The Plowman

The Touch of Grace [ 35:22 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (45)

The Touch of Grace: 2016 Gospel of Luke #26

This is an exposition of Luke 7:36-50. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, August 21, 2016.

Intro:

It is the mark of a great book or movie.  You figure it all out early in the story.  You know who did it and why.  You are putting all the pieces together as the story unfolds.  You are feeling smug and confident as the story reaches it’s climax – then it happens.  Your suspect dies.  It wasn’t him after all.  But wait, how can that be?  The ending shocks you.  You are amazed and yet now it all makes sense.  “Of course!”  Why couldn’t you see that before?  It is the last thing you would have ever suspected and yet it is the only way that makes sense.  You were caught completely off guard.  The storyteller exploited your bias and made his point.

Luke the physician and traveling companion of the apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, took events, teachings and encounters from the life and ministry of Jesus and wove them together in a fascinating tale for his friend Theophilus.  His purpose in writing was to demonstrate that Jesus was indeed the Messiah of the Jews and the Savor of the world.  His goal was to bring his friend to faith in Jesus as the Christ.  Luke, with the skill of an artist and the depth of a master storyteller, creates a powerful account of the life of Jesus.

In the seventh chapter of Luke’s Gospel we find the account of a dinner party.  This was no ordinary dinner party.  Especially when you consider it took place in the home of a Pharisee.  Here a Pharisee was entertaining a rebel rousing itinerate preacher and in walks the town prostitute!  It makes for an interesting evening and more importantly; it reveals a profound truth.

Text: Luke 7:36-50

The story is simple.
In fact its simplicity is the secret to its beauty.
Luke, through an economy of words, tells a powerful story.
Two different people.
Two very different lifestyles.
One extremely religious the other a notorious sinner.
Both were exposed to the teaching ministry of Jesus.
And as you might expect – there were two different responses.
One was gloriously transformed.
The other was hardened in their sin and driven further from salvation.
But which was which?  That is the surprising part.
Let’s look at our text.

Their story is central to Luke’s purpose.
For from his account we learn that:

Thesis: The sovereign touch of grace radically transforms the most ardent sinner.

And we are reminded of its parallel truth:

Apart from the sovereign touch of grace the most righteous person is held captive by his own self-righteousness.

This passage is about the heart of the Gospel – for it is about grace.  God’s unmerited favor.  God granting to us what we do not deserve.  In fact it is more than that, it is granting us life and hope and peace when we are deserving of the exact opposite!

And that is precisely what Simon and his fellow religious leaders could not see.  They failed to grasp the heart of His message.  They couldn’t get past their rules to see His grace.  Their problem was they didn’t understand the depth of their own sin – they were unaware of their own depravity.  Oh, they knew God was Holy.  They knew they were not holy.  They understood the need for ritual cleansing and sacrifice – but they were so caught up in the symbolism they failed to understand the substance.  Ritual they understood.  Rules they obeyed.  It is the reality of their predicament they failed to recognize.  Keep that in mind as we watch the evening unfold.

Let’s examine first the life of Simon as we discover:

1. The heart untouched by grace is filled with arrogance and contempt.
2. The heart touched by the grace of God overflows with love and devotion.

Conclusion:
This woman, in contrast to Simon, saw only her great need, and therefore was overwhelmed with love for him who could supply her need.  And this is in evidence that she knows forgiveness.

Jesus sought to drive the point home to Simon by telling this parable 7:41-43.

Simon patronizingly answered Jesus’ questions – but he failed to understand its message.

The sovereign touch of grace radically transforms the most ardent sinner.

This text serves as a solemn warning and a wonderful promise.
Self-righteousness hardens the heart and drives you away from God’s only provision.
A deep awareness of sin and genuine repentance enables forgiveness and life.

Christ Alone [ 32:06 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (43)

Christ Alone: 2016 Gospel of Luke #25

This is an exposition of Luke 7:29-35. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, August 14, 2016.

Intro:

What comes to your mind when you think of the term, “Evangelist?”  Do you picture a red-faced preacher thundering away at the congregation?  Do you think of Billy Graham preaching in a stadium?  Or someone, uninvited, knocking on your door?  Perhaps you think about a friend or family member who faithfully shared the Gospel with you and lovingly urged you to trust Christ?  Do you think of yourself as an evangelist?  Or do you say, “I don’t have the gift of evangelism?”  The truth is all of us who have trusted in Christ have been called to take the Gospel to our world.  Evangelism is not the responsibility of only those who are so “gifted” it is the privilege of every child of God.  In fact, according to Jesus, if you have been born again you are a witness, an evangelist.  When speaking about the coming of the Spirit Jesus said to his followers, “You will receive power after the Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses; in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8).”  You, child of God, are an evangelist.  The only question is, “Are you an effective evangelist or an ineffective evangelist?  Are you a good witness or a poor witness?”  People are watching and listening.  Your life speaks.  What are you saying?

To be an effective evangelist you need to know the Gospel.  You need to know who Jesus is and what he accomplished with his life and death.  You need to understand what it means to be saved and how one enters into relationship with God through the Lord Jesus.  Just what is salvation?  Saved from what?  Saved how?  These questions serve as a backdrop for our text this morning.  A text that grows out of our Lord’s response to the questioning of John the Baptist.  You remember John was imprisoned for his boldness.  John came to prepare the way for Messiah.  In preparation he preached a message of repentance along with a call to holiness.  Once while baptizing new converts in the Jordan he noticed some of the Scribes and Pharisees had come to observe.  Without missing a beat John turned toward the leaders and declared, “What are you doing here you bunch of snakes?  Who warned you to turn from the wrath to come?”  He wasn’t one to back down and that’s why he was in prison.  Herod Antipas seduced his brother’s wife, divorced his own wife and married his sitar-in-law.  John called him on it.  John called on the king to repentant of such wickedness.  Thus, John languished in prison.  While there, hearing the various reports about Jesus, John’s faith began to waver.  He sent word to Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”  Are you the Christ or not?  I don’t want to waste my life.  I don’t want to live in vain.  Are you the Messiah?

Jesus told those who came with the question, “Go back and tell John what you’ve seen and heard.”  Answer, “Yes, I’m the one.  John have faith.”  Then Jesus gave a glowing endorsement of John to those gathered.  It is the response of those gathered that serves as our text this morning.  We are going to work our way through Luke 7:29-35.

Text: Luke 7:29-35

This is a bit of an obscure passage but I think there is something important here for us.  I’m convinced there is a truth about salvation highlighted in this text that is crucial in our day.  In our “pluralistic, anything and everything is okay provided you are sincere world” we need this truth.

The message from Luke 7:29-35 is that…

Thesis: Salvation demands that you abandon any and all delusion of self-sufficiency or innate goodness and trust in Christ alone.

There are two (2) things I want to point out in this text.

1. Salvation demands acceptance of God’s evaluation of human goodness and trust in His righteousness alone.  (7:29-30)
2. To embrace the delusion of self-righteousness is to abandon any and all hope of salvation.  (7:31-35)

Conclusion:
Ultimately such people want to dance to their own tune or worse yet, want God to dance to their tune.  Nothing pleases the heart that feels no sin.  But what a grace to feel your need of Christ.  What a grace to stand still as you mourn your sin with a dirge, confessing them to God and the dance to the music of heaven’s grace!

Listen friend, there is only one way of salvation and that is through repentance of your sin and faith in the person of the Lord Jesus.  You must abandon any delusion of your own righteousness and trust solely in Christ.  To cling to your own righteousness is to abandon any and all hope of salvation.

Won’t you come to Christ?

The Touch of Sovereign Grace [ 35:43 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (55)

The Touch of Sovereign Grace: 2016 Gospel of Luke #23

This is an exposition of Luke 7:1-17. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, July 31, 2016.

Intro:

They were from two different worlds.  One a man of position, power and influence in a large metropolitan city.  The other a widow from a small rural village, poverty-stricken, destitute and mourning the loss of her only son.  Yet they had one thing in common.  Their only hope was to be found in a traveling preacher with a reputation for the miraculous.  Both received their miracle.  Both have their stories recorded in the New Testament.  Neither was ever heard from again.  Their stories are powerful and instructive.  They serve as object lessons in grace.  For both individuals experienced the touch of sovereign grace.  Our text this morning is found in the seventh chapter of Luke’s Gospel.  Dr. Luke Luke 7 and Luke 7:1-17.

Text: Luke 7:1-17

Luke is writing to his Gentile friend – Theophilus.
He wants to make sure that his friend has an accurate account of the life of Jesus.
He wants Theophilus to know that Jesus is indeed the Messiah of the Jews but He is also the savior of the world!

Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has put together a selective history designed to tell the story of Jesus in such a way as to cause his reader to put his faith and trust in Jesus.

With that in mind Luke includes the stories of two very different individuals in great need who experienced the touch of Christ.  One of them a Gentile.

According to the language of Luke, these two incidents happened close together and both happened soon after His calling the 12 and instructing them and the gathered disciples on a level plain about life in the kingdom.  Kent Hughes describes that sermon with a play on words.  He calls it “The Sermon on the Level” because our Lord is so straightforward in his language.  He pulls no punches.  This life is a demanding life.  Shortly after that sermon we have these two encounters.  Together they serve to teach us a great lesson about the love and grace of God.  They remind us of how:

Thesis:  The sovereign grace of God responds to human need.

I’m convinced this is a much-needed message in our day.
It is needed because of a faulty view of faith that is common in our world.
Whole systems of theological thought are founded on this faulty premise.
We have what might be called “vending machine” theology.

You go to the machine – find what you want – see what it requires – put that in the machine pull the lever and you’ve got your miracle!  This view says there are spiritual laws operating in the universe and you just need to plug into them.  One leading preacher in the movement has even suggested you do not have to be a Christian for this to work.  Just follow the system.  God has set the system up and He is bound by it.  If God is to be God He cannot violate His system.

As outrageous as that notion sounds thousands upon thousands, if not millions believe it!

Biblical faith is not about laws and principles and formulas – it is about a personal God who is involved in the lives of people!  And the biblical God is sovereign.  He is in charge.  He is in control.  He is not at our beck and call.  He is not bound by our faith or by some formula He established.  One of the subtle threats of this “vending machine” faith is that it makes God impersonal.

Let’s examine these two incidents and learn something about the God we serve.

First the account of the Centurion where we learn that:

1. The touch of God’s grace is motivated by His love and not our worthiness.  (7:1-10)
2. The touch of God’s grace is due to the mercy and compassion of Christ and not our earnest plea.  (7:11-17)

Conclusion:
Let’s make sure we have this straight.
The gracious touch of God is not about whether or not you are worthy – it is about Him.
It’s not about your fervent praying or your dynamic faith – it is about Him.

Are you in need of the touch of God’s grace today?  Embrace Christ.  Trust in Him.  Believe on Him.  Find in Him your all in all.