Insignificance to Greatness

I've entitled this sermon today, and I hope you see by the end of it, how the demonstration of the kingdom, and then the two parables about the kingdom, all draw together, challenging us to be kingdom people. I've entitled it, Insignificant to Greatness. And we're going to work our way through Luke 13, 10 through 21 this morning. I was thinking about insignificance to greatness. You know, that's a biblical principle about the kingdom all the way through, that it starts small, but it ends up great. That it has large influence and impact upon our world. But it begins so small.

Think about Jesus, born in Bethlehem. That'd be like being born in McAdoo, you know? Just some little insignificant place, and raised in Nazareth. You know the scripture where it says, can anything good come out of Nazareth? You know, I used to laugh when I'd read that scripture and think, yeah, about the Nazareth that we know about, about 25 state championships. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Small beginnings with large endings.

And I think you're going to see this as we work our way through here. This demonstration, and there's a key word in there, after the miracle, it says, therefore, what is the kingdom like? It all ties together. Jesus is demonstrating, and then he is defining what it's all about. Matthew 6, 33, we all have grown up on this, who believe in the Lord. It says, Jesus said, but seek first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Now, do you hear what that's saying there?

Seek first the kingdom. You know, I have to be honest, sometimes other things get in the way of the kingdom in my life. I put other things first and not his kingdom. A little later in Luke's gospel, when talking to a rich man, a would-be follower of Jesus, he described for him the cost and the benefits of the kingdom. When he said, there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times as much at this time in the age to come eternal life. The cost of the kingdom, self-surrender. Surrendering ourselves completely to the king, the benefits of the kingdom, in this life, blessing.

When you step into Jesus, you step into the righteous blessings of his kingdom, in the life to come, and there is a life coming. After this one, we celebrate that today for the Davenport family, eternal blessing. When Phil, your mother is experiencing the eternal blessings of heaven today, that's what the word says. I didn't write it, that's what the Bible says. You know, in the past two weeks, I've preached about the urgency of his mission and the urgency of our repentance, haven't I? Remember in chapter 12, verse 49, he says that he came to cast fire. And we looked at that more specifically in understanding that the first fire cast was upon himself on the cross, that he bore our judgment, he bore the wrath of God.

All that the enemy could throw at him was thrown at him on that cross. He bore the wrath of God so that you and I might be saved. Then last week, we studied the theology of tragedy. The fall of man, the consequences of the fall, our personal participation in the conditions of the fall. You know, we cannot just blame our predicament on Adam and Eve, we chose to join them. We're a part of that fall. We have all sinned, the Bible says.

Whether this tragedy befalls us through the evilness of others like Pilate, or just indirect happenstance, like the Tower of Siloam falling on 18. Tragedy is a fact. I got tickled last week, Bill's wife, Debbie. You know, I said, maybe Pilate, because he was getting hammered on about being so cruel to the Jews, in the initial stages was a little easier on Jesus. Maybe he was trying to learn a lesson there, and Debbie told me, you know, his wife told him he better back off. Sometimes we better listen to our wives, hadn't we? No matter the circumstance, Jesus said, we are all a part of the fall.

All will likewise perish if we do not repent. No matter the circumstance in life, he went to the cross for us in order that we might come to him in repentance. He completed his mission, and in earnest repentance, opened the door of his kingdom to us.

Do you hear that? He opened the door of his kingdom to us. Seek ye first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added unto you. You know, I've told you before, and I'll say it again today, I love how the Holy Spirit wrote the scriptures. I love how the Holy Spirit of God inspired Luke to follow up with what we've been studying with a portrayal of his kingdom, to give us a snapshot of what the kingdom would look like. You know, I think about when Jesus came to be baptized by John. John didn't want to baptize him, and Jesus basically said, get it done, John.

Get it over with, get it done. And what happened? It says the heavens opened. Now, as far as I know, those heavens have not shut. I live under the theology of an open heaven, and I believe in that. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on this earth as it is in heaven. I have a glimpse in the heaven.

I have a glimpse into that kingdom. Every time I am earnestly seeking Jesus, I have a glimpse over into that kingdom. Guys, if you're in Christ today, you are a kingdom person. We are kingdom people. We are not a part of this kingdom. We are a part of his kingdom. It's about time the church rise up and walk in that understanding.

It would change our churches, and it would change our communities if we understood that we walk in the power of Jesus in his kingdom. So I want us to look at these three portrayals of the kingdom. I think Kim will put that up there on the deal, the three portrayals of the kingdom. We're going to work our way through this.

A bent-over woman. That's a funny title for the kingdom, isn't it? A bent-over woman. The smallest of seeds. A little leaven. Here's what I want you to see today. The commonality of these three portrayals is their insignificance.

And yet, in their own context, they yield great greatness. You hear what I'm saying there? The portrayal, the common theme is it begins small, but it ends big in the kingdom. Let's look at the story of this bent-over woman.

Verse 10 through 17. Now, I'm going to walk through here, and I'm going to stop and make some observations for you. And he, Jesus, was teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Now, that was his tradition. That was their tradition. Teachers would teach in the synagogue. This is probably the last time, I can't verify that completely, but I think it to be true, this is probably the last time Jesus taught inside the temple, inside the synagogue.

After this, he is forced out of it, to the outside, where he begins to do like the Westleys, preaching in the fields. But this is probably the last time he's in a synagogue teaching. And besides that, he's doing it on the Sabbath. Now, if you know anything about the Jewish Sabbath, there was all kinds of legalistic laws that they had to observe on the Sabbath. In the Old Testament, the 10 commandments, we're told to keep the Sabbath holy. But what the Jews had done was added line upon line upon line upon line, law upon law upon law, what it meant to keep the Sabbath holy. You could hardly breathe on the Sabbath.

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. We've already studied that in Luke's gospel. And that the Sabbath was created for man. The Sabbath was created for man. The grace of God hovers over the Sabbath. But the Jews had narrowed it down so tightly, you could hardly even breathe on the Sabbath. It says, and behold, there was a woman who for 18 years had had a sickness caused by spirit.

And she was bent double and could not straighten up at all. Now, I want you to listen to that. Here's this no-name woman that slips into the synagogue. She has been sick for 18 years. Bent over. You know how much vision you have bent over? About two feet in front of you.

This was her life. For 18 years, she has been bent over. Let me tell you, there are a lot of folks today in the church that have been bent over for 18 years in sin and cannot see the open heavens. Jesus came to do something about that. It's not just the physical bent-overness that we see here. It's the spiritual bent-overness in our heart. You ever been there?

When your heart was just bent over in pain and suffering and tragedy and maybe sin and lack of faith? You've been like this in your spiritual life? Well, I suggest you get like this.

That's what I'd suggest. She couldn't even do that. If she got down on her knees, she's almost prostrate. Well, that might not be too bad a position to get in. But she's bent over for 18 years.

And it says, caused by a spirit. If you read on down in this story, and we'll see it here in a minute. Jesus identifies that spirit as being oppressed by Satan. She is inflicted by Satan. In fact, the article there in the Greek says, the Satan. She is oppressed by the Satan. You know, we've talked about natural tragedies.

And we've talked about the evil tragedies that other people bring upon us. We don't need to leave out of that scenario. The tragedy of oppression. And affliction from the devil. When I used to do a lot of counseling. And I would interview the person I was helping. Trying to discern where the troubles coming from.

I didn't leave out of that scenario. That possibly Satan was afflicting this person. It wasn't just simply because she lived in a fallen world. And had chosen to follow the things of the flesh. Or that some evil one person was just casting things upon her. Trying to destroy her or him. But I had to also put in that picture.

Is there an outside force bearing down on this person's heart and spirit? I had to discern that. I had to discern. Is she possessed? Or is she obsessed? Oppressed? There's no indication here this lady was actually possessed.

Because typically when Jesus dealt with demon possession. There was a casting out. There's no casting out here. I think she was oppressed by Satan. And the only healing for that. Is to get under the sight. And the touch.

And the spoken word of Jesus. In order that. It says you can be straightened up. You hear what I'm saying? Let's go on and read here. And when Jesus saw her. Circle saw.

He called her over. Circle called. And said to her. Circle said. Woman. You are freed.

From your sickness. There was no casting out. There were simply. Seeing. And saying. From Jesus. You are freed. From your sickness.

And then notice. And he laid. Hands. Upon her. And if you go back and study. The miraculous healings of Jesus. Laying on of hands was not always there.

But in this case. He lays hands on her. And it says immediately. She was made erect again.

And began glorifying God. She's been sick 18 years. She's been an outcast. She has been marginalized. When she slipped into the synagogue. The women said on the back right-hand side. In silence.

And she said. I bet she had to sit by herself.

Because she was unclean. She was sick. A spirit was upon her. I bet that been her life for 18 years. I don't even know if her family. Would have cared about her. When's the last time somebody really saw her?

Looked at her. How'd you like to go through life and nobody ever see you? Folks, we are tremendously blessed when somebody puts their eyes on us and sees the image of God stamped on us. And gets involved in our lives. Jesus saw this woman. It says he called her. Now, I don't know if he knew her name.

But he says to her woman. When we were living in Childress, we had the Greenbelt Bowl there. And one year, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders came to do the halftime performance. And I was a part of that group that put that on. And so the Methodist Church became the home of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. So they could dress and put their makeup on and in all kinds of that stuff, you know, packed full of these cheerleaders. And I don't know, Kurt, how old were you then?

So where I'm going, I don't remember if he's late junior high or early high school. But he shows up to the house and he and a few of his buddies, they put on khaki pants and pressed down shirts. You know, nobody else could go in there, but the preacher's son could go over there. And I said to Kim, he's discovered girls. He's up that age. He's found out there's other sex in this world. I didn't want to even go over there.

I just let him go. I just let him go over there. When Jesus said here, woman, I hope you hear what I think he's saying. No one has seen your sacredness or your attractiveness or your beauty. I do. I see beyond this. I see this.

You know, when Adam and when Eve was taking Adam's rib and created bone of bone, flesh of his flesh, and the Bible says her name was woman, I can imagine that Adam went, woman, woman. Where you been? You got to know what I'm saying, don't you? I think he was affirming her beauty beyond her tragedy when he said woman. When I stood at the front of that Methodist church in Tohoka, and they opened those doors at the back and my wife walked in, and I looked back there. I went, wow. Wow. Most beautiful moment in my life.

Jesus called her, woman, and then he spoke to her. You are freed from your sickness. You have experienced freedom. Real authentic freedom. And then he touched her. He didn't only affirm her. I bet she hadn't been touched in 18 years.

And he touched her. Will you sing that song? He touched me. Oh, he touched me. There'll never be another touch like the touch from Jesus. When your heart is touched by him, you immediately straighten up. Now, this was actions of the kingdom.

It is actions of the king. Should it be actions of kingdom people? Every day we ought to be challenged. Or did I really look at her today? Did I really look at him today? Did I sense that, hey, come here. I want to talk to you.

Did I speak a good word? And if they allowed me, did I touch them? When I went to Childress, I guess indefinitely, they'd had black robe, white stole preachers in the pulpit for 35, 40 years. And they lit the candles and they did all the traditional formal stuff. That first summer there, I wore blue pants and a pink jacket every Sunday to preach in. And I told them, I don't know what's been going on here, but we're going to bring a lot of color to this thing. And if they allowed me, I started hugging people going out of church on Sunday.

Now I can tell those that didn't want to be touched and I honored that. But I'm going to tell you, there's a lot of those folks in that church had been hugged on by their shepherd and years and years and years and years. Now I did it the way you're supposed to, the way they train you, but I touched them. And all of a sudden, when we started having altar calls, people would come down to the front and wanted to be touched and hands laid on them. And revival broke out in that place. Now, James, when we started Altar's Gate, it was a heart of the, church of the heart. It was a heartwarming experience.

A lot of touching, wasn't there? Went on. Jesus touched people. And he knew when to do it. And he knew how to do it. And he honored people by that. Let's read on.

And the synagogue officials, indignant, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the multitudes in response, there are six days in which work should be done. Therefore, come during them and be healed, not on the Sabbath.

Now, I want to tell you something. There will always be opponents to the kingdom of God. But the Lord answered him and said, you hypocrites, you play actors, you're playing church. Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham, she's tied all the way back to the covenant. As she is, whom Satan has bound for 18 years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day? There is compassion in the kingdom.

They cared more about their animals than they did people. You ever been tied up with groups that care more about their committees or their structures or what they consider to be their anchors of the faith more than they do people? Jesus was not against the law. In fact, he commended them for following the law, but he said, you neglect the weightier matters of the law, which is love, justice, and mercy.

It's not either or. We're to follow the commandments of God, but not be legalist about it because we understand how God loves people, how God is just to people, and how God provides mercy for people. That is the posture of kingdom people, and it always will be. And as he said this, his opponents were humiliated, and the entire multitudes were rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by him. You know, what's the reaction to the kingdom? Humiliation or rejoicing? I'm getting on the rejoicing side, guys.

I don't mind shouting, and I don't mind jumping, and I don't mind being happy in Jesus. I'm not getting on that other side where I'm disgruntled and humiliated and mad and angry all the time. I'm not going to be that kind of Christian. Very quickly, I'm going to do this in four minutes. The smallest of seeds. Verse 18, therefore he was saying, what is the kingdom of God like?

And to what shall I compare it? It's like a mustard seed, at that time the smallest of seeds in Israel, which a man took and threw in his garden, and it grew and became a big tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches. You know what most biblical commentators agree on here? That that tree was the tree of redemption and provided branches for all the other nations and Gentiles in the world. It was a place of provision and protection, a place where they could come and be part of the family. The tree was a family tree, and people were grafted into it. From a small.

A small seed, insignificant little seed to a worldwide family. A little leaven, verse 20 and 21. And again, he said, "'To whom, to what shall I compare the kingdom of God?' It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid into three packs of meal or flour until it was all leavened." Yeast. That's what that was, leaven. It was yeast. 26 packs.

Do you know how much 26 packs is? It's 50 pounds of flour. She's not just cooking a little loaf of bread for a family meal for the Eucharist. She's cooking for a wedding feast, for the Lord coming back. She's cooking for the big party. And she takes a little yeast in this 50 pound sack, and she hides it in there. I read about, my wife could explain this better than me, but I read about how yeast works.

When liquid is added to it, Jesus said, I am the water of life. When liquid is added to it, it creates carbon dioxide. Bread. And that bread goes. From a little to largeness. I don't worry about small. I don't worry about little.

Because I know if I'm in the vine, it will bring forth fruit. You see what I'm saying? And if it starts inwardly in a little group of people, 12 disciples, and how many millions of believers are there today in the world? It all started with a little bitty group. And it's exploded. You're in that process of yeast today. That's good news, isn't it?

I am yeast in this world. To provide explosion and influence in people's lives. That's why we pray for the sick here. That's why we encourage the downhearted here. That's why we pray for those that are grieving here. That's why we pray for those in us that are going through troubles in our lives. Because we know God has the final say-so about all of it.

When Nicodemus came to Jesus, and this is what I'll conclude with. How do you get in on your stuff you're talking about? And Jesus says straight to him, Nicodemus, unless you were born again, you cannot see the kingdom. You cannot enter the kingdom. Now that's a good question for all of us, isn't it? Have I authentically been born again? I hope you say, would say, hey, I think you have hearst.

I think you bear fruit. Fruit bearing is the outcome of the seed being planted in our hearts. Amen. Amen. Now, that's only a tip of the iceberg that I'm talking about. But it's enough, if you're not in the kingdom, you can repent and join Jesus today and become a fruit bearer. For those of you facing trouble, I want you to hear that the Lord has you on his mind, in his heart.

He sees you. He knows your name. You are attracted to him because you are created in the image of God. And he will talk to you all the way through this. And he will straighten it out.

Thus saith the Lord. Let's bow together in prayer. Lord, I thank you for this time. Lord, this word today was so appropriate and so timely in all of our lives. Lord, I'm getting to know all these people that come to this house to worship you. And I know what's going on in their lives. And because I know you, I know you will be active in each one of them.

Lord, with all the heart that I can pray, I pray fruit and blessings over each person sitting here today. Lord, I pray that they will not judge their lives by circumstance, but they'll look to the open heavens and look into the kingdom and know that you're a sovereign, loving God. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.