Sermon Tone Analysis

*“Jesus’ Plain Sermon” *Luke 6:12-26

 

Florida is going through a tough time during the recount.

Some interesting bumpers stickers have appeared on Florida cars.

One of them says, “Welcome to Florida, land of the Million-Lawyer March.”

Another one says, “If you don’t like the way we count, then move to one of the other 57 states.”

Another one says, “This is what you get for sending Elian back to Cuba.”

The capital city of Florida is now called “Tally-hassle.”

Some Gore supporters wear shirts saying, “I’ve been Bushwhacked,” and some Bush supporters are sporting shirts that say, “Gore is trying to beat around the Bush!”

Well, fortunately, Jesus had no trouble counting–and He didn’t beat around the bush!

He was looking for twelve good men and He delivers some plain words in this passage.

Most of you have heard of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

It covers three full chapters in Matthew’s gospel account (Matthew 5-7).

Today we are going to look at a similar sermon Jesus preached at a different time and location instead of a mount, He preached it on a “plain.”

That’s why I’m calling it “Jesus’ Plain Sermon.”

I want the word “plain” to have a double meaning.

It was a message not only preached on a plain but it was plain and straightforward in its approach.

First, let’s look at:

 

*I.

THE TEAM JESUS SELECTED (12-16)*

 

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.

When morning came, He called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

These men were called both “disciples” and “apostles.”

Do you know the difference?

*A.

**“Disciple” means “follower”*

 

Throughout history, great teachers have had students who followed their teachings called “disciples.”

Plato and Aristotle had “disciples.”

Jesus had hundreds of disciples besides the twelve.

A little later, Jesus is going to send out 70 disciples.

A disciple is someone who is interested enough to learn from a teacher.

Later in this chapter, Jesus is going to say you really can’t claim to be a follower if you aren’t willing to /obey /Him.

Throughout His three-year ministry, the number of disciples declined because of the demands Jesus made.

Later He would say no person could be His disciple unless they were willing to “deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him.”

So, out of this larger group of disciples, Jesus selected a special team of twelve.

He “designated” them apostles.

*B.

**“Apostle” means “One sent out”*

 

The word “apostle” comes the Greek word, /apostelein, /meaning “to send out.”

This was a special group of 12 men who were hand chosen by Jesus to go out into the world with His message.

How many disciples were there?

Many.

How many Apostles were there?

There were only 12 Apostles (capital A).

Revelation 21 tells us the names of the twelve Apostles will be engraved on the twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem.

Of course, after Judas committed suicide, one of the first things the early church did in Acts 1 was to “elect” a new Apostle; they chose a man named Matthias.

We never read another word about Matthias.

Later, Paul claimed to be an Apostle.

When we get to heaven, it will be interesting to see if the name “Matthias” is there or the name “Paul.”

While there were only twelve Apostles (capital A), there is a spiritual gift of “apostle” which is the missionary gift.

Missionaries are called and “sent out.”

So there were twelve original Apostles but many others have had this missionary gift of apostleship (small a).

When you examine this group of twelve men, you notice none of them are famous or educated.

Four were fishermen.

Later in Acts, they are all called “unlearned and ignorant” men.

Take heart, Jesus chose twelve ordinary men.

At the beginning, most would have chosen Judas Iscariot as the one “most likely to succeed.”

He was made the group’s treasurer.

This was a group of different kinds of men.

For instance, Simon the Zealot hated the Romans and anyone who worked for them.

Matthew the tax collector who had been an employee of Rome was in the same group.

Don’t get the idea these men always got along wonderfully.

We see evidence they often argued and sometimes got discouraged.

They were normal guys.

By most modern standards, Jesus was a human failure because He didn’t gather a crowd of thousands of followers, only twelve.

8 ½ percent of His group betrayed Him.

Another 8 ½ percent denied (with expletives deleted) he even knew Jesus.

On the night He was arrested, 100 percent of them ran away!

And Jesus /knew /all this would happen when He called them!

But still He spent time with them just loving them and teaching them and it finally paid off.

Good news, folks.

Jesus knows about your past failures.

He even knows about your /future /failures–and still He calls you to be His disciple.

Will you be a part of His team?

He is still looking for ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

Now, let’s look at:

 

*II.

THE TEACHING JESUS SHARED (17-26)*

 

“He went down with them and stood on a level place.

A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases.

Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.”

(17-19)

 

These statements are similar to the Beatitudes in Matthew.

The word “beatitude” is derived from the first word of each statement.

In Latin, the word “blessed” is /beatus.

/The word Jesus used is translated in Greek as /makaroi, /which is better translated “happy.”

A recent poll asked thousands of Americans what they most desired and the #1 answer was, “To be happy.”

When asked what they thought would make them happy the #1 answer was “I don’t know.”

Jesus is revealing our level of happiness in life is directly connected to our attitude toward life.

We can call these the beatitudes, because they are “Attitudes that ought to be!” One of the differences between these beatitudes and those in Matthew is Jesus was addressing these statements to directly to certain people, instead of saying, “Blessed are the poor,” He is going to say, “Blessed are /you /who are poor.”

Let’s read them and then learn what they mean for us today.

Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for your is the kingdom of God.

Blesses are you who hunger now, fro you will be satisfied.

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

Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.

For that is how their fathers treated the prophets” (20-23) Now, Jesus gives four positive attitudes and then beginning in verse 24, He mentions four “woes” directly corresponding to these positive attitudes.

See if you can connect the lines together: “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.”

(24-26).

Do you see the parallels?