Can I Go This Way?

The summary of the way people of the Kingdom of God live is stated in verse 35.  People who live like this – who love their enemies, do good, lend hoping for nothing in return – are the “sons of the Most High.”  In the end, this command and the expectation of Jesus are expressions of two great realities.

1.      This is the way God deals with mankind all the time.  He loves us when we hate Him; He does good for us all the time; He lends/gives to us knowing we have no way to repay Him.

2.      Living this way in love and generosity expresses our ultimate dependence on God as the Sovereign provider of all our needs.  Indeed, all we have or ever will have comes from His hand.

In this context, our responsibility is not to judge or condemn others for their treatment of us, but rather to love them and be generous to them.  When that is true, an overflowing abundance will be poured into our lap (v. 38).  One may ask, “Doesn’t that say we should give to get?”  In a way, the answer is “yes,” but the kind of giving Jesus expects is beyond human ability.  If we give with the motivation of the world, we receive the world’s kind of reward – nothing, but if we give as Christ gave, which is beyond human ability, we receive His reward from His hand, and that reward is in the future in the Kingdom.

One other thought – verse 37 and especially the first phrase of the verse is perhaps the most often misquoted verse from the Bible in the contemporary culture and common conversation – “Judge not that ye be not judged.”  It is misquoted not by its words but by its meaning and purpose.

This statement was made to Jesus’ disciples in the context of the instruction “love your enemies, do good, and lend hoping for nothing in return” (v. 35), and “Give and it shall be given to you; good measure…” (v. 38).  The “judge not” instruction is given in reference to people who hate us and who want a hand-out.  It does not refer to anyone or anything else.

The foundational principles upon which Jesus is building are important.

·         This material world is not important; people are.

·         The disciple of Jesus is a son of the Most High, and he is not a citizen of this culture.  As such he, or rather I should live as a son of God.

·         God is sovereign in all things.  All I have is given by Him, and He has the infinite resources to “over-replace” anything I give away.

Final note: Jesus is emphasizing that as I love and give to others, I am not to judge or condemn them.  Other Scripture, however, instructs me to evaluate and to judge their teaching and lifestyle so that I am not deceived or overcome by their culture.

coram deo

The Standard of Happiness, Luke 6:20-23

Before I begin my notes from this morning, I have something that needs to be added to my comments made yesterday regarding this passage of Scripture. 

Since Jesus addressed these remarks to His disciples at a specific time and place nearly 2000 years ago, what makes them applicable to us today, and what makes this truth “relevant” to contemporary Christian life?

This sermon applies to us on at least two levels.  First, Jesus was addressing His disciples.  These were people whom Jesus had called to follow Him or who had heard His teachings and wanted to learn more.  That applies today to those who are seeking to know more of what Jesus taught and how to live a life in obedience to His Word.  Second, the specific teachings of Jesus are spiritual principles that are timeless and universal.  That is the nature of absolute truth – it is true in every time and in every culture.

The truth of Jesus Christ is always relevant and contemporary regardless of the culture or audience.

The following is transcribed from my daily notes....

These four beatitudes, Luke 6:20-23, though abbreviated from the ones in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, are worthy of special note.  Jesus said that four conditions of a disciples life would make them “blessed” or happy.

1.      You who are poor

2.      You who are hungry now

3.      Your who weep now

4.      You who are persecuted for the Son of Man’s sake

Here is where the contemporary Christian emphasis is pathetically failing!  The church today struggles to avoid, reverse, and overcome each of these conditions.  I do not say we should seek to be poor and hungry, but we must not permit discomfort and sorrow divert us from absolute dedication to Jesus Christ.  Each of these beatitudes is anathema in contemporary church culture in specific ways.

1.      Poor? – Christians are told they can and should prosper materially, and the most popular leaders of the church in America live in great wealth and luxury.

2.      Hungry? – The only time American Christians are hunger seems to be when they are on a self-imposed diet.  Our own hunger is seen as a subject of humor not reality.

3.      Weep? – No!  We, as Christians, are to be happy, healthy, and prosperous!  Our popular preachers go to extremes to make us feel good about ourselves and our situation.

4.      Persecuted? – We have lawyers to make sure we avoid persecution.  More realistically, Christians in America are so invested and assimilated into the culture that the most serious persecution they know is that the “Christmas” tree at their school is now called a “holiday” tree.

The core of these beatitudes is that they all derive their meaning and substance from the specific disciple’s devotion to Jesus Christ, the Son of Man (v. 22b).  If we do not live for His sake without reservation and in complete devotion, none of these promises apply.  Wishing to avoid poverty, hunger, and sorrow, Christians in today’s culture carefully avoid living in true dedication to Jesus Christ.

My Lord, I see here too much of my own case and condition!  Forgive me and put within me a heart to seek to live for Thy sake without reservation or precondition.

coram deo

Can This Be True? Luke 6:20-23

Blessed are the poor, the hungry, the weeping, the hated, the excluded, the rejected, the despised, and the slandered.  Can this be true?  Is this a contextual truth or an absolute truth?  If it is true only in context, what context makes this true?  Can it be true for me?

These questions are part of the postmodern denial of absolute truth.

To examine these questions, the issue of context must be first addressed.  The context of the Scripture itself is the first context that applies.  According to the Scripture, these statements are true only for the disciples of Jesus Christ.  Apart from being a disciple of Jesus Christ, these promises do not apply!

We must, however, make the extension of this Scripture to our present day and condition.  To make that extension, let’s examine the “extra-biblical” context which would assert that these words of Jesus Christ are not universally true even in the context of Scripture, or that though they may have been true when Jesus spoke them, they are not reliable in a contemporary church or world.  This is the issue of contextual truth.

The problem resolves to one of FAITH not philosophy or even theology.  The object of faith is a Person, and that Person is the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.  The question of truth is inextricable from the reality of true faith.

So then, we must define faith.  I believe that many of the words that we use in “church” have lost the specificity of their meaning, and faith is foremost of those words.  Let me first define faith in the broader, universal application.

Faith is a body of tenets about life and living that being held and believed govern one’s attitudes and actions.

From that definition which applies to everyone, let me modify the definition to apply specifically to Christians.

Faith is the body of doctrine contained in the Bible that being held and obeyed governs one’s attitudes and actions.

For the Christian, faith is both a body of doctrine from the Bible and it is obedience to that doctrine that is consistently visible in behavior.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

This declaration is the point at which all Christian faith stands or falls.  If one believes this statement of Jesus absolutely, his behavior will be characterized by deliberate obedience to all that the Bible says.  If one does not believe that this statement is true, nothing else that is Christian can be effective in his life, and he is excluded from the context in which the Beatitudes of Luke 6:20-23 apply.

coram deo