Do I really want to live as a Christian?

Coming to University (and probably living on your own for the first time) is a great opportunity to ask yourself some questions about life, life: Can I cook? I found my answer to that was: Not really. My low point was buying chilli flakes when there was no chilli powder available, thinking they were pretty much the same thing. They are not! I literally thought my mouth was on fire. That's only bettered by a friend who bravely attempted a lasagne, but didn't realise you had to cook the layers of mince before you put them between the pasta. Don't try that at home! But coming to uni is also the time to ask yourself bigger questions about life and faith. Questions like: What does it mean to be a Christian? Or, do I really want to live as a Christian? Or, how will I keep going as a Christian?

At the very beginning of Luke's gospel, we read that Luke wrote his gospel so that his readers could have certainty in the things they had heard about Jesus. And it's greater certainty that our passage offers us this evening, because it shows us that Jesus is who he says he is, that he is worth following, and following him shows the truth of him to the world. So before we get stuck in, let's pray…

Do have your Bibles open at page 863. Reading from Luke 7.18:

The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’”

So, John the Baptist's followers tell him all that Jesus has been doing – the miraculous healings, the widow's son raised from the dead. And John sends his followers to ask Jesus if he is the one who is to come. He's asking whether Jesus really is the Christ – the promised saviour from sin that the Old Testament had been pointing towards. Earlier on in Luke’s gospel, we read that John’s ministry had been one of preparing people for Jesus’ coming as this long-promised saviour. So, why is John suddenly unsure of who Jesus is? The parallel account to this one in Matthew's gospel helps us understand the context. It tells us that John is in prison at this point. And, we can guess, that Jesus' ministry isn't quite what John had expected. He probably thought that the Christ's arrival would have brought immediate blessing on those who repented and immediate judgement on those who did not. But everything seemed to be moving pretty slowly. Perhaps John just needed some reassurance. What is clear is that John had questions, or doubts to some extent, about who Jesus was. Let’s see how Jesus responded, Luke 7.21-23:

In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

Notice how Jesus responds: he isn't angry, or offended. John's question is an honest one, and Jesus takes it seriously. Do you have questions about who Jesus is? Do you have questions about what it means to be a Christian? If so, you're very welcome here. We always have people among us who are exploring the Christian faith. And it's ok to call yourself a Christian and to still have questions; doubt is not the same as unbelief. Uni is a great opportunity to think through what it means to live as a Christian, and to discover why it's worth living as a Christian. Because following Jesus is not always easy. Maybe this first week, or past few days, has really underlined that for you. Notice also what Jesus says in answer to John's question. He says go and tell John what you have seen and heard. The blind see. The diseased are healed. The deaf hear. The dead are brought back to life! The poor (the ‘down and outs’ of society back then) have heard the good news of Jesus. What kind of man could do such things? But there's more to it than that. Jesus' answer in Luke 7.22 contains four references to the book of Isaiah predicting that the promised Christ would bring exactly this kind of healing and restoration.

Jesus is saying, "I am the fulfilment of God's plan. I am the promised saviour. You want to be sure? Look for yourself at the evidence!" So, if you wouldn't call yourself a Christian or you're not sure what you believe, but you're keen to find out more – a great place to start is to look at the Biblical evidence of who Jesus is: his life, his death and his resurrection. The Bible is our evidence that Jesus is who he says he is, so you've got to start there. You might want to meet up with someone to read the Bible – do chat to us tonight if you'd like to do that. You might want to join one of the groups we run designed for exploring the Christian faith. And there's one of those called 3,2,1 coming up soon – more information about that later on. And, if you would call yourself a Christian, you might want to look at the evidence too, because God (through Luke's gospel) wants you to have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. At uni you're no longer sheltering under a Christian upbringing (if that's your background), you're standing on your own as a Christian adult. Having your own certainty will only come through thinking yourself, studying the Bible, listening to others and asking questions. You see, our attitude to who Jesus is really matters. Jesus makes that clear in the punchline of this section in Luke 7.23:

And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.

Jesus is saying in this passage "I am the one". He's saying "you want to know God – come to me". It's not "you find your own way, any form of spirituality is valid". No. It's an exclusive claim. Jesus is the only way. How offensive does that sound to our modern ears? Jesus is saying "I am the one. And anyone, regardless of social standing or track record, can trust me to deal with their sin". And he takes all our attempts to try and be good people, and he tears them up. He says, they count for nothing if we don't trust him to deal with that sin barrier between us and God. How offensive does that sound? Jesus is saying "you need to turn away from your sin and come to me". In a service like this years ago, I remember a student storming out at the end. It was so sad. We don’t want that. We want everyone to stay with us. This guy was offended because the message preached was that Jesus is the King, and the he alone has the right to say what's right and what's wrong in his world. We do not have that right. How offensive does that sound? It's easy to be offended by Jesus because we want to rule our lives on our terms.

There's all sorts of ways to do uni life; you can live the party life or the study-all-the-time life, or the sporty life – always wearing sports team trackies, and a t-shirt all year round because your muscles are too big for sleeves. But, Jesus is saying to you at the beginning of this year – with all your nerves, fears, worries and excitement: "you can live a blessed life (the good life), if you trust in me…" That is true because Jesus is who he says he is.

2. Jesus is worth following (Luke 7.24-30)

When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)

When John's followers had left, Jesus turns to the crowd and asks "Did you go out into the desert to see something ordinary, like a reed blowing in the wind?" "Did you go out to see something unusual, like a finely dressed man where you wouldn't expect him to be?" No! The people trekked into the wilderness because John was a prophet – with a message from God for God's people. In Luke 7.27, we see that John was the messenger the Old Testament had promised who would prepare the people for the Christ's coming.

The Olympics are coming up next summer in Paris. But before the games begin, the Olympic torch will travel through France. Crowds will watch as it's carried by a relay of runners along the streets. But the torch's journey is not the main event because something greater (the games) is still to come. John was a forerunner, pointing and saying "Wait to you see what's coming! The Christ! The Saviour! You all need to get ready for him!" And John's visual aid was baptism. He'd baptise people as a way of saying "You need to turn from your sin, you need your sin to be washed away by the saviour who's coming". John was great, because the message God gave him was great. Aside from Jesus, there was nobody greater than John. And, that makes the second half of Luke 7.28 absolutely astonishing:

Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

Jesus is saying "Even if you are seemingly the most insignificant person (in human terms), if you trust in me, you are immeasurably greater that the greatest of the prophets – because that's how special it is to be in my Kingdom". Jesus literally split history in two. Today we live on the other side of his great work on the cross. On the cross, Jesus took all the punishment for the ways we've rejected God on himself. He took all the muck that's within us. And he died for it all. He died so that we would not have to face the punishment it deserved ourselves. And then he rose from the dead – proving that he is who he says he is. And proving that we too can enjoy new life forever with him. In Jesus your sin is defeated. You enjoy open, and free, access to the living God. God's Spirit lives within you and is helping you, and transforming you to be more of the person you're really meant to. Your eternal destiny is secure. Following Jesus is worth it. It's worth feeling like the weirdo in your halls because you go to church, or you don’t party or live quite like other people. It's worth feeling like the odd one out on your course, or on your sports team. It's worth making Jesus the King of your life, whatever the cost may be, to enjoy what only he can offer. Because the spiritual certainty and security that Jesus gives you is totally beyond compare. The one who is to come, has come. Friends, his name is Jesus Christ!

We see in Luke 7.28 that when the people heard of the greatness of being in God's Kingdom they declared God just, or right. Even the tax collectors (who collaborated with the Romans), they were thought of as the scum of society, but they too had been baptised by John. They were ready for Jesus. But, Luke 7.30, when John said, "get ready! Turn from your sin, the saviour from sin is coming!" The Pharisees and the experts in the law said, "no thanks! I'm sorted!" They didn't want to repent. They didn't think they needed to. Time and time again in his gospel, Luke is showing us that it's the nobodies who get it right. And it’s the somebodies who get it wrong; those who know that spiritually they have nothing, get everything because they trust in Jesus. Those who think that spiritually they have everything, get nothing because they reject Jesus. So, what about you? What are you trusting in? Your status? Your appearance of respectability? Or, have you realised those count for precious little if you haven't trusted in Jesus? It's better to be nobody and have Jesus than to be a somebody and ignore him.

A good while ago now, I remember sitting in a group here at church with a student who had just graduated. She'd got a top level First. But she said as soon as got her marks she instantly felt empty, because she knew she'd put God on the backburner and she'd lived for her degree. Friends, getting a good degree, getting a top job, living a respectable life, going to church, getting into the sports team. It all counts for nothing if we don't trust in Jesus. Following Jesus, and putting him first, leads to the blessed life, the spiritually certain and secure life. Jesus is worth following.

3. Jesus' followers reveal the truth about him (Luke 7.31-35)

To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,“‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.

Jesus compares those who reject his message to children sitting at the side of the marketplace in a strop because none of the other children would play according to their rules. John the Baptist came and they thought he had a demon. "He's mad," they said. Jesus came and they were appalled at who he associated with. "What's he doing with those low lives?" They would never be satisfied because they wanted a gospel on their own terms. As Jesus spells it out here it seems so foolish and incoherent. But people will always find one reason or another to reject Jesus. Didn’t we, before God opened our eyes to who he is? So, we need to remember that it's what Jesus says about who he is that matters most. People will always find a reason to reject Jesus. But he is the one to get you, and keep you, in relationship with God. Our final verse, Luke 7.35 says:

wisdom is justified [or proved right] by all her children.

i.e. God's way will ultimately be shown to be right because people turn from their sin and follow Jesus. Why do people keep doing that 2,000 years later if it isn't true? That's why getting stuck into church is so important: Because people who believe and live out the gospel show to others the truth of the gospel. And when we see that in one another, it can only strengthen our faith. So get stuck into one good church. And get settled soon. And be encouraged because in a world that can find almost any reason to reject Jesus, you're out there living and speaking for Jesus and showing that Jesus is worth following, on his terms. So, don't sit on the sidelines. Live as a Christian, and you will have opportunities. Some people may reject it. Some people may even reject you. But some people will notice it, and some people may want to find out more, and maybe some will come to say "Jesus is who he says he is". Let's pray…