A Big View Of God

“A Big View of God”

Cheap Seats

Luke 18:35-43

If you were going to a sporting event, or concert what we would be the best seats? If you were going to a basketball game it would be center court front row. If it were football it would be the 50-yard line, front row. If it were a concert it would be center stage, front row. But, if it were Sunday morning church service, it wouldn’t be the front pew. The back pews always fill up before the front pews in church. The best seats in church always seem to be near the back. Regardless of were you set in church, this should be were we all get a front row seat with God. I’m not saying you can’t see God in nature, and through everyday events in our life. We should see God all around us and in all the events of our life, but here in church, is where we should get the best view. This is where all the distractions and obstacles in our life should take the back seat while our relationship with God takes the front seat. And in this message and during the next few weeks in this series I want to challenge you to take a few steps closer to God in your everyday life. Because most everyone in life has experienced a time when all of life comes unraveled and the soul freezing winds of this life come rushing in and freeze our faith until our faith seems almost useless. But what if—in our everyday living we move a little closer to the Son (Jesus)…so that when the soul freezing winds of Big problems, Big worries, and Big Questions come rushing in—they pale in comparison of our Big view of God? Through the stories of the Bible I’m convinced that God wants us to live everyday with such a Big View of His loving concern—and active work in our day to day lives that the soul freezing circumstances of this life never freeze us up spiritually.

So lets begin with the understanding that worship is always going to move me closer to God. When I engage in worship it magnifies my view of God. God doesn’t get bigger but my perspective of Him changes because I move closer.

Psalm 34:3 (KJV)

3 O magnify the LORD with me,

And let us exalt his name together.

Worship is the act of magnifying God. Enlarging our vision of Him. Setting in the front row to see Him up close and personal. Of course, His size doesn’t change, but our perception of Him does. As we draw nearer, He seems larger. Isn’t that what we need—a big view of God? Don’t we have big problems, big worries, and big questions? Of course we do, and the only thing that can truly help us is a big view of God.

Now lets take this principle to the person of Jesus and learn what happened to someone who was moved from the cheap seats to the front seats in following Him. In this section of Scripture Jesus had just finished teaching the disciples about what it meant to be His disciple. He told them of the certain death that awaited him in Jerusalem and that the way to follow Him was the way of death, sacrifice, and self-submission while serving everyone. But it’s all very blurry in the eyes of the disciples—they don’t have the spiritual eyes at this point to understand what Jesus is teaching them. So here from everyday life comes a blind man who through his circumstances teaches the disciples and us how taking faith steps towards Jesus can radically change our lives.

1. Spiritual blindness. (v.35)

Luke 18:35 (NLT)

35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road.

a). His predicament – he was physically blind.

The blind beggar is like the lost world today, setting by the roadside going no where spiritually. They cannot see their spiritual need for the gospel. They are going nowhere – nothing in life is fulfilling apart from Christ.

2. Spiritual hunger

Luke 18:36–38 (NLT)

36 When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him that Jesus the Nazarene* was going by. 38 So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

a). His position – In desperate need of God’s help.

The people said, “Jesus of Nazareth” which was a statement of fact. The blind beggar changed it to “Jesus, Son of David” which was a statement of faith.

Mercy: when you deserve punishment but you receive favor.

Luke 18:39 (NLT)

39 “Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him…

b). His opposition – came from “the people in the front”