A QUESTION: Was the church a good plan?
- We look around at the questionable things that sometimes happen in the name of the church and have to wonder, “Was this a good idea?” I know I’ve wondered.
- Is God up there shaking His head at us? What is God’s view of the church and giving us the mission of spreading the gospel of Christ?
- Cf. to the anxiety that a father would have letting his 18-year-old son drive his prized ’68 Corvette. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
HOW THE FATHER FEELS ABOUT THE CHURCH AS HIS PLAN: The Father is “pleased.”
- Luke 12:32.
- This word “pleased” is so important, but first let’s look at the rest of v. 32.
a. “Do not be afraid”
- The temptation to fear and to feel overwhelmed is always there. It’s especially prevalent when you think of the vast and daunting mission that we’ve been given as the church.
- But Jesus here says, “Do not be afraid.” I think this is an acknowledgement that we are tempted in that direction, but that God has more for us than we realize.
- We can live with confidence. We can live with boldness. We can live unafraid.
b. “little flock”
- To me this is such a term of endearment. Jesus knows the numbers are small, but the call of God is still there.
- They are just a “little flock.” That doesn’t mean that Jesus isn’t still planning on doing something great through them.
c. “pleased”
- This is the main word I want us to take in this evening.
- The sermon title tonight is “one word that makes us bolder in faith.” The word “pleased” is that one word, because I believe when we understand it there is a truth there that will open the door to much greater boldness.
- Why is that?
- It’s because this word gives us an open window into the heart of God and His thoughts toward the church.
- Jesus doesn’t say, “The Father has to give you the Kingdom.” That is, it’s not His preference, but it’s the only choice He’s got.
- Jesus doesn’t say, “The Father is willing to give you the Kingdom.” That is, there might be better options, but this is one that He’s ok with leaving on the table.
- No, Jesus says, “The Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom.” That is, He is doing this with a full heart and great anticipation.
- I want us to soak in that word “pleased” for a minute. Ponder the idea that God loves the idea of giving us the Kingdom. He delights in us being the plan. He isn’t doing it begrudgingly. He is “pleased” with that plan.
WHY DOES THE FATHER FEEL LIKE THAT?
- What is it that makes the Father so “pleased” to give us the Kingdom?
1. WE ARE OBJECT LESSONS IN GRACE.
- Salvation comes by grace and we are object lessons of that grace.
- We were not deserving of salvation and still Christ died for us. We are living examples of what grace can do. That makes us the perfect messengers.
- Think of a doctor who does gastric bypass. We all know the health problems that come from being severely overweight. Say you go into the doctor’s office for a visit to consider such a surgery and the nurse talks about her experience with having the surgery herself and how transformational it was. It’s helpful to hear of someone’s experience that has been there. She is an object lesson.
- We don’t just share the message of the gospel of grace; we embody the gospel of grace.
2. HE DELIGHTS IN OUR GROWTH.
- Not only is our salvation something that pleases Him, but our spiritual growth does as well.
- The gospel is one that doesn’t just give eternal life, it also gives abundant life. He has provided us with all the resources we need to be able to be victorious over our sin. He has provided us with the opportunity to live in close connection with Him. He has provided us with the chance to grow to be like Jesus.
- As we use those resources and, in so doing, grow spiritually, God delights in that.
- An obvious analogy is our children. As they grow and learn new skills, we as parents delight in their progress.
3. HE ENJOYS SEEING US EMPOWERED AND EXCELLING.
- What God has done for us is not just about us, though – it’s also about the impact we can have in the world and on the people around us.
- He enjoys seeing us empowered to change the world. He loves working through us. His Holy Spirit is eager to do those things.
- He enjoys seeing us excelling at what we’re doing. He wants to answer big prayers. He wants to shake foundations. He wants to, both literally and figuratively, change the world.
- He enjoys seeing His people with power flowing mightily through them. He enjoys seeing His people excelling at what they’re doing.
- Think of a coach delighting in his favorite player’s great game.
- Think of a father delighting in his oldest son’s accomplishment.
- Think of a manager delighting in his team’s excellence.
HOW CAN I BE BOLDER IN FAITH? Have a bold abandon because of the Father’s enthusiasm.
- When we come to understand that the Father is enthusiastic about this plan – that He is “pleased” to give us the Kingdom – it should create within us a bold abandon.
- What do I mean by “bold abandon”? By abandon, I’m thinking of someone who has thrown his doubts and uncertainties to the wind and is running headlong into the fray. He is abandoned to the cause. This is someone who is all-in, holding nothing back. By bold, I mean that this person has allowed this approach to sink down deep within them and they are sold out.
- I want to use the word “reckless,” but there’s a negativity there of being irresponsible.
- When we have a clear picture of the Father’s enthusiasm for this thing we call “church,” it will make us bolder in our faith.
- We will step out with confidence, knowing that we have the Father supporting us.
- Sometimes we are timid in our faith because we think we’re on our own. We don’t want to get too far out there because we’re not sure Father is going to come through for us. We take measured, cautious “steps of faith.”
- We pay more attention to our planning than we do to the Spirit’s leading. Our planning is reasonable and logically defensible. The Spirit sometimes wants us to jump right in headlong.
ONE EXAMPLE OF THIS: What would it look like if a Christian had bold abandon with their money?
- Luke 12:33.
- Verse 33 is a challenging verse. Is this required for all Christians? What about providing for our families? When have believers actually lived this way?
- First of all, let me say that I agree it’s a difficult verse. Secondly, let me say that I’m not going to solve all the challenge it presents in tonight’s sermon.
- But let me just read v. 33 simply as the verse that follows v. 32.
- Verse 32 we’ve been talking about all evening: the Father is pleased to give us the kingdom and that should create a bold abandon within us. What if I was living that out? That confidence? That boldness? That reckless abandon that rose within me because of the Father’s enthusiasm? If I had that, I’d be willing to spend sacrificially to meet needs. I wouldn’t worry about how much I had in the bank, because I would know that the Father would provide for my needs. I would boldly share with that brother in Christ. I would freely give to the unsaved woman in need.
- I remember when a couple of my kids were really young, they would sometimes have candy. Let’s say Sweet Tarts. They would be working their way piece by piece. I would teasingly ask if I could have one of their Sweet Tarts, expecting them to say, “No, they’re mine.” But they would freely share. “Sure, Daddy, here” and they would hand me one. There were several reasons for this (hopefully one of them was just that they loved me), but one big reason was that they knew where they could get more Sweet Tarts. They were confident in the supply of more Sweet Tarts. They were confident in the supply from their father. Therefore, they could be joyfully generous. “Of course, there’s more – Mom always has more.” There’s no need to horde when you’ve got an endless supply.
