MidTree Church
The sermon audio of MidTree Church in Harris County, Ga. BEHOLD // BELIEVE // BECOME
MidTree Church
Grace in the Shadows of Doubt | Pastor Will Hawk | April 14th, 2024
Have you ever felt a tug-of-war between the certainty of faith and the whispers of doubt? Our journey through the Christian experience isn't exempt from such struggles, as illustrated poignantly in this latest episode. We navigate the story of John the Baptist, enveloped by doubt even amidst Jesus's miracles, and grasp at the reassurance Jesus offers. Reflecting on John's uncertainty, we uncover the comforting truth that questioning is a facet of a dynamic faith, not its absence. This episode offers a beacon of hope for those wrestling with the ebbs and flows of belief, illuminating the path where faith and doubt intersect.
It's through the shared stories of our community that our own stories gain strength, particularly when skepticism clouds our faith. As we recount tales of triumph over adversity, such as a family confronting illness, we see the power of unity in faith. The episode emphasizes that the journey isn't meant to be a solo venture; it's the collective wisdom, the chorus of experiences, and the fellowship of believers that enrich and solidify our spiritual resilience. We explore how leaning into this network can dispel doubts and foster growth, showcasing that, indeed, we are stronger together.
Finally, we're drawn into the intimate tale of the woman with the alabaster flask, her actions echoing the profound nature of forgiveness and grace. As we contrast her humility with Simon the Pharisee's pride, we're invited to reflect on our own need for mercy. We close with a prayer for strength, extending an open invitation to all to find solace and peace at the feet of Christ. Whether you're a steadfast believer or someone just beginning to explore the faith, you’ll find in this episode a reminder that no one is alone on this spiritual journey.
If you want to learn more about the MidTree story or connect with us, go to our website HERE or text us at 812-MID-TREE.
I'll be reading Luke 7, verses 18 through 30. Who is to come, or shall we look for another? In that hour, he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind, he bestowed sight and he answered to them. Go and tell John what you have seen and heard the blind receive their sight, the lame walk. Lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear. The dead are raised up. The poor have good news preached to them, and blessed is the one who is not offended by me.
Maddie Frost:When John's messengers had gone, jesus began to speak to the crowds. Concerning John, when did you go out into the wilderness to see A reed shaken by the wind? What did you go out to? See? A man dressed in soft clothing. Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in king's courts. And then what did you go out? To see? A prophet. Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet, this is he of whom it is written. Behold, I send my messengers before your face, who will prepare a way before you. I tell you, among those born of women, none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. When all the people had heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves not having been baptized by him.
Will Hawk:Way to go. Kiddo. The youth pastor in me gets so excited when we have a teenager who's willing to be brave enough to walk up in a room full of adults and read a fairly lengthy Maddie text of script. When you got it, were you like this is long. Yeah, I figured Gosh. Why do they got to cover so much? What's up guys? Welcome to Midtree. My name is Will. If we hadn't had a chance to meet, super excited. You're here. Let me get you oriented for what we're going to do. Luke, chapter 7, is where we're going to be. You're welcome to grab any of the Bibles scattered around you. Midtree is a place where you are free to use the table of contents. There's no shame in that. However, it's on page 863 in a few Bible if you just want a quick shot to get where we're going to be. What I'd like to do to orient you is this Just to give you a little peeking behind the curtain.
Will Hawk:There's a difference in preaching and teaching. Teaching is typically geared toward the mind and preaching is geared toward the heart. Most of the time when you read something in Scripture, a lot of it is geared toward the heart. I think we sort of have this misconception that if I understand something, then it is naturally going to change my heart and flow out. A lot of times in humans it actually works the other way. You need to feel something and then it begins to make sense to you and you can live your life differently. What we're going to talk about this morning is what are believers and non-believers for that matter? What are we supposed to do when we doubt God? What are we supposed to do when we doubt the situations that we live in? When we doubt God's word? What are we supposed to do when we doubt the situations that we live in? When we doubt God's word? What are we supposed to do with doubt? And I think 12-year-old Will would have loved for somebody to just teach him a couple of these things.
Will Hawk:When we sing I jotted this down while we were singing it all I have is Christ, and as we're singing it, my heart is being overwhelmed and I'm looking at the cross and I'm like, no, really. I'm grateful for my family, I'm grateful for my life, I'm grateful for the many blessings that God has given me, but at the end of the day, the only thing that is eternal and lasting, unchangeable and unshakable is Jesus. He's the one who has been the same yesterday, today and forever Promises that his promises yesterday are good forever. So when I sing, all I have is Christ. I cling to this reality. But what happens if you believe that, if your heart desires that, and then you walk into a season where you question if you have Christ, or if you have Christ enough? Is the faith that I have enough so that when I stand before God he'll say well done, good and faithful servant? Is my struggling with sin today telling me I'm not really a Christian, or is it telling me that I'm a Christian who's struggling? What are we supposed to do with this? And, guys, I got to tell you this is one of the greatest texts on understanding doubt in the Christian faith, and so let's jump right in. But keep in mind first half. I really am just going to try to teach you 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 on doubt. And then, man, I think our hearts are going to swell when we look at the end of this text, verse 18,.
Will Hawk:The disciples of John reported all these things. Now my wife came up and told me she didn't understand that John the Baptist was in prison at this time and she needed to know that to engage with the text. So I'm just telling you, john the Baptist is in prison right now. The guy who lived in the wilderness, ate bugs, wore camel's hair, sort of said bump this world, not interested in what it has to offer, not trying to live for this world or like this world. I love God, I love the things of God. That's what I'm going after. This guy ends up in prison and John had a number of people who followed him. Disciples basically means students and some of his students reported all these things to him. Now, what are all these things? Well, it's certainly all these things that we've looked at in the previous weeks.
Will Hawk:Most recently, we saw Jesus see the faith of a centurion, faith that really was sort of a surprise that a Gentile non-Jew had. And Jesus is amazed by this. And the next thing, you know, there's this funeral procession going by and Jesus walks up to a woman who is in great mourning. We think that her son had died that day. She's also a widow. Great morning. We think that her son had died that day. She's also a widow. This son was her only kid. So she's watching the last little bit of family on an open board, visible to the world, walking by and Jesus comes up and he says don't weep. Puts his hand on the coffin, raises the young man from the dead and gives him back to his mom, like all these incredible things are happening.
Will Hawk:And the disciples of John tell John hey, jesus is doing incredible things, like a lot of incredible things. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another? John is doubting Jesus. John the Baptist is doubting Jesus, so much so that we read it twice in scripture. And when the men had come to him, they said John the Baptist has sent us to you. This is my big smile spot on this text, because the disciples go to John and they're like Jesus is doing amazing things. John's like cool, I'm in prison, might be losing my life in a minute. Will you just go and ask Jesus, are you the one who is to come? Are you the Messiah, or should we expect someone else? And then, when they get in front of Jesus I love this they go John wanted to know, like do you see this separation? They're before John like yeah, yeah, yeah, we'll ask him. And then they get to Jesus and they're like. So John the Baptist sent us. Not me, lord, not me, but John, who's in prison, just wants to know are you the one who was to come, or should we expect another? You just told me what do you want me to do, dude? I love this. I love this text.
Will Hawk:John the Baptist, who had the right upbringing. He was dedicated to God from the womb. Father was a priest forward slash pastor forward slash, religious leader. Mom was devout. He grew up in the right family and he doubted. He was involved in serving. He was the lead preacher before Jesus, stood on grassy hills and near large seas and started teaching. John the Baptist was the most world-renowned pastor, speaker and preacher. And John is going into a season of doubt. He was the one that God called to get all of Israel ready to look at Jesus. This is what he has been training for his whole life, and John doubted Jesus. He had visions from God. John was the one. Whenever we do baptisms, we have the little metal trough right here. John was the one who put Jesus into the water and he is doubting Jesus.
Will Hawk:What does that mean? It means that nobody is immune to doubt. Doesn't matter how good your upbringing was. Parents sort of absorb this for a minute. It doesn't matter how many songs you have sung with your kids in the car, doesn't matter how many scriptures you've had them memorize, doesn't matter how many things you have written on the mirror, it doesn't matter how many catechisms you have given them. None of that prevents doubt in seasons of their lives. Should we do all of those things? Yes, absolutely. We want to plant as many seeds of faith in the little gardens of their hearts as we can, but none of us are immune to doubt. John spent his entire life building to this very moment and, and and. Nobody is immune to doubt, because faith and doubt can live together in the exact same heart. But here's what I want to teach you, and this is what 12-year-old Will needed to hear.
Will Hawk:When I was 12, I got baptized. At nine years old. I was a believer. To this day, I would say that at nine I understood my sin and I understood the gospel. I responded faithfully at nine years old and I got baptized, and I've told y'all the story before. My pastor was a offensive alignment for the Georgia Bulldogs and my biggest fear was not getting in front of people, it was that his big old sausage fingers were going to hold me under the water until the bubble stopped, and that was just going to be the end of my story. That's what I was scared of. It wasn't. Oh, I've got to share a testimony. I don't want to be wet in front of people. I was a nine-year-old boy. I didn't care about any of that stuff, I just wanted to make sure. I came back up and I was like oh, I do not want to go to hell. That was how it worked in my heart, and no one had discipled me, taught me, trained me to know what to do when doubt hits a heart, which is prone to hit the heart even of the person with the right upbringing, the right teaching, that has been involved in the church, serves God and has incredible experiences with the Lord, all of which are true of John.
Will Hawk:So what do we do? Well, let me show you what I wish 12-year-old Will would have known. And, by the way, I still struggle with doubts. It's my job to be the professional, right. It's my job. To hey guys, here's an. Let's have some fun. That's my job. To hey guys, here's an. Let's have some fun. That's my job. Okay, but my heart doesn't always line up with my job. I walk into messes of yours, I walk into messes of mine and I sit around and say God, where are you now? Doubt is something that none of us are immune to, so what do we do? Well, I want you to look at what Jesus does the moment these doubts are put in front of him, and I want you to begin to build a theology of combating doubt in your own life. By the way, if you're not a Christian, this text will get us to you in a minute, but these things are going to be for believers who occasionally walk through seasons of doubt.
Will Hawk:Check out verse 21. In that hour, he being Jesus, healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind, he bestowed sight. The disciples of John walk up and they're like what do you want us to tell him? And Jesus, before responding to them, begins doing something. In that hour, when doubt approaches, jesus wastes very little time. Do you want to know how to cause doubt to grow in your heart? Leave it in the darkness of your own mind, just leave it there and say well, I brought this doubt in, I will deal with this doubt, and just let it simmer and let it grow and let it fester. Now Jesus says, in that very hour, he begins doing things in front of these disciples, healing people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits. Can I just tell you these are some of the greatest hits. You've got diseases being cast out. You've got demons being cast out. The blind are given sight.
Will Hawk:So what do we see Jesus do? What do we do about doubt? Number one we look for the goodness of God. Today, it's the first thing you do when you're struggling with doubt. You may have to look at not you. John in prison and his disciples with Jesus, may have been struggling with doubt. And what does Jesus do? He says look at what God's doing in this life. Look at what God is doing here. Look at what God is doing there. Look at what God is doing there. Sometimes we need to get outside of ourself to encourage faith inside of ourself by seeing what is going on around us. That's number one. Number two look at what happens next. And he answered them, verse 22,. Go and tell John what you have seen and heard. So God says look for these things.
Will Hawk:And then he goes a step further. He grabs a group of people and he says I want you to take reports of God's goodness to someone where they are. Tell them, by the way, this is important, notice the things in bold. Tell them the blind receive sight. Tell them lame or walking. Now there is something missing from this list. There's something that Jesus is intentionally leaving out, what I'll show you, what that is in just a moment. But for now, what do we need to do? We need to invite people to come where we are and tell us truths about Jesus. Hey, john's disciples, go and tell them what you've seen. Go to where he is. Go to, whether it's the physical prison which, by the way, paul, would be encouraging Remember those who are in prison but it also means maybe you're not in jail, maybe, in fact, I'm looking at you, all right, you're not, but maybe you are imprisoned in this doubt. Maybe you are imprisoned in this difficult situation, maybe you feel locked up and you are never going to get away from this addiction. And here's what God says Invite people into that place with you. If you want your faith to increase. Ask people who have it to share it with you.
Will Hawk:I had the privilege to go and visit with Josh and Mercy just a couple of days ago, a week or two ago we put their picture up. They've got a little baby named Hope. A lot of you have been praying for Hope. Hope has a condition which dramatically reduces the likelihood of her having a long life. By God's grace, she is still around. She is still doing well, her beautiful little heart is beating and they are savoring every single moment that they have with her.
Will Hawk:And they would look at me and they would say I can accept that God is all good, he is all powerful and he is all loving. I accept that, but I don't understand it. I don't understand it here. I can accept that God's ways are above my ways. He is all powerful, all good, all kind and he loves me as his kid. But if that's the case, why is this happening with my daughter? Can I just tell you that's exactly what John's doing. I can accept that God has sent me to be the messenger to come before Jesus. I can accept that Jesus is doing incredible things. But if that's the case, why would you take your number one guy, put him in prison and then lock the door and forget about him? I don't understand what is going on here.
Will Hawk:If you want faith to increase, you need to ask people who have it to share it with you. When I'm meeting with Josh and Mercy, do you know what's happening? I'm reading scripture to them, I'm praying with them, I'm praying over little hope and faith begins to grow in them. And do you know what else is happening? When I'm hanging out with them and I'm watching them fight through difficulty to still love God and trust God, even though they do not understand, you know what happens to me. Faith begins rising in me. Let me show you something that most of us do not understand. This is Romans 1. So cool, tuck this away when you deal with doubt. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ, for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.
Will Hawk:Paul is writing a letter to the Romans. He begins his letter by saying you guys are knocking it out of the park. The world talks about how big and great and grand and meaningful your faith in Jesus is. You live in Rome. You live in the hardest place to be a Christian and you're there. Your faith is proclaimed in all the world. So I long to see you guys. I want to impart some spiritual gift to you, I want to strengthen you.
Will Hawk:And then Paul says something that seems odd, counterintuitive. Why would he say this? What strength do you want to give this people whose faith is known around the world? That is, we may mutually be encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine, can I submit to you. Paul is probably one of the biggest faith people you will find in all of scripture the stuff that God does in him, around him and through him. Paul has one of the greatest faiths, and right here, in verses 11 and 12, he's standing next to a congregation that may be the most faith-filled congregation on the planet. And do you know what Paul says? I need a little bit of your faith. You need a little bit of my faith. We need each other's faith, even when things are going well.
Will Hawk:What that means is when we stand up to sing and close in worship, you may be able to sing. The person in front of you may not be able to. They may be in a place where those words they may accept that they are true, but they can't understand. How in the world can that possibly be true? They cannot sing it. You've got to sing it for them. There may be somebody in this room who knows that they need to get prayer from one of the pastors, but they are far too nervous to get up during worship and walk to the back.
Will Hawk:But for you you can have faith for that. It is not a difficult thing for you to get up and walk. Can I tell you that I was just last week talking with a young man and I remember being this guy. For me it was praying out loud at church and he was like Will, I want to lift my hands in worship, but I just like I'm not there yet, like I'm not quite. Do you know, when you lift your hands in worship, while it is and ought to be for the glory of God, god uses your faith to encourage the faith of those around you. This is how faith works.
Will Hawk:And so Jesus looks at the disciples of John and he says go and tell him what you have seen, invite people to come to where you are and tell you truths about Jesus. Now I told you something was left out. When we look at that passage, it says the lame walk, lepers, deaf, dead, poor, blind, when Jesus first started his ministry. In Luke, chapter 4, he walks into the synagogue and he well, I was going to say he grabs a scroll. Somebody hands him the scroll of Isaiah and he starts rolling. They swiped and scrolled it differently than we did, so he's just going right. And those are big scrolls, so you got to have some forearm power. And he's going because he goes all the way, I think, to Isaiah 61. And here's what he reads. This is his sermon. Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. Did John see him doing that Absolutely? And recovery of sight to the blind. Did John see him doing that Absolutely?
Will Hawk:But what did Jesus leave out when he was talking to John's disciples? He didn't say anything about liberty to captives. He didn't say anything about liberty to those who are oppressed. Jesus leaves it out when he tells them to go and see. What does this mean? It means that we need to know that Jesus blesses those who trust his ways, especially when it would be easy to walk away. Jesus seems to leave prisoners being set free out of the message that he gives to John's disciples to remind him of. What does that mean? It means that we worship a God who healed and heals, but he may not heal you. We worship a God who intervened and intervenes in life, but he may not intervene in your particular situation.
Will Hawk:Sometimes God tells his kids no, even if they ask for things that they think would be very, very good, and every parent in the room gets this. If your kid asks you for something you don't enjoy telling them no, well, if you enjoy telling them no, we need to have a parenting class. All right, like if that's your convicting moment. Today I enjoy telling my children no, watching their faces drain of color and joy brings. If that's you like, maybe we should pause, but I will be back there. None of us want to do that, but most of us who are aspiring to be good parents realize that a no today is only for a better yes tomorrow. That's what we're wanting.
Will Hawk:The problem is we don't see things the way God sees things. We don't have the scope, the span or the capacity to be able to do so. Sometimes your road is at an end. It might be the road of the job. It might be the road of a relationship. It might be the road of your life comes to an end. Sometimes our stories end in this world, and the bigger your eyes are for this world, the harder that truth is going to be, the more the things around you all of the keys on your key chain and the responsibilities that they point to. If you pull out your phone and you look at the notifications that tell you that you're important all of the things that you cling on to the more that fills your hands, the harder this truth is going to be. Sometimes our stories end in this world.
Will Hawk:An unpopular opinion from a religious person who preaches you not being healed is not necessarily incumbent on the size of your faith. You not receiving some gift from the Lord may not have anything to do with the size of your faith. It may have everything to do with the story that God is writing. That is better than the one that you would write for yourself. You just cannot see the end from the beginning.
Will Hawk:But if there is one thing that Jesus does here that causes my heart to explode with encouragement, sort of like high octane fuel I don't know if any of you guys are just doing better in life than me. I've never bought any gas other than the 87. Like I walk, I am always hard to the left. Like I woke up to a gas thing and I'm like choices. There you go. Like it's always. One time in college I had just gotten paid and I was like my Saturn is going to drink good today and I don't even know what the number is. I don't know if it's a 91 or a 93. I have no idea, I just know it starts with a nine. I've never actually studied it that hard but I was like boop, drink up little Saturn, and you know what? It was different? Nothing I couldn't tell. So I've never done it again ever since.
Will Hawk:But if there was something that I think is high-octane fuel to being able to combat faith, it would be this Look at how honestly and tenderly Jesus talks about John. Watch this Verse 24. When John's messengers had gone that's important Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John. He's about to speak so glowingly about John the Baptist, but he waits until his disciples are gone. He waits and it's like Jesus, no like, say this stuff before they go. John's going to want to hear this, like all of us want to be encouraged. But there's a reason this happens and I bet in very few Bibles is that passage underlined. Commentaries don't have deep thoughts about this, and yet this is one of the coolest verses in the entire chapter to me Verse 24. When the messengers are gone, when nobody can tell John what Jesus is about to say. Jesus looks at the crowds and he says let me tell you something about this guy. Let me tell you who this was.
Will Hawk:What did you go out in the wilderness to see? What did you go? You went on a long journey. You left your kids or you brought your kids, and either way it was a mess because you decided to do so. What did you go out to see? Did you go to see a reed that was shaken by the wind? Did you go to see some dude who can't stand on his own two feet? Did you go to see some weak-willed, easily motivated away kind of a guy? Did you go to see something weak? Nah, you went to see this thing that stands against the wind. John isn't weak, but he is struggling to find strength today.
Will Hawk:What'd you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing. Did you want to go find somebody influential? Did you want to find somebody who's been influenced by the world? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, you can find them, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury. They're in king's courts. They're not even hard to find. It's the biggest house on the block. You want to go find the influential people with the most likes and the most followers? Just go to the biggest house in town. You'll find them. Is that why you walked out to the wilderness? To find somebody who had accomplished in this life? No, john isn't lukewarm, he isn't clinging to the things of this world, but he's struggling to find comfort today.
Will Hawk:What'd you go out to see? A prophet, somebody who spits in the eye of the world and the culture and says I don't care what you do or what you think about me or about God, this is right and this is true, and this is the life I'm living. Is that what you went to see? Yeah, I tell you, and not just that. More than a prophet, this is he of whom is written behold, I send my messenger before your face. God called this man his messenger, who would prepare the way for me to come. I tell you, among those born of women, none is greater than John. You want to talk about somebody who God thinks is very big, yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. John may be questioning his worth while he is sinning, seemingly rotting away in prison, but his value is almost impossible to measure the way God sees him. And the craziest part is Jesus didn't want John to hear any of that. Then why say it? He wanted those people to hear it. He wanted the people who saw that John was doubting. He wanted you, 2,000 years later, to see a Christian who was doubting to trust Jesus. And Jesus did not want you to get the wrong impression.
Will Hawk:Doubt does not necessarily signal a weak, lukewarm or unrepentant faith. It doesn't. Sometimes, if you are trusting in Christ, you are going to doubt, you are going to struggle to understand, even if you have accepted and Jesus didn't want me, you or people 2,000 years ago to misunderstand John's doubts. He could have rebuked John. He could have said you, I don't know. He did the opposite. So it's kind of hard to go against it. You, weak-willed, easily turned false prophet, but it just wasn't true.
Will Hawk:John is struggling and instead the same Jesus who would go to a servant who was seemingly of little value in that day, the same Jesus who cares about a widow, looks at John and he says other people who trust in me are enough for this man's faith to make it through. And blessed are you who are not offended by me, by my ways. What does this mean? What do we do about doubt? Yes, look for the goodness of God today. Invite people to come and tell you truths. Know that Jesus is going to bless you if you are not offended that his ways are not your ways, but you need to understand that it happens to the very best of us and if you really want to do something about it, you need to understand that it happens to the very best of us and if you really want to do something about it, you need to realize that all of these four things that I'm trying to teach you almost all of them require people who know both you and know Jesus well enough to walk through that stuff with you.
Will Hawk:Anyone who says that doubt is not a normal part of following Jesus simply hasn't read their Bible enough. They have not read the Old Testament, nor the New Testament. They have not watched Jesus' followers run away the moment he is pinned to the cross. They have not watched Paul as he wrestles and struggles. They have not seen Moses where he looks up to God and says how many more days am I supposed to do this? I can't do this. It doesn't make any sense. Jesus blesses those who believe him, even if you have doubts along the way.
Will Hawk:But the thing that I want you to realize most with this is doubt grows in the garden of your mind when you leave it alone in the dark it thrives. But faith begins to sprout when wise voices are allowed to water your soul. So you must invite them in realizing that it's not the size of your faith but the subject of your faith that matters most. Can I tell you I have been let down by parents, and so have you. I've been let down by politicians who made big promises and I had a lot of faith in them, but it didn't pan out. Some of you have been very hurt by pastors who you gave so much faith, so much energy to. You've been hurt by church. I know it because I talked to you and you say coming in this building is hard for me. I put big faith into that guy. Can I tell you I've done the exact same thing.
Will Hawk:What matters with your faith is not the size of it. Jesus says faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. The question is, what is that faith? Being placed in the smallest amount of faith in the right thing, jesus will yield a great result, while a great faith in the right thing Jesus will yield a great result, while a great faith in the wrong thing will rot your soul and cause you to question almost everything. Now let me move from teaching. That is the stuff. This is the stuff that will at 12 and 22 and 32 and 42, needed to be taught. But let me hit your heart with this for a minute. When believers doubt, that's what we do. But there's hit your heart with this for a minute. When believers doubt, that's what we do. But there's a different kind of doubting too.
Will Hawk:Verse 29, when all the people heard this, and the tax collectors. In case you're not picking up on this, that top line is talking about the normal average Joe people. They go to work Monday to Friday. They don't have a lot of influence. Nobody really knows their name. They're just kind of normal people who have gone and sought John or they've gone and sought Jesus. When they hear Jesus say this about John, they declare God is just because they were baptized by John. What's happening here? Well, what happens if you get baptized by a guy who then walks away from his wife? Did my baptism count? What happens if you get baptized by a guy who leaves the church and decides I'm not really gonna follow the things of Jesus anymore. All right, now, that didn't happen with John, but John's doubting.
Will Hawk:And when Jesus says, even though my servant is doubting, this is a part of following me, blessed is the one who is not offended by me, that my ways are not his ways, that he may accept me even though he doesn't fully understand me. And all of the people who were baptized by John were like, okay, good, it still counts. Like not only that I can be, I can see myself in John. But there is a group of people who do not like this. But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves. Can I just tell you that is a harsh statement. There are a lot of things in scripture that can be over my head. This is one that I do not Rejecting the purposes of God, not having been baptized by him.
Will Hawk:Jesus speaks so glowingly of John that those who did not receive the baptism of John look at this and they take offense. And Jesus says how am I gonna explain this to y'all? And he says something that made sense to them but probably won't make sense to you. To what shall I compare the people of this generation. What are they like? They're like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another we played the flute for you and you did not dance. We sang a dirge and you did not weep. And 2000,000 years ago, everybody went oh okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. But us, we're like a dirge. What is that? It sounds like an out-of-tune guitar with a fat bottom. That's what a dirge sounds like to me. Like if I draw a picture, it makes more sense if you keep reading.
Will Hawk:John the Baptist has come eating no bread, drinking no wine. The dude was an ascetic. He said no to all of the glorious, like shiny, glittery things in this world. And you look at that guy and you're like he's got a demon. The guy who says no to everything. I mean like he's taking repentance a little too seriously. There's something jacked up in his heart. And then you look at me, the son of man, jesus would say who came eating and drinking. Yet does this mean Jesus drank alcohol? Yeah, I think it does. I think Jesus is pointing to that. The son of man has come eating and drinking and you say look at him, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.
Will Hawk:Do you know what this? Let me explain in our vernacular what is happening here. Jesus is saying how am I going to explain this to you? Here's the problem. I open up a playlist and I play hello darkness, my old friend, and you just sort of sit there and you're like you know, it's catchy, it's good. You're supposed to weep. You're supposed to be like deeply introspective over your life and does it even matter and do the things? I do mean anything anymore. That's what you're supposed to feel when John the Baptist is preaching Repent, for the day of God is at hand. Darkness and gloom are coming. They overwhelm you because your sin is real. That's John the Baptist preaching. You have no hope, you have no escape. If your sin isn't dealt with, you will stand before a holy God and you will have nothing to show for it. He will see your sin and he will say you know what I'm going to give you, what you always wanted, which was life your own way, apart from me. And I will just tell you life apart from me is hell. That's how hell works, by the way. That's what happened.
Will Hawk:But then there was another playlist and Jesus hits it and imagine dragons comes on or journey, don't stop believing and they're just like man. This guy is just. He needs to be more serious. He needs to be more serious. He's a drunk, he's a glutton and Jesus is like don't you understand in the heart that beats and works properly? There ought to be a couple of different playlists that can play and works properly. There ought to be a couple of different playlists that can play that, in the same reality, you can be broken down with the reality that the world is not yet what God meant for it to be, that it is sad that sin exists, that there are brokenness, that there are loss and death and difficult things. Can there be a playlist for you like that that you can engage with, where one single tear can run down your cheek? Can that be your heart and you come to a place where you say but God, don't stop believing, Like, get the tune up, because even though the world is broken, jesus has stepped into it. And if Jesus has stepped into it and he has said my kingdom is not only coming, my kingdom is here. Like I have begun this work, can there not also be celebrating and rejoicing? And this is why the text ends in verse 35, this conversation by saying wisdom is justified by her kids.
Will Hawk:If you are wise, then what is produced from wisdom is able to make sense of this. Wisdom, simply put, is seeing God's world God's way. That's wise. You can be smart and not be wise all day. You can understand all kinds of astrophysics and dark matter. You can understand molecular biology and yet if you can't see that brokenness and celebration live side by side in this world, you're just simply not seeing God's world God's way. Or if you have bought into that but you're struggling to understand, you are believing that your way is better than God's way and you're seeing the world your way instead of his. And guess what? It is not going to line up, it's not going to make sense.
Will Hawk:But what has no place is indifference. There is no playlist for that. There is no playlist to look at things that Christ does, that you don't understand and say I don't care, whatever. There's no room in a heart that is alive for that. There's no room to look at God doing incredible things and saying who really cares? That isn't for me. No, in the heart that is beating, where faith, even on the seed-like level, exists, we, we have gravity and we have gladness side by side. And Jesus says this generation keeps missing it. Don't be offended by me, this is what it should look like.
Will Hawk:And the next thing that happens is one of the Pharisees verse 36, asked Jesus to eat with them. Now, this was a risk. Jesus is a little bit of a loose cannon. He says things that you don't expect, a lot of things that are hard to understand. But one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with them and Jesus went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. You need to go there to appreciate what's about to happen, because it's going to be quite a scene. The way they ate back then is there would be a table in the middle. The would be a table in the middle. The men would lean in, usually with one hand supporting them, and they would be eating with the other hand their clean hand, all right, which meant all of their feet expanded away from the table, sort of like spokes on a bike with the hub where the conversation and the food was happening.
Will Hawk:And in this place verse 37, behold a woman of the city. The Bible is going to call her a sinner in just. Oh no, it actually doesn't very next work. A woman of the city who was a sinner. The Bible is not holding back any truth from you. Our best guess is that this was a woman who was doing exactly what you would expect. If her designation in scripture is a woman of the city, she probably utilized her physical attributes to lure men in to get money from them, utilizing her body to be able to do so. That is likely.
Will Hawk:Who walked into this? And when she learned that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brings something with her. She brings an alabaster flask of ointment, by the way, with her. She brings an alabaster flask of ointment, by the way, something of great value. And standing behind him, away from the conversation of all of the men at his feet, she begins weeping. She began to wet his feet with her tears and wipe them with the hair of her head.
Will Hawk:Now, men, you may not be able to appreciate this, and women, I would be willing to bet you can't even appreciate this as much as what the text is trying to say. To take the thing that you spend time making look good, okay, your hair. To take it and rub it on the feet of a man who had walked through a city where animal dung and dust commonly work their way into sandals is a level of humility that most in this room have never experienced. Not only that, I told you you probably couldn't understand. Y'all can understand. Like that's gross, that's nasty. Like do I have to do that to become a Christian? Maybe no, but like is there a limit to what you do for the one who saves your soul? And that's what she's putting on display. But in that day and I can point you to scripture here the Bible says the glory of a woman is her hair. She takes the thing that is her greatest asset and glory and beauty, and she rubs it into the filthiest part of him. She began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. I don't even want to go to the next verse because Simon the Pharisee here misses it so tremendously. I don't want you to come out of this moment yet. Do you see this woman, humbled, kissing disgusting feet, rubbing her glory weeping?
Will Hawk:Imagine being that woman walking into that house. She did not have an RSVP, she had no invitation, she had no right to be there. But Jesus was there. Where else was she going to go? Her life was in shambles. She had no hope, no prospects. She could see the end of her life. From this moment she knew exactly what it was going to look like.
Will Hawk:And then imagine Simon. This is not Simon Peter, the disciple of Jesus. This is a Pharisee named Simon. This guy is doing his best. He's a moral guy, he lives an upright life. He's living to the best of his ability everything that he sees in scripture and would never have that kind of a woman come into his house and bring into question his piety, and in she bursts, and it seems like he doesn't even speak to her because he's so aghast or so overwhelmed that he sort of submits to whatever Jesus is going to say in the moment. What is going on here? If only Simon could have realized she wasn't the only one with a lot of sin. If only he could have realized that she wasn't the only one who needed to be at the feet and not at the face of Jesus. In that moment he could have just felt something, whether it's a dirge or a flute or something. This woman was so unworthy that she brought something to compensate for her worthlessness. Do you want to know? Where does it? Maybe you've felt that way before, like you've made such a big mistake that an I'm sorry isn't going to cover it.
Will Hawk:If you're ever in Publix and you see a guy walking with flowers and it is not February 14th, I will tell you what that guy gets asked. Three times before he makes it to the driver's side of his car, he gets asked this question What'd you do? What'd you do? Now, ladies, you may not know this, this is, like still very much part of the culture Happens to me every time I go to buy flowers for my wife. Is it your wife's birthday? No, oh boy, what'd you do?
Will Hawk:And like, in a sick, twisted way but they can completely relate they're like just tell me all the filth. Like, just tell me, do you even have a shot at this? That's what this woman is doing. She's coming. She doesn't deserve to be there. She is worthless in her own estimation. So what am I possibly going to bring to Jesus? You know what I'm going to bring. I'm going to bring the thing that I have of most value. But do you want to know something that's really cool about this? This alabaster flask, soft stone of ointment, of perfume, was probably one of the most valuable tools of her trade so that after spending time with one male suitor, she could mask and hide the stench from that experience and just entice another. And then again, and then again, and then again. This woman is not only coming to Jesus saying I don't deserve to be here. There's a fair bet that she pours out the whole thing because she knows herself. If I leave one drop of this temptation, I will be prone to go back to it and she empties it.
Will Hawk:Now, when the Pharisee who had invited saw this verse 39, he said to himself, not out loud, thinking this if this man were a prophet, if Jesus was who he says he was, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who's touching him. She is a sinner. The Bible does not disagree. But what she realized that most of us can be prone to forget is that none of us have little need of forgiveness. Not one, not John the Baptist, not Simon the Pharisee, and definitely not this woman. And if you want to know what the most dangerous thing is for you to think today, it's this that you have little need of forgiveness If you want to put your soul in the greatest risk of eternal condemnation, if you want to put your soul in the greatest risk of eternal condemnation. This is what you need to believe that your soul has little need of forgiveness. The most glorious part of her is placed on the most filthy part of Jesus, and Jesus does not push her away. He does not minimize her. He accepts not only her good and beautiful offerings but her filthiness too, and I would be willing to bet the barn she did not need that alabaster flask for Jesus to care. She thought she needed to make up the difference. He did not see it that way and Jesus, answering, said to him verse 40, simon, I have something to say to you. And he answered say it, teacher. Let me tell you a story, simon. Let me see if I can get you here. Let me help you understand. Potentially, and maybe you won't, but maybe someone will.
Will Hawk:Verse 41, a certain money lender had two debtors. This guy had two people who owed him money. One owed 500 denarii, the other 50. One guy owed 20 months worth of wages. The other guy owed two months. One guy, he didn't even know how he was going to pay for this. It would take a lifetime or years to come up with the other guy. He had two months. Maybe he can call a friend. Maybe he's got family who are going to step in. And when they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both.
Will Hawk:Now, simon, I have a question for you which of them is going to love him more? And Simon answered. This is my favorite part of Simon's answer, this little bitty, the one comma, I suppose. Who? In this moment the flute is still not playing in Simon's heart. In this moment, the dirge is still not playing in Simon's heart. He knows Jesus has caught him in front of his peers. He knows he's wrong Hates to admit it. You know what? Jesus, I suppose, the one for whom he canceled the larger debt. What would have been an appropriate response? Well, jesus, obviously the one who canceled the larger debt. And I've been living my life as though I have very little to forgive. Help me, christ. And he said to him you have judged rightly. That was never the problem, simon. You have judged rightly. That was never the problem, simon. Verse 44,.
Will Hawk:Then, turning toward the woman, he said to Simon I love this. The woman is over here and Simon is over there. He turns and looks her square in the eye. Her face comes up from the filth of his feet. She begins to wipe the tears from her eye and begins to pull back her matted hair. And Jesus looks her square in the eye and he talks to the guy behind him Simon, do you see this woman? You've probably not even wanted to look at her, but I see her.
Will Hawk:I entered your house and you gave me no water for my feet, which means she got the dirtiest thing she possibly could have because you didn't show me a common courtesy. But she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss. Your hospitality was small and weak. It's almost as though you weren't sure you even wanted me to be around. But from the time I came in, she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You didn't anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven. He's looking at her, but talking to him, and he says the words that her heart needed to hear more than anything else.
Will Hawk:A man finally saw her, not for what she could give to him, but for what he could give to her, and then those who were at table began to say among themselves who is this? Who can even forgive sins. Oh, is that the thing to discuss? Is that the thing? Not this woman who has just received the greatest news, the most celebratory soundtrack that will ever be played in her life? You want to discuss the theological merits of Jesus being able to forgive sins. And he said to the woman your faith has saved you. Go in peace.
Will Hawk:Do you know why Jesus treats John's doubts and Simon's doubts so differently? Do you know why? I think Luke doesn't want you to miss these two guys side by side in scripture. I mean, goodness gracious, their doubts are almost synonymous, john to Jesus. Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another? Can I just argue he's doubting whether or not Jesus is who he says he is, simon. If this man was a prophet, he would have known. Both of their doubts look almost identical. So what's the difference? Why does John receive all these glowing commendations from Jesus and Simon is put in his place and yet still doesn't figure it out? Jesus realizes that John may be doubting his ways, but it's because John expects great things from him and his life doesn't make sense right now.
Will Hawk:This woman might be doubting herself and her value, but she's coming to Christ. But Simon the Pharisee, you never treated me as savior. You never sought me as Lord. You have never had faith in me Because you've never known your need for forgiveness. But none of us have little need for forgiveness.
Will Hawk:This woman understands it, do you? Do you understand this Grace, getting something that you don't deserve? Grace is a concept that is not hard to understand. It's very difficult to accept, especially if our heart thinks that isn't an issue. It's not hard to understand. All of us have had some debt that was bigger than we thought we could pay off. Maybe it was credit card debt. Maybe it was a house payment when we lost our job, maybe it was. We just got real sideways with somebody and we thought that they were never going to forgive us.
Will Hawk:All of us can understand that grace needs to be an operational thing in a relationship. But can you accept it when someone gives it to you, or do you just keep going and finding ointment and be like does this make it better? Does this make it better? She didn't need the ointment. The beauty of grace is that it is a free gift by God to you through his son, for any who will take it. It's why the rich young ruler would walk up to Jesus and say hey, what do I need to do to follow you? Jesus says well, you just need to let go of everything in this world. Cling to me, right? All you need to do is realize all I have is Christ and that'll be enough for you. He understood. That's why he walked away. He couldn't accept that. He couldn't accept that that would be a better way to live.
Will Hawk:How many people left that house with smiles on their face? How many people left saying how good is God? I wonder how many of the religious leaders left that way. I would imagine very few, based on the conversation. I wonder how many of Jesus's disciples left that way? Who are we following? I mean, I get what's happening, but that was weird, that was awkward, that was really intimate, in an odd place. I think Jesus walked out with a smile on his face because one more sinner had been forgiven.
Will Hawk:I know this woman walked out, and do you want to know what I think is the coolest part of this? How quickly Jesus takes us from filth to peace. It's very freeing. She didn't need a follow-up meeting with a pastor. She didn't need to be in a small group. She didn't need to go to a roots class. She didn't need some discipleship plan. She met Jesus on the floor and he picked her up and he sent her out. Save me from my sin and all of its consequences, and Jesus says I will give you the gift of new life in me. So what does God say? You don't need to clean yourself up from cigarettes or alcohol, previous sin or a criminal history to come to him. In fact, it minimizes the sacrifice. When you think you can get cleaned up enough to make it worthy. Come now to Jesus with your filth. There's hope for a better life, no matter how far you are coming from. Why does this story make the book To tell you your sin will never be bigger than the grace of God to forgive it.
Will Hawk:Believer, you are loved and you are enough in Christ who will send you in peace before you even get cleaned up and sanctified. If you've been walking around saying, well, am I a believer? Am I not a believer? I still struggle with this. And are you struggling? Are you fighting? Are you hating it? That's the question. The question is do I hate this filth or am I just sort of indifferent and like well, this is life and this is how it's going to be.
Will Hawk:No, it's okay for a Christian to struggle with faith so long as they are clinging to Christ. It's okay for a Christian to struggle with faith so long as they are clinging to Christ, going back to him and going in peace. You do not have to crumble to the ground every time again as though you were not a believer, but you need to come to Christ and have your feet washed from the filth of this world. And Christians, as you go, praise those alongside you who have gotten up and not gone back. They need your faith to encourage their faith that they would continue in it. When you sing, sing for the people around you, not just for yourself.
Will Hawk:I don't care what you sound like. I care that you sound off. Be willing to get up, be willing to move, be willing to do what is necessary. And if you struggle with doubt, remember the big picture. Today may be hard, might be impossible, might be confusing, but Jesus's plan will always be 100% right. You cannot manage your own life. Never were expected to. Only one guy can. The question is are you going to him? Stand up with me and let me pray over you, father, as we get ready to give you back the breath that you have given us. It's really one of the few offerings that we can give. We have very little that we can give and we absolutely have nothing that you need, and yet you give us everything that we need in Christ.
Will Hawk:So, for the unbeliever in this place, I pray that they would not feel the need to get cleaned up to come to Jesus, but that they would just come. Maybe it means coming down to the front for prayer. Maybe it means going to the back and having a conversation with the pastor. Maybe it means sitting while the rest of us stand, or being silent while the rest of us sing, but may they move toward you. And for the Christian in this room who has gone through seasons of doubt, for all of us in this room who will go through seasons of doubt, may gone through seasons of doubt, for all of us in this room who will go through seasons of doubt, may we be reminded that, though it is a normal thing, you have given us so many tools, through community and through faith, to be able to combat it. May the faith that we have inspire those around us, and those around us inspire us that, with whatever day you give us, we will glorify you with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength, amen.