Satisfied by Christ

Introduction

Good morning I want to invite you to open in your Bibles to Luke 6:20-26 that is Luke 6:20-26. If you are using one of the Bibles scattered throughout our chairs that is on page 809. That is on page 809.

I am really good at one thing: wanting. I want all of the time. I want a bigger house with just one bedroom. I want a truck. I want to eat junk food without consequence like I could in my twenties. I want to feel well rested. I want to be happy. I want to laugh. I want to be entertained. I want to have a group of really close friends. I want people to think I am good at my job. I want to be respected and well liked. I simply want…. I truly want these things, and there are more things I want, but I am too ashamed to say them out loud. And I suspect that you too want… You and are fellow wanters… Because if we are honest we believe that if we just had… then we would be happy, fulfilled, if we just had… we would be blessed.

Jesus begins his sermon on the plain by teaching us how to have a blessed life. He tells us the secret to happiness and blessing and spoiler alert. The things Jesus says will make us blessed are the opposite of the things that I want. Listen to his words in Luke 6:20–26 “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.”

Structure of the Passage

Jesus steps down from the mountain and a great crowd of disciples and multiple of people from Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon gather around him to hear his word and be healed. He heals them as they crowd around to touch him, but then he begins to speak. And as he teaches he lifts his eyes to his disciples. Now, this doesn’t mean that the crowds left, but it does mean that Jesus is addressing his disciples. This sermon on the plain is meant for those who identify themselves as disciples of Jesus. He is speaking to believers. As I speak to the believers in the room this morning, I pray that there are those of you who are a part of the crowd that wants to listen to Jesus. You are curious about Jesus, you know he can heal, just like the crowds. Yet, you have not yet become a disciple of Jesus. As you listen this morning I pray that the Good News about living a blessed life would be a fragrant aroma to you. That you would hear this truth and say, I want to be part of that. I want to be a disciple of Jesus.

Jesus speaks to his disciples through a series of Blessings and Woes. He gives four “Blessed “statements which directly correspond with four “Woe” statements. He speaks to the blessed poor and warns the rich, he speaks to the blessed hungry and warns the full, the blessed weeping and warns the laughing, blessed are those who are spoken poorly of and warned are those who all men speak well. And even the references to the prophets correlate in this section. The fathers of the persecutors treated the prophets with disdain and their fathers treated false prophets well. This series of blessing and woes teach us one main true: only Christ satisfies. That is to say only those satisfied in Christ will be blessed. Jesus addresses four areas of want that are common to man, and states that blessed are those who do not have these things now. And woe to you if you do have them. These fours areas are materialism, bodily desire, emotional fulfillment, and the approval of man.

The point of today’s sermon, the point of this text is that only in Christ can you be blessed. You can only be satisfied in Christ.

Materialism Does Not Satisfy v. 20; 24

Luke 6:20 “And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” Luke 6:24 ““But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.”

Now, it is worth noting that that the categories of poor and rich are subjective categories. You might be poor the guy when golfing at the country club, but the rich guy when volunteering at the homeless shelter. This is not a condemnation of possessing a certain amount of wealth, but rather it is a condemnation of you or I placing our hope, value, or comfort in our material possessions.

As a Christian, no matter your economic status, you are to see yourself as poor and needy. Not seeking more wealth, but seeking the rescue of a Savior. The kingdom of God belongs to the poor, because those who see themselves as poor know they can only obtain the kingdom through the gift of Christ. We cannot buy our way into favor with God, rather we must be bought by the precious blood of Christ.

Since poverty and riches are subjective categories, we must consider our own view of materials when trying to distinguish whether or not we are poor or rich according to the passage. Do I read the passage and not take the warning seriously because I am see myself as materially poor. Do read the passage and subject myself to ungodly self-condemnation simply because I am making more money than I expected.

Now, to be sure in many cases the materially wealthy are in a particular kind of danger. Those who obtain material wealth are easily fooled into thinking they are living the good life. The life of luxury has a way of lulling us into gluttonous stupor. We can equate financial prosperity with spiritual blessing. But apart from Christ the warning is clear. The comfort you are experiencing from wealth is the only comfort or consolation that you will have. Without Jesus, the life of the rich is the best it will get for them. And this life of comfort, it a temporary reality and not an eternal one. A life build on material possessions is a life built fodder. That is to say it is a life built on things that will burn. Matthew 6:19–21 ““Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Now, for some us we need to hear the warning of the passage because we are materially wealthy and we are allowing our wealth to change the way we view ourselves before Christ. Our wealth has blinded us to the reality of our spiritual condition of being poor and needy. However, it is also possible that even in times of poverty and discontentment that you need to hear this warning and the promising of blessing.

Perhaps your family makes less money that your parents did. You are struggling financially in ways your parents didn’t or you are struggling just like you did growing up and that terrifies you. You see yourself and you parenting as a failure because “you cannot give to your kids the life they deserve.” Or maybe its even worse and your competing with your in-laws. My Father-in-law was a VP for fortune 500 I am a pastor. Am I failing? Are you failing? Only if you are giving in to rich man talk. If you think that the key to the blessed life for you and your children is material wealth then be warned. This is as good as it will get. Wealth will be your comfort and one day it will all burn at the mighty judgement of God.

Your kids don’t need toys, extra curricular, or even their own bedroom to be blessed. They need Jesus.

Or perhaps you are on the cusp of retirement and thoughts of 401ks, insurance benefits, and social security keep you up at night. Or you are ready to upgrade your house, your car, or some other material gain. If you could just make another 5, 10, 15 thousand a year. Then we would be living the good life. Then we would be blessed. That is rich man dreaming, that is rich man scheming, it is rich man talk. And here is the really scary thing. You just might get it. You just might get what you want… and your consolation is now. Hear the waring. Don’t trade the glories of heaven for a few earthly trinkets.

Jesus is for the poor and needy in spirit who know they need a Savior. You want to live the good life, you want to be blessed. Be satisfied in Jesus, see that he is better than all the material wealth of this world.

Bodily Desire Does Not Satisfy v. 21a; 25a

Luke 6:21 ““Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied… Luke 6:25 ““Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry….

Jesus continues and tells us that those who are hungry now will be satisfied and those who are full now will be hungry. The stomach in the Bible is a consistent metaphor for the pleasures of the flesh or bodily fulfillment. Philippians 3:18–19 “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.” Those who simply long to fill their belly are those who minds are set of earthly and sensual things. We all have bodily desires and appetites that we long to fulfill. We long for our bellies to be full.

Whether that is literal food, sexual pleasure, the euphoria we experience through marijuanna, alcohol or other substances, the high we get from a good run, the satisfaction we have when we sit on the couch to relax, the feeling of sleeping in. All of these things are bodily desires. Some of these things, like exercise and the desire for a nap, are at times good, but we idolize them at other times while others are alway sin like extra-material sex or drunkeness. But what they all have in common is that we desire them. We long for these things and we want them to satisfy us.

We think if I can just get my run in, if I can just get some quiet time on the couch, I just need a little bit of a buzz, just a quick hit, just a fast look, just 5 more minutes of sleep then I will be blessed. Then I will be full now.

And Jesus says, no. You are blessed if you are hungry now, for it is only then that you will be satisfied. In Matthew 5:6 Jesus says it like this, ““Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” This is not a call to starvation, but rather Jesus is pressing upon us the reality of our most urgent need. Do you long for Jesus like you long for food. Do you long for Jesus like you long for drink or any other fleshly desire.

Can we cry out with the Psalmist Psalm 42:1–2 “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” Do you thirst and pant for Him! Do you want him, like you want your bodily desires.

One way to cultivate a greater longing for Jesus is the practice of fasting. When we fast we consciously forgo food or some other bodily longing for a specific amount of time. When we do this we ought to replace our bodily longing with spiritual satisfaction. Don’t just starve yourself when you fast. Rather, fast and use your typical meal time for an extra time of prayer and meditation on the Scriptures. When you feel a hunger pain, resolve to in that moment silently pray to the Lord. Remind yourself, that He is better than all physical fulfillment.

And then when it is time to break your fast. Don’t just pig out, but eat and drink and be merry! Remembering that every good gift comes from above. Allow the fulfillment of the body to be a catalyst for worship.

And as you learn to deny the desires of the flesh through fasting. Allow the practice to enhance your personal endurance against temptation. So, when you long for sensual pleasure, when your kids interrupt your sleep, when your spouse wants to talk and you just want to watch TV… You can remind yourself, my body is not in control. If I am hungry now… That is ok… because in Christ one day I will be fully satisfied. I can forgo bodily fulfillment, because I will be satisfied.

T/S- and as we grow in battling against the body we can always learn to control of emotions.

Emotional Fulfillment Does Not Satisfy v. 21b v. 25b

Luke 6:21 ““… “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” Luke 6:25 ““… “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.”

Again, this is not a call to self-deprecation. If you are just poor, hungry, and sad then God loves you. But rather the questions is what brings you joy. What makes you weep? Are you laughing now… in that does the reality of this present world fulfill your desires. Is this place good enough for you. As a Christian we have to say no. We have to say, we have a desire for heaven! We are going to weep if we have to stay here forever! This is a broken world. But thanks be to God, this broken world is not our forever home. We are just passing through.

So, we can weep now and know that one day our tears will be wiped away. And we need to be weary if we are emotionally satisfied now. If you look at this world and think. I’m good, this is as happy as I can get. This place is my joy! Then know you will mourn and weep. Because you are selling yourself so woefully short. The joys of heaven will make the joys of earth seem as if they were things meant to weep over.

I think this is a particularly sobering warning for our modern age. You see, laughter is something that can be obtained with extreme ease. A simple swipe up on our phones, a click of the laptop, just cast your favorite sitcom to the TV and you’ll be laughing in no time. Now, I am not forbidding stand up comedy or a good sitcom. Proverbs 17:22 “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

It is good to laugh, but it is bad to numb yourself with constant entertainment. It is bad to find emotional fulfillment in false idols. Screens are an easy place to escape. If life is hard, it is easy to run to your phone for cheap dopamine hit (the chemical in your brain that tells you, this scrolling feels good). And the ironic thing is you might presume that my sermon application for the young people. Yet, everyone’s grandma is on facebook and they have thought Obi Won Kenobi from Star Wars is Jesus.

None us are immune to cheap tricks in finding emotional fulfillment. Prayer is hard, Bible reading is hard, bearing your soul to another Christian is hard. Scrolling to escape, posting for care emojis, dreaming about how good the Buckeyes will be this year are all easy and cheap ways to get an emotional high. If you pursue these things as your primary means of laughter and joy… you will one day mourn and weep.

You must find your laughter, your joy, in Christ. And that might mean you weep now, but the promise is you will laugh in heaven. James 4:7–10 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

The path to lasting emotional fulfillment is repentance, not escape. Repentance (admitting we are wrong) is not pleasant in the moment, but it will be used by God to lead to your everlasting joy.

The Approval of Man Does Not Satisfy v. 22-23; 26

Luke 6:22–23 ““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.” “ Luke 6:26 ““Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.”

Jesus tell us that we are blessed when we excluded, reviled, and spurned as evil on the account of the Son of Man. We are to rejoice when this happens and leap for joy because our reward in heaven is great. The surety of our heavenly reward is so evident that we are to jump for joy now. It is a guarantee, therefore we can celebrate today. You should not celebrate for maybes, you shouldn’t count your eggs before they hatch, but when it comes to our heavenly reward it is a sure thing!

We are joining in with a long line of faithful saints who have gone before us when we suffer for our faith. Cain killed Abel, Joseph’s Brothers sold him into slavery, the people grumbled against Moses, and Jeremiah was thrown into a well. God’s prophets being mistreated for faithfulness is nothing new. And people speaking well of false prophets is also normal. People who long to have their ears tickled by false teachers is nothing new.

You must choose which legacy you will join. Will you join the legacy of the faithful and scorned, or for the sake of the praise of men will you join the false prophets?

Hear the warning again, Luke 6:26 ““Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.” When all men speak well of you it is because you are telling them what they want to hear. It is because you are not telling them the truth. And in living for their praise you are joining their legacy.

Living for the praise of men will not satisfy you. You become a compromiser, a hypocrite, a liar, and a coward. Your life will be ruled by what others think of you.

But this does not have to be so. You don’t have to live ruled by the opinions of others. Rather you can be free to rejoice even when others revile you. You can jump for joy even if someone spurns your name as evil, so long as you suffer on account of the Son of Man! When we know God is for us, we know that none can stand against us. There is freedom in being God’s servant. Serve him, and all man can do is destroy your body. But God can raise the body, and He will. This for the reality of the coming resurrection of the dead, the glory of heaven. Don’t trade in the glory of God for the approval of man.

Conclusion

God’s first commandment in the Ten commandment is You shall have no other God’s before me. At first glance this can seem like a selfish request of the Lord. He demands that we put Him first. But to claim this is selfish on God’s part is to misunderstand the very nature of God. God is the most glorious, most honorable, most high, most lovely, most majestic being in all of creation. To not put him first is to place something of lesser value in his place, and no matter what you place at utmost in your life it cannot compare to wonder, majesty, and glory of God. You are simply exchanging trinkets for treasure.

As I present this text this morning I want to beg you. Don’t settle to be satisfied by anything less than the all satisfying God of this world. It is possible for everyone here to live the blessed life. You simply must give your life to Christ. You must understand that be blessed today isn’t about temporal pleasures and joys. The blessing you can have today is the guarantee of heaven’s reward in the future. The knowledge that in Christ you are freed from the idols of materialism, free from the enslavement of bodily desires, free relentless pursuit of emotional fulfillment, and free from the bondage of the approval of man.

This is ours in Christ because Christ is all satisfying. The truth that Jesus is God and that God is to be foremost in all of our affections makes it impossible for anything else to satisfy us. If anything else can satisfy us, they Christ is not who he claims to be. But this world fails to satisfy us over and over, and this is how we know that Christ is who He says He is. If you’re tired of trying to fill your cravings then turn to Christ today. Turn away from your sin, lay down your idols, your desires, and your fear of man and take up Christ instead. In Him you can be satisfied. Let’s pray.