Skip to content Blessed in Persecution: Rewards Await in Luke 6 Jul 7 · 13 min ...more
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The Lord of the Sabbath and Kingdom Living 0:09 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining me this morning as we look at Luke chapter 6 verse 9. Then Jesus said to them, I will ask you 1 thing. Is it lawful on the0:21 Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy? Now in this chapter, we have who is the Lord of the Sabbath, we have pray before picking, and we0:33 have kingdom living. So first, we have Luke's account of Jesus' disciples being criticized by the Pharisees for plucking grain on the Sabbath when they were hungry. Look at verse 2. And some of the0:44 Pharisees said to them, why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath? But Jesus answering them said, have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him? How he0:56 went into the house of God and took and ate the shewbread and also gave some to those who were with him, which is not lawful for any but the priest to eat? And he said to them, the son of man is also the1:08 lord of the Sabbath. Now Mark's account includes another statement of Jesus which really shows the paradigm shift that we see here from the practice of that day. Let me read1:20 that Mark 2 verse 27. And he said to them, the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. That's a huge, huge change because what Jesus is doing is putting1:31 man at the center of the relationship with him, not relate not religion. Now this chapter also includes a religious entrapment scheme by the Pharisees. They plant a man in the1:43 temple on the Sabbath with a withered hand anticipating Jesus's compassion would lead him to healing the man on the Sabbath, which would give them the ability, as verse 7 reads, to find1:55 an accusation against him. This was once again an occasion where they were right because they knew the character of Jesus. It he was compassionate, and2:07 he healed the man. But but they were not able to get the upper hand on Jesus as he turned the tables on them with this question in verse 9. Then Jesus said to them, I will2:19 ask you 1 thing. Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life, or to destroy? Now interestingly, the gospel records 7 specific miracles2:31 or healings on the Sabbath that Jesus did. Then Luke records Jesus' selection of the 12 apostles from among the larger group of disciples. Notice in verse 12,2:42 what Jesus does as he approaches this decision, which was critical because these were the guys he was going to invest in over this 3 year period that would then2:54 carry on the kingdom. Verse 12. Now it came to pass in those days that he went out to the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called the3:06 disciples to himself, and from them he chose 12 whom he also named apostles. How often do we devote ourselves to prayer before major decisions3:18 like, oh, Jesus prayed all night? Now following his night of prayer, Jesus selects the 12, and then he proceeds with a teaching of what life in the kingdom looks like. Look at verse 17. And he came3:30 down with him and stood on a level place with a crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from Judea and Jerusalem and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came3:42 to hear him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits, and they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to taught touch him,3:54 for power went out of him and healed them all. Wow. Wow. Powerful. I mean, I I can only imagine people wanting to flock to him to find this healing and this4:06 freedom that came from the power of Jesus. Now some scholars say that this is Luke's account of Sermon on the Mount, but looking at verse 17, it says he came down to a4:18 level place. This would be the Sermon on the Plain, not the Sermon on the Mount. Now I tend to believe that Jesus gave the same message more than once because, that4:30 was so that those following him would get it, and he was often speaking to different people. It's certainly not uncommon for a traveling evangelist to preach a message that at its core is essentially the same with the4:42 Holy Spirit slightly modifying it for that particular occasion. I mean, I see that frequently. Now verse 20, then he lifted up his eyes toward the disciples and said, blessed are you poor,4:54 for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you and when5:06 they exclude you and revile you and cast you out cast out your name as evil for the son of man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for5:18 joy, for indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. Now we see the same theme, especially in John's gospel,5:30 as Jesus warns them of the opposition, the persecution, and the hatred that they would face because of their identification with him and standing for him. But he says in verse5:41 23, rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for indeed your reward is great in heaven. But then notice what Jesus says in verse 27. But I say to you who hear, love5:53 your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. What? How does that6:05 work? Well, I believe the reason Jesus has warned us of the opposition that would come with our decision to follow him and live according to the principles of his6:16 kingdom is so that we would not be surprised, number 1. And, frankly, we should be giving that same warning to those who come to Christ today. Accepting Jesus as6:29 your savior and making him the lord of your life does not mean smooth sailing. Far from it. It means, though, that you will have someone captaining your ship6:41 that will guide you even in the midst of the storm so that you can have peace. Look what Jesus says in John 16 33. These things I have spoken to you. What are these things? If you go back6:53 and look at it, it's all the warnings of what was to come. That in me, you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.7:05 That's why we have to abide in Christ. That's our strength. That's our peace. That's our joy. So once again, we see kingdom living is counterintuitive to the nature of man. That is why we can7:17 only live according to kingdom principles as we are sanctified and empowered by the holy spirit. We cannot do it on our own. We cannot love our enemies.7:30 Right? We can't love those who's who will say things about us, misunderstand us, spitefully use us. We it it's difficult for the human nature to do that. We wanna7:42 strike back, but we can't if we're living according to the principles of the kingdom, and we can only do that empowered by the Holy Spirit. Verse 29. To him who strikes you on 1 cheek,7:54 offer him the other. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who ask of you, and from him who takes away your goods, do not ask them8:05 back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.8:17 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For8:29 even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return, and your reward8:42 will be great, and you will be sons of the most high. For he is kind to the unthankful and evil, and we wanna be like him. Therefore, be merciful just as your8:53 father also is merciful. You can only do this through the power of the Holy Spirit. We must abide in Christ. We must be filled with the spirit. Judge not and you shall not be judged.9:05 Condemn not and you shall not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Now we stop there a moment when we talk talking because we often hear these verses thrown up. Judge not.9:17 Judging means passing judgment, not discerning right from wrong. Okay? Not dis we don't always know why someone does something. Now9:29 Now we know if if there's I mean, we might not know what's the motivation behind it. We may misunderstand someone. We need to be careful not to be too quick to come to a conclusion as to why someone did something. Now we9:41 certainly know the outcome of certain behaviors, and we are to discern right from wrong. Okay. This is not what this is, telling us not to do. Give and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed9:53 down, shaken together, and running over will be put in your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. Proverbs talks about the 1 who waters will be watered10:04 also. We we wanna be generous. That's what it's speaking of here. This is what marks the life of a true disciple of of Jesus, 1 who is drawing life from the vine of10:16 Christ. They're often hated, rejected, opposed, and persecuted, yet they do not hate in return. They open their arms to all who will join in the pursuit of the kingdom.10:29 And in their hearts, they harbor not resentment, but compassion for those who are blind to the truth and have not come to a full understanding of the truth. Not everyone is where you10:42 might be. Remember, sanctification is a lifelong process. Kingdom living is marked by grace toward others. It's not easy. It's10:53 not easy. That's why we have to have the power of the Holy Spirit. This doesn't mean a disciple is a wimp who stands for nothing. It's the opposite. A disciple11:05 stands resolute for truth, but they know who the real enemy is. It's not flesh and blood. It is the forces of darkness, Satan and his demons that use the spiritually11:17 blind as pawns. Our mission is to rescue those who have been blinded by Satan from the clutches of evil and disciple those who have been set free,11:29 equipping them for the work of the ministry of the lord. There is nothing, nothing wimpy about that mission. Father, we thank you for your word.11:41 And, Lord, it is challenging to look at the characteristics of the citizen of the kingdom of God and how we are to live. I pray11:52 father that through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us through your word, which sanctifies us, and the the example we have through Jesus that we would live12:04 in a way that brings honor and glory to you and that shows a watching world that there is a better way. There is a kingdom way, and we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.12:16 Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning. Until next time, keep standing on the word.12:24 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you12:36 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 The Lord of the Sabbath and Kingdom Living94K followers
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