't do this and this person's got issues their parents and this person is unhealthy because of this behavior and to assess and judge if anybody had the right to do that, it would be Christ and he does not do it. He models for us something Altar and we need this example and we need this teaching because the rubber band of our own sinfulness keep stretching us back to walking through life and just kind of assessing and judging and that person will you have some help if you would, you know, if your little more organized they can be anything. Okay. So if you're sitting up here in the things I named you're likely I don't do that. So I'm not as bad as Robbie. Trust me. You've got categories that you 5 people and you could be very organized and you see somebody who's just organized and you're like what? Can you not be ready for this? How can you not show up with your papers and be who does who does that who shows up the class without any pain or paper were so quick to assess and it was very good to us to always see our strength and everyone else is weaknesses instead of the other way around and it's part of the condition of the human heart and we need Christ in his example to call us to something different. We saw this last week when he saw the crowd speaking of Jesus he had compassion for them and that phrase that language of quarters 40 times as a model as an example of Christ. He would see people in the mood to the compassion and the key was he would see them he would really see them. He would look at them. He would linger you would put himself in their shoes. He would see what's going on in their life. He wouldn't just passed by and he wouldn't just assess and evaluate and label and move on and it's so easy to do that whether it's politically or whether it's Or economics are so many labels at which we can use and just say well stamp out on that person and I'll move on I don't have to deal with them or worry about them. I put them in a box now. When Jesus looked at had compassion he looked at them he drew close to them and he helped them that was his pattern. He looked he had compassion he got clothes and he helped them so they're walking along in a crowd and there's all these people in Jesus starts looking at one person evidently enough for the disciples to go by man. Who was it the man or his parents? Jesus says you're missing the point completely if you have to have some sort of answer for what this is It's a chance for the character and the love and the work of God the Father to be demonstrated and he walks over and he stooped down and it gets closed and he makes mud and he heals the man's blindness. And that's what the opportunity was. Sometimes. We see suffering or problems or hardship and we spent all this time trying to figure out why is this the case? Why did this happen and maybe God is saying don't worry yourself about why just step in and be the hands of God and begin to love and show compassion and that's the call and example for you and I jesus skips judgment and move directly to compassion. That's pretty amazing in it. I need to learn how to do that my own life. Do not see somebody in need and immediately. It's just it's the it's in that ingrained in our brains to Amelie evaluate and assess and want to assign blame while you're this way because of I bet you've got issues. What did your mom and dad do to you? How did you end up in this predicament? We always want to assess and evaluate and spend our wills and Jesus just skips that and again if anyone had the right to judge it would be Christ. And perhaps he skipped it because guess what he knows where judgment is going to lay. On his shoulders on the cross. Not on that person. And we're called to work and act move and love and his name and his spirit. So we're called to skip judgment and go straight to compassion that's unchristian in it.
It feels that way because it we we just cut a Groove so deep in the way we think about send and issues that we think it's our place to say. Hey, did you know that's wrong. You know, I love the line where somebody in the movie was saying how I'm having a hard time here. The other person says with course having a hard time and describes all their their character fault as to why they're having a hard time and it's Jack Nicholson that response. He says I'm drowning here and you're describing the surface of the water. I thought that's a beautiful phrase and that's what we do. Sometimes as Christians when somebody's in dire need it when they're drowning. We just describe the surface of the water. They know that already in Christ models for a skipping judgment and going straight to compassion when we see others On right now on a Catholic priest said in order to be of service to others we have to die to them. That is we have to give up measuring are meaning and value with the yardstick of others to die. Do our neighbors means to stop judging them to stop a violating them and us to become free to be compassionate compassion can never coexist with judgements because judgement creates the distance the distinction which prevents us from really being with the other do not judge and you will not be judged yourself is a word from Jesus that is indeed very hard to live up to but it contains the secret of a compassionate Ministry. That's the model for us to follow to set aside that temptation to assess evaluate and judge and instead look. See that person and moved with compassion to help them and I know last week we said look and see others and that was your assignment. But the truth is this is one of the first Roblox that pops up when we start looking and seeing others if we're not careful. We'll look we'll see them and then we'll start to assess evaluate and judge and that will block the compassion and so to keep learning how to Love Like Jesus. We've got to know that yes, we look and we skip judgment and move right on to compassion to help that person in need. Judgement blocks christ-like compassion because it puts people into the category of objects issues or problems to be solved say I'm not really caring about them if I can evaluate and assess if I can figure out what your problem is, then I can solve it and I can get on my way because my day and my life is about me. So we can even do good with the wrong Spirit myself back on the throne of my day and I don't mean that in a mean-spirited why because the truth is Jesus challenges us to see this because it's an act of compassion from him toward us because when we place herself on her own Thrones our lives there just so much less than what he's designed them to be. We ceased the thriving that he created us to be he designed us to serve others and not just because he wants us to serve others, but because that's in our DNA when were made in the image of God serving others and loving others lines us up with a fruitfulness and the thriving that God designed us to have we talked about that last week. He says in Matthew that the eye is is is this source of our health and if the eye is light meaning it's the good way. We look upon others. Then we're healthy if it's dark in the original Greek. It's if it's this envious of this coven us. I can't believe this guy or what I want what he's got then our whole Solar whole body is dark and so it's out of compassion that he sang. Look the right way. Look with compassion. Skip judgment, you're not in a place to judge. Anyway. Skip judgment. It's what God does for us in it.
He looks and he doesn't look inside a Robbie. Let me get the clipboard out 18 clipboards, you know all these things that you've done and left undone. Aren't you? Glad that that's not the way it happens. That his eyes upon us are full of compassion and love that. He even look down from the cross up on those who were crucifying and said father forgive them.
Father forgive them. That's what we encounter and Christ wants us to be his face to others. This is Michael and Tiffany. And Tiffany is a parole officer. And if you can see the bottom left are the tattoos that Michael had on him and he was a white supremacist gang leader. Don't expect to see those two smiling together in a photo. Do you I heard them share their their testimony at a gathering of pastors that I attended in in Nashville earlier this year. He came out of prison after serving maybe a decade for for violent crimes related to being a gang leader and his parole officer was Tiffany. And when he walked into her office with his skin head and his absolute Rock Solid commitment to hating African Americans in promoting white supremacy. She was tempted to think, you know, I'm going to give you the worst experience of a parole officer you've ever had. You know, I own you. I control you you talk about Hoops to jump through and missing your deadlines and she's a Christian and she said the Lord just said that your job is to love him. not judging to love him because she was willing to listen to God when he came in. She started loving him. She said I just treated him like he was my son or my brother. I just poured out grace and patience and understanding no matter what he did or said. I responded with love and not judgment and he said after while he started thinking what's up with this chick, you know, I've been trained and disciples and in a Doctrine in this horrible theology that says she's no good because their skin color yet. She's treating me better than anyone has ever treated me. She's showing me grace and patience and helping me work my program and get my life back together. So that love eventually opened up their relationship to such a level that she felt permission and he granted her permission for her to say stuff to him. Like what's up with all these tattoos? I mean, you've got SWAT stickers and Hitler this all over you in that in your soul up. When I visit your home to check on things your walls are covered with these flags and stuff in that in that an evil. That's in your life. That's just hurting you and he started tearing this truth from her. He turned his whole life around and gave his life to Christ and they are best friends. Now she attended his wedding. And she never once judged him. She loved him. She loved him and then he gave her permission the Friendship gave permission to talk about what's hurting him in his life. What's going on in his life while you've got these he got his tattoos removed.
All those price and they have a beautiful story that they share I share that because we're tempted to think we all know you just you always have to assess and evaluate and judge in order to help somebody. We don't. We trust God. We trust God that doesn't mean the process the relationship might become deep enough that like her we get permission to help and assistance and call people on things. They need to be called on but it's not our first interaction with somebody. Jesus skip that and went straight to compassion. I'm going to bite the worship team to come forward. We're going to continue this series for many weeks and I want us to continue to look at Jesus in the gospels each week and look at a passage where he interacts with people and learn from him how we can be more like him in the way we love and show compassion to other so we've learned a couple things. We need to look so continue your homework this week try to have eyes open and and see people and maybe we can even be as bold and as strong and as Brave as my friends elementary-age daughter and we can actually look for the lonely people. We can actually look for the people who are hurting this week and add to that that we we don't let judgment block our compassion that that we that we we push that aside and they extend compassion to those we see and need and let that be the beginning of the relationship with them modeled after after Christ himself. Spell if you've never made the decision to give your life to Christ, if you've never known him as a compassionate God, we we pray that during the song that you come to me or one of the other leaders will be folks for prayer in the front and the back. I apologize. If you've been taught that God is angry with you that God is tapping his foot that he has no compassion until you straighten up and fly, right? That's not the gospel. Roman says that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. So just as we are Christ's answer for us is I love you. I forgive you. It's all offered. The ball is in our court to hear and believe and accept the good news that God loves us unconditionally. That all of our sins are forgiven in Christ to accept that good news. That's the invitation and if you've never made that decision, please pull me aside after the service or come to me during the song. I'll be in the back. So you want to be on display up front if you want to come talk to me or pray with me. Let's all celebrate if we give it our life to Christ already. Let's celebrate that salvation a new during the song Let's be reminded of the grace extended to us at the beginning and that he continues to extend to us every 24 hours every day of our life. And in that celebration offer ourselves Anew to him the way we did that first time, please stand as we sing.