WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.140 Good morning. My name's Tim. I'm one of the members here and it's a great privilege to come 00:00:07.140 --> 00:00:17.019 and to share something with you this morning. You are destined to reign in life. You are called 00:00:17.019 --> 00:00:27.060 by the Lord to be a success, to enjoy wealth, to enjoy health, and to enjoy a life of victory. 00:00:27.059 --> 00:00:37.759 It is not the Lord's desire that you should live a life of defeat, poverty, and failure. When you 00:00:37.759 --> 00:00:45.659 reign in life, you reign over sin. You reign over the powers of darkness. You reign over depression, 00:00:46.359 --> 00:00:56.079 over poverty, over every curse, and over every sickness and disease. Here's another quote. 00:00:56.079 --> 00:01:06.420 Anyone who tells you to deny yourself is from Satan. Or how about this one? Be blessed spirit, soul, 00:01:06.859 --> 00:01:18.299 body, and financially. Or one last one. God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money, 00:01:18.299 --> 00:01:29.679 to fulfill the destiny he has laid out for us. Before some of the elders come and wrestle me from 00:01:29.679 --> 00:01:38.039 the stage, what you've just heard is what countless thousands and millions hear week by week when they 00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:48.340 come to a church. That it is your right as a follower of Jesus to experience bodily health and physical 00:01:48.340 --> 00:01:57.020 wealth right here, right now. But let's see the contrast of this fool's gold with what Jesus is 00:01:57.020 --> 00:02:06.260 about to teach us from Luke chapter 6 verses 17 through 26. You may remember from last week that Jesus has 00:02:06.260 --> 00:02:16.200 chosen from among his followers 12 apostles, an unlikely team, to take forward the message and mission that he has 00:02:16.200 --> 00:02:24.680 started. And now we're about to see that Jesus gives some very unlikely principles to them. So we're going to read 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:32.000 Luke chapter 6 verses 17 to 26. It's 1033 in the Pew Bible, so if you want to follow along. 00:02:34.580 --> 00:02:42.520 He, that is Jesus, went down with them, that is the disciples, and stood on a level place. 00:02:43.420 --> 00:02:51.020 A large crowd of his disciples was there, and a great number of people from all over Judea, 00:02:51.020 --> 00:03:00.060 and from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him, and to be healed of 00:03:00.060 --> 00:03:09.379 their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, and all the people tried to touch him, 00:03:09.700 --> 00:03:18.800 because power was coming from him and healing them all. Looking at his disciples, he said, 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:30.300 Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, 00:03:30.480 --> 00:03:41.500 for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, 00:03:41.500 --> 00:03:50.219 when they exclude you, when they exclude you, and insult you, and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 00:03:51.020 --> 00:03:59.379 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven, for that is how their 00:03:59.379 --> 00:04:08.580 fathers treated the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. 00:04:08.580 --> 00:04:20.620 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 00:04:21.800 --> 00:04:30.500 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets. 00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:36.360 Let's just pray as we come to this tricky passage of God's word together. 00:04:37.319 --> 00:04:42.680 Father, we thank you for the worship that we've been able to sing already this morning. 00:04:43.259 --> 00:04:48.220 And now as we turn to your word, we pray that you would give us open ears. 00:04:48.879 --> 00:04:51.600 That you would give us hearts that are receptive. 00:04:52.500 --> 00:04:58.639 We pray that your spirit would come and bring this sermon of Jesus to life to us. 00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:04.719 We pray that the realities of discipleship would become real. 00:05:05.159 --> 00:05:06.819 That we would count the cost. 00:05:07.419 --> 00:05:10.120 And that we would gladly follow you all the same. 00:05:10.719 --> 00:05:13.479 We pray for this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:16.639 This is an incredible passage. 00:05:17.860 --> 00:05:21.819 Before we set off, we need to note maybe a couple of things going on in the context. 00:05:21.819 --> 00:05:27.800 Firstly, as we've been going through Luke's gospel, this is really Jesus' first block of teaching. 00:05:28.519 --> 00:05:35.300 There is a sermon recorded in Nazareth and a few responses to some of the objections being raised against Jesus. 00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:39.060 But this is the first time we hear Jesus teaching his disciples. 00:05:40.159 --> 00:05:46.219 This isn't some obscure course on going deeper for the fanatical followers. 00:05:46.220 --> 00:05:49.860 Notice this. This is discipleship 101. 00:05:50.360 --> 00:05:53.540 This is entry level in Jesus' teaching. 00:05:54.700 --> 00:05:58.300 On that note, remember that he's teaching his disciples. 00:05:58.500 --> 00:06:00.040 You could almost miss it there. 00:06:00.500 --> 00:06:05.700 But it says that he looked to his disciples as he taught these teachings. 00:06:05.900 --> 00:06:07.620 And that's going to be very important. 00:06:08.020 --> 00:06:11.460 So that we don't misinterpret what Jesus is saying. 00:06:11.460 --> 00:06:14.960 But on the other hand, notice that there is a big crowd around Jesus. 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:17.459 He is exceptionally popular. 00:06:18.979 --> 00:06:25.180 And with that all said, let's try and get into the meat of this sermon of Jesus. 00:06:25.959 --> 00:06:30.560 Blessed are the sacrificial, are the first few verses. 00:06:31.639 --> 00:06:33.399 Blessed are the sacrificial. 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:41.459 Blessed are the poor, hungry, weeping, hated, excluded, insulted, and rejected as evil. 00:06:41.459 --> 00:06:44.299 I wonder how you would define blessed. 00:06:44.739 --> 00:06:49.680 If we took a poll of everybody here and you were all asked to define the word blessed. 00:06:50.859 --> 00:06:54.439 I'm not sure that this would really rank high on the list, would it? 00:06:54.979 --> 00:07:03.279 If we were honest, we'd probably have to admit that our definition of being blessed is being prosperous or being successful. 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:05.759 Let me put it in another way. 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:12.319 I can't think of any time that I have been poor, hungry, weeping, hated, excluded, insulted, rejected as evil. 00:07:12.539 --> 00:07:16.679 That my instant reaction has been, oh look, goody, I'm blessed. 00:07:18.239 --> 00:07:22.639 Maybe I'm just very worldly and you all see the blessings in trials. 00:07:23.799 --> 00:07:25.119 But I don't think so. 00:07:25.779 --> 00:07:27.599 So what's Jesus saying here? 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:32.840 Is he merely trying to harness the power of positive thinking? 00:07:34.100 --> 00:07:39.720 Is he advocating a life of deliberately seeking poverty and abuse? 00:07:40.700 --> 00:07:44.100 Or is something else going on here? 00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:50.240 I think we need to notice one detail that will unlock this whole passage. 00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:54.879 Notice what happens at the end of both the woes and the blessings. 00:07:54.879 --> 00:07:57.680 At the end of the blessings. 00:08:01.420 --> 00:08:05.019 It says, rejoice in that day. 00:08:06.100 --> 00:08:08.279 Leap for joy because great is your word in heaven. 00:08:08.719 --> 00:08:14.360 For that is how their ancestors, that is how their fathers treated the prophets. 00:08:14.920 --> 00:08:16.680 And again at the end of the woes. 00:08:17.060 --> 00:08:22.079 For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. 00:08:22.560 --> 00:08:24.139 The false prophets, sorry. 00:08:24.879 --> 00:08:26.899 The circumstances of the blessed. 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:33.379 Particularly seen in the ostracism and hatred of the surrounding people. 00:08:33.379 --> 00:08:39.700 Is linked to how previous generations have rejected and mistreated God's messengers. 00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:49.340 And in the same way, we are going to be treated as disciples of Jesus Christ. 00:08:49.340 --> 00:08:52.720 This really is the key to unlocking the whole passage. 00:08:53.519 --> 00:08:58.280 Now maybe you're saying the weeping, the hunger and the poverty seems disconnected from this. 00:08:58.980 --> 00:09:08.899 I wonder if that's only because we live in a world where our standing in our community isn't fundamentally necessary for success and prosperity. 00:09:08.899 --> 00:09:13.399 Go back maybe before cars and mass transit. 00:09:13.399 --> 00:09:25.139 Maybe even today go to a rural area and you will quickly find that to be of good repute within your locality affects your business. 00:09:25.139 --> 00:09:27.580 It affects your employability. 00:09:27.580 --> 00:09:38.620 What people say of you could even affect your personal security to an extent that we can't even dream in city modern living. 00:09:38.620 --> 00:09:43.299 But that doesn't leave this passage irrelevant. 00:09:43.299 --> 00:09:53.080 I think we're seeing events happening even in our own country that bring this teaching of Jesus right into today's society. 00:09:53.259 --> 00:09:58.620 Right into our struggle as Christians to live out our faith in front of Jesus. 00:09:58.620 --> 00:10:01.519 So all of these are tied together. 00:10:02.200 --> 00:10:13.639 If people reject us because of our association with Jesus and if we suffer hardship because of this rejection, we are to consider ourselves blessed. 00:10:15.340 --> 00:10:16.600 Please be careful. 00:10:19.100 --> 00:10:23.580 Rejection by people is not positively a good thing. 00:10:24.139 --> 00:10:26.500 People have thought this in years past. 00:10:26.500 --> 00:10:36.980 But if you have a caustic personality, if you are, as my father would say, thrown, awkward, or just downright unpleasant as a person, 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:41.539 don't take this as license for your character flaws. 00:10:42.679 --> 00:10:49.759 Jesus is very specific in saying, isn't he, that this is our association with him that brings the rejection. 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:55.460 And on the other hand, don't make the mistake that lots of people have made in the last hundred years, 00:10:55.980 --> 00:11:03.039 that the poor or the weeping are morally or spiritually superior. 00:11:04.200 --> 00:11:14.019 Someone with a bank balance of five pounds is no more blessed, no more holy than someone with five thousand or five hundred thousand pounds. 00:11:14.019 --> 00:11:23.419 What Jesus is teaching here has actually very little to do with what we have in our bank account or what's sitting on our dinner plates when we go home. 00:11:24.199 --> 00:11:29.539 It has everything to do with what we are willing to risk for him. 00:11:30.579 --> 00:11:36.019 It has everything to do with what we are willing to risk for him. 00:11:36.019 --> 00:11:45.759 At the end of Hebrews 11, when the preacher is wrapping up his list of men who have stood firm in the faith, 00:11:46.199 --> 00:11:47.179 he says this, 00:11:47.419 --> 00:11:54.019 Others who were tortured and refused to be released so that they might gain a better resurrection. 00:11:55.559 --> 00:11:55.840 It says, 00:11:55.840 --> 00:12:16.280 But notice the next words of the preacher. 00:12:17.100 --> 00:12:20.360 The world was not worthy of them. 00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:24.519 The world was not worthy of them. 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:28.659 They wandered in deserts and mountains, in caves and holes in the ground. 00:12:29.240 --> 00:12:32.019 These were all commended for their faith. 00:12:33.180 --> 00:12:35.779 Not their hardships, for their faith. 00:12:36.539 --> 00:12:39.080 Yet none of them received what had been promised. 00:12:39.980 --> 00:12:47.940 The catalogue of incredible examples in Hebrews 11 is not here to show us how good it is to be afflicted and poor. 00:12:47.940 --> 00:12:58.800 However, it is to show us the faithful example of faithful people who held fast to the faith despite incredible opposition. 00:12:59.860 --> 00:13:04.300 And that's where this whole passage turns around and asks the question to us, 00:13:05.100 --> 00:13:07.100 Are we just fair weather Christians? 00:13:08.380 --> 00:13:14.980 Are we willing to put on the altar our reputations? 00:13:14.980 --> 00:13:22.240 Or is our most valued blessing what people think of us? 00:13:24.360 --> 00:13:25.800 Put a different way. 00:13:26.080 --> 00:13:33.279 Are you able to live out your Christian faith staring down the barrel of redundancy or dismissal? 00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:45.659 Or am I so convinced that this good news of Jesus is true that I would hold on to it if it led me to the very edge of society, 00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:55.139 among the homeless and the hopeless, to live with no material blessings and yet consider myself blessed? 00:13:55.139 --> 00:13:58.980 Blessed are the sacrificial. 00:14:00.259 --> 00:14:03.379 But then woe to the self-satisfied. 00:14:05.439 --> 00:14:08.720 The other side of this coin is scary. 00:14:09.899 --> 00:14:15.519 These woes have kindled in me a fear of who I am and where my values truly lie, 00:14:15.620 --> 00:14:18.439 and I wonder if it will do the same for you this morning. 00:14:19.159 --> 00:14:20.899 Notice verse 24 again. 00:14:20.899 --> 00:14:26.759 Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your comfort. 00:14:28.519 --> 00:14:39.259 I wonder, are we so self-satisfied, so comfortable, so at ease that we are willing to risk nothing for the sake of Jesus? 00:14:39.259 --> 00:14:50.699 Is our reputation of such high value that to mention our Christian faith at work or at university is just too risky? 00:14:50.899 --> 00:15:01.799 Is it possible that we blend into the world so well that the people around us just don't see any difference in us, 00:15:02.259 --> 00:15:04.759 and so everyone speaks well of us? 00:15:05.419 --> 00:15:06.579 We're polite. 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:07.639 We're nice. 00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:08.279 We're tolerant. 00:15:08.399 --> 00:15:14.039 All the virtues of 21st century pagan Scotland are alive and well in us. 00:15:14.039 --> 00:15:20.779 We might even share the occasional inspirational tweet, but we misrepresent God. 00:15:22.179 --> 00:15:27.079 We fail to tell a dying world around us that they need Jesus, 00:15:27.620 --> 00:15:31.699 and in the end we embody the spirit of the false prophets. 00:15:31.700 --> 00:15:35.000 And here's the truly terrifying part. 00:15:35.060 --> 00:15:37.460 It is so easy to do. 00:15:38.660 --> 00:15:39.800 This is terrifying. 00:15:40.300 --> 00:15:45.860 And please don't think that I'm standing up here bringing down this on your heads and not on my own. 00:15:46.520 --> 00:15:48.240 I am a weak-willed man, 00:15:48.660 --> 00:15:52.500 and I often wonder if I should open the conversation, 00:15:52.759 --> 00:15:55.900 but far more often than not, I'd bottle it. 00:15:55.899 --> 00:15:59.980 Twice a week I walk up the Royal Mile, 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:04.459 and I walk beside the statue of Hume, 00:16:05.720 --> 00:16:11.579 and on one side of me is this statue raised to an atheist philosopher 00:16:11.579 --> 00:16:15.919 who declares that the law is both blank and under his control. 00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:19.240 If you ever walk past it again, notice the slabs, 00:16:19.419 --> 00:16:21.179 the tablets he holds are blank, 00:16:21.179 --> 00:16:23.239 and one of them lies under his feet. 00:16:24.519 --> 00:16:26.239 But on the other side of him, 00:16:26.659 --> 00:16:28.019 more often than not, 00:16:28.379 --> 00:16:32.359 I walk past people who are misrepresenting Christ, 00:16:33.419 --> 00:16:34.519 so-called Christians, 00:16:35.319 --> 00:16:38.379 who are deceived and who are deceiving others. 00:16:38.979 --> 00:16:40.939 And to my shame, I have never stopped 00:16:40.939 --> 00:16:43.479 and engaged those folks in conversation. 00:16:46.620 --> 00:16:47.699 Underlying it all, 00:16:47.700 --> 00:16:51.820 I wonder if maybe we have lost 00:16:51.820 --> 00:16:54.320 our eternal perspective. 00:16:55.220 --> 00:16:58.600 Notice in verse 21 and in verse 25, 00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:01.180 blessed are you who hunger now 00:17:01.180 --> 00:17:04.319 for you will. 00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:07.120 Blessed are you who weep now 00:17:07.120 --> 00:17:08.340 for you will. 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:10.680 And it's the same down in verse 25, 00:17:11.220 --> 00:17:12.920 woe to you who are well fed now 00:17:12.920 --> 00:17:13.840 for you will. 00:17:13.840 --> 00:17:17.200 There's this contrast between now and then. 00:17:17.700 --> 00:17:19.880 I wonder if we're so willing 00:17:19.880 --> 00:17:22.920 to let people continue in their darkness 00:17:22.920 --> 00:17:27.519 because we fail to live in the light of eternity. 00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:35.080 And is our unwillingness to risk 00:17:35.080 --> 00:17:37.900 our comfortable and reputable positions 00:17:37.900 --> 00:17:41.480 because we fail to grasp that eternity is determined 00:17:41.480 --> 00:17:45.380 by how we live in the here and now. 00:17:45.380 --> 00:17:45.480 Amen. 00:17:45.480 --> 00:17:45.539 Amen. 00:17:47.700 --> 00:17:52.680 This is a fantastic Old Testament illustration. 00:17:53.160 --> 00:17:55.140 Way back in 1 Kings 22, 00:17:55.620 --> 00:17:57.160 Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, 00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:00.680 and Ahab, the king of Israel, 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:01.559 his ally, 00:18:01.960 --> 00:18:03.240 were about to go to war. 00:18:03.580 --> 00:18:05.180 And so they called together 00:18:05.180 --> 00:18:06.319 some prophets 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:08.240 to let them know 00:18:08.240 --> 00:18:09.660 if God would be on their side 00:18:09.660 --> 00:18:10.440 or against them. 00:18:10.940 --> 00:18:11.880 And they called together 00:18:11.880 --> 00:18:14.299 about 400 of these prophets, 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:16.620 these men who speak for God. 00:18:16.619 --> 00:18:18.239 And they told them, 00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:21.979 go for the Lord will give it into the king's hand. 00:18:22.579 --> 00:18:25.119 They said exactly what the kings wanted to hear. 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:26.819 One of these prophets, 00:18:26.939 --> 00:18:28.319 a man called Zedekiah, 00:18:28.619 --> 00:18:30.119 you maybe can't see it in the picture. 00:18:30.239 --> 00:18:32.179 He made probably a helmet 00:18:32.179 --> 00:18:34.639 with iron horns embedded on it. 00:18:34.699 --> 00:18:36.479 Think a Viking helmet style. 00:18:36.480 --> 00:18:40.279 And he declared supposedly from God, 00:18:40.599 --> 00:18:42.660 with these you will gore the Arameans 00:18:42.660 --> 00:18:44.120 until they are destroyed. 00:18:45.240 --> 00:18:47.220 That sounds like a fun preacher to listen to, 00:18:47.299 --> 00:18:47.740 doesn't it? 00:18:48.059 --> 00:18:49.620 Object lessons and everything. 00:18:51.380 --> 00:18:52.279 Micaiah, though, 00:18:52.620 --> 00:18:55.140 another prophet at the time was summoned. 00:18:56.099 --> 00:18:58.160 He was warned that he should agree 00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:00.259 with what all these other prophets were saying. 00:19:00.259 --> 00:19:02.299 And initially he even did. 00:19:03.579 --> 00:19:05.579 But then Micaiah tells the truth 00:19:05.579 --> 00:19:07.079 of what he knows from God. 00:19:07.799 --> 00:19:10.980 He exposes the falsehood of the other prophets 00:19:10.980 --> 00:19:13.460 as a delusion sent from a spirit, 00:19:13.599 --> 00:19:14.359 sent by God, 00:19:14.519 --> 00:19:15.819 all with the intention 00:19:15.819 --> 00:19:17.900 that Ahab, one of these kings, 00:19:17.980 --> 00:19:19.799 would be killed in the battle. 00:19:22.119 --> 00:19:23.720 Zedekiah is outraged. 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:26.440 He slaps Micaiah in the face. 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:28.019 He calls him a liar 00:19:28.019 --> 00:19:31.240 and Ahab the king orders his imprisonment. 00:19:32.259 --> 00:19:33.240 Needless to say, 00:19:33.360 --> 00:19:35.039 in the next couple of verses, 00:19:35.220 --> 00:19:37.299 you find that King Ahab dies 00:19:37.299 --> 00:19:39.120 in the battle that follows. 00:19:40.840 --> 00:19:42.640 Isn't this just a perfect illustration 00:19:42.640 --> 00:19:44.299 of what Jesus is saying to us? 00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:46.220 To the onlooker, 00:19:46.539 --> 00:19:49.240 this flamboyant prophet Zedekiah 00:19:49.240 --> 00:19:50.600 is the blessed. 00:19:52.400 --> 00:19:52.960 Meanwhile, 00:19:53.320 --> 00:19:55.200 woe comes to the persecuted 00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:57.680 and slightly conflicted Micaiah. 00:19:58.279 --> 00:19:58.980 And yet, 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:00.720 the resolution of the battle 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:04.340 proved Micaiah to speak God's word truly 00:20:04.340 --> 00:20:06.000 and showed Zedekiah 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:08.100 and the hundreds of others with him 00:20:08.100 --> 00:20:11.000 to be false in what they knew of God. 00:20:12.380 --> 00:20:14.480 And when it comes to us, 00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:17.580 do we only say what is acceptable 00:20:17.580 --> 00:20:18.779 and pleasant? 00:20:19.620 --> 00:20:21.720 Or are we willing to speak out 00:20:21.720 --> 00:20:23.840 against the other voices 00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:24.759 that our neighbors 00:20:24.759 --> 00:20:26.000 and our family 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:26.759 and our friends 00:20:26.759 --> 00:20:27.959 are used hearing? 00:20:29.659 --> 00:20:30.359 D.L. Moody 00:20:30.359 --> 00:20:32.699 would be a well-known name 00:20:32.699 --> 00:20:33.839 in the 19th century. 00:20:33.939 --> 00:20:35.500 He was one of the best-known preachers 00:20:35.500 --> 00:20:36.319 around. 00:20:36.839 --> 00:20:37.939 And he said this, 00:20:38.179 --> 00:20:39.919 out of 100 men, 00:20:39.919 --> 00:20:41.480 one will read the Bible. 00:20:42.419 --> 00:20:43.819 The other 99 00:20:43.819 --> 00:20:45.759 will read the Christian. 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:49.960 One out of 100 men, 00:20:50.180 --> 00:20:51.440 one will read the Bible. 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:53.680 The other 99 00:20:53.680 --> 00:20:55.599 will read the Christian. 00:20:56.660 --> 00:20:57.879 And when we think of those 00:20:57.879 --> 00:20:59.000 who we work beside, 00:20:59.879 --> 00:21:01.359 those that we study with, 00:21:01.640 --> 00:21:03.319 the many that we bump into 00:21:03.319 --> 00:21:04.700 day by day, 00:21:04.779 --> 00:21:06.559 who else do they have to read? 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:12.460 Who else do they have to read? 00:21:13.179 --> 00:21:14.659 So often we go through life 00:21:14.659 --> 00:21:16.059 assuming that someone else 00:21:16.059 --> 00:21:17.279 will tell them about Jesus. 00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:19.059 But we're disciples, 00:21:19.240 --> 00:21:19.599 aren't we? 00:21:20.599 --> 00:21:21.899 Aren't we Christians? 00:21:22.980 --> 00:21:24.039 Aren't we the ones 00:21:24.039 --> 00:21:25.119 that God has put 00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:26.700 in their class, 00:21:27.319 --> 00:21:28.440 in their workplace, 00:21:28.899 --> 00:21:30.099 in their toddler group, 00:21:30.179 --> 00:21:31.240 in their social club, 00:21:31.379 --> 00:21:32.639 or on their street? 00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:36.640 But the teaching of Jesus 00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:37.740 isn't a guilt trip. 00:21:38.720 --> 00:21:39.620 Let's lift our eyes 00:21:39.620 --> 00:21:41.200 from our failures 00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:45.660 to see God's perfect example. 00:21:46.900 --> 00:21:48.620 We read in Philippians 00:21:48.620 --> 00:21:50.600 about Jesus 00:21:50.600 --> 00:21:53.640 who dwelt in unthinkable 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:56.100 and unimaginable perfection 00:21:56.100 --> 00:21:58.200 and left it all 00:21:58.200 --> 00:21:59.740 and came to this world. 00:21:59.740 --> 00:22:03.200 He held the glories of heaven 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:05.220 with an open hand 00:22:05.220 --> 00:22:06.819 and He came 00:22:06.819 --> 00:22:08.779 and He lived among us. 00:22:09.660 --> 00:22:11.339 We find Him here on earth 00:22:11.339 --> 00:22:13.099 living in poverty, 00:22:13.700 --> 00:22:14.920 being hungry, 00:22:15.279 --> 00:22:16.660 weeping profusely, 00:22:17.120 --> 00:22:18.579 and knowing the full malice 00:22:18.579 --> 00:22:21.059 and rejection of mankind. 00:22:22.319 --> 00:22:23.279 Drink this one in. 00:22:24.220 --> 00:22:26.420 The one who was rich 00:22:26.420 --> 00:22:28.440 beyond all splendor, 00:22:28.519 --> 00:22:29.620 as the old hymn says, 00:22:29.740 --> 00:22:32.420 was really physically poor. 00:22:34.420 --> 00:22:36.039 The one who owns 00:22:36.039 --> 00:22:38.960 every particle in the universe, 00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:40.400 never mind the cattle 00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:41.720 on the thousand hills, 00:22:42.599 --> 00:22:45.140 was actually physically hungry. 00:22:46.740 --> 00:22:48.880 The one who was the source 00:22:48.880 --> 00:22:50.859 of all true joy 00:22:50.859 --> 00:22:53.120 really wept. 00:22:53.119 --> 00:22:58.079 He to whom all men 00:22:58.079 --> 00:22:59.259 will worship 00:22:59.259 --> 00:23:01.719 knew the spite of men 00:23:01.719 --> 00:23:03.819 who spoke evil of Him, 00:23:04.279 --> 00:23:05.419 who mocked Him, 00:23:06.099 --> 00:23:08.219 and who eventually crucified Him. 00:23:09.500 --> 00:23:11.439 But what's His position now? 00:23:12.579 --> 00:23:13.439 Where is He now? 00:23:13.659 --> 00:23:15.819 He's exalted in the highest. 00:23:15.819 --> 00:23:19.159 He has the name above every name, 00:23:19.500 --> 00:23:21.279 and everyone and everything 00:23:21.279 --> 00:23:22.740 will bow to Jesus 00:23:22.740 --> 00:23:25.319 and confess Him as the King. 00:23:25.319 --> 00:23:30.000 So will we settle for our measly thousands 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:31.059 of pounds now, 00:23:31.059 --> 00:23:33.759 or will we be wise enough 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:36.579 to invest for an eternal dividend? 00:23:37.579 --> 00:23:40.220 Do we count the cost now 00:23:40.220 --> 00:23:42.220 in view of the reward then, 00:23:42.419 --> 00:23:44.879 or do we look to be rewarded now 00:23:44.879 --> 00:23:47.259 and pay the price for all eternity? 00:23:47.259 --> 00:23:51.180 Will we risk our all for Him 00:23:51.180 --> 00:23:52.059 here and now 00:23:52.059 --> 00:23:54.980 in the sure and certain hope 00:23:54.980 --> 00:23:58.599 that in Jesus we are blessed 00:23:58.599 --> 00:24:02.839 and have no need to fear want 00:24:02.839 --> 00:24:05.980 or hardship in the light of eternity? 00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:09.720 Or will we see 00:24:09.720 --> 00:24:12.400 that our current satisfaction and comfort 00:24:12.400 --> 00:24:14.240 as too important, 00:24:15.079 --> 00:24:16.240 too worthwhile, 00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:18.359 too valuable, 00:24:19.099 --> 00:24:21.940 and prove that we actually 00:24:21.940 --> 00:24:23.380 follow a false gospel, 00:24:23.900 --> 00:24:25.859 just like those that we heard from 00:24:25.859 --> 00:24:27.079 at the start? 00:24:29.240 --> 00:24:30.720 Let's take a moment, 00:24:31.240 --> 00:24:33.339 just before we close our service, 00:24:33.599 --> 00:24:35.339 to reflect on the challenge 00:24:35.339 --> 00:24:37.160 which Jesus brings to us 00:24:37.160 --> 00:24:38.039 in this passage. 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:41.200 Maybe you're recognizing in yourself 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:43.599 something that needs to be worked out, 00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:47.619 and we'll spend just a minute in quiet 00:24:47.619 --> 00:24:49.219 before we sing, 00:24:49.959 --> 00:24:51.559 and then our service will be over. 00:24:52.139 --> 00:24:53.679 Let's reflect. 00:24:56.939 --> 00:24:58.259 Father, we thank You 00:24:58.259 --> 00:25:01.019 that You were not willing 00:25:01.019 --> 00:25:02.939 to leave us as we were. 00:25:02.940 --> 00:25:05.200 we thank You 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:07.640 that You have warned us 00:25:07.640 --> 00:25:09.500 of the 00:25:09.500 --> 00:25:13.140 deceptiveness of riches, 00:25:13.559 --> 00:25:15.559 that You have warned us 00:25:15.559 --> 00:25:18.340 of the false poverty 00:25:18.340 --> 00:25:20.220 of material wealth, 00:25:20.220 --> 00:25:23.339 and You have shown us 00:25:23.339 --> 00:25:25.339 the true richness 00:25:25.339 --> 00:25:27.180 that belongs in You 00:25:27.180 --> 00:25:29.019 and in You alone. 00:25:29.019 --> 00:25:31.700 and we thank You 00:25:31.700 --> 00:25:35.240 that we can be 00:25:35.240 --> 00:25:37.579 oppressed here on this earth, 00:25:37.639 --> 00:25:39.000 and yet we can know 00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:40.579 with full confidence 00:25:40.579 --> 00:25:43.039 that we are accepted 00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:44.240 in Your presence, 00:25:45.099 --> 00:25:46.440 and that we are rich, 00:25:47.299 --> 00:25:49.000 not because of what we have here, 00:25:49.099 --> 00:25:50.980 but because of eternity. 00:25:50.980 --> 00:25:53.819 Father, would You 00:25:53.819 --> 00:25:56.079 continue to speak to us? 00:25:57.019 --> 00:25:57.960 Would You continue 00:25:57.960 --> 00:25:59.160 to challenge us? 00:25:59.819 --> 00:26:00.819 Would You continue 00:26:00.819 --> 00:26:02.279 to encourage us 00:26:02.279 --> 00:26:04.059 to lift our eyes 00:26:04.059 --> 00:26:04.720 to Jesus? 00:26:08.319 --> 00:26:09.799 And would we see 00:26:09.799 --> 00:26:11.759 the eternal value 00:26:11.759 --> 00:26:14.120 of all that You desire 00:26:14.120 --> 00:26:14.900 for us? 00:26:16.779 --> 00:26:18.480 Father, bless us, we pray. 00:26:19.140 --> 00:26:20.279 In Jesus' name. 00:26:20.980 --> 00:26:21.559 Amen.