The Kingdom Way

“If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next… It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither (p. 134).” Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and take them to heart that, by the patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life. … through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Luke 6:12–20 ESV

12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. 17 And he came down with them and stood on a 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, 18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all. 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 6:12–19 ESV

12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. 17 And he came down with them and stood on a 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, 18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

As we continue in the Gospel According to Luke, with some help from John, we see how Jesus’ mission develops. Rooted in His knowledge of His Father’s delight, His empowerment by the Holy Spirit, and His identity as God’s beloved Son, the Messiah, Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and confirmed it with signs and wonders. People were drawn to Him, both Jews and Gentiles, because of His Word and its confirmation.

Witness - Mercy - Life Together are contrary to the wisdom of the world. They are values that make no sense according to the wisdom of the flesh. At the same time, they draw those who do not know Christ, even as they confirm, to those who know Him, His exceeding great and precious promises.

2 Corinthians 3:17–18 ESV

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

In Christ, we have been made free from the fear by which the devil seeks to enslave us, fear of lack, fear of failure, and ultimately, fear of death. In our flesh, we seek to overcome the weaknesses of the flesh by trying to control our circumstances. If we can be smarter, richer, more attractive, more powerful, somehow, more invulnerable, perhaps we can block the declared results of sin. Adam ate of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, and we have reaped its bitter fruit.

In Christ and in His Kingdom, a new and living way has been opened for us. This is the way that He declared to His disciples in the Sermon that we heard to day in .

Luke 6:20–26 ESV

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. 21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 “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! 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. 24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

No one on earth wants to be poor, and yet Jesus says that the poor are blessed - that they possess the Kingdom of God. This is not a motivational speech designed to make you ignore the reality of your difficult straights with the “opium” of pious, wishful thinking, as Karl Marx famously, yet falsely declared. No one desires to be hungry, to suffer loss, to be hated, especially when one desires, for Christ’s sake, to love his or her neighbor and serve them as Christ did. In our fleshly thoughts, we would prefer that the world would recognize that the Church is a great blessing on the earth. That is God’s intention, for which cause He describes us as “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” Christ blesses us, even as He knows that the world will curse us, because He also knows that the world will be changed at His glorious appearing. This age will come to its appointed end, for the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom that Christ ushered in with His sacrificial death on the cross, is at hand.

His death, and His death alone, paid the price for our access, as the Scriptures declare. His resurrection confirmed His righteousness, and secured our justification.

Hebrews 10:19–25 ESV

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

But some will argue that Jesus said, in our text, “your reward is great in heaven.” Doesn’t that mean that we must earn heaven by our good works? Our Confession addresses this argument in the Apology, Article IV on Justification:

The Book of Concord Article IV: Justification

[356] But here the opponents reply that eternal life is owed for good works in a condign way because eternal life is called a reward. We will reply briefly and clearly. Paul [Rom. 6:23*] calls eternal life “a gift,” because when we are regarded as righteous on account of Christ, we are simultaneously made children of God and co-heirs with Christ. However, elsewhere [Luke 6:23*] it is written, “Your reward is great in heaven.” If these passages appear to the opponents to be contradictory, let them explain them. [357] But they are not fair judges, for they omit the word “gift” and they omit the wellspring of the entire matter on how people are justified, namely, that Christ is the mediator in perpetuity. Meanwhile, they single out the word “reward” and explain it in a way that does violence not only to the Scriptures but also to the very usage of language. From this they reason that since “reward” is mentioned, therefore our works must be considered as the payment in return for which eternal life is owed.

If they were right, we would have no need of either Christ or His death on the Cross, nor would we need to take up our cross and follow Him. If they were right, works of the Law would be sufficient for our justification. That’s why they fight so hard to declare that we are unjust, wrong, and evil. We deny that our filthy rags are a robe of righteousness. We confess that they are incapable of covering our nakedness. Our self-designed coverings did not work in the Garden, and they do not work today. They come unraveled whenever the truth of the Gospel is preached.

God loves us so much, that He protects the Church, confirms our message by the signs and wonders of Witness - Mercy - and Life Together, as we pour out our lives in love for our neighbor, both by doing good to them, and by proclaiming the Good News. We shine as lights in the darkness, because we bear witness to the True Light that enlightens every man. So diligently is God watching over His Word to perform it that He allows no work of man to get the glory that belongs to Him. He allows no wisdom of man to equal the Wisdom of God.

I know that the world argues that it is hard to “trust in the Lord and do good,” but that is His seal upon us, His Word and Spirit, sealing us for the day of redemption, bearing fruit in our lives as we walk in it. There is no other way for us, just as there is no other Kingdom but His Kingdom, no good but His good, no other peace but His peace.

So let the peace that passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds thorough Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen