Jesus and Our Helplessness | Jesus the Redeemer | Pastor Zach Weihrauch

Luke seven one through ten.

After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people,

he entered Capernaum.

Now a centurion had a servant who was sick,

and at the point of death, and was highly valued by him.

When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews,

asking him to come and heal his servant.

And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him

earnestly, saying, he is worthy to have you do this for him.

For he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us.

Our synagogue.

And Jesus went with them when he was not far from the house.

The centurion sent friends, saying to him, Lord, do not trouble yourself,

for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.

Therefore I did not presume to come to you.

But say the word, and let my servant be healed.

For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.

And I say to one, go, and he goes, and to another come.

And he comes into my servant, do this, and he does it.

When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him.

And turning to the crowd that followed him, said,

I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.

And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the

servant, well.

What if I

told you that one thing you almost

never want to be said about you

is actually the key to you

encountering and experiencing and growing in a relationship with God?

The thing that you absolutely do not want to be true of you

is actually the key.

What I have in mind here is helplessness.

That's what we're talking about this weekend.

Helplessness.

It's probably true that one of the things you at least once

said about you is that you are helpless,

that you're needy, that you can't take care of yourself.

You're not self-sufficient.

I mean, we don't say this out loud because we're

polite people, but needy people,

people who can't take care of themselves and kind of drive us crazy.

We don't want to be them.

That's why one of the most American religious statements

is the belief that God helps those

who help themselves see, you know it because it makes sense to us, because

we assume if we don't like needy people, maybe God doesn't either.

But actually the passage

we're going to look at this weekend tells us it's the opposite.

Only the needy, only

the helpless actually get to experience God.

That in this series on Jesus the Redeemer, we're looking in

the Gospel of Luke how Jesus sets us free from different things.

Helplessness is a little unique.

He can set us free from helplessness.

But first he wants to lead us into helplessness.

That's what I want to show you this weekend.

If you have a Bible with you, take it out and open it to Luke chapter seven.

We're going to look at the first ten verses.

Take out your phone, your tablet, however you want to get there.

Hey, if you're here and you didn't think to bring a Bible or maybe aren't

super familiar with the Bible, first of all, I'm so glad you're here.

It's a great weekend for you to be here, and everything that happens

this weekend is as much for you as it is for me.

The words

I reference will be on the screen behind me, but if you want to hold

something in your hand, there's a Bible in the pew in front of you.

Here in the West service or in the back of the room

in East service, and actually preach from that Bible

so that I can tell you today's reading is on page 811.

So if you want to participate in that way, pull that out open to 811.

But however you're getting there, let me hold out to you an outline.

I'm going to use to guide our time together.

Three very simple points.

And they go like this I want to talk about the need,

the source and the

question, the need, the source and the question.

All right. Let's start with the first one, the need.

This story is about a guy

that I really think you're going to like.

He's just called the Centurion.

He is a soldier.

And when you think of this guy, you're probably thinking

of a guy who was one of those funny hats and a red cape and,

and a spear, you know, the typical Roman soldier.

And I guess he probably had all those things.

But this guy was.

He was more than that.

The word centurion implies

that he had at least a hundred men in his command.

Centurion century 100. That's the reference.

He commanded 100 men.

Centurions were noncommissioned officers.

Meaning, he had worked his way up from a basic

soldier to now commanding 100 guys.

There's only one way to do that, by the way.

He was really good in battle.

He was courageous.

He was tough.

He could definitely have taken you in a fight.

That's who he was.

He was a man's man, a guy's guy, an action hero.

He was a soldier of great renown.

He was an officer, a commander.

And centurions made about 15 times

the annual salary of a regular soldier.

So he's doing pretty good for himself.

I mean, this guy is not just tough and smart and capable.

He's wealthy.

He is an officer in the most powerful army in the whole world.

He would be a member at the club.

You wish you could be a member at.

He would drive a great car.

He would live in a great neighborhood.

He's one of those guys that would ooze wealth and success.

The kind of guy you half admire?

Half.

Hey, that's who this guy is.

But also, he was politically savvy.

When he sends emissaries to Jesus to ask Jesus for help.

He sends Jewish messengers.

That's because Jesus was Jewish, and this guy is a Roman.

He's an oppressor.

The Romans are oppressing the Jews at this point in history.

And so he's not sure if a Jewish guy is going to want to help a Roman soldier.

So he sends Jewish messengers.

And what they tell Jesus is, hey, you need to help this guy.

He's one of the good ones.

He actually built our synagogue,

which means this guy is savvy about the fundraisers he goes to, right?

He gives the right check.

That one hit a little close to home. You guys.

You guys chuckled at that.

He sends the right check to the right charity.

When you go by the Jewish synagogue, his name is on the cornerstone

thanks to Roman Centurion from Luke chapter seven.

He's that kind of guy. He.

These are people he's oppressing who are vouching for him.

That's how savvy he is.

Okay, so with all that in mind, let's now read

the first couple of verses, Luke chapter seven, verse one.

Here's what it says.

After he had finished all his sayings, the he here, by the way, is Jesus

in the hearing of the people he entered Capernaum.

Now a centurion had a servant who was sick,

and at the point of death he was highly valued by him.

And when the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him

elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant.

And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying,

he is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation.

He's the one who built us our synagogue.

Think I want you to see is this guy is smart.

He is talented.

He is tough. He is capable, guys guy.

He's savvy, he's self-sufficient, and he is utterly and completely helpless.

He has a servant who is sick.

Now, in the original language, this implies not just any servant, but

a young boy.

He has a young boy who who he owns, who works for him, who is sick.

In Matthew's version of this story, he says the centurion says he is suffering

terribly, meaning he's watching this young boy die.

If you were a young boy who is suffering and dying,

and you work for

one of the most powerful men in the world, when you looked up at that man

in your dying, what would you say to him?

Surely you can help me,

sir. You're so powerful.

You're so rich.

You're so smart, you're so savvy.

You're so capable. Sir, please.

I'm dying.

Please help me with this guy.

Couldn't.

Because money didn't fix this influence didn't fix this success

professionally doesn't fix this club membership.

Fundraising checks couldn't solve this.

Here's the thing. You like this Centurion.

I know you do.

Some of you are this guy.

Others of you are trying to become this guy.

He's everything we value.

He's as American as you can get.

2000 years before there was an America.

And he's utterly helpless.

You see, this story is teaching us right off the bat that no matter who you are,

no matter how rich, how powerful, how successful, how savvy, how

self-sufficient, you will inevitably come to a moment in life

where you are utterly helpless.

But what I want you to see is that maybe

that's not a bad thing.

I mean, I know in moments of helplessness

we tend to say things like, God, where are you?

God, don't you care?

God, don't you see? God, what are you doing?

It's okay to say those things, but I want you to keep in mind that

if this story never happens, we still have the Gospel of Luke, right?

If this story never happens, Jesus is still going to live senselessly,

die sacrificially, and rise victoriously.

This story doesn't change what happens with Jesus.

It just make sure the centurion doesn't miss Jesus.

Do you see that

without this moment of helplessness, this guy isn't part of the story of Jesus?

Without helplessness, we might live our whole lives without reference to God.

Without helplessness, we may never ask God, where are you?

We may never ask God, do you see me? God?

Do you care?

What if helplessness isn't a reason to doubt God?

What if helplessness is a reason to believe

that God maybe is getting your attention?

That was true for this guy.

But if it's true for him, why couldn't it be true for you?

And isn't it true that in your experiences with helplessness,

usually you find yourself reaching for God?

Really, no matter how you think of yourself, an atheist,

religious, Christian, whatever you might call yourself, in those moments,

you try something like, hey God, if you're out there,

would you help?

Because those moments awaken us to the reality of God.

They awaken us to the idea that maybe we could be part of the story of God,

but man do they pass quickly.

Most of us are familiar with that cycle, right?

You get low in a moment of helplessness. You pray to God.

The moment passes, you move on.

Makes me think of the story of the guy who's late for an appointment,

and he's driving around the parking lot trying to find a spot.

So finally he says, God, if you'll give me a parking spot,

I will go to church every day for a year

and the spot opens up in the front and he goes, nevermind.

God found one.

Tell me you can't identify with that.

Friends, I want you to understand that

helplessness is what ultimately is going to include this guy in the story of Jesus.

It is ultimately what's going to include this young boy and the story of of Jesus.

What is your current problem?

Is not the sign that God doesn't care

what if it is the way he is bringing you into his story?

What if that marriage that is crumbling, that rebellious teenager, the

the search for a jobs, the desire to kick that addiction?

What if the problem that maybe even for the first time in a long time

brought you here this weekend is like Romans.

I mean, Luke seven and the Roman soldier is just God bringing you into his story.

What if neediness is not a bad thing?

Well, the only way that could

be true for my second point is if there's a source

that you can go to to meet that need,

this guy reaches out to Jesus and he's asking two fundamental questions, right?

The same two questions that you and I wrestle with in our moment of neediness.

And that is, can God help me and will God help me?

The first is a question of power, a question of ability.

The second is maybe a question of interest.

Is there a God? And if so, can he help?

And even if he can help, is he inclined to help?

I don't know if you've ever thought about it, but when you cry out

to God in your moment of helplessness, that's what you're really asking.

This guy, by the way, is utterly convinced of the first one.

He never doubt Jesus. His ability to heal.

He's heard about Jesus.

The the Bible says somehow he's he's heard about stories of Jesus doing miracles.

He never wavers.

That's why Jesus says he has such great faith.

He knows Jesus can do it.

He isn't sure Jesus will do it.

That's why he sends Jewish guys to vouch for him.

Let me ask you in your current

understanding of God, do you believe he can help people?

Do you believe he will?

That's why you have to see

that verse six in just a few short words is life changing if you let it be.

Verse six says this And Jesus went

with them.

You know, it's entirely possible.

This guy sends Jewish guys to Jesus and says, hey, will you help?

And Jesus says, no.

It's entirely possible that Jesus says, not for a Roman,

not for a soldier, not for an oppressor.

I got other sick people to take care of.

I'm too tired.

You're too bad.

But he doesn't.

The Bible just says, and he went with them.

You see, Jesus is an invitation to this idea.

There is a God who can help you and that God is interested in helping you.

God can and God will.

This story is an invitation for you in your neediness for me,

in my helplessness to go to God.

It's an invitation to bring that rebellious teenager to

to bring your broken marriage, your addiction, whatever it is

that you're facing, to bring it to God and say, God, I'm hopeful that you can.

I'm hopeful that you will.

Jesus says, this guy has great faith, but he's only fully convinced

of the first one. The second one he's iffy on.

But he knows this.

What I can't do for myself, I believe Jesus can.

Do you think that? Let me put it to you this way.

You know I have five kids. How could you not know that?

I talk about it all the time,

but in my family, I am the know guy.

Do you know what I mean?

Like, if you want to. Yes. You go to mom.

If you want to know.

I don't know why you would, but if you do, you come to me.

Especially when it comes to money, okay?

Especially when it comes.

I love to say no to things involving money.

I tell my kids all the time, I'm trying to say yes to college,

so I'm saying no to ice cream.

Okay, I can't say yes to both.

I, I'm I'm always saying no.

So I imagine sometimes my kids are discussing

how best to approach me in their moment of need.

Like one kid is saying to another, like, mom said, I have to ask dad.

I don't really want to.

And I imagine that sometimes, maybe not always.

Sometimes one kid decides to vouch for me.

Okay, and how do you think they would do that?

Well, they would point to all the things I've done in the past, right?

They would say, no, no, no, it's good you should ask that.

When I needed this for lacrosse, remember he came through.

Remember when we were on vacation?

It was really hot. We all wanted lemonade. And he.

This doesn't sound like me at all, by the way.

And he got it for us.

Like, you can go to dad sometimes, you know, here he likes to do stuff for us.

You can go to dad.

They would be saying,

hey, let me tell you the stories I've experience in order to give you courage,

the dad can and will. Friends hear me on this?

Hear me on this?

That's exactly what the gospels are.

I know, I know, guys like me

are always telling you to read the Bible, read the Bible,

and sometimes you just think we're telling you

to read it for its own sake, like there's a merit badge in heaven.

And if you read enough, you get it.

But what I'm telling you is

the gospels, the stories of Jesus, the miracles

of Jesus, the affection of Jesus, the Jesus who shows us a God

who can help us and will help us are there because they are God Himself,

giving you reasons to come to him in your moment of need.

That's why you got to see these

these couple of words and Jesus went with them, is an invitation to you.

At the end of the service.

We'll have a prayer team down here and they'll be ready to pray with you.

Listen, if Jesus would go with this guy, why wouldn't he go with you?

Bring your

problems, bring your concerns, bring your struggles.

Bring your questions.

Because the Bible tells us there's a God who can and will help us.

And I know what you're thinking, which is why that's my third point.

The question

I know the question that's on your mind.

But what if he doesn't?

That's been on my mind, too this week.

You know, people sometimes ask me, Zach, what is preaching like?

And I always say that it's like you have a test every week.

You remember in school when you had a test coming up,

it's like, I have a test every Thursday and Sunday, and

and sometimes I'm studying, sometimes I'm not studying,

but I always feel like I should be studying, right?

Like like I may not be all the way prepared, which is why I love that Pastor

Joe and I tend to take turns every other week because I'm never more

relaxed than Sunday afternoon after I just preached.

Okay, because I got a little bit of time for the next test.

Not this past Sunday, though, because I'm preaching two weeks in a row.

So this past

Sunday I went to a Cavs game with some of my friends, which was great.

But while we're there, at least part of my brain

is working on the sermon because Thursday is always coming.

Okay, so my head is kind of spinning,

and I know I'm going to preach on helplessness.

And I'm thinking through,

you know, in between watching the Portland Trailblazers be helpless

in defeating the Cavaliers, I'm wrestling with this question of helplessness.

And at this game, there was a giveaway.

They were giving away a bobblehead.

And I'm looking at my bobblehead.

And it hit me,

because this bobblehead is not of a player.

This is of Nick Gilbert.

Dan Gilbert son

Dan Gilbert is the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Nick Gilbert is his son who has passed away.

He had, fatal disease.

And the bobblehead is pointing to the incredible foundation

they've established, support research for that disease.

A really cool thing. Really great way of honoring him.

But it hit me all of a sudden, I'm looking at this

and I'm going, I wonder if the Gilberts were here

this weekend, how they would hear this sermon.

Hey, helplessness is a good thing

because when you go to Jesus, he can and will help you.

You don't think the Gilberts prayed?

I mean, I don't know if they're religious, but even if they're not,

you know, they prayed,

you know, they prayed.

And the thing is, it's not just about their story and their bobblehead.

You probably have your own

bobblehead,

your own moment where you went

to God in your neediness and you believed or

tried to believe that he could help you and he would help you, and he didn't.

And maybe even if you haven't had that moment, what's been holding

you back from really buying into this message is, what if he doesn't?

Because the deep question of our hearts is, if I go to God in my helplessness,

if if he if I believe he can help me

and he will help me and he doesn't help me, what does that mean?

Does he love me?

Do you know what's interesting is that in this story, God does come through.

In this story, Jesus does do the miracle.

The little boy is healed.

But you know what's also interesting to me is that even though this centurion

gets what he asks for, he's wrestling with the same question.

Let me show you this.

It's a fascinating thing in the passage.

Let's pick it up again in verse six.

And Jesus went with them.

And when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends,

saying to him, Lord, do not trouble yourself, for

I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.

Therefore I did not presume to come to you,

but say the word, let my servant be healed, for

I too am a man set under authority with soldiers under me.

And I say to one, go, and he goes into another, come.

And he comes into my servant, do this, and he does it.

I want you to see the amazing reality here that will show you your heart and mind.

This guy is utterly convinced that Jesus can heal his servant.

He is utterly convinced

that Jesus can bring this little boy back from almost the dead.

The one thing he could never believe

is that Jesus would love him.

It is easier to believe

God can heal you than love you.

Because this guy's a soldier.

You don't think he has guilt.

You don't think he has shame.

You think you can give enough money

to ease your conscience of being an oppressor?

Even if the people you oppress decide you're good?

This guy says Jesus.

It never even entered my mind that you would come to my house.

But you see, that's the greatest miracle

Jesus is going to do in Luke seven.

You can't understand the story until you see that the greatest miracle

Jesus is going to do for this centurion and for this little boy, is not healing.

This boy.

The greatest miracle he's going to do is he's going to tell this centurion,

I have come to do more than that.

I've come to live sinless in your place.

If you go to the cross and become the soldier, become the oppressor,

become the violent man, become the guy with the anger problem,

and to come up under the wrath and judgment of God and to give my life

as a sacrifice for your sin, to die

three days later, to rise from the dead, ascend into heaven.

And when God speaks your name on the day of judgment, I will vouch for you.

If you could talk to the centurion right now in heaven.

And you said to him, what's the most incredible thing

God has ever done for you?

He wouldn't even think of mentioning the story.

Because this is the second

most incredible thing God ever did for him.

Because in Jesus, God

convinced the centurion

that he loves him.

This guy has faith, but it's too small

faith for miracles, not faith for the miracle of God's love.

Listen, friends, Jesus came so that you would know God loves you

regardless of whether he gives you the miracle or not.

You see, the great news of the gospel is that we don't measure God's love.

And whether he answers our prayer with a yes like in Luke seven or with a

no like in this story or so many others, who knows why God does what he does.

I wouldn't even try to guess

his ways are beyond me.

But I can tell you the one thing

we never have to guess about, and that is whether he loves us.

You see, your ultimate helplessness and mine

is not our rebellious teenager, or our marriage or our sickness.

It is the separation we experience between ourselves and God.

And if we go to Jesus,

he will cleanse us,

forgive us, love us, and connect us to God.

What if the helplessness that brought you in this weekend

is the beginning of your intersection with that God?

Let me pray for us. Father God,

thank you for the story of the centurion.

It is a story for Northeast Ohio.

It is a story for the suburbs.

Rich, successful,

good looking, savvy people

still are utterly helpless in life's most crucial moments,

still utterly helpless before your judgment.

Which is why you sent Jesus.

God, help us to see our helplessness and help us to take it to Jesus.

The one source who can answer the deepest question of our hearts

and his name we pray. Amen.