JESUS ON KARMA

Father, we commend into your hands all who mourn the death, even today and all this week,

all who mourn the death of Corporal Nathan Cirillo.

We commend them into your hands.

We commend this city into your hands.

We commend our nation into your hands.

We ask, Father, that your Holy Spirit would move in the leaders of this nation,

the leaders of this city, to guide them in seeking the true good of our city and our country in the days ahead.

And, Father, we ask for us.

We ask for ourselves.

We ask, Father, that you help us to listen to Jesus, that you help us to listen to what he teaches,

that you help us, Father, to follow him, make us disciples gripped by the gospel, living for your glory.

This we ask in Jesus' name, your Son and our Savior. Amen.

Please be seated.

On Wednesday, a man paying homage at a national shrine died,

and in a sense, his blood was shed at that national shrine.

And in a real sense, his blood was mingled with what that shrine honored,

which was the shed blood of soldiers who had died in our wars.

So on Wednesday, in an act that was intended to be political and to strike terror,

a man paying homage died, and his blood was mingled with that place,

which in some ways is a national shrine.

And many of us would wonder, if we asked Jesus what he thought about it, what would he say?

Believe it or not, in the gospel text, which I just read,

an almost identical question was put to Jesus 2,000 years ago.

And that's really funny.

I'm not smart enough to organize these things or even figure it out.

I made the decision, in a sense, months ago that we would look at Luke chapter 13 today.

Luke 13 · chapter mention

And in fact, I have to confess, it was only on Thursday that it hit me like a ton of bricks,

but that's in fact how the text begins.

So it would be a great help to me if you open your Bibles,

and let's look at what happens when an almost identical question to what I posed

is posed to Jesus about 2,000 years ago.

So it's Luke chapter 13, and there's always some free Bibles up here at the front.

Luke 13 · chapter mention

If you didn't bring a Bible of your own, or you can just listen to me, I'll read it.

And let's just see how the questions formed and what it is that Jesus says.

Luke chapter 13.

Luke 13 · chapter mention

And if you're not that familiar with your Bibles, Luke is sort of around the,

there you go, you can see where it is in my Bible, that's sort of towards the back.

And here's how it goes.

There were some present at that very time who told Jesus about the Galileans

whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

Say it again.

There were some present.

So Jesus is there teaching.

Some people say, Jesus, did you hear what just went on?

Did you hear about those Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices?

Now it's said very, very compactly, very shortly.

You can easily see why at first we don't quite grasp what they've just said.

But what they've said is that some people had gone from Galilee down to Jerusalem

to offer sacrifices at a national shrine to pay homage.

And while they were there, Pilate killed them in the holy place, offering their sacrifices.

And Pilate did it as an act of terror to quiet the population and bend them to his will.

That's why Pilate did it.

Pilate did it.

So Jesus, did you hear about that?

Just went on in Jerusalem.

Those Galileans who died paying homage under the hand of a person instilling political terror for political control.

Now, this is Jesus that we're talking about.

What did he say?

And, you know, those of us who are Christ followers, it's one of the things that we have to wrestle with all of the time

is that when we think, even when there's a really cool question, that Jesus sort of confuses us with his answers

because he doesn't answer the way we expect him.

And, you know, we sort of, we've spent the week, you know, maybe you've listened to CFRA,

maybe you've listened to CBC, you've watched the news, you've read the newspapers,

you've gone to the blogs, you've read the, you know, follow the Twitter feeds, et cetera.

And so our whole culture and our whole mindset is going in this type of direction as the question is posed.

And because everything within us is sort of going in this direction as the question is posed,

we're now waiting to hear what Jesus has said, he's going to say.

And remember, we're all going in this one direction, right?

So it's going to puzzle us at first.

And in fact, as it starts to sink in what Jesus is saying, it's going to offend some of us.

But it's definitely going to puzzle us and confuse us.

How does Jesus respond?

Verse 2.

And in fact, actually, his response really goes all the way through to verse 21.

Verse 2.

Jesus answered them,

Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans

because they suffered in this way?

We'll talk about that in a moment.

No.

No.

I tell you.

But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

Or here Jesus sort of actually ups the ante and talks about another tragedy.

The first one by the hand of a man and soldiers.

The next one, as the insurance agents would say it, is an act of God.

That's how the insurance agents would characterize it.

Verse 4.

Or those 18 on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them,

do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?

No.

I tell you.

But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

So what we see, remember, Jesus is different.

Jesus could have talked about national things, political things, cultural things, religious things,

military things, social things, economic things.

We're sort of programmed right now in our culture or deeply influenced our culture to move lockstep with all of these things.

What do we think about Muslims?

What do we think about ISIL?

What do we think about security?

What do we think about freedom?

What do we think about this?

What do we think about that?

The questions asked to Jesus, and Jesus doesn't go any of that way.

By the way, he's not saying necessarily that those are questions that shouldn't be asked.

It's just not the way he goes.

Jesus specifically sidesteps, intentionally sidesteps the political, cultural, economic, etc. questions,

and he goes to the heart.

He goes to the center of who we are.

He goes to the assumptions that are deeply embedded in the center of who we are.

He goes deeply personal.

It's interesting.

One of the, this, you know, I don't know Greek, so what I do in preparation for the sermon

is part of how I serve you and serve Jesus is by, I spend some time every week in at least one commentary

that's like an academic level commentary that the Greek is known,

so I can understand what's going on at the Greek level of the text.

And I also read a couple of other commentaries.

And one of the commentaries that I've been reading for all of these series is a commentary

written in around 1870, 1870.

And the commentator who wrote in 1870, he's quoting a commentary that he thought was very

wise and insightful that was written like about 150 years earlier.

That's 150 years earlier.

So that's the early 1700s.

And he thought that one of the things which was very insightful about this commentary,

we're now talking like almost 300 years ago, right?

And he said that human beings are always more willing to talk about the death of others

than their own death.

And the guy writing in 1870 thought that this guy writing in 1710 was very wise and perceptive.

Some things don't change in human nature.

That we're more willing to talk about the death of others than the death of ourself.

So what's going on here?

Well, first of all, and it's not clear whether the hearers specifically thought this about the event,

but nobody here, I'm guessing, thinks that what happened to Corporal Nathan Cirillo

showed that he had bad karma or was a bad sinner.

Probably everybody here in this room, like most Canadians today, view him as a hero.

But Jesus isn't so much talking about this particular instance as what goes on in our hearts in general.

And how many of us in our hearts in general have not,

and maybe you have been very, very blessed and nothing bad has ever happened to you,

but how many of us, when something bad has happened to us,

some tragedy befalls us, some huge setback befalls us,

ask ourselves, what have I done to deserve this?

What have I done to deserve this?

How many of us worry about the question,

why do bad things happen to good people?

And Jesus is going at this question,

that on one hand we have this deep-seated sense,

oops, can't lose my glasses, that'll make it hard later,

that we have this deep-seated sense that somehow

there is this connection between tragedy and suffering

and bad actions on our part.

And not only that,

that Jesus is actually going to do something deeper here with this,

because there's a flip side to this question.

And the flip side is a presumption,

an assumption,

that when things are going well,

when we're blessed beyond belief,

that somehow I deserve it.

I deserve it.

Andrew, if you could put up the first point.

Here's what Jesus is saying.

I'll still unpack it a little bit for us.

When Jesus cuts the connection between sin and tragedy,

he also undermines the assumption

that good things are mine because I deserve them,

and they are owed to me.

When Jesus cuts the connection between sin and tragedy,

he also undermines the assumption

that good things are mine because I deserve them,

and they are owed to me.

We Canadians have a deep-seated belief.

It's so deep that we rarely examine it,

that somehow Canada is owed prosperity,

safety, and security.

We don't believe in the divine right of kings,

but we do unconsciously believe

in the divine right of being Canadians.

And here's the thing.

There's some immigrants in the room.

The majority of us were born in this country.

One of the things that struck me,

a year ago today I was in Nairobi,

and you have unbelievable poverty in Nairobi.

And you know what?

I didn't do anything to organize being born in Canada.

I could have been born in Nairobi.

I could have been born to that woman

that I saw on the street with a little baby

that didn't seem to be able to see

and was missing limbs.

I could have been that child.

I didn't do anything to deserve being born in Canada.

And we Canadians have a deep-seated,

it's so deep-seated that it's rarely discussed,

a deep-seated complacency and assumption and presumption

that somehow or another,

it doesn't matter how good or bad politicians are,

how good or bad teachers are,

how good or bad business people are,

that somehow our prosperity is,

it doesn't matter what the union deal is like

or that the owner is like,

that somehow we are owed prosperity,

plenty, safety.

And in a sense,

when bad things happen in other parts of the world,

it's because in some way they deserve it.

They deserve it because of tribalism.

They deserve it because of the way they treat women.

They deserve it because of their corruption.

They deserve it.

And at a very, very deep level,

we, at our hearts,

believe that there's a connection between tragedy and sin

and those of us who are healthy and prosperous.

It's not just, it's owed us.

We have a divine right to it.

And Jesus, rather than following the national political drift,

he attacks the heart,

the center of who I am,

the assumptions underneath how I think.

And it's very, very shocking.

In fact, it even gets worse.

It gets worse.

Because what does Jesus say again?

Do you think that those Galileans were worse sinners

than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way?

No, I tell you, but unless you repent,

you will all likewise perish.

And some of us might wonder,

why is Jesus being so mean?

Why is he being so negative and depressing?

I come to church for a moment of quiet and inspiration.

And frankly, having Jesus tell me

that I should feel lousy about myself?

George, no wonder the church in Canada is shrinking.

Well, let's make the matters worse.

Because actually what Jesus is saying is,

see, the average Canadian,

if we were to go out after the service

and we were just to start talking to people downtown,

or maybe you think,

oh, maybe downtown people are different,

go to Canada, go to Orleans,

and just maybe talk at the coffee shops

and the soccer fields and other places.

You might not see too many people out today

because it's the weather's Ottawa weather

and therefore in November, October, not very good.

And the average Canadian,

if you said if you were just to die in 10 minutes,

what's going to happen to you?

10 minutes, you're going to die.

What's going to happen to you?

And most Canadians would say one of two things.

I just cease to exist

or I go to a better place.

That's what most Canadians would say.

And so at a very, very deeply level of the heart,

in a sense, we would say

that if there is some type of God that does exist

and as if there's a final exam that's needed

to get into heaven,

some of us, most of us, because we're Canadian,

very few of us, I mean, inwardly,

we might think we're worth at least an A,

but we'd probably, because we're Canadians,

not say that we'd get an A,

but we'd probably say we got a B or a B minus,

and maybe a couple of us have been a bit depressed,

and we might say, well, you know,

right now I think I might be getting a D minus,

but if I could just live another four months,

I'll get my mark up to a B.

But Jesus says that apart from him,

I'm going to sort of get to that,

but Jesus is saying that in and of ourselves,

and he's saying this to George,

and he's saying this to each of us,

that we stand before God with an F,

and that if he gives us four more months,

F,

gives us 40 years,

F.

In fact, if you could put this up, Andrew,

the Bible later on captures what Jesus is saying here

in Luke 13 and puts it in a very pithy way,

which is this,

the Bible captures the message of Jesus,

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

That's what Jesus means when he says twice,

no, I tell you, unless you repent,

you will all likewise perish.

So what on earth is going on here?

What on earth is going on?

Jesus continues to sort of burrow into the heart.

He continues to burrow into the heart

by the very, very next story that he tells.

And at first glance,

he actually makes it worse.

For us Canadians,

with our assumption of our mark

and our assumption that our prosperity

is somehow a divine right,

and we come to church listening to all of the commentary

of our neighborhoods and the papers in the media,

and we hope that maybe Jesus starts to qualify this

in a helpful way.

He's going to in a moment,

but first he actually continues

to burrow deeper into our heart,

to go even deeper,

even if we understand this idea of more work,

that somehow or another,

how that relates to God.

And he does it in the very next parable,

verse six.

And Jesus told the parable,

a man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard,

and he came seeking fruit on it,

and he found none.

And the owner of the vineyard said to the vine dresser,

look, for three years now,

I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree,

and I find none.

Cut it down.

Why should it use up the ground?

And the vine dresser answered him,

sir, let it alone this year also.

Let it alone until I dig around it,

loosen the soil,

put on manure.

Then if it should bear fruit next year,

well and good.

But if not, you can cut it down.

And this actually sounds like a little bit worse.

I was just talking to somebody a week or two ago,

and they talked about a person who they just discovered

had used to be very deeply involved in Christianity.

And he just read a speech by her,

a talk by her,

and she's now become a very anti-Christian.

And one of the things that she does

is she just documents time and time and time again

how Jesus and the God of the Bible are abusive.

And at first glance,

what Jesus says would be prime evidence

that God is an abusive God.

Why do I say that?

If we were to come across a dad or a mom,

and they have kids in grade one through high school,

and the mom and the dad,

if the kids don't get A's,

are mad and angry at them,

we would say that's abusive.

If one of us came and said that we grew up in a family

where unless we got A's,

our moms and dads would be mad at us,

not give us attention,

we would say,

yeah, you need counseling and therapy

because your parents were abusive.

Is that what Jesus is saying here?

You know, look at this.

You know, the parable is about,

look at this, this free tree.

It's not fruitful.

It's not doing particularly well.

You know, I've given it all sorts of attention.

Just cut it down and get rid of it.

Just cut it down.

Just cut it down.

Is this Jesus saying that God is expecting us

that the problem is,

in my mind,

if I had to die in 10 minutes,

and I appear before God,

and I've worked out an A in my life

that I didn't realize that God

has way higher standards than that,

and so I'm actually got an F,

and, you know, frankly,

many of us would say,

like, I don't know what his standards are.

Like, that seems a little bit unjust and cruel,

and why doesn't he give me a break?

Like, my teacher gives me a break.

Like, my mom gives me a break.

Like, why doesn't God give me a break?

Why doesn't Jesus give me a break?

Isn't that like an abusive type of way

of relating to us?

Isn't Jesus' teaching abusive?

And that's how we can hear it.

See, what Jesus is doing

is he's deepening in at our heart

if we just let him listen.

Here's a thing for us to say

before we read the very next thing.

If there's one thing that you get out of the sermon today,

part of it would have to be this.

Jesus says all of these things

on his way to Jerusalem to die.

And every time that Jesus talks about

one of these things on his way to Jerusalem to die,

one of the people who's listening is Judas,

who will betray him.

That, in fact, not only does Jesus show

extraordinary patience and compassion to Judas,

who he knows will betray him,

not only does he have, in a sense, a deep hope,

that that will not be Judas' fate,

that Jesus is going to Jerusalem to die.

Here's the thing, if you could put it up, Andrew.

At the deepest, truest level possible,

Jesus is for you.

His same shock,

they're not what we expect,

and at first glance,

because they offend our pride,

and for many of us,

my pride is myself.

When he offends my pride,

he offends me.

But on one hand,

Jesus is warning us

of on one hand,

the dire straits that we're in.

On the other hand,

he's letting us begin to understand

that we are more wildly,

deeply,

unbelievably,

unimaginably loved.

Because Jesus is for you.

And nothing he says

can be understood

if you don't understand

that he is for you,

and will die for you,

and will endure the equivalent of hell

for you,

and for me.

So how does Jesus begin

to turn the corner?

He does it with a miracle.

And everything in the miracle

is significant.

Verse 10.

Now Jesus was teaching

in one of the synagogues

on the Sabbath.

He's up there teaching.

Sort of imagine

this sitting here.

The ruler of the synagogue is,

I don't want to point

where anybody's sitting.

The ruler of the synagogue

is sitting right here.

This was like an Anglican church.

The bishop's throne

is right here.

Okay?

And the ruler of the synagogue

is on the bishop's throne.

Jesus is up here teaching.

And so Jesus was teaching

one of the synagogues

on the Sabbath.

And there was a woman

who had a disabling spirit.

I'm not going to talk

much about it today,

but yes,

this text is saying

that demons

can affect us physically.

That demons exist

and they can affect us physically.

And what's going to happen

is both an exorcism

and a miracle of healing

at the same time.

But I'm not going to actually

talk about this much

because it's,

we'll talk about some of this stuff

in a couple of weeks.

So,

there was a woman

who had a disabling spirit

for 18 years.

She was bent over

and could not fully

straighten herself.

When Jesus saw her,

he called her over

and said to her,

woman,

you are freed

from your disability.

And Jesus laid his hands

on her

and immediately

she was made straight

and she glorified God.

but the ruler of the synagogue,

deeply indignant

because Jesus had healed

on the Sabbath,

said to the people,

there are six days

in which work ought to be done.

Come on those days

and be healed

and not on the Sabbath day.

So,

just so you understand,

so Jesus is teaching

and in the original language,

they use a,

and in fact,

in some of the academic

and other commentaries,

they talk about

what the medical condition

could be.

But what you can imagine

is that Jesus is up here teaching

and maybe,

and a woman comes in

and this is how she is.

And for 18 years,

this is how she's lived her life.

She sleeps like this.

She somehow sits like this.

She walks like this.

She washes herself like this.

She dresses herself like this.

She has conversations

with people like this.

And this has not been

how she was born.

But for 18 years,

this is how she lives.

And she would be known

to the synagogue

because when you live like this

for 18 years,

you don't go on long trips.

She's a local.

And Jesus sees her.

He says what he's going to do.

He puts his hand on her.

He calls her up.

So we wouldn't be on a stage.

It'd be all one level.

And he puts his hand on her back

or her head.

It doesn't say where,

but he puts his hand on her.

Makes it very, very clear

this isn't just going to be

a coincidence.

And he just says,

you're free,

which means now

the demon has been cast out.

And whatever physiological problems

there is in that person's body,

after 18 years of this,

it's an unbelievable miracle

of destruction and creation

and unbelievable health.

And she goes from this

to going like this.

And the first thing

that bursts from her mouth

is praising God.

The first thing that comes out,

praise you, God.

The ruler of the synagogue

is sitting in the bishop's chair.

Sorry, Charlie.

That's my bishop.

He wouldn't do it.

Okay.

But George is sitting here

in the bishop's chair.

This is a guest speaker

who's come in.

And George gets up.

And this is how it goes

in the text.

And he'd stand in front of Jesus.

He doesn't talk to Jesus.

He has his back to Jesus.

He talks to the congregation.

He says,

okay, folks,

I want you to understand

what's just happened.

What this guest speaker did

is wrong.

We all know how important

the Sabbath is.

We all know how central

it is to our identity.

And we all know

that on the Sabbath

you don't work.

And this guy,

he just worked

in front of all of us.

It's an unbelievable offense

that he would do this.

You know what?

Old Irma,

or whatever her name is,

he could have healed her yesterday.

He could heal her tomorrow.

He could have worked

any day of the week.

He did this on purpose.

It's deeply offensive.

It's work.

You've got to understand

that what he just did

was wrong.

That's what happens.

And the man doesn't say it

to Jesus.

He, in a sense,

puts himself between Jesus

and the congregation.

He addresses the people.

Now, we've already seen

that Jesus is very surprising.

And he obviously hasn't read

the book Getting to Yes.

And he hasn't read

Dale Carnegie's

How to Win Friends

and Influence People.

And somehow,

he's missed all of that literature.

And how does Jesus respond?

He says,

verse 15,

You hypocrites,

does not each of you

on the Sabbath

untie his ox

or his donkey

from the manger

and lead it away

to water it?

And ought not this woman,

a daughter of Abraham,

whom Satan bound

for 18 years,

be loosed

from this bond

on the Sabbath day?

On the Sabbath day.

So,

what's going on

here in this particular

story?

The first thing is,

and this has really

been striking,

this is the first time

I've said anything

about it this fall,

but it's really struck me

this fall,

reading the gospel,

that one of the perceptions

that people outside

of churches have

about Christians

is that Christians

spend their time

railing at the ungodly.

Okay?

And if you're

in a more left-wing church,

you rail against

the ungodly conservatives,

the ungodly capitalists,

the ungodly business leaders,

and you rail against them.

And if you're in a more

right-wing evangelical church,

you rail against

those homosexuals,

and you rail against

the bars,

and you rail against

those businesses

open on Sunday,

and you rail against

those people cheating

on their husbands

and their wives,

and you rail against them.

And the perception

outside is that Jesus

and Christians,

and therefore must be Jesus,

are always railing

at people who are

outside of the church.

You know the thing

which is really striking

if you read the Gospels?

It's really,

it's the first time.

I've almost said it

every week.

Jesus virtually never

talks about those people.

He spends his time

going after religious

and spiritual types

primarily.

Like right now.

Jesus doesn't get up

to the synagogue leader

and say,

let me tell you

about those homosexuals

and people who own bars,

or let me tell you

about those Harper conservatives

and their agenda.

Okay?

I want to get back

in your good books, folks.

This is a left-wing congregation.

Those Harperites,

people from Alberta,

you know,

or if it's a right-wing

type of synagogue,

he says,

yeah, yeah,

those gays,

those,

boy,

am I ever angry at them.

Jesus goes after

the ruler of the synagogue.

He goes after the guy

in the bishop's seat.

And in fact,

in the gospels,

Jesus spends vastly

more time critiquing

the religious

and the spiritual.

One of the other things

he does,

by the way,

and this is the shocking thing,

another sermon,

is that we're all religious

and we're all spiritual

because we all worship

and we all follow idols.

But that's a separate sermon.

Just throw that in.

Here's the thing.

Some of us might say,

okay,

well,

you know,

we would never do that.

But,

okay,

now I'm going to maybe

offend some people.

G.K. Chesterton,

go ahead,

yeah,

G.K. Chesterton

famously said

that Christians believe

in miracles

because of evidence

and secularists

don't believe

in miracles

because of dogma.

Chesterton was famous

for shocking

inversion statements

like that.

Many people will say,

oh, yeah,

you believe in the Bible

and the miracles

and all because of dogma.

Well,

Chesterton says,

Christians believe

in miracles

because of evidence.

Seculars don't believe

in miracles

because of dogma.

So,

how do we extend this beyond?

On one hand,

it's a critique

of the religious guy,

but you know what,

for a second,

it's a critique of us

for a second.

Like,

why are some of us

bothered by this

for all have sinned

and fall short

of the glory of God?

Why is it?

Because we want to stand

in front of Jesus

and say,

true religion

tells us we're good.

This guy has just

done something wrong.

True religion

tells us that we're good.

Where we stand in front,

true religion

doesn't talk about demons.

Where we step in front

and we say,

true religion

is mystical.

Where we step in front

and say,

true religion

doesn't have any miracles

in it.

Where we step in front

and we say,

true religion

is equally open

to every human being.

Where we step in front

of Jesus

and we say,

whatever.

We step in front

of Jesus

and tell him off.

He's addressing

a human problem.

He's addressing

the problems

in our culture

where we have

expectations

of what it is

that Jesus will be like

and the gospel

will be like

and the good news

will be like.

And when it doesn't fit

our criteria,

our rules,

we tell Jesus

he's wrong.

Here's the thing

that the other,

that the thing

is now trying

to get us to see

if we're now

willing to listen.

If you could put it up,

Andrew.

We know that

Jesus Christ

crucified

is the power

from God.

Not that,

as if it's impersonal,

but Jesus Christ

is the power

from God

who,

this,

who frees us,

heals us,

makes us stand

upright,

and releases

praise

from God.

Praise for God

from us.

That's what it should say.

Releases praise

for God

from us.

That's,

okay,

how did it begin?

Unless you also

likewise repent,

you will likewise

perish for all

of sin

and fall short

of the glory

of God.

This idea

that somehow

our prosperity

is due to us,

this idea

somehow

that our fruitfulness

and what we accomplish

will somehow

equate with salvation

or guarantees

our salvation,

and Jesus

is wanting to say

that George,

even if you live

to be 107

and you're

an unbelievably

good man

in the eyes

of the world,

it will still

add up to enough.

What the Bible

is trying to get us

to understand

is that we are

separate,

apart from God,

and that we cannot

fix that ourselves,

and that what God

does in the person

of Jesus

is that Jesus,

as he dies upon

the cross,

is a power

of God,

a power that

comes from God

that does

what we cannot

do,

and it's offered

for us.

And what

does that

power do?

It frees me.

It delivers me

from demonic

bondage.

It delivers me

into health

and wholeness.

It causes me

to no longer

be fallen

and bent,

but to stand

upright

and releases

from me praise.

And that's

what Jesus

does.

It's a visible

enacting

of what

it will be,

what he accomplishes

for us

on the cross.

He's walking

to Jerusalem,

and what

he will

accomplish

for us

on the cross

is visibly

enacted

in front

of the eyes

of the congregation.

The woman

does nothing.

The woman

is helpless.

The woman

cannot change

herself.

Jesus

grants her

freedom.

Jesus

destroys the

things within

her that

would keep

her bound

even after

the demon

is out.

Jesus

creates

within her

new bones

and new

sinews

and new

tendons.

Jesus

does all

of this

purely by

his power.

The woman

adds nothing

and that

power of

God

coming upon

her

releases

praise.

Remember

what I say

almost every

week from

Spurgeon.

The Christian

faith is

one beggar

telling another

beggar

where to

find free

bread.

Jesus

Christ

crucified

is the

power

from God

who frees

us,

heals

us,

makes us

stand

upright

and releases

praise for

God from

us when

we receive

it.

Let's just

sort of wrap

it up over

the next

couple of

minutes to

sort of try

to put some

of these

other pieces

in the

passage

together.

What's

going on

about that

fruit tree?

Here's what's

going on.

If you

could put

it up

Andrew,

fruitfulness

follows

conversion.

Fruitfulness

does not

create

conversion

or equate

with

conversion.

Faithfulness

comes from

receiving the

gospel,

first receiving

the gospel

and then

being gripped

by the

gospel.

See,

the common

human problem

is I want

my good

acts

or the

fact that

I'm

Canadian

and therefore

I don't

have to

do as

many

good

acts

because

I'm

Canadian.

You know,

I'm

a,

you know,

you can

fill in

the blank.

I'm a

gay

Canadian,

I don't

have to

do

as

many

good

acts.

I'm

a

heterosexual

Canadian,

I don't

have to

do

as

many

good

acts.

I'm

a

rich

Canadian,

I don't

have to

do

as

many

good

acts.

I'm

a

victimized

Canadian,

therefore

I don't

have to

do

as many good acts. I'm a Canada Canadian. I don't have to do as many good acts. I'm an urban people,

not one of those suburban people. Therefore, I don't have to do as many good acts. But I do my

good acts. And therefore, somehow or another, that is salvation that creates salvation.

And it's deeply ingrained in us. The gospel is constantly trying to bang that out of our heart

to help us to understand that first we receive the gospel and then we are gripped by the gospel.

And that's what fruitfulness comes from, that fruitfulness follows conversion. Fruitfulness

does not create conversion or equate with conversion. That's what all of Jesus' teaching is trying

to get our hearts to the point of realizing what's going on and how we're keeping God distant

and our pride and our arrogance and our presumption and our need for Jesus to come empty-handed.

And the other thing that the text says, well, we have to read the last few verses. If you go back

to Luke 13, hopefully you haven't closed it. Verse 17, as Jesus said, these things, all his adversaries

were put to shame and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

Jesus said, therefore, what is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?

See, the kingdom of God is where the king is to rule, to save and to rule. Jesus is the king.

Verse 19, it is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden and it grew and

became a tree and the birds of the air made nests in its branches. And again, he said, to what shall I

compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until

it was all leavened. Two quick takeaways from that. First one, Jesus starts small, but he will take

and shape all. Jesus starts small. That's the parable of the leaven. It seems like a very,

very small thing. In 1972 in November, for the first real time, I bowed my knees and asked Jesus

to come into my life, to be my savior and my Lord. November 5th, 1972, probably about two miles from

here in terms of geography. And I didn't have lightning flashes or mystical experience. It started very small.

And there's a long way to go in my life. Ask my wife and my kids and those who work for me. I am not

perfect. But it starts small and Jesus will take all. My sexuality, my money, my body, my mind, my time,

my plans, my memories, my talents, my fears, my brokenness, my wounds, my strengths, my sins. He will take all.

And in the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus starts small.

One guy dying on a cross in an obscure corner of the Roman Empire, attended by a couple of women

and a young guy named John. And three days later,

a woman named Mary, he's Jesus for the first time after his death and resurrection.

And then a handful of people, maybe if he added them all up, about 600 in an obscure corner of the Roman Empire.

Jesus starts small, but his new covenant will encompass all.

It encompasses life. It encompasses economics and politics and family structure.

It encompasses all. It's big. It's not just something private and spiritual.

It's big. It's big.

Which leads us to our end.

See, Jesus dying upon the cross, and this miracle, what it shows us,

the Christian life begins when we say to Jesus,

Jesus, what you've just done for that woman.

I am that woman bent over.

I am that woman bound.

And, you know, it's as simple as saying,

what you did for her.

Could you do it for me?

And never let me go.

That's how the Christian life begins.

I can tell you more fancy prayers, but it's just as simple as that.

If you just say to Jesus in your heart,

Luke 13 right here,

in my heart.

I don't have that fancy theological language.

Luke 13

in here.

And for those of us who do that,

as we think about what Jesus does for us on the cross,

it pushes us into things that we never thought we'd do.

I had terrible acne.

I had terrible acne,

and I was shy,

and I started leading Bible studies in my high school.

Skinny,

acne-scarred,

shy,

leading Bible studies

in a high school.

gospel.

The gospel pushes us into things

because when Jesus takes us,

he never lets us go.

As we think about the cross,

it pulls us into things that we never thought we'd do.

As we think about the gospel,

it shapes us in ways that we never thought we'd be shaped.

And because he really did die

and he really did rise,

it grounds us in doing things

that we never thought we could do.

So,

for those of us who are Christ followers today,

how do we live after Wednesday?

I talk a little bit about it in the blog

that you could look at,

but here's how Jesus invites us

to live in Ottawa after Wednesday.

If you're engaged,

get married.

If you're married

and God grants you this ability,

have children,

have a family,

write songs,

start businesses,

do your job well,

pray for the peace of the city,

pray for wisdom for our political leaders.

If you work on Parliament Hill,

read Romans 1,

Romans 12, 1 and 2 every day

and pray that you give godly advice

to those who you serve.

Seek the prosperity

and the blessing of the city.

Seek to be fruitful.

Seek to live

as followers of Jesus

without fear.

Knowing that your citizenship

is ultimately and finally in heaven

and nothing can shake you from that.

And tell people about Jesus.

And if you are here today

and you've not yet said,

I am that woman,

there's no better time than right now

to do it.

Please stand.

You know, for many of us,

even though we've given our lives to Jesus,

the devil starts to bend us over

as we get caught up

with the assumptions of the world.

Should we be angry?

What we should do?

It just shapes us.

And so, you know,

some of us have to say,

Jesus, you did that for me before

and I'm starting to get bent over again.

I know you've never let me go.

I'm not asking this

because I need to be your child.

But boy,

I really need to be gripped

with the gospel

so I stand upright

like that woman

and praise you.

I stand upright

with my money

and with my family

and my job.

And so for many of us,

we just have to say to Jesus,

like the ones here

who say it for the first time,

Jesus, this woman is me.

Be my savior and my Lord

and do in her

what you've done with me

and never let me go.

Just say it to Jesus.

And for all of us,

I'll just close in prayer.

Father, pour out your Holy Spirit

gently but deeply upon us.

Gently but deeply upon us.

We thank you so much, Father,

that there's not a single person here,

even the holiest,

who was not,

in a sense,

by their very nature,

that woman bent over,

bound and not free.

We thank you so much

that you died upon the cross for us,

Jesus,

that your death upon the cross

is a power of God

for salvation

and that, Father,

when your Son comes

into our lives

as Savior and Lord,

that he causes us

to stand upright,

that he causes us to be,

he brings to us freedom,

he brings to us health,

he brings to us wholeness,

he brings to us praising

of you.

Father,

please help us

to be disciples

following Jesus,

gripped by the gospel,

living fruitful lives

as we're gripped by the gospel,

but all of our fruitful lives,

Father,

for your glory,

for your glory,

for your glory.

Father,

this we pray

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.