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Reading Luke 6:22 and 26 where Jesus finishes His beatitudes by saying those who are hated for the name of Christ should consider themselves blessed, for their reward in heaven is great. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!
Jesus said blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name is evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in.
That day and leap for joy when we understand the text. Merry Christmas from.
Your friends at when we understand the text. An online Bible ministry promoting sound doctrine while exposing the faulty. For questions and comments email when we understand the text at gmail .com. Now here's your host Pastor Gabe thank you.
Becky. And yes. Merry Christmas everyone. This particular episode airs on Christmas Day. But we're going to continue right on with what we have been reading in Luke chapter 6. Jesus preaching the Sermon on the Plain.
Today we finish up the Beatitudes in Luke 6 verses 20 to 26. I'll begin by reading that section again. Hear the word of the Lord. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said blessed are you who are poor.
For yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name is evil on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice in that day and leap for joy. For behold your reward is great in heaven. For so their fathers did to the prophets. But woe to you who are rich for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now for you shall be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all people speak well of you. For so their fathers did to the false prophets. And it's that fourth beatitude and the contrasting woe that we're looking at today.
Verse 22. Blessed are you when people hate you. When they exclude you revile you spurn your name is evil on account of the Son of Man. And what does Jesus say about that. You should rejoice in that day.
You should even leap for joy. Your reward in heaven is great. For so their fathers did to the prophets. The people who hate you they're just doing what their fathers did before them there of that same group of people that hated when God sent prophets to them telling them to repent and to turn to the Lord.
Those people that hated the prophets those are the people that hate you. Same group of people Jesus says. And then you have the contrasting woe that goes with that woe to you when all people speak well of you.
For so their fathers did to the false prophets. Mmm. They hated the true prophets of God. But boy they sure liked those false prophets who told them exactly what their ears wanted to hear. Let's come back to verse 22.
Here we'll look at the beatitude first. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name is evil. Now this is this is not just they hate you for no reason people dislike you.
Well then you're blessed. It's specifically on account of the Son of Man. Now this is the first of these four beatitudes that is tied it exactly to something like that of it being on account of the Son of Man previously.
It's blessed are you who are poor. There's no caveat to that no qualifier. It's just blessed are you who are poor. Blessed are you who are hungry now. Blessed are you who weep now. But this one actually ties it to the qualifier.
People hate you. But why do they hate you. Because you love Jesus. And that really brings all the or it brings the three previous beatitudes into focus. Blessed are you who are poor but you long for Christ.
You know that you are destitute and you need something and it's Jesus that satisfies your need. Blessed are you who are hungry. And that reminds you of your longing your desire your hunger for Christ.
Blessed are you who weep now knowing that this world is never going to satisfy you. But you can find all good things in Christ. And if you have come to know that then people are gonna hate you. People who are still of this world especially of that category of people that Jesus issues woes to.
They're gonna hate you because you love Jesus. Because you're not like them. And because you love God because you desire holiness. That's just gonna make them hate you all the more. It's because you expose their own rottenness.
We can't have that. Remember Cain hated his brother Abel because Abel loved righteousness and Cain thought well the best way I can get over this is just to take Abel out. And then I don't feel so guilty about my unrighteousness.
Of course that did not solve the problem that only brought worse matters onto Cain than he was facing before. So people are going to hate us because we desire Christ and we desire his holiness. People will hate you.
They will exclude you. You're not even part of them. The Christians those who desire righteousness are instead going to be the ones that will be on the fringes. They're gonna be the outcasts. They're going to be the marginalized.
Do you often hear this in our culture today especially in a like a Christian esque culture. I don't want to call it a Christian nation necessarily because the majority of the United States is actually not following Christ.
But there are there's Christian ease that is very common to our culture. It's in fact unpopular to say that you don't like Jesus at all. That would be an unpopular thing to say as much as our nation as the United States of America is drifted into godlessness.
Yet it's still not a popular thing to say oh I hate Jesus or or I don't care for him and I wouldn't follow him at all. It's still a popular thing to say that I am a follower of Jesus. But generally when a person says that they're following their own version of Jesus not the Jesus of the Bible you know I think of Oprah for example she loves to say that that she loves Jesus and that she follows his teachings.
But she doesn't do anything of the sort. She's the one who has said that there are millions of ways to God instead of knowing that Jesus is the only way to God. John 14 6. I am the way the truth and the life Jesus said.
No one comes to the father. But by me she hates passages like that. So the version of Jesus that she has in mind is very much like an ancient philosopher. Nothing like the sinless son of God at all. She hates that aspect of Jesus because then that Jesus exposes her unholiness.
She has to give up her her wealth which she has accumulated on lies. She has to admit her own faults and her own wickedness and turn from that to follow Jesus Christ. She doesn't want to do that. One of the most powerful women in the world.
And so in order to stay popular and relevant and still love this Jesus guy that most Americans like then she's gonna say that she's a follower of Jesus even though she's really not. Again it's just her own version of it.
Joel Osteen. Same sort of thing. The kind of version that he or sorry the kind of Jesus that he preaches about is not the Christ of the Bible. It's a Christ that is all love and no wrath. Someone like Jordan Peterson he's gonna say that he's a follower of Jesus.
He's got an entire series where he's teaching on the Gospels on daily wire plus I haven't ever watched it. I don't subscribe to daily wire plus but but the kind of Jesus that Jordan Peterson likes is very much a philosopher not the Son of God for whom you must turn from your sin and follow him.
And then somebody like let me give you another example. Richard Rohr. The guy who is again isn't he a panentheist. So he thinks that everything is God or everything is in God or something to that effect.
So again he's got is this very pagan version of God in his mind which he attributes to being Jesus. But it's not actually the Christ of the Bible whom he follows whom he worships. You worship the true Christ of the Bible.
You know him. You love him and you follow him. Well the world is gonna hate you for that. They hate you because they hated him first as Jesus said to his own disciples. Don't be surprised when the world hates you they hated me first.
And John even says in first John that the world is gonna hate you because you're not of them. If they if you were of them then they would love you. But the world will hate you. They will revile you. They will spurn your name is evil on account of the Son of Man.
They will even call you evil because you are a follower of Jesus. I get it all the time all the time online whether it's social media whether it's on X or Instagram or YouTube. I mean the comment sections on YouTube.
Whenever I do a video there will be comments in there about how evil I am because I chose to believe something the Bible said just this past week. Some sometime earlier this week I got called a legalist just for quoting a verse in the Bible.
I didn't even qualify it with anything else. I just quoted the verse and someone called me a legalist. For that happens all the time. There are people who will say things like that because they hate the truth.
They hate holiness. They love their sin more. Can't I just have my sin. And anybody else that's gonna try to do anything or say something that would disrupt my sin or make me feel guilty because of my sin.
Well that person is evil. And you've heard it said to that that because we would call out sin like the LGBTQ movement or we would call murdering unborn children in the womb. Exactly that we'll get called judgmental.
We'll say that we're not Christlike because we are stating the truth and pointing out the obvious and calling out sin and telling people turn from your sin to the Lord Jesus Christ. And you'll be forgiven.
What a beautiful wonderful message that is Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He rose again from the dead. Turn to Jesus and you're forgiven. You will live forever with God. There couldn't be a message more loving than that.
And yet the world will say that we're being hateful for judging people because of their sin. Because we pointed out the sin and we said exactly what the Bible says about it and even what the consequences of that sin is.
You'll go to hell if you continue in this unrepentant path. And the world would actually call us evil for such a message. Blessed are you though. Blessed are you when people hate you and they exclude you and they revile you and spurn your name is evil on the on account of the son of man Jesus saying here in the sermon on the plane rejoice in that day.
Rejoice when people treat you this way. I think of Acts chapter 5 when after the disciples had been preaching the gospel in Jerusalem they had been arrested. They had been set free. The Pharisees just could not stop these apostles from preaching the good news from preaching that Jesus is the Christ.
And so they bring the disciples again in front of the council and they say we strictly charged you not to teach in this name. Yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
Remember because they put Jesus to death just a matter of months ago weeks ago. Or yeah whatever. The timeline would be here in Acts chapter 5. But Peter and the Apostles answered we must obey God rather than men.
The God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. They're just pointing out the Pharisees sin. Peter goes on God exalted him at his right hand as leader and Savior to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
And we are witnesses to these things. And so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him. Well that council got together and they kind of discussed again what we do with these guys. We can't shut them up.
And so what they did instead they didn't want to do anything to them because it just might rouse the crowd against the Pharisees. So what they did was they beat them. They didn't kill them but they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus.
And then they let them go. And Acts 5 41 says then they left the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name they did. Exactly here in Acts 5 what Jesus says you should do here in Luke chapter 6 when they spurn your name is evil on the count of the Son of Man rejoicing that day and leap for joy.
For behold your reward is great in heaven. For so their fathers did to the prophets. You know when you go to the the books of first and second Kings the thing that will delineate a righteous King is to say of that righteous King that he walked in all the ways of his father David.
That will be the marker of a righteous King. It doesn't matter how many hundreds of years that King came along after David it'll be said of him that he walked in the ways of his father David. But if a king was unrighteous it would say he walked in the ways of his father Jeroboam who was an unrighteous king.
And so again it connects the unrighteous together through a common. There was a king that preceded all of the unrighteous kings who was the first to do unrighteousness and even exalted an idol himself.
And so whenever those kings did wickedly and worshiped false gods or encouraged Israel to worship false gods it would be said of them that they walked in all of the ways of their father Jeroboam. But when it was when it was a righteous king connecting that king with the way of righteousness it would be said of him he walked in all the ways of his father David.
And so Jesus is using that same kind of thing here that same kind of qualifier here when he says their fathers did to the prophets all these men who do so unrighteously to you who do wickedly to you because you love Jesus they're the same as those men their fathers before them who hated the prophets.
And then we have this woe that contrasts with the Beatitude verse 26. Woe to you when all people speak well of you. Woe to you when people love you because you tell them what they want to hear. You permit them to do what they want to do.
You sound and act just like they want you to act. Woe to you when people think well of you in that way. For so their fathers did to the false prophets. Yeah they loved the false prophets. Why. Because the false prophets told them exactly what it was they wanted to hear.
When all people speak well of you you know even people who are popular even people who are spoken well of they're going to have critics there. They will have detractors of course. And they will try to highlight that and try to say see this group of people that hate me they hate me because I want to do the right thing.
And they'll try to put themselves in the category of those whose name is spurned as evil on the count of the Son of Man. They'll try to put themselves in that category. But you look at the big picture and you see they're not really hated by all that many people.
They're loved by most people because they're scratching itching ears. Exactly what said in 2nd Timothy chapter 4. By the way if it if it must be asked what is the leading cause of false teaching in the church today.
The answer to that question is right there in 2nd Timothy. For a day is coming in which people will not endure sound teaching. But having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.
That's the leading cause of false teaching in the church. Why a church would go wayward and would leave the gospel for something else. Because they desire something in their flesh. And they look for those teachers that will give them that desire.
Those teachers become very popular. But the ones who are close to Christ who desire Christ his gospel and the teaching that accords with godliness they're going to be hated by worldly people. So woe to you when all people speak well of you.
For so their fathers did to the false prophets. Rejoice when people hate you on account of the Son of Man. For so their fathers did to the true prophets. Jeremiah 5 verses 30 and 31. An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land.
The prophets prophesy falsely and the priests rule at their discretion. My people love to have it so. But what will you do when the end comes. When the people of God were furthest from God. It was when they loved the false prophets.
Similar warnings come up in Ezekiel first Kings 22. That's a great story that kind of. That's a great example of people hating the true prophet Micaiah and loving the 400 false prophets who are all telling Ahab exactly what it was he wanted to hear.
Anyway I won't go through that whole story. I've done it many times. You can read that one for yourself first Kings 22. Let me finish with this though because I think this is this is rightly applicable for us in first Peter chapter 4.
Let me begin reading here in verse 12. Beloved do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in that name.
For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. And if it begins with us what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God. Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good.
So Peter says the same thing there in first Peter chapter 4 verse 14. Again if you are insulted for the name of Christ you are blessed. We have a statement like that comes up several places in first Peter as a matter of fact in chapter 3 verse 13.
Who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good. But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake you will be blessed. Have no fear of them nor be troubled but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord is holy always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
Yet do it with gentleness and respect. Having a good conscience so that when you were slandered those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. And then in chapter 2 verse 21 to this you have been called because Christ also suffered for you leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps.
He committed no sin neither was deceit found in his mouth when he was reviled. He did not revile in return when he suffered. He did not threaten but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness by his wounds. You have been healed for you were straying like sheep but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.
And so may it be said of us as well that we are able to suffer well and do so for the name of Christ and rejoicing in him when we suffer on account of his name just as Jesus did not revile in return when he was reviled but he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
So we do the same. They're gonna hate us they're gonna mistreat us. They will persecute us. Let us entrust ourselves to God who judges all and rejoice in that day for our reward in heaven is very great if you are in Christ Jesus Heavenly Father we thank you for what we've read here.
We thank you for this day in particular a day on which we remember the gift of your son that was given to us in this world. Our most desperate need was for Christ and you considered our most desperate need and gave Jesus to us that baby born in Bethlehem 2 ,000 years ago who lived a righteous life for us who died on the cross for us who rose again for us so that all who believe in him our sins are forgiven.
We are given his righteousness and even have a place prepared for us in heaven above in glory. Help us to fix our eyes on those things so that whatever may happen to us in this world will not discourage us will not cause us to shrink back or lose hope.
In fact it makes us cling all the more to Christ who delivers us into his eternal kingdom. Come quickly Lord Jesus. We pray in his name. Amen.
This has been when we understand the text with Pastor Gabriel Hughes. Find all our resources online at www .wutt .com. On behalf of our church family my name is Becky. Thanking you for listening.