Introduction
Let me begin with a discipleship question: how will you follow Jesus in repentance and spiritual renewal this week?
Main Points
In this lesson shaped by Calvary Boise's teaching on PARABLES OF JESUS: The Lowest Seat, Christ invites us to receive truth with humility, practice repentance, and walk in faithful obedience.
Faith and Obedience
Before we look at the beginning of this chapter I want to look at verse 11 of Luke chapter 14 in this verse Jesus. Is going to give the main point of why he told the parable that were gonna study this morning in the first place it.
- Says in verse 11 for whoever exalts himself will be humbled but He Who humbles himself will be exalted what we have here is.
- Another example of how Jesus teaches an altogether different kind of way of living that then we would normally think through this is the.
- Opposite of what we would expect to happen as you humble yourself and this has been one of the themes as we've studied the.
- Parables and what they teach us about the kingdom one of the themes has been that our lives should be radically different than the.
Natural way of thinking or from non kingdom of Jesus people last week while we were in the park we looked at John chapter. 12 and it was another way that Jesus says listen your life should be completely different when you follow me because in John chapter.
Identity in Christ
For God to take care of your life and bring you honor and exalt you and put you in places that you'd never have. Gotten on your own it's a backwards way of thinking it's not what comes naturally to you but that's the principle we're gonna look.
- At and to do that I want to look at the context of why Jesus's even found himself teaching this what was he speaking.
- To what was the audience of this lesson going through and we'll look at that by going back to the beginning of his chapter.
- It's important that we pay attention because he's speaking into a bunch of people that need to hear this message and they're doing religion.
- Really well but they're doing humility really poorly listen up Luke chapter 14 verse 1 says now it happened as he went into the.
House of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath this is a very important detail to set the. Stage for why this lesson is so important in this context he is going into one of the houses of the ruler of the.
Life in the Church
Is walking into he's gonna go eat with one of the rulers of the Pharisees and now a contrast is going to happen verse. 2 behold there was a certain man before Jesus who had dropsy a disease common in the first century where you retain too much. Water and you become bloated and all your body and you're clearly unclean a very important thing to distinguish we have a ruler of. The Pharisees clearly very righteous there in their eyes of that day and now you have someone who's diseased and sick and bloated and. He looks just dirty and he's very low and it is between these two people that Jesus is walking into the tension of the. Day who does Jesus honor who does Jesus pay respect to it and what's the first thing that Jesus will do in response to. This it's gonna look right at this crowd of elite people who have gathered and verse three and say to them spoke to the. Lawyers and the Pharisees is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath is it a violation of the law of God for Jesus to. Care for this man who is unclean and diseased and needs healing so what are the religious people the elite people say they keep. Silent verse four and so Jesus takes this man and he heals him and he sends him on his way the stage is set. And the tension is getting very tense because we've got these people who have established themselves as righteous because of their adherence of the. Law Sabbath one of the great Commandments and Jesus is in their eyes just violated so what does he say to them he's going. To put them in their place verse five he loved them and he answered and said to them which of you having a donkey. Or an ox that has fallen into a pit will not immediately pull him out even if it's on the Sabbath so here's a. Test to your exaltation your religious corner that you've found yourself in you a ruler of the rulers if your own animal fell into. A ditch would you would you pull it out to which they say nothing verse six says they can't give an answer regarding these. Things because Jesus has stopped them in their tracks he has find a in their armor he's found a an area of weakness in. Their respect for the law they would actually the reason they're.
Grace and Justification
Silent is because Jesus has pointed out something to them that looks like hypocrisy if they had an animal that fell in a ditch. They're gonna pull it out better than that matter if the Sabbath or not so Jesus is saying how much more if an animal. Is worth a little bit of effort that could be confused with work to pull out and save a life how much more is. A man created in the image of God worth healing to pull him out of the pit that he's in and to bring him. To a place where he can go on his way and this is the tension that exists in self-exaltation of adherence to religion you. Can be so focused about maintaining your position and keeping the religious status that you completely lose the point and your place of honor. Is actually going to cost you in the eyes of God did Jesus break the law no the law the Sabbath and every other. Law can be summed up very simply that you would love God and love people Jesus loving the Father to the extent that he. Loves this man did he break the law no did he break tradition absolutely did he offend people who were looking to themselves to. Really exalt themselves absolutely one of the principles of all of this is the reminder that we need to hear all the time the. Danger of self exaltation is not solved by religion in fact that can add to it the danger that comes from positioning yourselves to. Do well that will eventually end in a humility brought to you by the grace of God so that you never position yourself outside. The creator creation relationship that position is what you need and it won't be solved just by going to church just by becoming a. Little bit more in tune with the traditions of men Jesus is saying your exaltation is going to cost you and to do that. He's gonna tell a story and that's what we're gonna draw from this morning he tells a story with this as the context a. Bunch of people who are more concerned with their own status than helping someone else then helping bring someone up and so it says. In verse 7 he told a parable to those who were invited when he noted how they chose the best places see this is. Manifesting in actual behavior the way they think about their position is.
Faith and Obedience
Now causing them to act out a desire to find the best places for their life and when Jesus notices that he's gonna tell. Them a story and here's something really important to point out before we get into the parable this scene that has been set up. By the gospel writer has a tension in what is being noticed remember as Jesus is coming into the house of the ruler of. Pharisees they're all noticing him they're watching to see what he is going to do they are ready to catch him in some way. That he's not actually a great teacher and a righteous man he's not the Messiah they're gonna watch until they find out a reason. Why and lesson of Jesus the way he lived his life didn't matter who was watching him didn't matter what prying eyes were looking. At his life which people were ready to judge him he did the will of the father all the time even if it cost. Him some disputes even if it cost him some judgment of people that they were holding the keys to the religion of the day. What does that look like for your life when people are watching you what do they see when you see and notice that people. Are watching you does it change what it means to follow the will for your God for the father now second thing it also. Says it's not just the Pharisees and the lawyers that are watching Jesus it also says that Jesus notices them Jesus himself was the. Master at picking up the behavior in the heart condition and the needs of the people and this is really good news Jesus always. Notices people when we overlook the least of these it is a violation of what God sees and the beauty of people who need. His care in his help good news this morning Jesus notices everything and we looked at that as really good news a couple weeks. Ago as we studied the parable of the Good Samaritan there was this guy who noticed and had compassion a man that was in. Need of help and he's the Good Samaritan and that was a representation of the Heart of Jesus always noticing and having compassion on. People who need help Matthew chapter 9 says that Jesus went from village to village preaching and teaching and then he noticed that the. People were scattered like sheep without a shepherd and he.
Sin and Salvation
Was moved with compassion he notices when people are in need of healing he's passing through a town and there's a blind man crying. Out for help and everyone else is silencing him and stepping over him and Jesus says I want wait a second I noticed this. Man has a need he notices your needs this morning and that's exciting that's comforting it's comforting to know that the god of the. Universe knows the numbers of hairs on your head and not one sparrow falls without him knowing how much more valuable you are than. The sparrows but here's a little less comforting reality of what God sees God doesn't just see people in need God also sees people. In error in this in this example of Jesus noticing he's seeing people who are acting wrongly and they're setting themselves up for failure. Because they're in error about what they think they think that a good position is a thing that they can attain to make a. Good life and they're wrong and Jesus loves people in error Jesus loves them enough to speak truth to them to correct their errors. He says I'm the way the truth and the life now truth is a remedy for err this is not as exciting news it's. Just as important but this is where we start to recoil a little bit about the Ministry of Jesus I think about this playing. Out in my own family dynamic my role as a father to my three girls often times is healer in some ways they look. To me as comfort of their life if they fall over and skinned their knee if they've had a toy stolen from them and. They're crying for help I come into the room and they can't wait to see me they love when I picked them up because. They're crying from being wounded they love when I kiss the wound when I hold them in my arms but conversely when I need. To come in as the person who offers correction when I see an error in their behavior when I notice which one of them. Was the thief of the toy and I need to teach them about sharing and I need to teach them about giving all of. A sudden they don't like my parenting very much have you ever noticed that in your own it's like kids love when we comfort. Them when we offer them the help that they need and they're.
Faith and Obedience
Not as willing to listen when we correct their errors in that example I caution myself I caution all of us Jesus has to. Be both he has to be your healer good news he is he's the great physician he also has to be truth in air. Of your life are you willing to let him do that and I ask you that very specifically for this morning because the air. That Jesus is going to correct that is making these people positioning themselves for better seats happens to be one of the most common. Errors that we make in following Jesus it's an error of my life Jesus notices in 1st century Palestine people trying to position themselves. At the foot of the table to get closest to the men in power he notices it in 21st century America he notices it. When we're on the freeway he notices it when we're trying to get a parking spot at the mall he notices it we're checking. Into work and we're trying to figure out how we can get a little bit better than the next guy he notices this in. Church as well so many churches want to position themselves to be the church that's the good church and the great church and pastors. And preachers and worship and all of us can get together and say man we want ours to be the best there's nothing wrong. With that but if we're positioning ourselves to exalt the church or the pastor or anything else we're in air and it needs to. Be corrected and it can happen just as much in church as in corporate America so this is a lesson we should listen to. This is what he says he's got a story to teach us on this verse 8 when you are invited now here's the story. Is gonna break this down in a way that we can try to relate to through a practical story when you are invited by. Anyone to a wedding feast do not sit down in the best place lest one more honourable than you be invited by him this. Is practical for first century it's practical for now we have a one-to-one parallel the wedding feast represents a table of hierarchy have you. Ever noticed that true then true now what happens is when you have this wedding the bride and groom sit somewhere in the center. Of the party and their spot is reserved for them it's.
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.