Helpless but Hopeful • Luke 7:1-17

54:14 Teaching begins

Notes

It’s natural to think that God is like us, only better. The funny thing is we don’t expect God to be good to us. We give up and lose hope because we don’t see how we could solve our problems, so God probably can’t, either.

The reality is God is high beyond us in compassion and goodness. Jesus shows no limits to His goodness or His ability. In contrast, we are helpless sinners.

Today you might be hopeless because you’re helpless. But Jesus isn’t helpless, He is good beyond our knowledge.

If you’re helpless you can have hope.

I’m reading in Luke 7 from verse 1.

1. We see Jewish elders convince Jesus to heal a slave.

A. This centurion’s slave is sick and about to die.

1. Centurion is a Roman soldier, over 100 men. He is the backbone of the Roman army, the one who gets stuff done.

2. This centurion has a slave for whom he has high regard. He is highly esteemed, he is precious, he is irreplaceable. I’m sure he has the same regard for the centurion. This is some relationship.

3. When the slave is sick and about to die, the centurion is helpless. There’s nothing he can do. He is about to lose this irreplaceable person.

B. The centurion has already heard about Jesus because this is in Capernaum, this is where Jesus has made His base of operations and where He has done many miracles. He sends the Jewish elders to ask Jesus to ask Jesus to heal his slave.

1. They beg Jesus to come. You only beg someone in order to overcome reluctance. They assume Jesus would not be interested in healing a Gentile because they wouldn’t be interested. All Jews know that God made Gentiles so He could keep the fire in hell burning. That’s all Gentiles are good for.

2. But this Gentile is different, he’s worthy of Jesus’ time and effort because he is a fabulous Gentile dog. He loves our nation. He funded the construction of our synagogue. He is a Gentile who is a benefit, not an ungrateful, indifferent person. He’s almost our kind of guy.

3. They also beg Jesus to come. If you’re going to do the work, you have to be there, right? That’s the way it is with me, and I’m sure Jesus is the same way. Let’s get Him to the centurion’s before the slave dies.

C. When we look closely at this, it shows us that they think Jesus is like them, only a little better.

1. He’s reluctant to help people not like us.

2. But He would be open to helping someone who is of benefit to us.

3. You need to be there to do the work.

4. You’re like us, just a little bit better.

D. Jesus comes with them, and I wonder if they’re pleased because they motivated Jesus. We did it! We successfully presented the case that moved Him to this extraordinary kindness. We overcame His reluctance. Wouldn’t you congratulate yourself?

2. What a shock to see the centurion depends, not on himself, but on Jesus’ goodness and power.

A. Evidently the centurion hears that Jesus is coming and he says, “Oh no! That’s not what I wanted!”

B. So he sends others to tell Jesus.

1. “I’m not worthy! I don’t deserve anything from You, much less that You come to my house. I haven’t done anything for You that You are indebted to me or are somehow required to pay me back. You don’t owe me one shekel.”

2. “I’m embarrassed that You are on the way to my house, as if You needed to be here in order to heal. I understand authority, I can move men with my voice. You can move sickness with Your voice. I get it. You can just say the word and not have to come all the way. I’m so sorry You are troubling Yourself for me.”

3. So the centurion is not depending on his worthiness or even his location. “There is no reason in me for You to do what I ask, I have no leverage on You. I’m helpless, but You are all authority and power and goodness.”

3. Jesus says, “Wow!”

A. Jesus is really pleased at hearing the centurion’s message.

1. What the centurion says is true. He has no leverage on Jesus, no handle on Him. Jesus is not obligated to do anything for him. Jesus is pleased that he understands that.

2. He’s also pleased that the centurion depends on Jesus’ goodness and power alone. Only Jesus is glorified here. Not the centurion, not the elders.

B. Jesus says, “Not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

1. Israel has had a long history with God. The scriptures detail all the good things God has done.

2. All God’s blessings toward Israel came from His goodness and not from any obligation, as if He owed Israel anything. God blesses those who hope in His unchanging love, not because they’ve been good, so He owes them.

3. But this is hard to get your head around. Most Israel expects God to bless because they’ve been good. They know, God blesses good people and curses bad people.

4. A widow also finds that Jesus is very good, vv. 11-17.

A. Jesus meets a funeral procession at the village of Nain.

B. In the Middle East it’s the custom to bury quickly because in the climate a dead body rapidly decomposes. So we know this man has just died.

C. His mother is completely afflicted and helpless in every way.

1. She has been afflicted in her past because she’s a widow. Her husband died some time ago and left her alone and dependent on her son.

2. She is afflicted now in the present. She is a parent who has outlived her child.

3. Her future is only uncertain and bleak. She has no one to provide for her in widowhood or old age.

4. She is helpless and hopeless.

D. Can you imagine how outrageous it is for Jesus to say, “Don’t cry.”? Is that a comfort at a time like this? This is not a spill in the kitchen, and you say, “Ah, I’ll get it, don’t worry!” This woman’s life is profoundly affected and it’s humanly impossible to fix it. But He does say, “Don’t cry.” He cares for her and He can do something about it.

E. He touches the coffin, and says, “Young man, I say to you, get up.” And he gets up! And Jesus gives him back to his mother.

F. She didn’t motivate Him, she didn’t think to ask Jesus for anything, she didn’t expect anything from Him. He had compassion on her. He decided what to do. It had nothing to do with her and everything to do with Jesus’ compassion, goodness, and power.

5. So what? You may be helpless but you are not hopeless because God is good.

A. The most important thing about God is He is, and He is good. That’s Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Faith is depending on God’s goodness!

B. Do we know that God is good?

1. Because there are people who say, “If there is a God, He is the devil, because He allows evil in the world and seems powerless to do anything about it. He lets things crank on and nothing changes.”

2. That’s starting at the wrong end of the perspective. You can pick up a telescope and look through the wrong end, and it won’t work the way it’s supposed to. There will be a lot of dark and a little tiny image, and you can say, well, this doesn’t help me see further! Starting with human perspective doesn’t show the truth, it shows a lot of darkness and a distorted, small image.

C. God is so good that He shows mercy to helpless sinners: John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

1. You have sinned against God and others. You deserve condemnation. You are worthy of eternal punishment. You are helpless to save yourself. You are not worthy for God to offer His Son Jesus to die in your place to take your punishment. God raised Jesus from the dead and says anyone who receives Jesus as Lord receives forgiveness of sins and eternal life. It doesn’t depend on your goodness; no one is good.

2. That is goodness that goes far beyond our ability to do or imagine. If you have received Jesus you know that goodness, don’t you?

C. He blesses people who are helpless, undeserving, and have no leverage with God. All they do is trust in God’s goodness, and God blesses. The centurion understood it, the widow of Nain sure understood it. Do you understand it?

D. There is no secret to this goodness. You don’t have to be anyone special. People we think of as “special” do not have closer access to God. The only access there is to God is through Jesus.

E. What you do is submit to God and His purpose for your life.

1. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Do you love God? We love, because He loved us first. Have you received His love? Are you His? Believe in Jesus, that He died for sinners, and that includes you. You are already experiencing His goodness to you, a helpless sinner.

2. Never look for a reason in yourself for God to bless you. It’s not there. Since you believed in Jesus you haven’t done anything for God that obligates Him to bless you. If you try to deserve God’s blessing you actually cut it off. You don’t deserve anything from God except judgment.

3. You seek God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will. There is no way to manipulate God into doing what you want. You are helpless to know what will satisfy you. What do you know about real satisfaction? If you say to God, “This is what I want, now,” you’re saying, “I know better than You.” Psalm 84:11-12 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You!

4. How about instead, “You know best what will satisfy me. I want what You want.”?

God loves you, undeserving and helpless. Trust Jesus, be helpless and have hope.

Let’s pray.