Beatitudes and Woes
Notes
Transcript
Intro
God made the world. It’s beautiful. Things are different. Showed you pictures of animals: bear and tiger, dog and elephant. They are different. Christians and the world are also different.
You can be a hypocrite and love the world.
You can be a deceived ruler in the religious system and love the world.
You can be a cheap, snobbish, modern Christian and love the world.
But you cannot be a genuine Bible Christian and love the world.
A. W. Tozer
Main Idea: Following Jesus doesn’t look like the world
Blessed and woes. Blessed = happy and joyful. Gifted by God. Woe = aligns with God’s condemnation.
Luke 6:20-26
Imperative #1: Be humble, not haughty (20, 24)
Exp. Jesus is speaking to his disciples. Verse 20. I’m poor, I must be blessed. No. Poor in spirit. Same word described by David in Psalms. “Poor and needy.” Nobody thinks he’s monetarily poor. Poor in spirit = Knowing you are in need. What is the opposite? Verse 24. Rich. Now, is rich inherently evil? No. The rich in spirit aren’t in need.
Arg. Proverbs 28:11
11 A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has understanding will find him out.
Exp. Why say this? Someone who has what they need won’t seek help.
Ill. You won’t go to the gas station if you think your tank is full. You won’t turn to God if you don’t think you need him.
Exp. You are blessed is you are humble. What is the result? The kingdom.
Christ - Jesus gives us the keys to the kingdom. Through his death. You only find salvation when you come to grips you need it!
App. What do we do? Be humble now, be exalted later.
Pursue spiritual humility. You are in need. You need Jesus.
Pursue relational humility. You don’t have it figured out. You need others.
Imperative #2: Be hungry, not stuffed (21a, 25a)
Exp. Jesus continues. Verse 21a. Matthew adds “hunger and thirst for righteousness.” Again, spiritual state, not literal.
Ill. Jesus uses this language because hunger implies desire. When you’re home and you become hungry, you begin to raid the fridge or the pantry until you find what will make you full. Hunger, not for potato chips but for righteousness.
Exp. Hunger for the things of God, and you will be satisfied. The woe reciprocates the blessing. Verse 25a. If you are full now, you don’t desire more.
Ill. Cousins and Ole’s back to back. Didn’t want to look at any food. If you’ve tried to satisfy yourself with worldly things, you will be left hungry.
Arg. Pharisees didn’t hunger because they thought they had it. Mark 7, hearts are far from me.
Christ - Jesus is the living bread. John 6:48-50
48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
App. What do we do? Hunger for God, not other things.
Check your desires. What do you desire?
Imperative #3: Grieve, don’t laugh (21b, 25b)
Exp. This might be odd. Verse 21b. This isn’t saying you can’t have joy. This one ties into the Beatitudes before and after. We grieve now, but we long for a day we don’t grieve. Opposite. Verse 25b. Those who spend their lives laughing in worldly pleasures will eventually mourn, because they don’t have Jesus.
Ill. Study with children. One marshmallow, but if they don’t eat it, they can have three. They all ate the one. That’s like us. Settle with pleasure now instead of ultimate joy for eternity.
App. Why grieve? Grieve for what you don’t have yet: total separation of sin. Grieve that temptation exists, don’t laugh because you gave in. Grief, like hunger and humility, reminds us that we are in need of something. Joy.
Christ - Jesus is the bringer of joy. This all points to the end!
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
App. What do we do?
Grieve what you don’t have yet.
Keep your eyes on that day.
Imperative #4: Be excluded, not popular (22-23, 26)
Exp. We are at the end of the Beatitudes. Verse 22-23. By this time, Jewish Christians were expelled from the synagogues. Persecution had dispersed them from Jerusalem. If you are persecuted, you’re in good company. Prophets were hated. Woe. Verse 26. Others speaking well = attracting flattery. Taking praise yourself rather than giving to God.
Ill. Accountability questions with Riley. Told a lie or truth about yourself. Doesn’t have to be a lie. Speaking truth for flattery is just as dangerous.
Exp. Reward. Those persecuted, reward is great in heaven. One we can’t see. Those who adorn in flattery, your reward has been given. The praise of man. Was it worth it? What good is an earthly reward compared to a reward from God? What is the reward? I don’t care!
Christ - The greatest reward. Jesus makes us co-heirs of the kingdom. Romans 8:16-17
16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
App. What do we do? Rejoice that you receive it on account of Jesus.
Rejoice. Because you are like Christ.
Avoid flattery. Flattery is not a compliment.
Conclusion
Following Jesus doesn’t look like the world. Humility, given the kingdom. Hunger for God, you will be satisfied. Grieve what you don’t yet have, you will have joy. Rejoice in persecution, your reward is great. Worth it.
