America’s Greatest Need (Billy Graham)
The most popular mega-preacher/evangelist of our time, Billy Graham, while being interviewed by a cultural magazine, was asked what he perceived to be America’s greatest need. His answer somewhat shocked the interviewer especially coming from a man who had seen stadiums filled with people to hear him preach, who had seen thousands upon thousands and maybe even millions of people come to faith in Jesus Christ through his preaching of the Gospel. His answer was that he perceived that America’s greatest need was for the Church of America to experience a revival. As I stand before you today as a pastor of one of the American Churches Mr. Graham spoke of I can attest that I agree with him. If our greatest need is revival then we must ask, “What is revival?”
What Is Revival?
The great preacher of yesteryear, Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, “The word "revival" is as familiar in our mouths as a household word. We are constantly speaking about and praying for a "revival;" would it not be as well to know what we mean by it? Of the Samaritans our Lord said, "Ye worship ye know not what," let him not have to say to us, "Ye know not what ye ask." The word "revive" wears its meaning upon its forehead; it is from the Latin, and may be interpreted thus—to live again, to receive again a life which has almost expired; to rekindle into a flame the vital spark which was nearly extinguished.”
Revival, therefore, is not the planned services of man. Churches advertise that they are going to have revivals every year and few actually experience it. Revival is not about guest speakers, special music/musicians or a series of planned services. We can plan all the services we want but until the Holy Spirit shows up and the people of God return unto Him in passion then there is no revival. Revival happens when the Holy Spirit shows up in Church and those who have drifted in their walk with the Lord are brought back to that place of awe and reverence of the Lord manifested through the confession of sin and a rededication to His person and purposes in the world. When the Holy Spirit “rekindle[s] into flame the vital spark which [has] nearly extinguished” in us then revival has taken place.
Do I Need A Revival?
Does the Church need to experience a revival? I believe so. The church is no longer the center of our lives but a negotiable addendum to our plans and agendas. The church was designed to be the agency that conforms the culture around her but now the church is more concerned with being conformed by the culture rather than conforming the culture. Preaching, in many cases, has been reduced to a 15-minute “cute” message with three points and a poem whereby the preacher has twisted the Scriptures to make them mean what he wants them to mean because his people demand that his messages make them feel good about themselves rather than passionate and unapologetic exposition of God’s Word leaving the hearer in the presence of what God has actually said rather than what they want or wish God to say. Worship through song, in many cases, has become more about the singer and his/her desires than the One who is being sung to. Sin is no longer detested among the people of God but coddled, hugged up to, and justified. The list could go on and on. THE CHURCH DEFINATELY NEEDS REVIVAL but the question is DO YOU NEED REVIVAL? If the Church is going to experience a revival then it will come about in the individual lives of those who are the Church. Does your life indicate signs that you need to be revived? Those of you here who are in the medical field know what signs to look for to determine whether somebody needs to be revived or not. You check for a pulse. You check for breathing. You check for signs of life to help you determine whether one needs reviving or not. In the same way we are going to spend some time in LUKE 7:36-50 and as we engage the Scriptures I am going to point out some signs that will indicate whether you need revival or not.
As we unpack this passage of Scripture I want us to look at the “signs” we see in both the life of the Pharisee and the life of the woman who disrupts his dinner plans. The “signs” that we will see will manifest themselves in the way that each relates to Jesus and they will serve as signifiers as to whether we are in need of revival or not.
The Pharisee. There are three words I want you to take note of as we consider the Pharisee’s encounter with Jesus as recorded here in the Bible.
1. Cordial. Generally speaking we can say that the Pharisee, at least at this point in the life and ministry of Jesus, is cordial towards Jesus. LUKE 7:36 records for us that the Pharisee invited Jesus to his house for a meal. We are really unsure as to why it was that this Pharisee invited Jesus into his house to share a meal. There are a couple of cultural traditions that could have set this encounter up. It was a common practice among the upper echelon of the religious community to extend hospitality to Rabbi’s who were passing by their towns as travelers. Another custom among the religious elite of the day was to host dinner parties where spiritual matters were discussed/debated among the Rabbi’s, teachers, scribes, and religious elite. We are immediately taken back by this passage because the encounters between Jesus and the Pharisee’s were rarely positive as they were continually opposing Him. So, whatever the motivation may be, the Pharisee invites Jesus over and He accepts.
2. Common. The next thing I want you to notice about the Pharisee’s encounter with Jesus is summarized by the word “common.” While we can commend the Pharisee for being cordial to Jesus it does not take long to see that He did not know exactly who this was that he was entertaining because he treated Him as somebody common. There is nothing indicative in the Pharisee’s life that suggests that he viewed Jesus differently than any other person of the day. The text does suggest that there may have been, somewhere below the surface, the possibility that the Pharisee was hoping that Jesus was a prophet, at best, but there is nothing in the text that suggests anything other than the fact that the Pharisee treated and related to Jesus as one who is simply common.
3. Contempt. To treat somebody with contempt is to treat them with disdain or as having little to no societal value. To treat somebody with contempt is to consider them not worthy of anything more because they themselves are considered to be worthless. The Pharisee treated Jesus with contempt in the sense that he did not extend to Jesus the common expressions of hospitality, relative to that day, that would have been expected by a visitor that was invited to and/or welcomed in to the home of another. Whatever the reason was for the Pharisee’s invitation we find, by the way that He treats Jesus, that He had never experienced the love, grace and mercy of Jesus and consequently had no real regard or love for Him. The base hospitality extended by the Pharisee in the invitation to his home is overshadowed by his true feelings toward Jesus in his unwillingness to treat Jesus as a true guest in his home. It was customary that the owner of the house would greet a welcomed guest with a kiss during Jesus’ time. The knowledge of this common custom gives light to Paul’s instruction found in both Romans 16 and 1 Corinthians 13 that Christians were encouraged to greet each other with a “holy kiss.” This was a simple gesture of friendship and hospitality much like a handshake or hug is today. After the guest was greeted he/she would be given water and, if available, a servant to wash the feet that would be extremely dirty from traveling the dusty roads of Israel. The head of a guest would also be anointed with fresh olive oil that served as a cologne/deodorant for the guest. With all these customs in place we find the heart of the Pharisee on display through his actions. He had no regard, let alone, love for Jesus.
A “Woman of the City.” Likewise, there are three signs I want to point out in the life of the woman who barges in and disrupts the dinner plans of the Pharisee.
1. Crying. Notice her tears. Why was she crying? I believe that there are two reasons. First, she was crying over her own sin. The language used here to describe the woman suggests that she was widely known by her community as one that was truly a sinner. We really do not know a lot about this woman or the reason for her designation as a “sinner” but it is likely that she was a prostitute because the “ointment” used to anoint Jesus’ feet was comparable to a woman’s perfume today however, in that day the fragrant ointment of a prostitute would be used to lure men. It is obvious that she had experienced the grace and love of Jesus prior to this encounter. Some suggest that maybe this is the woman whom Jesus did not condemn when brought before Him having been caught in the act of adultery. Others suggest that this is the Samaritan woman that Jesus experienced at the well. Whoever this woman may be we can be sure that she had experienced Jesus’ grace in forgiveness and was determined in her love and devotion to Him and her tears flow from who she was and what He had done for her which leads to the second reason for her tears. Secondly, I believe the woman is crying because she is overwhelmed at the fact that Jesus would not cast her off and discredit her as a human being like so many others had because of her sin but in grace lovingly welcomed her to Himself and covered her with His grace and love in forgiving her rather than condemning her.
2. Commitment. Secondly, notice her commitment. Having experienced Jesus’ grace and love in her life produced a commitment to Him that could not be denied. This woman breaks all sorts of social customs and expectations of the day to make her way to Jesus. She crashes a dinner party of one of the religious elite even though she was a woman and not only a woman but a “woman of the city.” She would not allow the cultural expectations and/or demands to keep her from exhibiting her commitment to Jesus. Not only is her commitment to Jesus on display through the breaking of social norms but also in the sacrifice she makes. The fragrant ointment that she uses to wash Jesus’ feet with was probably a very expensive perfume that she once used to lure men to her side. Having had her life changed she probably could have sold this ointment for a high price to those who were once her peers in the “industry” but she doesn’t. She was willing to sacrifice that which could have benefited her in order to show her love, devotion and commitment to Jesus. This woman was committed to Jesus because she had experienced His commitment to her.
3. Cherishing. Underlying her crying and her commitment is the truth that this woman deeply and genuinely cherished Jesus. The Pharisee treated Jesus as common and with contempt but the woman deeply cherished Jesus because she had experienced who He truly was. It did not take very long for Jesus to become the supreme object of her love and affection over and above all others and all things in her life. Jesus reveals that this woman’s actions flowed from an intense love for Him when He explains the parable to the Pharisee, which revealed his own guilt and shame in this encounter.
Jesus Reveals the Reason for Such Love.
At first glance Jesus’ response could be quite troubling because it could be perceived that those who have had “little” sins forgiven are justified in their cordial, common and contemptuous response to Jesus. That is not the case whatsoever. I believe that Jesus is still speaking in parable form, albeit mild, and the point of His statement is to say that the one who never realizes the abundance of grace received in salvation because of the weight of the sin that we bore before Christ will never respond to Jesus in love, as we should. Why do many Christians show so little love for Christ? Because they have never truly seen what great sinners they are, and then how sure, sweet, and complete Christ’s forgiveness is. Such people, though believers, treat the Lord very much the way Simon had treated Jesus. When Jesus touches some people’s lives, they do the minimum in return. They seem to have no water for his feet or oil for his head. The kisses are grudging, if there are any at all. There is no impulse from the heart. They do their “religious duties” (what a miserable phrase!), but there is no soul in it. They need to really see the sin that lies within—and the more-than-sufficient grace of God. They need to know what they really are:
Where Are You In This Story?
Those who need a revival.
1. CORDIAL. I suspect that everybody here is cordial/courteous towards Jesus. This is His Church and you decided to show up. I suspect that most of you would probably speak well of and have a cordial approach to Jesus. If we lived during His earthly ministry most of us would have probably extended an invitation to Him to come over for supper.
2. COMMON. Just because one may be cordial towards Jesus does not mean that they would not treat Him as common. When you think about your relationship with Jesus what kind of response do you have? While it is true that Jesus is a friend who is closer than a brother that does not overshadow the fact that JESUS IS GOD IN FLESH. He is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, He is the lover of sinners but is Perfect Himself, He is our comforter but also our King, He is our provision but also all Powerful. Jesus is not common but all too often He is treated as such by those who claim to know Him.
3. CONTEMPT. Treating Jesus with contempt flows from relating to Him as common. We treat Jesus with contempt when we hear from Him through His Word and turn away unchanged and unaffected. We hear clear instructions from Him and while claiming to love Him walk in disobedience to Him. Jesus Himself said that if we love Him then we will do what He says!
I know that these words can be perceived as “hard” but sometimes it is hard words that are needed to stir our lifeless souls to our need! Think about the message God gave to the prophets to deliver to His people of old! If you find yourself in this picture then the answer to the question we have been asking is YES, I NEED A REVIVAL! Cry out to Him. When you start the turn back to Him He will run to you, like the Father in the story of the Prodigal Son, and revive you.
The Spiritually Healthy who Desire More.
1. CRYING? Maybe you are like the woman in the story. The thought of Jesus grace given to you in salvation still takes your breath away. When you to sin, although the desire is for righteousness, you do not take it lightly but recognize it for what it truly is and weep over it.
2. COMMITTED. Maybe you are like the woman in the story and are completely committed to Christ. You relationship with Jesus is not hindered or determined by what others may think of you or what culture may expect of you. If you have to break a couple of the rules of the culture to walk in commitment to Jesus so be it!
3. CHERISHING. Maybe you are like the woman in the story and Jesus is the supreme object of your love and adoration. If others could say anything about you it would be that you definitely love Jesus!
If this is you then you are in a state of spiritual healthiness but do not become content with where you are. Ask the Lord to fan the flames of your faith even more so that they may burn greater in you and give continue to grow in giving Him the glory that He is due!
