A Disciple Will Be Like His Teacher

Luke 6:36-47

Christ sets an unattainable standard. God could not lower this standard without compromising His own perfection. He who is perfect could never set an imperfect standard of righteousness. The marvelous truth of the Gospel is that Christ has met this standard on our behalf.

Jesus is teaching us here, we are His pupils and we are not above our Teacher.......Jesus is the basis of our learning. We learn from no one or no where else. There is no other source of truth!

This is simply what a disciple is, a follower, a pupil. A pupil learning the mysteries of the character and essence of God through following Jesus. You will not learn anything about God through the world.

Jesus tells in a few places to follow Him.

Matthew 4:19 “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

The abandonment in trusting in Christ is what all of the Christ-like traits requires. There is much abandonment of self in showing mercy and forgiveness. Giving and not just giving money, but giving of self and that is what is needed to show mercy and forgiveness. (Do you get it?) Jesus gave of Himself, God gave His Only Begotten Son......there is a lot of sacrifice in following Christ! Not only was He perfect before God, He poured a lot of love and did everything that we needed to stand right before God!

He is our teacher, the disciple, the pupil, is to be like his teacher!

When mercy, forgiveness and self is given, then it will be returned with the same measure you give it. This is a promise.........

Let’s go back up to verse 27 and see what Jesus is talking about.........Enemies........

Perhaps you had a different job description in mind when you decided to follow Jesus. You would join him in judging the world. You would point out all the evil people to God so he could give them what they deserve. God’s ways are different. You experienced them from him. No judgment. No condemnation. No heaping punishment on others. Forgive! Give! Use fair, generous measuring cups to sell something to someone else.

Yes, be generous in what you give to others. God will give you the same kind of measure you give others.

Just think Jesus had and has every right to destroy the world, He had that before He came as a man.....but He didn’t.....John 3:17 “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Actually, Jesus didn’t have to condemn, we have already done that to ourselves....John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” .....Jesus came to intercede on our behalf to save us from the condemnation!

There a lot of things out of whack in this world, the truth has changed into a lie in certain areas of our nation.........What is the answer for this? What has Jesus taught? He did more saving than He did condemning......I saw a post this week of someone basically calling for God to pay back someone for something they have done.......This is not the heart of our Teacher......Mater of fact He has taught us in His dying.......As Jesus was dying for the sins of many .........Luke 23:34 “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do..........” The evil of man was pressed down and shaken together, and running over, yet Jesus did not return hatred, yet ask that they be forgiven!

This is the life that Jesus lived and that life is teaching us! The Christian is ever-learning as they look to Christ to guide us into all truth, through His Spirit!

Blind guides (teachers) are simply those that teach a different Jesus, one that does not look like the Jesus of the Scriptures!

They can’t see because they have something obstructing their vision, yet they still try to show those with lesser issues the way......

The sad thing is those with the speck cannot see that the blind guide has a beam in his eye and has no idea where he is going!

The lot of those 2 is the ditch!

The best instructor is one who has no obstructions! There can be only One that has no obstructions, that is Jesus!

If I am giving illustrations of myself, I telling you what not to do.

The best lesson plan is straight from Scripture. The best student is one is humble and has found no hope within himself.

The heart is the real issue, the good fruit comes from a sincere heart, a heart for Jesus Christ! A heart that seeks after God!

God tells us what the right heart for learning is............Isaiah 66:1-2 “Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: Where is the house that ye build unto me? And where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, And all those things have been, saith the Lord: But to this man will I look, Even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, And trembleth at my word.”

A poor and of a contrite spirit.....a broken spirit

Loving your enemies will never be achieved with a rich proud spirit.

It seems that Jesus gave all of Himself for us. The Only One Who knew no sin, became sin for us that we might be made righteous before God.

Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Jesus is the Only teacher! You will not be taught this by another’s actions. If someone is teaching this truth then they are teaching Christ!

1 Corinthians 1:23 “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;”

You will not find this in society or in government, God’s Word alone reveals Jesus to us and He is our teacher!

The world will definitely not reveal Jesus to you, they have tried to hide or cover Him up since He came but you cannot hide the Son of God.

I want to touch again on the give and it will be given unto you is not about tithing, it is about what you give of yourself to others, most especially your enemies.

Jesus tells us that if we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we reward is there in that? That is easy to do. Sinners even does that!

Give of yourself to your enemies......

Who is your enemies? Jesus referred to the tax collectors in Matthew, those that take advantage of you, those who evil to you in some way.

Love them, give to them, when the attempt to get something from you, give them more.

When they slap you on the cheek, let them have the other to slap!

Paul teaches the ways of Christ in Romans 12:17 “Recompense (Repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.” He continues in verse 21…Romans 12:21 “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Peter explained this too 1 Peter 3:8-9 “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.”

This is the giving that Jesus is teaching us into.......instead paying people back for the treachery, repay them with good, Paul also says in Romans 12 by doing that you will heap coals of fire on their head!

Want to be among the blessed? Jesus has a recipe for eternal life. This recipe calls for much more than silent endurance waiting for eternal reward. Turn the cards on the enemy. Repay hate with love, cursing with blessing, persecution and exclusion with intercessory prayer. If you lose a judgment so someone can give you blows on the cheek, give him opportunity for twice as many by turning the other cheek. If someone spitefully takes your cloak just because of having the power to do so, get in on the fun. Take off your inner garment and give it away, too. If other people want what you have, let them have it, whether you have to give it away yourself or simply let them keep what they stole.

A good measure. The scene is the purchasing of a commodity of some sort where the amount measured out is not short, skimpy, or even fair but a “good” measurement.Pressed down. The grain in the measuring container is pressed down, so that all the spaces are filled and the container holds as much as possible.Shaken together. The measuring container is shaken, so that the grain can fill every empty space.Running over. The container is filled and on top is a rounded heap so great that it overflows the container. God will bless believers not just in equal proportion to how they give to others but far, far more—superabundantly! Will be poured into your lap. The picture is of this measure now being poured in the individual’s “container,” which is the fold of his outer garment. Between the shoulders and the belt, this outer cloak would be loose and could form a kind of pocket into which this measurement could be poured.

With the same measure you give this love, is how it will be measured out to you.

This also goes along with the judging, with what measure you judge this is how you will be judged!

I am telling you now, there is no greater example this than Jesus Christ! He gave us the complete road map!

All of this points me to God’s Love! His Love is so great it cannot be measured by man! Jesus could only love like this, and we can only love like this through His Spirit! We must trust and abandon our selfish thoughts and desires in order to see the way of Jesus as right! Every other teaching pulls us into a selfish heart, but Jesus alone reveals to us this giving of self!

A lot has been made over the last few years, especially when Donald Trump was in office in how we talk and do with one another! Some didn’t vote for him because of how he tweeted and talked......

This is not about political does and don’ts, the President of the United States is not my teacher, I do not, nor should anyone, dating back to George Washington, ever look to Presidents, Kings, Leaders, Pastors, Teachers as their teacher.......no man or woman should be held as a spiritual father or mother, Jesus alone is our teacher and only those that are teaching and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ are giving the Good Fruit!

This Good Fruit will be like a house built on a foundation that cannot be washed away!