"Focus" October 27, 2019

Overview

Focus: Living for the Other

When the magistrates of Philippi quietly tried to release Paul and Silas after illegally beating and imprisoning them, Paul refused the quiet exit. "They have beaten us in public, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and now do they throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out" Acts 16:37. At first reading this can sound like wounded pride, but Paul's concern was not himself. He was protecting the reputation of the fledgling church in Philippi, establishing a precedent for missionaries who would follow, and refusing to let the founders of that congregation be remembered as criminals slipping out of town in the dark. After his public release, he went straight to Lydia's house—not for sympathy, but to encourage the brothers and sisters there Acts 16:40. Paul's focus was on the other.

Martin Luther stood in the same posture. Climbing the so-called holy stairs in Rome, he wondered, "Is any of this true?" He could not square the works-righteousness of his day, or the claim of papal infallibility, with Scripture. Armed with the Word, he risked his life so that the church would be biblical, that the gospel would be heard, and that God would be glorified. Luther later named the heart of sin with a Latin phrase: incurvatus in se—curved inward on the self. Scripture shows us this curve again and again: Eve reaching for the fruit Genesis 3:6, the mother of James and John seeking the best seats for her sons Matthew 20:21, the Pharisee thanking God he was not like other people Luke 18:11, and Nebuchadnezzar boasting over his magnificent Babylon Daniel 4:30. It is the gravity of self-concern: How does this affect me? How does this make me look?

Into our inward turn, God comes outward. Jesus stretches out His arms on the cross, bears our sin, and is raised from the tomb. The verdict over the world is "not guilty," and that verdict is received personally through the faith God gives. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" Ephesians 2:8–10. The order matters: saved by grace through faith, then freed for works—not works that earn salvation, but works that flow from it.

That freedom changes the question we carry into each day. Instead of asking, "Who is going to serve me?" we are freed to ask, "Whom can I serve? Who hurts? Who needs encouragement?" Whatever pain or hurt you are carrying is real, and it is not minimized—but you are not alone in it, and others around you are hurting too. When the eyes lift from self to neighbor, focus blossoms into purpose, and purpose blooms into joy. This was Paul's focus in Philippi. It was Luther's focus before Rome. By the same grace, it is the gift given to us.

Transcript

As you turn the pages of Scripture, and you meet various folks, it becomes evident, right? 0s

A little bit about their personalities. 7s

You've got extraverts, Scripture, you've got introverts, you've got in-between hurts, 10s

or however you want to refer to them all various types of people. 15s

When you come to the Apostle Paul, he's an interesting personality study. 21s

When you think of him, he's brave, he's courageous, he's faithful, he's patient. 26s

On and on, down the list, where you get the sense of who Paul was, what it was he was about. 33s

That's why it's interesting, isn't it? 43s

When you hear the text for this morning, and you hear what Paul said, 46s

it's interesting, what he said. 51s

Is this a different side of Paul that we're seeing today? 58s

Just a aspect of his personality that we haven't run into before or not. 63s

Let's get our bearings of where we have been. 73s

Remember there was a slave girl, she was demonically possessed, 75s

that demon by the grace of God was cast out of her. 80s

Paul and Silas wind up in prison, the jailer and his family are baptized, 84s

and where we come to this morning is Paul and Silas, they're still in prison. 90s

They're still in prison. 94s

We pick up verse 35 of our text. 96s

When morning came, the magistrates sent the police saying, 99s

let those men go, and the jailer reported the message to Paul, saying, 104s

the magistrates sent word to let you go. 112s

Therefore, come out now and go in peace. 115s

We aren't told the reason for their release. 121s

It's not revealed to us, but what is revealed to us is Paul's reaction to this. 124s

Very next verse, please, verse 37. 132s

But Paul replied, they have beat us in the public, 136s

un condemned, men who are Roman citizens, 141s

and have thrown us into prison. 146s

And now are they going to discharge us in secret? 149s

Certainly not. 155s

Let them come and take us out themselves. 158s

Interesting, isn't it? Interesting response. 167s

Drops in there, the fact that they were Romans, remember Paul and Silas were Romans. 173s

That means that being cast into prison, 178s

without a trial was illegal. 184s

It was illegal. 189s

Again, Paul's response, are they going to discharges in secret? 191s

Certainly not. Let us let them come and take us out them themselves. 195s

Verse 38. 202s

The police reported these words to the magistrates, 204s

and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman. 208s

Citizens, you bet they were afraid. 213s

He's not only could they lose their jobs over this. 218s

They could also lose their lives over this. 222s

Next verse, verse 39. 228s

So they came and apologized to them, 230s

and they took them out and asked them to leave the city. 234s

There's quite a reversal here, isn't it? 240s

They're thrown into the innermost part of the prison, 243s

where they kept the hardest of the criminals. 246s

They're tortured in prison. 248s

And now what they're getting is an apology. 250s

They're asking them to leave and ask court why this is quite the turnaround. 253s

Paul's response again to them. 263s

Are they going to discharges in secret? 266s

Certainly not. Let them come and take us out them themselves. 268s

Make sure you wonder, doesn't it? 278s

Little attitude here. 283s

Little attitude on the part of Paul. 286s

Crankiness from having been in prison. 291s

They can come and they can take us out themselves. 296s

A little attitude on this reformation Sunday, 303s

I think of Martin Luther, the great performer that God used. 314s

You know that Luther's father so wanted him to be a lawyer. 321s

So what he wanted for a son. 325s

That Luther became a monk and that he became a priest. 328s

In 1510, he went to Rome. 333s

He went there and one of the things that he saw in Rome 336s

was what was purported to be the holy stairs that had been transported to Rome. 339s

This was purportedly the stairs that Jesus came down from Pilots' judgment room. 345s

And they were taught that if you climb up the stairs and you kiss each stair 353s

as you go up, when you get to the top, God will then forgive you your sins. 361s

So what does Luther do? 371s

He starts crawling up the stairs. He kisses each stair. He gets to the top and he thought also 374s

in the process that his very action would free his father from purgatory. 379s

That's the unbiblical Catholic doctrine. 387s

That says, it's a holding tank after you die. 390s

And you go into purgatory and you work off the sins so you become holy enough 394s

to then one day get into heaven. 399s

When Luther got to the top, he thought himself, 405s

is any of this true? 412s

Is any of this true? 417s

What Luther couldn't square is he couldn't square the works righteousness 420s

of the Catholic Church with Scripture. 427s

Couldn't square it. 431s

He couldn't square the Catholic Church's understanding that the Pope is infelible. 434s

He said, all men are. 441s

The Scripture is infelible, Luther said, 444s

but certainly not a man, a woman. 446s

The Pope didn't really take to kindly to that. 453s

The fact didn't take to kindly at all. 456s

He said, a wild bore is on the loose. 458s

He termed him a criminal that meant that Luther could be killed upon the spot. 461s

And there was Luther armed with his Scripture going up against the church 466s

that would eventually excommunicate him for what he proclaimed. 475s

What was Luther's focus? 488s

It wasn't about Luther. 492s

It was about glorifying God. 495s

The focus was on the other. 499s

The focus was on God himself. 503s

The focus was on that the church would be biblical. 511s

The focus was on the people lost in this theological system 516s

that didn't bear resemblance to the truthfulness of the word of God. 521s

The focus was on the people that had yet to hear the gospel. 526s

For Luther, the focus was on the other. 532s

On the other. 539s

When we study Paul this morning, Paul was an expressing attitude here. 544s

Paul was expressing focus. 553s

This focus. 558s

Look down at verse 40, please, of our text. 560s

After leaving the prison, they went to Lydia's home. 565s

Remember Lydia? She was a cellular purple. 568s

Converted household baptized. 571s

After leaving the prison, they went to Lydia's home. 574s

When they had seen and encouraged the brothers and sisters there, they departed. 577s

Notice what they do when they go to Lydia's home. 583s

Remember the church isn't incredibly small here. 586s

What does he do here? 589s

But he doesn't go to Lydia's home for sympathy. 592s

Then the go to Lydia's home and says, 596s

Hey, let me tell you what I've gone through here. 597s

He doesn't come to hear sympathy. 601s

He goes to the early fledgling church there to do what to encourage the church, 603s

to strengthen the church. 610s

Why? Because it's the other focus. 613s

What does he say? What he does? Why does he say? 618s

Are they going to discharge us in secrets? 620s

Certainly not. Let them come and take us out themselves. 622s

Why does he say that? Because who's he thinking of? 625s

Nothing at himself. 629s

Nothing temperamental here. 631s

He's not saying all the pages of turn. 633s

Now, how do you like it? Who's got the power now? 635s

There's not a that. 637s

He's concerned about the church. 640s

He's concerned about the precedent. 642s

He's concerned about the missionaries that will follow after him 643s

in his footsteps there. 647s

He's concerned about how they will be treated. 648s

What's he concerned about? He's concerned about that the founders of the church 652s

of Philippi, himself and Silas would not be regarded in the community as criminals. 657s

And so what does he do? 665s

No, we're going to have not sneaking away in the darkness just leaving town. 667s

You're going to escort me out. 673s

City's going to see it. 675s

You see, what's his concern for? 678s

It's not attitude. 681s

His concern is the other. 684s

His concern is for the church. 688s

Those that follow the other. 695s

It's a Latin phrase. 703s

Incavatus in C. 706s

Incavatus in C. 709s

Luther used that phrase to describe sin. 713s

Translated, it means turned inward on yourself. 718s

Incavatus in C. 724s

Curved inward. 726s

Luther said, that's what sin is. 728s

That's what sin is. 729s

That we are curved in upon ourselves. 732s

That what we focus on is ourselves. 737s

And we are riddled with sin. 740s

But listen to it from the pages of Scripture. 743s

Genesis, the third chapter. 748s

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, 751s

that it was a delight to the eyes, 755s

that the tree was to be desired to make one wise. 757s

She took of its fruit and ate, 762s

and she also gave some to her husband who is with her. 763s

And he ate. 767s

Matthew 20. 768s

She said to Jesus, 771s

Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, 772s

one at your right hand, 775s

and one at your left in your kingdom. 776s

That's the inward curve. 778s

How can I get the best seats for my boy? 780s

Luke 18, the Pharisee standing by himself was praying thus. 785s

God, I thank you that I'm not like other people. 790s

It's the inward turn, right? 794s

Nebuchadnezzar, and Daniel 4th chapter, 797s

and the King said, 799s

is this not magnificent Babylon with which I have built 800s

as a royal capital by my mighty power 805s

and for my glorious majesty? 808s

And for that sin, 813s

sin is incrivatus in sea. 816s

It's the inward turn to the cell. 819s

One author says it's this. 823s

One author says that incrivatus in sea, 825s

it is the gravity of self-concern. 830s

The gravity of self-concern. 835s

It's me, myself, 840s

and I. 842s

It's expressed in the question, 845s

and how does this affect me? 847s

How does this affect me? 850s

It's reflected in the statement, 853s

how can this make me look good? 855s

It's incrivatus in sea. 860s

Why ponder in our own lives, beloved? 863s

Let's just be honest with one another. 866s

How much did we all think about ourselves this week? 868s

Right? 874s

How much do we think about us? 875s

When is we focused inward? 881s

We missed the sea of humanity, crying as we walk by. 885s

The other day I was in the store and this fellow had his phone out. 896s

And I thought to myself, 902s

if I stay in my current position, 902s

he's going to mow me over. 905s

mow me over. 907s

So I stepped aside. 909s

Why does he was focused here? 910s

Our inward focus is incrivatus in sea. 914s

It is as one other author put it. 919s

You know what that Latin translate as? 922s

The author says, it translates as gazing at your navel. 924s

That's how he translated. 930s

We could be so consumed with our self. 934s

We can begin to look at others and regard them as if God has planted them here to serve us. 938s

And the inward turn is reflecting our sin. 949s

Roll hunched over. 961s

Every one of us. 963s

It's our very condition. 964s

But to our inward turn comes the outward gaze and acts of God. 966s

To our inward turn, God comes. 972s

To our inward turn. 976s

Jesus stretches out his arms on the cross. 978s

And bears our sinfulness and pays the sin debt. 981s

He dies on the cross slumping over for our inward turn. 985s

He has raised out of the tomb. 991s

The sacrifice for sin has been accepted. 994s

And God in his grace comes and deals with our incrivatus. 998s

And God in the truth is that God has sent us in the truth. 1006s

And God says, for given, for given. 1010s

Paul proclaimed it. 1022s

Luther embraced it. 1026s

It's the other focus. 1029s

It's the focus on giving God glory. 1032s

We are saved by grace through faith. 1038s

Ephesians 2 chapter. 1043s

Paul writes this, for by grace the undeserved love of God, 1045s

you have been saved through faith. 1049s

And this is not your own doing. 1053s

It's the gift of God. 1055s

Not the result of works so that no one may boast. 1057s

Now catch this. 1064s

For we are what he has made us created in Christ Jesus, 1066s

for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. 1074s

Do you catch the order there? 1080s

We are saved by the grace of God, what God has done in Jesus Christ on the cross, 1083s

the tomb is empty, we are saved by the undeserved love of God. 1090s

The world has been declared not guilty. 1095s

And that verdict is personally received and applied through faith that he gives us. 1099s

The order is we are saved by grace through faith and we are freed for what? 1106s

Works. 1114s

Right? 1116s

Not works that merit our salvation, but works that are the expression of our salvation. 1118s

Works that are the expression of the existence of faith. 1125s

We're saved by grace through faith and we are freed now. 1131s

Four works. 1139s

The focus then is on the other. 1142s

What a gift this is. 1150s

We are taught in our society to have this endless introspection of ourselves. 1153s

We're taught that. 1162s

It's affirmed in our society just to be constantly introspective, 1164s

thinking about yourself. 1171s

And we are freed from that introspection. 1174s

Freedom to embrace the life that God gives to us and has one for us. 1179s

Where the focus is no longer on our self, the focus is on the other. 1187s

It's on the other. 1195s

You see, we're freed from the bondage of me, myself and I. 1198s

We're freed to you, them and others. 1205s

We're freed for that. 1210s

That focus. 1215s

Blossoms, purpose and the purpose, 1219s

blooms into joy, into joy. 1227s

Beloved, I don't mean to minimize whatever hurt you come here with today. 1237s

But who is hurting more? 1245s

I don't mean to minimize whatever pain you're going through. 1253s

But who else is going through pain? 1259s

You see, we're freed then to approach and to live life not in the bondage of 1263s

love. 1272s

So who's going to serve me today? 1274s

We're freed to say, who can I serve? 1279s

Who hurts? 1286s

Who needs to be encouraged? 1288s

And the eyes get off the self and onto the other. 1291s

And there's joy. 1299s

Wasn't attitude on Paul's focus. 1307s

Luther's focus. 1313s

And the same gift to us. 1316s

Focus. 1322s

Focus. 1344s