A Faith that Sees

Faith requires us to acknowledge and accept our finitude and moral need. We cannot have faith while maintaining a prideful self-sufficient heart. We may say we have faith, but our doubting, prideful hearts say otherwise in how we live and what we believe. The Pharisees always get a bad reputation throughout the New Testament, and rightly so. But what is so helpful about including their back-and-forth with Jesus in the gospel narratives is the similarities we see in our own lives. In Luke 18, we encounter a variety of pharisaical people (a Pharisee in the temple, a crowd that trusted in their self-righteousness, and a rich self-righteous man). Their unbelieving hearts were full of pride. Their minds were already made up before they even listened to Jesus’s teaching. A hardness of heart stems from a belief that we don’t need Jesus all the time. We become self-sufficient and self-serving. We place our confidence in our moral goodness, intellect, or achievements. On the other hand, the miserable blind man whom Jesus heals at the end of Lk 18 revealed genuine faith. He was willing to do whatever it took to capture Jesus’s attention that he might enjoy the healing, and ultimately, the saving power of Jesus. May this be our attitude as well. See your need for Jesus and His forgiveness. Come to Him with a heart of humility and a desire to believe all the more regardless of your circumstances or what people might think of you. He will provide you with something far greater than physical healing; He will give you life eternal and joy unspeakable, full of glory. –Pastor Nate 

Sunday at Liberty

9AM: Issues of Conscience: Clothing–1 Peter 3:3-4

10AM: Pastor Rory–A Faith That Sees–Luke 18:35-43 (sermon notes)

3:30PM: Flagstone Service–Pastor Rory