Seven Deadly Words: We've never done it this way before

ME:

A while back, i use to attend a church in Youngstown called crossroads. The Pastor there told us about a neighbor he had. Every Sunday morning when the Pastor was about to leave for Church he’d see his neighbor on the porch. Every Sunday morning the Pastor would invite him to come with him. Every time the guy would decline. The pastor wouldn’t try to force the issue or dig deeper. Until one Sunday morning when the neighbor would say no. The pastor would ask him “why not”? The neighbor replied “because the church is full of hypocrites, that’s why! The pastor replied “Well, there’s always room for one more!”

WE:

Now we are often told of excuses why people don’t want to come to Church. Such as it’s too early, I work on Sundays, or like this man....people just don’t see a reason to come because he couldn’t see a difference from people in the church from the people in the world!

GOD:

Now last week we seen Jesus call the religious out for being hypocrites. This week He does the same as we will see today, he does it Let’s read...

Luke 13:10–17 NKJV

Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.” The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

SHOW VIDEO CLIP OF “SEVEN DEADLY WORDS”: WEVE NEVER DONE IT THAT WAY BEFORE

Now today’s sermon is on the thought of “Seven Deadly words: We’ve Never Done it that Way Before”

BACKGROUND

Now over the centuries the Jewish religious leaders would add rule after rule to God’s law. Some of these would be written down but, some of them would be passed on orally from generation to generation such as they did here with “You cannot heal on the sabbath because that is work”.

I remember in my first Nazarene church where I was a youth pastor at. One of the rules in the lease of the parsonage was “No Sunbathing in bikinis or speedos on Sundays! I guess every other day of the week it was fine!

The Reason for the confrontation

We see here Jesus was teaching in the temple on the Sabbath. He had all eyes on him and ears listening to him. Some sincerely wanted to hear what he had to say. While others were just listening so they could find a fault so they could trap and condemn him.

Suddenly Jesus stops during his teaching, during his lesson as he notices a woman who suffered from a disease for 18 years where she couldn’t even stand up straight and was bent over. So Jesus called her over and she was immediately healed and set free from her infirmity and she could once again stand up straight!

This was a unique case. We live in a sinful and fallen world. This woman was bound by Satan with a sickness in her body. We could have taken that woman to any doctor in the world and had X-rays and other tests run on her and NO ONE would have diagnosed her with a spirit of infirmity.  Her symptoms would have scientific names, a visible effect on her spine and a medical prognosis for her future.  However, the problem was spiritual, not physical.  Just like the man lowered through a hole in the roof, the problem was spiritual. The greatest need in the body of Christ is that of knowing our authority over the world of darkness. Most of us do not. We expect God to do everything for us 'if it is His will.' Otherwise, we simply learn to live with the problem. We can't fabricate authority mentally. We already have it spiritually. The answer is to see it in the Spirit, and then exercise it. Jesus knew His authority and exercised it effectively against demons, sicknesses and even storms. We have that same potential.

We share in the spiritual infirmity of this woman

We all are broken human beings who suffer with a disease called sin and we have a great physician who can heal all wounds. But you know if you ask any Doctor you know, “Who is the hardest person to heal”? You know what they will say? They will say “The patient who doesn’t believe they are sick”! Most of the time that won’t be the prostitute but the Pharisee! This Spirit of infirmity caused weakness in this woman and she couldn’t even stand up straight. For 18 years she suffered this condition making daily life difficult.

We learn of why God delays His help

God often delays the help that we need and ask for to develop of faith by fire, so that patience can have her perfect work, that our weakness would be made strong by tears and anguish so we can be more fully prepared for His coming.

The Sermon Outline Bible, Volume 7: Luke 1–John 3 Chap. 13, vers. 10–17

We may also learn why He often delays His help. God often delays to grant us the help we ask and need, that He may develop faith in us by trial, that He may let patience have her perfect work, that out of weakness we may be made strong by conflict and prayer and endeavour; and last and best of all, that, when we are thus prepared for His coming, He may bring us a good beyond our hopes, and bestow on us a blessing greater than we could once ask or receive.

We learn in these delays where and when to find help from God

Its in the delays of God that we experience learn new places to find God! This woman found God in the synagogue but, we can find God in the church, at a coffee shop, in a 2am car ride with our best friend. God said that his worshippers would no longer be confined to only worship Him in a building for His temple now resides in us!

The Response for the confrontation

The Criticism of Jesus ()

We see Jesus do this healing of the woman who suffered for so long. Many people were praising God for it! There were shouts of joy from many. Except the religious elite who scolded him for breaking one of the Jewish laws of healing on the Sabbath. Their argument was…we have a plan, an order of things or as you hear in so many churches “We’ve never done it this way before”. But, Jesus we’ve never healed on the sabbath. We have six other days that for. You can’t work on the sabbath!

The intent of the original law was to reveal sin but, the pharisees twisted the law to prevent love that’s why Jesus summed up the law to two things

Love the LORD your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength & love your neighbor as yourself

There are still man made laws today to prevent love in the church. We call the policies. Now some are needed. But when, those policies prevent love, then they need to go or else we can become hypocritical when we say we are God’s church but don’t act like Jesus.

The Condemnation of Jesus Lk (13:15-16)

Now Jesus responded to this criticism of the religious by calling them hypocrites because they didn’t allow healing on the Sabbath but they would feed there animals. In other words “If it was permissable to show mercy to animals then how much more so should mercy be shown to Gods covenant people on the sabbath.

The Results for the confrontation

His foes are shamed ()

His followers are joyful because of the work He has done ()

WE

Maybe we are that woman who has been suffering from that physical or spiritual disease for far too long and have been waiting for someone to notice you. Jesus see’s you in your pain, in your grief, and in your sorrow. He wants you to be free today!

Maybe your that really religious person that says often “We’ve never done it that way before” who has been bound down by the law and legalism and you condemn others because of your own guilt that you have been carrying around for far too long. Jesus wants you free from that today. Religion will weigh you down and cripple you but Jesus says my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Come to me!

YOU

The altar is always open. There have been some of you who have never made that walk down to this altar. I don’t know if you think you have it all together, think your perfect or are just physically unable to come down. We can pray and experience God’s presence anywhere but I do think that there is something special about coming down to the altar as an act of faith and laying down your burdens at the foot of his cross!