By Faith, Not by Sight...

Presented by Ryan Gallivan

March 9, 2008

Scriptures

Leviticus 13:40-41

40 And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean. 41 And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean.

Luke 11:37-44

37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. 38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. 39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. 40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also? 41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. 42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. 44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.

2 Corinthians 5:7

7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

Observations on Leviticus 13:40-41

It is in the scripture! – what is said…

Seems simple, yet it is profound.
Of all the words given by God to man, these two verses are among them.
How incredible is it that in the age when God will not add to the message of the son, we have two verses telling us that bald people are not unclean because their hair has fallen out.

There is nothing spoken about those of us who are fortunate enough to have our hair. The question must be asked, if the scriptures do not declare us to be clean, are we? – what is not said?
This is a physical characteristic, not a thing of the spirit – what should be observed

This book was given specifically to the priests, so they would know how to differentiate between that which is clean, and that which is defiled. In many ways this was a very practical book, declaring things that are not readily understood, and declaring them in a way that was very clear and distinct.

“Lets turn our eye toward another passage that talks about things being clean and unclean, turn with me to Luke chapter 11.”

Observations on Luke 11:37-44

The Lord submitted to the request of the Pharisee, and yet while giving him what he wanted, He did not do it in the way the Pharisee desired.

How often do we look for something and find it is not what we expected or desired? Ever hear the phrase, “be careful what you wish for, you might get it?”
Asking Jesus to save you will be the best thing you ever did, but He may have plans for you that don’t fit with your vision of what life should be like.
The Lord did something very specific to get the Pharisee’s attention, and then taught him a very difficult lesson.

Jesus declared the Pharisee to be a fine piece of dinner ware… Good to look at, but not worthy of being used in the serving of the food.
Jesus seemed to be dealing with the Pharisee in a rather harsh fashion, even though it was, would it not have been beneficial for him to listen?

Do we desire the Lord to deal with us in a certain way? Does it get the job done, or does He need to turn up the heat a little more than we like?
The question that Jesus posed to him is one that we should ponder for a moment; did not God make the inside of man as well as the outside? How important is it that we take care of the thoughts and intents of our heart, as well as the outward appearance we give the world?

The Comparison: Giving of alms and tithing

Jesus declares rather boldly that the giving of alms will make all things clean unto us.
Jesus acquaints the Pharisees with the failure in their efforts to establish their own righteousness.

i. He noted that even though they tithed they were not righteous, their inside was unclean.

How does the giving of an alm differ from tithing, in that the doing of the one has the ability to make all things clean, and the other does not?

i. Love is the fulfilling of the law. That which is done in love is enough to establish a righteousness that exceeded that of the scribes and Pharisees.

ii. Tithing is the outward observance of a commandment, while the giving of an alm, done in compliance with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6, is an act of faith, from the heart. According to Jesus such an action not only has the result of making the inside and outside clean, but makes “all things” clean unto them.

Jesus concludes his statement with a scathing rebuke of the Pharisees.

“We have now covered two passages dealing with that which is clean, and unclean, and we are almost done. I want to conclude this lesson with an examination of one more verse, one that shows us how to apply what we have learned today, and will show us the difference between the two sections we have examined. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 5:7.”

Observations on 2 Corinthians 5:7

This verse highlights an important truth. This life we live is not about being, it is about doing. Note the verse says that we “walk”, not that we sit, and not that we just are. Our lives are to be lived, stories of action, doing the good works that he has before ordained we should do.
The next important observation to make, this is to be a life of faith. This could not only be contrasted with a life of sight, but by a life plagued by doubt as well. Ever wondering what we really need to be doing? Ever wondering what was really out there? Ever have questions about the rightness of something and do it anyway?

It should be noted that it is not a life of law. According to Galatians 3:12 boldly declares that the law is not faith. It is one thing to do something because someone tells you to, its another to do it because you yourself believe it to be right to do.
The bible declares that each man is to be fully persuaded in his own mind, not fully persuaded in the mind of the preacher. Are you fully persuaded?

The last observation on this verse is one that really needs emphasized today. This is by faith, it is not by sight.

The scriptures declare, “having food and raiment let us there with be content.” (1 Timothy 6:4), after this winter I wish it read “and having food, raiment, a house with a 2 car garage, a 4 wheel drive vehicle, and a snow blower, let us there with be content”, but thanks be to God it doesn’t. Our lives as Christians come down to this, we walk by faith, and not by sight, By faith, not by law. Convinced and believing, let us bring honor and glory to our savior.