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Pastor David Mitchell
All right, let's get started this afternoon turn with me if you would to the book of Luke and Thank you for witnessing that Luke the bulletin said chapter 7, but we're really not to chapter 7 yet. We're in chapter 6 verse 20 Is where my little mark was?
Probably Marty felt that we should be in chapter 7 by now. We're moving along a little. You know verse by verse however long it takes. So we're gonna we're gonna look at Luke chapter 6. Starting with verse 20 and going through 26.
And then that's where brother Otis will pick up. Next week with verse 27 Lord willing. Let's have a word of prayer and we'll get started. Father we thank you so much for this day so far and the words, you've taught us the beautiful singing and.
And That would you put plate that joy which you place in our hearts. And we thank you for the joy that we have as parents When our children are born again. Thank you for saving Ben. Helping him to see the need for Jesus Christ in his life.
And we ask you to bless this day as a memory that today he put on the uniform of Jesus Christ. Help him remember that that's the team he's on for the rest of his life. And bless our Bible study together in Jesus name.
Amen. Well the Beatitudes begin with this verse and Verses 18 I'm sorry verses 20 down through about 27 I'm sorry 26 will be the passage we cover today but when you start with verse 27, it begins to actually speak of.
What I believe are fruits that a person has when they're truly born again. Now, I know there are commentators who read these passages in Luke and Mark and Matthew and they say that these passages are not for the church that therefore the kingdom age people and That they don't apply to the church at all.
And they say that on the basis of the of what they think the fact is that some of these principles simply do not work today. For example in the business world, it wouldn't be true that the meek would inherit anything.
And so on the basis of that logic, they say that these passages are kingdom literature. That's how the theologians worded that there are for those who will live in the kingdom age to understand. I don't believe that I believe that they're for us right now and those who are in the kingdom age someday, but I don't believe Jesus Would have given these words to the people listening on that hillside the day he gave the speech if it weren't for them.
And I don't believe he would have it here preserved for us if it weren't for us. And I do know I do understand dispensations and I believe in that I believe there are things that are written for certain groups of people that don't apply in the church age for example.
You don't worship on Saturday and anyone who ever tries to convince you that you should is a legalist doesn't understand. The fact that Hebrews teaches that you now have a sabbath every day if you're in Christ.
In fact, you rest a sabbath means a rest. And you rest in Christ all the time because it's his finished work that saved us not the work we do. Therefore we're resting and the Old Testament things that were done were done as types and pictures the Bible teaches Of the spiritual truth that happens To us that we know about to those of us who live in the end days so they're all physical examples of spiritual truths.
The Sabbath on Saturday was a Physical example it was a picture of the ongoing Sabbath that you have in your heart. That's just one example, but to say that the Beatitudes Are not for the church. I believe would be getting into Hyper dispensationalism or taking it too far.
So, let's look and see what it does teach for us today in the church start with verse 20. And lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said blessed. He's going to begin to be attitudes. I believe that The first verses that we see here all the way from 20 down through 23 the end of 23 Are a contrast between the persecution of this world and the joys that will come to the Christian.
It's contrasting the persecution that we sometimes have on our lives here with the joy that we shall have When we're with the Lord and then when you get to verse 24 where it says, but whoa From there on down through the remainder of the verses we're covering today.
I believe that gives us a mini picture of hell. I'll show you what I mean as we get to it. So let's look first at the contrast between the persecution of the in this world and the joys that are to come.
And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said blessed be ye poor for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you that hunger now for you shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now for ye shall laugh.
Blessed are you when men shall hate you and when they shall separate you from their company and shall reproach you and cast out Your name as evil for the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day and leap for joy for behold your reward is great in heaven.
For in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. That first little passage from 20 to 23 gives the contrast between When you're persecuted for Jesus sake and the joy you'll have with him reminds me of Romans chapter 8 verse 18 where it says.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. You can take any Persecution any tribulation that you might go through in this world and you cannot even compare it to the glory that you're going to have With the Lord Jesus Christ.
That is the one message that's given in verses 20 through 23. I Think when you get down to verse 24 though the tune changes. I Believe if you look at verse 24 It's looking at some symptoms of a lost person.
You know, I think being saved has symptoms kind of like. Anything else you think I may be having a cold has symptoms. Somebody tells you they have a cold. But their eyes are not itchy and their nose is not running their voices and scratchy.
You kind of wonder if they really have a cold. Maybe they're just trying to skip class or skip work. But somebody says they have a cold and they have all those symptoms. Even though you don't know if they have one or not you tend to believe it.
There are a lot of people around us that claim to be Christians. I can remember when I was in high school. At first battery church in Mahea they had a huge youth group and all of those young people claimed to be Christians.
I did not claim to be one at that time. But I noticed that they hung out did the very same things on Friday night and Saturday night that all the lost kids did. Even the ones who never went to church and claimed they weren't saved and we're not Christians.
These so-called Christians were doing the same things. So I began to wonder if they had symptoms of salvation, even though I wasn't saved. I wondered if the others who claimed to be saved were really saved and you know with hindsight looking at that experience.
Most of them were not. Most of them thought they were perhaps but they were not born again. So when we go into verse 24, we start to see some problems with people who think they're okay. When they're really not and I believe it even describes a picture of hell in some sense.
Verse 24, but woe unto you that are rich for you have received your consolation. Now I think here we get a great example or a great definition of rich in the bad sense of the word. The Bible does not always condemn being rich.
It certainly doesn't say that money is evil. It says the love of money is evil. There were great Bible characters in the Old Testament and the new including Abraham Job are in the New Testament. John Barnabas and Levi who were very wealthy men who owned businesses had people working for them.
Had a lot of money and they were blessed by God. So it is not evil to be rich it what is evil is when you are rich and you think that that is your consolation. That is a great definition of riches in the bad sense any person who believes that money can buy happiness and joy and even buy the things in your life such as peace and comfort.
They're deceived. Money does deceive the Bible teaches. It calls it the deceitfulness of riches. Says it will choke the word from your life. So here we have a person in verse 24 Woe is the man woe unto you that are rich for you have received your consolation.
The word consolation here is going to surprise you. I think if you looked at it in the Greek. It is the word paraklesis. Paraklesis it comes from the word paraclete. Does anybody know what that word means?
Right a parrot it peaks. No. She thought She doing better than you guys. You hadn't even taken a stab at it. All right. What is the paraclete? Come on, Greek scholars. All right. Let me give you a hint.
Who is the paraclete? That's right. The paraclete is the Greek word that's translated Comforter when the Bible says I will send one like me who will be your paraclete. She's gonna go home and want to buy one and put it in the cage.
He'll be your comforter and it's talking about the Holy Spirit and isn't it sad that in verse 24 This speaks of people who have riches and they count that as their paraclete. Now you think about that in the Greek.
It's more powerful than it is in the English. They count that as their comforter. It takes the place of God because the Holy Spirit is God in His ministry in your life is to bring comfort and peace. Even when you're going through turmoil and tribulation even when you don't have a penny maybe.
The bill collectors are calling you. You can still have peace if you have the true paraclete which is the Holy Spirit, but you may have all the money in the world and Not have peace because you counted that money as your paraclete and that is a great definition of riches in the wrong sin a person quite frankly Shouldn't have money if he can't handle it if that money would cause him to love the money or to Trust and have faith in that money to supply all his needs.
That money is too dangerous for that person. Especially that person is a Christian. It is possible for Christian born-again people to be quite wealthy and not consider their riches to be their paraclete.
Letourneau was a perfect example of such a man. I've read about his life. It's been 20 years since I read it, but I I remember some things about him. And I know by the end of his life He's quite wealthy, but he was living on 10 of his income and giving 90 to the Lord's work.
But don't be a person who has consolation in riches now. Let's go the next verse verse 25 woe unto you that are full. For you shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now for you shall mourn and weep. You see Jesus taught in such a way that the worldly person could not even understand his teaching.
A Worldly person would read verse 24 and think that meant that it's wrong for a Christian to have a great deal of money. That's not what his teaching. Because it's if it's teaching that then verse 25 means it's wrong if you have food to eat and it's wrong if you have joy and laughter in your life and We know that's not what he's teaching.
In fact, one of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. So he's not teaching what it sounds like he's teaching you have to go deeper than the surface when Jesus Christ is teaching. The only way you can understand his message is to go into the spiritual aspect of why riches could be a problem.
Why too much food here could be a problem? Etc. So he says, you know, woe are you if you think you're full for some day? You shall be hungry. Woe unto you that laugh now for you shall mourn and weep. What is he saying if a person is lost and he has a lot of money and he has a lot of friends because he bought him with that money and He has everything he needs.
He's full so to speak. He can begin to think he's okay. He begins to think he's an okay person. He's got all he needs and What Jesus warns this person is you'd better be careful because some day You will hunger for God and he will not be there.
Because he doesn't exist in hell. Does not exist in hell. You say well, how can he be omnipresent? I don't know. I Don't know how he can be both omnipresent and not in hell, but that's the truth and so.
Be careful if you think the riches bring consolation. Be careful. If you think the money that buys all of the lavish food that you have Makes you think you're okay. Woe unto you that are full for you shall hunger.
And then he says woe to you if because you're lost and maybe even you're wealthy, but you're flippant. You're spiritually asleep. You're caught up in the pleasures of this life. He says woe unto you that laugh now.
That's the laughter. He's referring to not the joy of Christianity. But the laughter of the lost as they party. The laughter of the lost as they do everything they can do to bring pleasures in their lives.
So they can forget the void that they have in their heart because they don't have God. Beware because you think you're full. And he says you'll hunger and he says woe to you if you laugh now. For you shall mourn and weep.
That's all there will be in hell. A Lot of people brag that they're going to go to hell. At least my friends will be there. They'll say The Bible teaches if you study it very carefully that hell is a place where there'll be utter darkness.
Let me give you an example of that in Jude 12 it speaks of false prophets. It says these are spots in your feasts of charity. When they feast with you feeding themselves without fear clouds, they are without water.
Carried about of winds trees whose fruit withers without fruit twice dead plucked up by the roots waging waves of the sea foaming out their own shame wandering stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
That's a description of hell even if you had your friends there you couldn't see them because it's total darkness. There is no light. They could be right next to you and you wouldn't even know it. Have you ever been in Carlsbad cabin or somewhere like that where they turn the lights off?
You can feel the darkness and put your hand right here and just I can't believe that you can't see it, but you can't. Hell will be dark like that. So these people will have nothing but mourning and Weeping and it goes on and says woe to you if you're popular look at verse 26.
Warned to you when all men shall speak well of you. For so did their fathers to the false prophets now. Look being popular is not any more wrong or sinful than having money. Having money is not sinful.
Unless it takes the place of the Holy Spirit in your life. Being popular is not sinful unless you get it because you're politically correct. If you have to be politically correct and say the right thing to the person that's in front of you.
So they'll love you. You're wrong. And that type of popularity is spoken against by Jesus. Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you for so did their fathers to the false? Prophets they loved the false prophets and they killed the true prophets.
So I think in those few verses we see a great contrast. Between the persecutions that a true Christian who is walking with Jesus will face the world will not love him. But it says it's not to be compared with the joy.
That you'll have Jesus said leap with joy if they persecute you think about that literally leap with joy on this earth if they persecute you because of the reward you have there and on the contrast he says.
Be aware if you have riches and laughter. Here. You'll have sorrow and so forth there because that's what you're counting on as your God. And that's what I get out of these verses, I think we'll stop there and let brother Otis pick up with.
Starting with verse 27, which will begin to speak of the fruits that a true born-again Christian has let's have prayer together. Father we thank you for this day for bringing us together to gain comfort from you.
That our faith might be strengthened by hearing your word and by our mutual fellowship and faith together. We thank you for each person that was here today. May you cause us all to take the message that was for us with us.
Bless our young people that are visiting and protect them as they drive back to Longview today. Keep them safe on the highway. Protect each of us as we go to our homes today. May we continue to think about what you taught us throughout the day in the week and we ask it in Jesus name.
Amen.