Sermon Overflow – Luke 18:31-43

This is an on-going series that provide an “overflow” of information or application from my weekly preaching. A preacher cannot, nor should not, get everything into a sermon. These will be posts that give some direction and resources related to the sermon that will help people better understand and apply the passage.

Summary

I was back in Luke’s Gospel yesterday, picking up where I left off in Luke 18.  I looked at verses 31-43 and tried to show the great contrast in these verses between blindness and sight which revolves around the gospel of Jesus Christ. First we have the disciples who are commanded to “see” the reality of what is coming in the death and resurrection of Christ. Yet, they are blinded to see the fullness of the gospel because of their preconceived ideas of what the Messiah will be at.  In contrast, we are told about a blind man who clearly sees who Jesus is and demonstrates a clear faith in him by calling out for mercy and responding through discipleship. We were left needing to ask ourselves questions like: Can we see our lives as clearly as we think do? Can we perceive the depth of gospel as we should, and can that be seen in how we live our lives?  Either for salvation or sanctification, all of us should call out for mercy, asking that the Spirit will remove the blindness of sin in our lives that we might follow Christ and live for the Father’s glory.

Resources

In a day or two, you will be able to download or listen to the sermon here.

A key theme of the passage (and therefore, the sermon) was spiritual blindness.

• Here’s a short excerpt on spiritual blindness by Paul Tripp that shows we need the Church.
• Knowing we all need help, here are some great questions from David Powlison that will lead us to discover our spiritual blindness.

From an apologetic standpoint–

• I really appreciated Ligon Duncan’s sermon on this passage where he offers a correction to the charge of antisemitism against Luke.  Instead, Duncan shows the Jewish rejection of the Messiah is to be further evidence of salvation by faith.
• We also hit a favorite passage from some who preach a prosperity gospel.  Here are some resources from 9 Marks that help show this is a false gospel that should be rejected.