Compassionate Shepherd

The letter, he was teaching a crowd or healing the sick and criticizing the Pharisees. Jesus always conveyed compassion may be the best example of his kindness is found in the account of a pagan soldier who had a sick servant. This is the weekend edition of Truth for Life.

Alistair Begg is teaching today about Jesus, the compassionate Shepherd of chapter 7 when Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people he entered Capernaum their Syrian servant whom his master valued highly second about to die this and Jerry inherited Jesus and send some elders of the Jews to him asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus.

They pleaded earnestly with him. This man deserves to have you do this because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue so Jesus went with it was not far from the house. When the security and send friends to say to him, Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to say the word and my servant will be healed. But I myself am a man under authority with soldiers under me.

I tell this one go and he goes and that one common and he comes, I say to my servant, do this and he doesn't when Jesus had this, he was amazed at him and turning to the crowd following him. He said I tell you I have not found such great faith, even in Israel. Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well soon afterwards. Jesus went to a town called Maine and his disciples in the large crowd went along with him as he approached the town gate. A dead person was being carried out.

The only son of his mother and she was a widow and a large crowd from the town was with her when the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said don't cry. Then he went up and touch the coffin and those carrying it stood still. He said young man I say to you. Get top the dead man sat and began to talk.

Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with all and praise God a great prophet has appeared among us, they said, God has come to help his people.

This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

What we've looked at Jesus in terms of his humility. Seeing him as a humble servant and we want to look today at Jesus and his compassion.

If you like seeing him as a compassionate Shepherd said, keeping in mind what we've said so far. Namely, that the great issue is to be in Christ, and having been placed in Christ to become like Christ and blank him here this morning as we think in terms of compassion and in these little incidents. The power of Christ is revealed in the compassion of Jesus is extended beyond man-made barriers of race and respectability and you will see that as we look at these two households first one is a household of a centurial and this since Julian was a man of prominence in this community. I don't like people who delay on all the historical stuff and creating the impression that they really know a lot of material when imparted by the only read one paragraph in an entire book, and so II don't want to follow follow the Belinda give you the one paragraph I read in the entire book concerning consenting since Julian this is from Polybius whom I'm sure you all know very well politically. As the historian's office, ensuring EE rights of some Julian. As such, these men must not be so much seekers after danger as man who can command steady in action, and reliable. The ought not to be over anxious to rush into the fight but when hard-pressed, they must be ready to hold their ground and die at their posts.

Sounds a bit like the Marines doesn't so this the kind of man and it is in Julian's room are introduced. This man has slaves within his house, according to his status slaves in Roman law and no rights at all, is why they could be bought and sold and even killed nicely.

Environment okay centurial and strong, in control, running as household ready for every challenge here is and in his house. One of his servants, you will notice interestingly room in verse two we are told his master valued highly this is an interesting centurial interesting on a number of friends for this one true, there is a certain centurion servant I would come down in the morning is aware and he would have said to one of the other people. It is how is Gaia's this morning I was I was Gaia's my servant, I just invented his name guys. One of the most common names in the Roman Emperor.

I believe that like Fred Joe.

I was Gaia's this morning well is no there's no obvious change in him.

I'm afraid no dear Friday sick and about to die. Then look at this interesting little phrase at the beginning of verse three. The centurion Herod of Jesus centurion Herod of Jesus peak your interest. You don't want to go off on these things because it is all that we need is in the Bible and nothing is been left out that we need. But it is interesting and it is as he heard of Jesus wondering therefrom. I tend to think probably it was a kind of name and experience have no name in our head of Joshua, the servant of the Lord, not as a result of an evangelist coming to town. Whatever. As a result of a lady in the brew in the broom closet as as a result of the lady who was a domestic help in his house.

As a result of a lady who love Jesus and did our work.

She was a cleaner in the house. She was a cleaner and a rich man's house and she cleaned to the glory of God answers. He said to her mistress. On one occasion, you know, I know that your husband is horribly ill. I wish you would go and see the prophet of God. I'm sure you could help them be something like that here we don't know how he heard of Jesus what he Herod of him obviously was of importance because having Herod of Jesus.

He send some elders of the Jews to him to get this from when you get this faithful, this is amazing. You don't think is amazing.

Jesus thought it was amazing actually since so so he sends them and so they come to Jesus and look at how they plead they plead earnestly in verse four and the plane on the basis of patronage are completely wrong but nevertheless this is their approach. Jesus would like to come to this man's house because he actually loves our nation and has billed our synagogue. Therefore he's done a lot of stuff for us, so why don't you do something for him is not uncommon in Christian circles today to try and build into the lives of people in the strength of patronage, but actually that is not going to cut it. And indeed, while he was still far from the house, the centurion sent friends so the friends come down the friends come down with a very different message. Lord, Lord, good start is Lord, don't trouble yourself. I don't deserve to have you come under my roof. That's why I didn't even consider myself worthy to come to you.

I wouldn't even for a moment consider coming down to meet you and parade my crummy credentials as if somehow someway I was worthy of your attention and I could on the basis of who I am and what I've done, make an appeal to you, that would be significant enough for you to do for me what I asked. Even though I asked for someone else see when grace grips a man or a woman we come to Christ on bended knee.

We may present ourselves in business and academics and athletics and military matters on the strength of our stars and our stripes. But when we come to Christ, we come facedown and assume Julian understood what the religious Jews could not get why because Pharisees always come to Jesus on the strength of how well we are doing is why we will never then be the conveyors of such mercy to we understand that it is with mercy and with judgment. My web tying the wall of and I do use of sorrow are lost, stirred by his love. Jesus steps forward responding now to this entreaty and were told in verse nine that Jesus was amazed.

The humility of a man is wonderful isn't your desire introduces himself, for I myself am a man under authority. Not all of not all of prepositions mattered not only when you're playing Scrabble for I am a man under authority not I am a man of authority or your amount of authority.

Therefore, there still was of authority and I do my part now is your time to do your part, on, I am a man under authority unable in my limited sphere to say you can go on another can come but you Jesus. You can actually Satan disease go and it will go now say it Jesus for my servant's sake. And when Jesus heard this, he was amazed that there's only two places in the Bible that I found Jesus described as being amazed one is here and the other is in Mark chapter 6 when Jesus returns to his own town.

Remember Andy's unease. It says in the Bible that is unable to do and he says you know a prophet is not without honor save in his own country, and it says there that he was amazed at their lack of faith. And now here in Luke chapter 7 in an environment that is absolutely counter to the growing up experience of Jesus. Once again he is amazed and turning to the crowd was following him. He said I've never found such great faith, even in Israel and then the man who had been sent return to the house and found the servant well is make three observations observation number one the prophecy of Simeon.

In this instance is being fulfilled. Simeon remember the engineman in the temple takes the child Jesus in his arms and he prophesies over him, and part of what he says of this child in his arms.

He says he is a light for revelation to the Gentiles was Eleanor that's going to be well here we discover part of what it means right here in the home of the centurion as observation number one observation number two Jesus does not draw insider outsider distinctions, even when confronted with the possibility of potential defiling what you mean. It was a defilement for a Jew to bring to the home of someone who was a Gentile, without the necessary preparations. Jesus apparently was quite prepared to make the journey as necessary and the third observation is that we find in this little incident to essential requirements for receiving true blessing number one deep humility number two steadfast faith in Jesus, we have to turn out to our next incident, leaving behind the question. What kind of faith that this man have duty of faith only to believe that Jesus could heal his servant or did he come to faith in Jesus himself is not only the one who would heal his servant of physical disease but also who would cleanse his evil heart from sin have to wait until eternity to find out, but I have them on my list to look for. Early on in my experience of heaven be wandering around going as anyone seen the centurion from Luke chapter 7 Jesus was so kind to him now to the second one, and we've got very little time left, but it's a briefer accounts of Jesus compassion soon afterwards.

Verse 11 Jesus went to a town called name.

This is another sad hole 6 miles southeast of Nazareth days journey from Capernaum is where will be gone in verse one of this chapter. Archaeologists were told of fun tunes in the rocks along the roads leading to Capernaum and particularly around the eastern gate of this little village the sounds of sadness would have been present from the dawn of that morning. Many of her friends. That is the widow would have had gathered outside her home. The plaintiff songs from the flutes, the symbols would've reminded the lady even before she got out of her bed. The day held for her.

This was the saddest of all days and once again in this little incident.

The focus like before, is not so much on the healing is on the centurion's faith in here not so much on the raising of the dead son as it is on the compassion of Christ for the woman in her need. She is a woman.

First of all, she is a widow. Therefore she has no husband and now she is sunless is not what he says. So this is the end of the line for her to be like the experience of Naomi is recorded in Ruth visited all of the potential bitterness that floods in upon her.

Interestingly, in this incident. There is no request. Nobody sending anybody to do anything. No one has the idea. Why don't we get Jesus involved in this no events are unfolding as per our routine and then we read in verse 13 when the Lord saw her, his heart went out to seems that he saw her before he heard we would expect this of a compassionate Shepherd when we give because Luke also tells us that in relationship to crowds when Jesus saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion simply because the crowds made him feel a certain way because when he looked at the mid-summer sheep without a shepherd. Just like when you sit at a football game.

You look at your one end zone and you look down to the other end so you see all of these people all whom the Bible says will stand before the bar of God's judgment given reckoning for their lives at least once in a while if there is anything of Christ in us. We must have been moved with compassion, but is it not true that depending on our social status and our background when we see people who are in a mass often a mass of their own making.

We may be a lot quicker to the methodology of John the Baptist, then to the compassion of the Lord Jesus look at that I can believe.

Can you believe somebody is like that.

Look at that you're looking at yourself apart from the grace of God. One time we were foolish and disobedient without God and without hope in the world by our very nature. All of the sins of humanity wrapped up in our evil hearts to find that we never gave range of them all is only an indication of God's amazing grace to us and when the Lord saw her his arm and onto her and he said there hey lady, don't cry. She didn't know that he saw her, but he did into the extremity of this little ladies life comes Christ the compassionate Shepherd and Luke tells us that he holds the progression of the coffin to the grave. He is doing what only he who is the resurrection and the life could ever do.

He holds the tragic progression to the gray. This is who Jesus says this is why he is revealed to us in all of his power, and in all of his authority and this is what makes his compassion all the more magnificent that somebody is vast in his resources, which stooped to the level of this to some no name woman in our miserable circumstances on our routine day as she buries her only boy who really cares. Ultimately, all the people coming for a while as they do at funerals and those same little notes for a while but she's going to live with this for the rest of her life and into the middle of all that Jesus comes and speaks I don't wish that you could have seen the eyes of the people. First, as he touches the coffin and and and Luke says, and those carrying it stood still, you bet your life they did, they were riveted to the spotlight. All what is this and they couldn't of been prepared for what happened next. And then Jesus said young man about like what what young men I think. I think he's talking. Don't be crazy if you do you talk to dead people don't know telling you listen watch who knows what is going to happen, young man, I say to you get the young man set up why because he speaks and listening to his voice new life. The dead receive. I noticed this is it. Here's the key to this whole thing and Jesus gave him back to his mother as compassion is a listen. Your mother needs you still I don't get all hung up on while Jesus spoke to the dad and everything else is the Lord of life and death. He possesses power over the invisibles here of the spirit world to which the soul goes, he of all people is able to call by that which is apparently gone. He is the only one who could do it needed it and the follow lubed up in her yes he just said to his mom. Hey, she said they I'm glad I'm glad to have you back our observations. Five: this one, unlike others, Jesus died doesn't simply comment on the great enemies of mankind. He overcomes them sin and sickness and death. Number two.

He hears the cries of the sorrowful, and he knows your heart and he knows your cries number three.

He's the loving comforter. He is the victor over death.

He's the real uniter of separated dear ones, number four what he did here.

He will one day do for all the faithful in a final perfect form. When the blast was sleeping.

Jesus at his bidding shall arise from the silence of the grave and from the sea and with bodies.

Also, last year we shall meet him in the sky's what a gathering of the ransomed that will be what I gathering what I gathering what I gathering of the ransomed in that summer land of love. What I gathering what I gathering what I gathering all the ransomed in that happy home above into the sadness of our circumstances comes this compassionate Shepherd and fifthly he will bring full and final comfort. On that day.

Raise all his people reunite us with our loved ones and all who have died in him, listening to Truth for Life. Alastair Briggs titled today's message compassionate Shepherd. This original message was nearly 40 minutes long.

Because of time constraints.

Much of Alistair's teaching was not included as part of today's program.

You can hear the entire sermon start to finish@truthforlife.org or on the truth for like mobile app, there are nine messages in our series called to know Christ and downloading the sermons is free.

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This is because were passionate about men and women from all walks of life. Having unlimited access to what the Bible teaches about life, death, but salvation about the Lord Jesus Christ. We invite you to browse the extensive library of Bible studies available to you online and on our mobile app. In fact, don't hesitate to pass the link to a friend so they can hear clear and relevant Bible teaching as well now as we wrap up I want to draw your attention to a book we've selected for you called created to draw near, God has wired us for connection all of us long for deep relationships, but too often, whether because of our sin or our failures, we assume that God wants to keep his distance from us. Ed Welch's book created to draw near, explains that God welcomes us into his presence with open arms. We think you will be encouraged by this typical study about our identity as priests in God's kingdom.

For more information go to Truth for Life.org Bob Lapine so glad you been able to be with us for today's study.

Be sure to join us again next weekend as Alastair turns to John chapter 4.

Where will see Jesus as a personal evangelist.

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