Luke 6:12-26 - A New Community: New Values

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What a great song to sing before you preach.

I ought to stand up here every Sunday and have y'all sing, Give Me Jesus to me.

Tell me that whenever you want to.

Give me Jesus.

We're looking at God's Word this morning in Luke 6.

And we're studying through Luke's Gospel together.

His careful account of the historical events surrounding in particular Jesus of Nazareth.

We've seen already that this is good news of great joy for all people.

A Savior.

A Savior who will rescue and reshape all sorts of people in relationship with Him.

And we're going to see more of what that good news of great joy for all people looks like this morning.

I'll be honest, as we're getting started, there are several sermons in this passage.

I'm going to try not to preach all of them.

But we're going to start reading at verse 12.

As we read the first few verses, I will stop to give you a couple mini sermons

before we get to the verses on which we will focus this morning.

Luke 6 at verse 12.

In these days, He went out to the mountain to pray,

and all night He continued in prayer to God.

Really mini sermon?

Jesus prayed all night to His Father.

The perfect Son of God who needs sleep, just like we do,

is fueled for all the significant things He's about to do

by this intimate relationship with His Father.

If Jesus needs to pray like that, how much more do we?

Verse 13.

And when day came, He called His disciples and chose from them 12 whom He named apostles.

Simon whom He named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John,

and Philip and Bartholomew and Matthew and Thomas,

and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot,

and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who became a traitor.

It's hard to miss what Jesus is doing here in this passage, isn't it?

As He's calling out this 12, He's creating this unique new community, isn't He?

In fact, 12 men.

Like the 12 tribes of Israel,

He's reconstituting the people of God with these leaders of the community.

To be led by Him into the promised land,

to be sent out by Him on His mission.

And I love how He does it as you read through the list of the apostles here.

Very ordinary men.

No particularly impressive resumes on the list, right?

Fishermen.

Tax collectors.

Some of them very politically liberal.

Some of them politically conservative, as it were in those days.

One working for Rome.

Another likely working passionately against Rome.

But that's the people of God, right?

A band of natural enemies who love one another for Jesus' sake, D.A. Carson says.

In the next verse, we're going to find that the broader group of Jesus' followers

involves a number of Gentiles coming from a long way.

Throughout Luke, many women will be highlighted among Jesus' followers.

Unheard of in the culture of His day.

This rabbi is creating a unique new community

unlike any other group that follows any other religious leader.

Let's keep reading.

Verse 17.

And He came down with them and stood on a level place.

He's about to preach what we call the Sermon on the Plain.

On the level place.

With a great crowd of His disciples

and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem

and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, Gentile region.

Who came to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases.

And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured

and all the crowd sought to touch Him for power came out from Him and healed them all.

What brings all of these diverse people together?

Why are they all there in this one place?

It's a very unique leader, isn't it?

They're all there for Jesus for one reason or another.

His kingdom is coming in word and deed again together at the same time, right?

Some of them are there to hear Him.

To hear Him teach.

Others are there to get healed.

Others to be released from oppression.

But unlike the Pharisees we read about last week looking to trip Jesus up,

they're all there for a different reason.

They're desperate to get near Jesus.

To touch Him even.

Notice in these few verses, just as we're getting started this morning,

the heart of God on display.

What happens after Jesus spends the entire night in prayer with His Father?

Having His heart aligned with God the Father's,

what happens when He walks down from there?

He's got people on His heart, doesn't He?

He's got people He wants to call into special relationship with Him.

There are relationships to establish.

Hasn't that been God's heart since He created us?

To have those relationships?

They're sick to heal.

They're lost to rescue.

A new community of people to teach and shape in a new and unique way.

Don't miss God's heart that's on display as Jesus moves out of prayer with Him.

So a unique new community that this gracious and powerful leader is creating.

And He begins to tell this new community what it will be like as God's people.

And here's where we're going to slow down a bit this morning.

Jesus doesn't tiptoe into the water with the new community.

He dives right into the deep end.

Give your attention to God's Word at verse 20.

And He lifted up His eyes on His disciples and said,

Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

Blessed are you when people hate you,

and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy,

for behold, your reward is great in heaven,

for so their fathers did to the prophets.

But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation.

Woe to you who are full now,

for you shall be hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now,

for you shall mourn and weep.

Woe to you when all people speak well of you,

for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

Will you pray with me?

Father, these words are perhaps not hard to understand,

but that's part of our difficulty with them.

And they're hard to hear for many of us.

And so Holy Spirit,

would you not allow us to miss them?

Would you speak to our hearts very clearly

in a way that we know is your voice,

that we can hear and follow,

and in a way that points us to treasure Jesus

more than we ever have.

We ask it in his name.

Amen.

Imagine with me this morning that late one night,

some thieves break into the Target store

down the street here.

They get in,

they disable the alarm system,

they spend a couple of hours in the store,

and they leave at the end of the night

with absolutely nothing.

They don't take a thing.

Instead, what the thieves do is they spend the evening

in the store swapping a bunch of price tags around.

So what happens is the next morning,

before anyone notices what has happened,

shoppers are there turning up their noses

at $700 pairs of socks

and walking out with flat screen TVs

for $3.99?

They're avoiding the $200 candy bars on the shelf,

but they're purchasing formal dresses

for less than a dollar.

Can you imagine how shocking it would be

if you were one of those shoppers

who'd walked in there?

How many TVs or dresses would you buy for that much?

A lot more than you did otherwise, I bet.

The thieves are making out great, aren't they?

All they had to do was swap some price tags

to change what was really valuable,

and they did a lot of damage

without taking a thing.

Jesus enters into a world

where that is very much what has happened.

What's truly valuable has been swapped,

and he wants to swap some price tags back

in some equally drastic and startling ways.

Actually, it's going to make $700 socks

and $4 TVs seem like no big deal

in comparison to what Jesus has to say.

Jesus says to his followers,

to this new community,

I want to tell you who's really important,

what's really valuable,

what the good life really looks like,

what fullness is,

what it means to have a full life,

and you may not recognize it.

Try for just a minute to make a list

of the things that you would think of as blessed.

What does it mean to be blessed?

Come on, you use that word all the time.

You're a church person.

I'm blessed, I'm blessed.

We're all blessed.

What does that mean?

What does it mean to you to be blessed?

Really try to think of some specifics.

What are the things you pray for most often

for yourself and for others?

What do you want for your kids?

What would it look like for them to be blessed?

What's valuable?

Come on, be honest for a second,

like we didn't already read the passage.

Like you don't know what Jesus is about to say.

What would you have answered?

What are those things in your mind

that make up being blessed?

Now listen one more time

as Jesus gathers his followers around

and says, listen, here's what's valuable.

What are they expecting to hear?

Hey guys, let me tell you.

Here's what's valuable.

Blessed are the poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who are hungry now,

for you shall be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now,

for you shall laugh.

Blessed are you when people hate you,

when they exclude you and revile you

and spurn your name as evil

on account of the Son of Man.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy.

For behold, your reward is great in heaven,

for so their fathers did to the prophets.

What in the world is he talking about?

I mean, seriously?

Certainly Jesus is joking.

We all know that this is not actually true,

but he's not joking.

He's dead serious as we will see further.

He begins this address

with compassionate comfort for the have-nots.

For those who don't have,

he says take heart.

Though you experience emptiness now,

you will know fullness forever.

Look briefly at the list he's talking about.

The poor,

those who don't have money,

who don't have influence,

who are outsiders in society,

looked down on,

left out,

because they didn't have any of those things.

Those who are outsiders in society

are the first ones who are in

in Jesus' new community,

aren't they?

The poor.

They're blessed.

Jesus is indeed bringing great joy

for all people.

In fact,

the poor aren't just sneaking in

like one here and one there,

kind of making their way in

and infiltrating his kingdom.

No,

they own the place.

Yours is the kingdom of heaven,

Jesus says.

Take heart.

There's the hungry now.

They're hungry now

and are told they will one day be full.

Satisfied.

Take heart,

Jesus says.

You have a provider

who will fulfill forever.

Never.

Then Jesus says,

blessed are you who weep now.

Maybe not what you think of as blessing,

but is that you?

Those who weep now?

Some of you have dealt with more pain

and shed more tears already

in your life

than you ever anticipated

doing in your entire life.

Than most people ever do.

You ever had one of those days

you just keep crying?

Do you have a grief in your past

that every time you think about it,

the tears just flow?

You can't seem to stop.

Some of us do.

A lot of times,

just living in this world

can make us feel like

we will never smile broadly

or laugh deeply again.

We feel insignificant.

Forgotten.

Downcast.

Jesus would take your hand this morning

and He wants you to hear Him

saying tenderly to you,

blessed are you who weep now.

You're blessed.

There will be joy again.

You will laugh again.

One day I will wipe away

every tear.

Take heart.

Be of good cheer.

He's caring for you.

And finally,

He tells them that this

strange,

blessed life of His followers

will involve being hated.

What you've always wanted, right?

Excluded.

Slandered.

Notice importantly there,

it's on account of Jesus,

the Son of Man.

Your allegiance to Him.

Not being reviled

on account of your abrasive attitude.

That doesn't count.

And here Jesus says,

not just take heart,

but even what?

Rejoice.

Not just hang in there.

Not just it's not as bad as you think.

Rejoice.

Leap for joy.

How many times do you leap for joy?

You don't do that a lot.

Here's a great opportunity

to leap for joy.

Why?

Your reward is great in heaven.

Your reward is great in heaven.

The picture here is of people

who are poor,

hungry,

tearful,

outcast.

They experience emptiness

perhaps for years,

but they know Jesus.

They follow Jesus.

And He promises

an eternity of fullness

that far outweighs today.

Eternity is way more valuable

than today.

He's saying.

Notice the message here

is not go be.

It's not a go be message.

Go be poor

or hungry

or outcast.

That's not the goal.

That's clear from the fact

that the blessedness

is not in the state itself

because He says

the hungry

will be satisfied.

Those who weep now

will laugh.

So it's not

just getting there,

go be poor

or go cry more.

He's saying something different.

He's saying

the have-nots

will become haves

because they have

Jesus

forever.

That's how

the have-nots

will become haves

because they have Jesus.

You've seen that joy

on the face

of a poor person,

haven't you?

Perhaps sickly thin,

maybe grieving deeply

over loss

of something significant,

someone loved

and at the same time

worshiping Jesus.

You've seen Him,

haven't you?

Maybe here in Huntsville.

Some of you have seen Him

in an orphanage

in Peru.

Maybe somewhere else

that you've gone

and maybe

if you're anything like me

you've had that moment

where you thought

I'm actually a little jealous.

I'm seeing something

in their eyes

and in the way

their heart cries out

in worship of Jesus.

Have you thought

like I have?

Man,

when Jesus is all you've got

He sure seems precious.

They sure treasure Him.

So Jesus is swapping

some price tags here.

This is not what

His followers were expecting.

He speaks to the have-nots

and tells them

what the world deems

worthless

is actually valuable.

worthless.

But then He turns

to the have's

and He tells them

what the world

deems valuable

is actually

worthless.

don't miss the strength

of Jesus' warnings

here.

It's coming from

the same

compassionate heart

but when Jesus says

woe to someone

you better pay attention.

He doesn't do it often

but it's serious

when He does.

He says to the have's

woe

beware

watch out

danger

though you experience

fullness now

you will know

emptiness

forever.

Don't skirt these words

verse 24

but woe

to you who are rich

for you have received

your consolation.

Woe to you

who are full now

for you shall be hungry.

Woe to you

who laugh now

for you shall mourn

and weep.

Woe to you

when all people

speak well of you

for so their fathers

did to the false prophets.

What do you want me to say?

That He's not talking

to you and me?

I wish I could.

But Jesus consistently

has strong warnings

for those with money.

We can't dodge them.

He says it's hard

for the rich

even to enter

the kingdom of God

harder than squeezing

a camel through the eye

of a needle.

In the parable

of the sower

it's the deceitfulness

of riches

that chokes out

seed on the thorny soil.

When Jesus says

you can't serve

two masters

it's

who's the second master

you can't serve God

and what?

Money.

Perhaps like us

Jesus' disciples

are taken aback.

Hold on

there goes a TV

for nothing.

Are you serious?

Riches are a good sign.

In that culture

riches were a sign

of God's blessing.

Right?

God must like me.

I must be one of His.

He's taking care of me.

Don't we often think

the same way sometimes?

God is blessing me.

How do I know?

Because my business

is growing

and my health is good

and keep on going

down the line.

I don't know what things

you wrote down earlier

but if you'd had long enough

those would have been

on the list wouldn't they?

Jesus says beware.

In my kingdom

level of godly living

does not equate

to level of material blessing.

In fact there's

an inherent danger

in having money.

In feeling fulfilled

in life.

In being on the inside

all the time.

And that danger

is that you have so much

that you will miss

your need

for the eternal treasure.

It's a danger

Jesus speaks against

time and time again.

You'll miss your need

for the eternal treasure.

You'll miss that

you already have

your reward.

That you've received

your consolation already.

Consolation

may seem like

a strange word to you.

It's the same word

used earlier in Luke

when Jesus is the

consolation of Israel.

The one they've been

waiting for.

The consolation is

Jesus himself.

You miss

Jesus.

He says

woe to you

if you have

much stuff.

If life is

basically good.

If people

basically like you.

Full pockets.

Full bellies.

full hearts.

Full status.

If you will.

You will be

empty

forever

if you don't

have

Jesus.

And be honest.

What is the value

of 80

years

or more

of feeling

fulfilled

compared

to an eternity

of experiencing

deep

emptiness?

holiness.

Listen,

this is not

merely about

scolding

those who

make six figures.

Jesus is

calling

all of us

to treasure

him.

And when the

treasure chest

is full

of other things

beware.

Watch out.

Be warned.

It clings

to you.

It settles

you there.

the way

this new

community

Jesus'

kingdom

functions

it's about

needing

not having.

Puritan

Thomas Watson

said

until we

see our

poverty

we will

never

see

Christ's

value.

See

in his

kingdom

there's only

one king.

There's only

one

with a lot

to offer

and the

rest of us

come

how?

Poor

nothing

in my

hands

I

bring

so that

we can

cling

tightly

to

and

treasure

the

king.

That's

how it

works.

Our

culture

has swapped

a lot

of price

tags

on us

and many

of us

have

bought

right in.

Rich

means worthy

and poor

means unworthy

which

looks like

among other

things

external

image

valued

above

internal

character.

Self

determination

being

whatever

you want

valued

above

reflecting

God's

image.

Control

of your

life

valued

above

trusting

God

and

leaning

into

relationship

with

him

in

difficult

times.

See

having

money

helps

get

all

those

things

we

value

doesn't

it?

And I

say

we

intentionally

because

we

in the

church

have

in

many

ways

the

very

same

values

as

all

of

the

people

around

us

don't

we?

The

price

swapping

thieves

have

duped

us

too

haven't

they?

Changing

what's

really

valuable

for

something

worthless.

So

what's

Jesus

doing

in this

opening

address

to

his

new

community

of

followers?

He's not

just trying

to confuse

them

is he?

will

help us

understand

how to

apply it

to

ourselves

if we

can

see

what

he's

doing.

What

he's

doing

here

is

he's

preparing

them

for

what's

ahead.

These

challenging

words

are

preparatory

for

his

followers

for

what

he's

going

to

call

them

to

tangibly

and

specifically

in

terms

of

lives

of

sacrifice

and

self

denial.

Preparing

them

also

for

what

they

will

face

in

terms

of

opposition

and

persecution

from the

world.

And he

knows that

to prepare

them for

either of

those

things

they must

have their

hearts

clear on

what's

really

valuable.

So he's

focusing here

in these

verses

inward

on their

hearts

right?

With

words

that carry

undeniable

outward

tangible

implications

we

we can't

miss.

He does

it with

the

have

nots.

What

about

the

days

you're

in

need

or

suffering

for

Jesus?

You've

been there

or you

will be

there.

How does

a have

not

know

if he's

really

treasuring

Jesus?

What

would that

look like?

I'd

suggest

that

taking

Jesus'

words to

heart

means

a

have

not

would

not

pursue

value

in

the

places

that

the

world

does.

Just

think

about

the

basis

of

decisions

you

would

make

in

those

lowly

moments.

Do you

decide

about

the

job

you'll

take

based

on

what

it

will

pay

even

if

it

moves

you

away

from

fellowship

with

God

and

his

people?

Just

take

the

one

that

pays

more.

Do

you

soothe

your

tears

in

your

darkest

moments

with

false

promises

of

life

getting

better

and

strategies

to

fix

things

or

with

God's

promises

of

eternal

hope

and

plans

to

depend

on

him.

But

Jesus

particularly

is focusing

on the

hearts

of the

haves

with

some

obvious

outward

implications

for

them

isn't

he?

How

does

a

have

know

if

he's

really

treasuring

Jesus?

I

always

recommend

starting

with

what I

call

the

Jesus

challenge

from

the

encounter

with

the

rich

young

ruler

Jesus

tells

the

rich

young

ruler

to

sell

everything

he

has

and

give

to

the

poor

and

then

he'll

have

treasure

in

heaven

what's

Jesus

saying

hey

you

think

you're

a

have

but

you

really

treasure

Jesus

I've

got

a lot

of

stuff

but

I

treasure

Jesus

Jesus

says

great

here's

how

you

can

start

giving

it

away

give

a

little

away

give

a

lot

away

how

does

it

make

you

feel

how

does

it

make

you

feel

when

you

start

thinking

about

the

particular

things

you

will

give

away

and

not

have

does

your

heart

kind

of

protest

a

little

bit

as

you

think

about

it

he's

not

calling

all

of

us

to

give

away

all

of

our

things

right

I

mentioned

this

challenge

several

years

ago

when

preaching

about

that

particular

story

and

several

of

you

told

me

it

was

hard

enough

just

thinking

about

it

you

didn't

actually

have

to

give

anything

away

you

just

had

to

think

about

what

it

would

feel

like

giving

away

things

like

money

control

comfort

so

forth

listen

we

have

to hear

Jesus'

warning

clearly

this

morning

don't

assume

your

heart

is

full

of

Jesus

if

your

life

and

your

bank

account

and

your

home

are

full

of

the

things

of

this

world

don't

assume

your

heart

is

full

of

Jesus

our

concept

of

fullness

is

so

small

it's

just

the

things

we

want

for

ourselves

and

for

our

lives

it's

too

narrow

that

longing

for

him

Jesus

is

teaching

us

that

we

must

begin

to

see

him

as

most

valuable

to

be

prepared

for

what

he

will

call

us

to

sacrifice

for

the

sake

of

having

him

he's

going

to

call

us

to

sacrifice

some

things

now

to

have

him

forever

this

passage

also

reminds

us

Jesus

is

preparing

us

for

what

we

will

face

in

this

world

with

a

different

value

system

from

his

following

in

Jesus

and

having

his

values

may

cost

you

financially

it

may

cost

you

professionally

may

cost

you

relationally

it

may

cost

you

physically

the

choice

between

valuing

today

and

valuing

someday

between

valuing

now

and

valuing

forever

is going

to become

increasingly

evident

you'll

face

reviling

and

perhaps

firing

from

a

co-worker

you'll

face

mocking

and

perhaps

exclusion

from

friends

you'll

face

hatred

and

perhaps

persecution

from

neighbors

if you

haven't

already

you

will

soon

and

you'll

have

to

have

decided

if

Jesus

is

worth

it

if

the

reproach

of

Christ

is

more

valuable

than

the

treasures

of

Egypt

you'll

have

to

make

that

decision

but

listen

here's

the

beautiful

opportunity

that we

have

in

those

moments

rather

than

just

thinking

oh

I've

got

the

chance

to

get

back

at

the

one

who

just

hurt

me

you

can

actually

show

them

the

true

treasure

that's

the

beauty

of

what

Jesus

is

doing

here

see

you

know

the

haves

we

know

the

haves

don't

we

and

they

need

to

know

Jesus

they

need

to

see

the

treasure

the

haves

next

door

who

fired

you

or

left

you

out

or

whatever

else

they

need

to

see

you

have

not

in

some

ways

walking

through

poverty

hunger

tears

or

rejection

whatever

is

brought

into

your

life

whatever

it

may

be

now

they

need

to

see

you

walk

through

that

and

not

act

like

you

lost

your

true

treasure

forever

and

for

that

you'll

need

a

community

like

Jesus

is

creating

right

here

I

believe

that

is

together

having

our

hearts

shaped

towards

what

is

truly

valuable

we

together

as a

community

must

swap

some

price

tags

it'll

look

like

a lot

of

things

and

we'll

get

to

talk

more

in

coming

weeks

but

but

for

starters

we

must

value

the

poor

in

our

city

and

not

just

value

them

expect

that

they

have

much

to

teach

us

about

fullness

and

blessedness

rather

than

merely

valuing

climbing

the

social

ladder

move

toward

them

and

find

out

when

you

get

there

that

you

haven't

moved

down

toward

them

that

there's

blessedness

there

we must

value the

reputation

of Christ

more than

the

reputation

of our

new

kitchen

we must

value

time

with the

suffering

and the

lost

rather than

merely

valuing

time

with the

comfortable

and the

religious

multiple

families

in this

body

alone

right

now

are

wrestling

with

young

adult

children

who

want

to

take

the

good

news

of

Jesus

Christ

overseas

to

distant

and

dangerous

countries

and it's

hard

because they

love their

kids

and they

taught them

to treasure

Jesus

but

that much

did I

mean I

really wanted

them to

treasure

Jesus

some of

those

parents

and

grandparents

are actually

considering

going

themselves

to

places

where

they

know

there's

a real

possibility

they won't

see their

kids or

grandkids

again

they're

wrestling

with that

loss

we must

value

the eternal

glories

of Christ

more than

the earthly

glories

of Southwood

what would

we do

if we

truly

treasure

Jesus

above all

else

what would

that look

like

what if

we

individually

or

corporately

found

ourselves

to have

given

away

so much

that we

were really

in need

and we

got to

find out

for ourselves

and for

our kids

if Jesus

was really

serious

when he

said this

if he was

really serious

that there

was blessing

and fullness

to be found

there in

not

having

that's the

eternal

blessing

he wants

us to

find

the treasure

the treasure

we would

get to

show

our

neighbors

and our

co-workers

and our

friends

the one

he wants

them to

be enamored

with

more than

our stuff

it's

Jesus

if we

get that

treasure

we'll have

that treasure

to offer

to others

the king

who calls

us only

where he

has already

gone

Jesus

stands

before

these

followers

gathered

around

him

when he

says

these

things

having

already

laid

aside

the

glories

and the

privileges

and the

joys

and the

riches

of heaven

and become

right among

them

poor

and hungry

and lowly

and outcast

Jesus

pulled the

greatest

price tag

swap

ever

didn't he

he pulled

the

incalculable

price tag

off those

heavenly

glories

and placed

it on us

didn't he

that's what

I value

relationship

with us

was so

valuable

to him

that he

would give

up the

comfort

and the

privilege

of heaven

to suffer

for us

and he

restores

that relationship

with us

forever

that relationship

that was