September 1, 2013
Evening Service

In the past few weeks we have seen Jesus begin His public ministry, heal all that came to Him, begin to call the apostles to follow Him, and take time to get away from the crowds and pray.  We also have seen the religious “scoffers” of the time, the Pharisees; continue to criticize Jesus everywhere He goes.  Wednesday we saw them become enraged as Jesus openly healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath day.  We looked at the NT teachings on the Sabbath and why the church now meets on the first day of the week.

Luk 6:12-16 And it happened in those days that He went out into a mountain to pray, and He was spending the night in prayer to God.  (13)  And when it was day, He called His disciples. And He chose twelve of them, whom He also named apostles:  (14) Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;  (15)  Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alpheus, and Simon who was called Zelotes;  (16)  Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, who also became the betrayer.

• Notice first what Jesus did before making the decision on who would be chosen to carry out His ministry.  He prayed all night.  This is an example for us to follow of the seriousness we should place upon “praying about” a decision.
•  William McDonald:  “The disciples were not all men of outstanding intellect or ability.  They represented a cross section of humanity.  The thing that made them great was their relationship to Jesus and their commitment to Him.”
• The same can be true for us.  Look around, we are not “outstanding in intellect or ability.”   We can however, also be used by God to carry out His ministry.
• God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.  He has plans for you.  There is a ministry for you. As you draw closer to Him, and yield more and more of your life to Him, He will use you in ways you could never imagine.  Did Peter ever imagine he would stand before the Sanhedrin and tell them he chose to obey God rather than them?
• Jerry did you ever imagine what God has used you to accomplish?
• Be faithful and answer “yes” when He calls you to follow Him.
• He will supply all you need to succeed.  Let’s look at how He taught these 12 ordinary men to change the world.

 

Luke 6:17-19 And coming down with them, He stood on a level place. And a crowd of His disciples, and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon (who came to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases) were there; (18) also those tormented by unclean spirits; and they were healed.  (19)  And the entire crowd sought to touch Him, for power went out of Him and healed them all.

• We must realize how revolutionary Jesus’ ministry was to the people at this time.  It had been 400 years since they had heard from God.  Jesus not only spoke with authority but also with compassion.  His works made His words powerful.  People were naturally drawn to Him wherever He was.
• Imagine yourself to be here with Him.  You have seen Him heal all who have come and now He begins to speak.

 

Luke 6:20-26  And lifting up His eyes to His disciples, He said, Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  (21)  Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.  (22)  Blessed are you when men shall hate you, and when they shall cut you off, and when they shall reproach you and shall cast out your name as evil, for the sake 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 according to these things to the prophets.  (24)  But woe to you who are rich! For you have received your consolation.  (25)  Woe to you who are full! For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now! For you shall mourn and weep.  (26)  Woe to you when all men shall speak well of you! For so their fathers did to the false prophets.

• Here we see a direct comparison of the attitude of the world and the attitude of those who have chosen to follow the Lord.
• The world seeks wealth and the comfort that goes with it.  They seek to be filled with the finest of foods.  They seek amusement, pleasure and entertainment constantly.  They seek the approval of all men, always telling others what they want to hear.  They will find all these things do not bring contentment.  Solomon   wrote “vanity, vanity all is vanity.”  In the end, a feeling of emptiness will prevail.  A void that only Christ can fill.
• Jesus here asks His followers to follow a different lifestyle.  A life that includes denying yourself the pleasures of wealth, choosing to live in a humble manner.  He asks us never to be satisfied, but always keep the desire for more alive.  We are to weep and mourn over the state of this world and pray diligently for God to intervene.  We are to REJOICE when men despise, mock and persecute us.  These all will be rewarded greatly if they are all done for the “sake of the Son of Man.” 
• Things that seem a curse to the natural world become a blessing to us as we willingly endure them for the sake of our Lord.  We endure them because we love Him.
• How the apostles must have been overwhelmed as they would look back at what Jesus taught and then to compare it to what He endured for us.
• A warning goes out to us to not create our heaven on earth.  This is not heaven; we will suffer, be hungry, cry and be persecuted as long as we are on this side of the grass.
• These teachings are so contrary to what the world seeks after.  He is not done yet either.

 

Luke 6:27-31 But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  (28)  bless those who curse you, and pray for those who despitefully use you.  (29)  And to him, who strikes you on the one cheek, also offer the other. And to him, who takes away your garment, do not forbid your tunic also.  (30)  Give to everyone who asks of you, and from him, who takes away your goods, do not ask them again.  (31)  And as you desire that men should do to you, you do also to them likewise.

• Talk about revolutionary!  We are to LOVE our enemies, bless those who curse you, pray for those who try to hurt you, and turn the other cheek when someone strikes you.  These are NOT natural reactions.
• Love is the weapon we have that the world has no answer for.  We can only love like this as we are aided by the Holy Spirit.  These are the attributes that can change the world.

 

1Co 13:8 Love never fails. But if there are prophecies, they will be abolished; if tongues, they shall cease; if knowledge, it will be abolished.

·         The world has no answer for love.

 

Lord, may we love You so much that we too can make an impact on this world.