Sermon Tone Analysis
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*Hard Sayings of Jesus, I (Inscription 47)*
*Blessed Are the Poor Who Turn the Other Cheek?*
*Luke 6:20-31*
*/March 27, 2011/*
* *
*Prep: *
·
Intro~/Communication Cards
· Membership
· Reading
Prayer
Scripture Reading: Luke 6:20-31 (Erin Kaplan)
A strange conversation at the Co-op
· I had a *strange* *conversation* at the Co-op this week, that’s nothing unusual, I was at the Co-op.
On Thursday, I went to work on my sermon at the Co-op, and there is this guy who is almost always there in the morning, doing the crosswords.
He typically sits in one seat, but this morning he wasn’t sitting down and but had his stuff in the other seat.
Not wanting to take “his” seat, I asked him which one he was sitting in.
He muttered, “Just sit in the ____ seat, you don’t have to have _____ routine and ______” and other stuff that I didn’t catch.
I was a little taken aback – he doesn’t usually talk to me that way, but I replied, “Ok, thanks,” and remained pleasant.
· I thought about *this* *sermon* I was working on, and felt *pleased* with myself, I’d just been *kind* to someone who *mistreated* me!
But then again, I know that he is a card or two shy of a *full* *deck*, and so I took it as *personally* as if a *dog* had barked at me.
It’s easier to overlook things like that.
Q What if it had been someone who *meant* *more* to me?
Q What if it had been a *genuinely* *personal* and nasty attack?
Would I have respond so well?
The Hard Sayings of Jesus
Today we are starting a *new* 3-week *series* -- the hard sayings of Jesus.
Jesus *amazes* me - God comes down and becomes one of us, but is utterly different than what we would expect.
He *loves* the *sinner* and *snubs* the *religious*.
He doesn’t *demand* *service* but *services*.
He loves and cares for the weak, broken, and vulnerable.
· But when he speaks, he *confuses* me.
Some things I *don’t* *understand*, other things I understand perfectly well, but I just *don’t* *like* them.
This morning, we are in “The *Sermon* on the Plain,” a shorter version of “The Sermon on the Mount.”
It has a clever *structure*, four sets of four, wrapped up by “the really big idea.”
· Four “*Blessed* are you’s,” four “*Woe* to you’s,” four *commands*, then four *illustrations*.
All of it boils down to the *Golden* *Rule*, the one driving idea of what you are supposed to pursue as a child of God.
Kingdom standards
The purpose of this whole passage is to teach how *citizens* of the *Kingdom* of God act.
The Kingdom is a central theme of Jesus ministry.
The idea is that his followers were part of *two* *kingdoms*: The World and God’s
· He isn’t telling you *how* to get into it, but how to live if you are – getting in is only *through* *his* *death*.
In the first two section, *compares* and *contrasts* how *citizens* of those kingdoms *live* and what they *pursue*.
I am going *intersperse* the blessings and woes together on screen to help you see it:
1.
Wealth
NIV *Luke 6:20* Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
24 ¶ “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
On one hand, some guy *lives* in his broken-down *car* spending his last cent on drugs.
On the other, *Rick* *Warren* made a ton of money on his books, but gives 90% of his income away.
Q *Who* is *more* *blessed* according to Jesus?
Q Is Jesus saying that all *poor* are *blessed* and *righteous*, and all the *rich* are *wicked* and going to *Hell*?
Hermeneutic 101
Let’s think about this.
Remember a couple of weeks ago, I said I don’t only want to teach you God’s word, but also teach you to be able to *read* and *understand* the *Bible* *better*?
· Here is a key *hermeneutical* *principle*: Scripture interprets Scripture.
*Jesus* spoke this knowing the full scope of everything the Bible *said* (and would say!).
*Biblical* *authors* wrote taking into account what *had* *been* *said* on the subject.
The *Holy* *Spirit* guided writers knowing the full scope of what would be said.
· It’s like my *sermons*: no one can cover everything, I might overemphasize grace one week, but holiness the next.
So when Jesus says this, he knows that we know that *Abraham* was a righteous man and very wealthy.
He knows than many key *Biblical* *figure* with *godly* and *rich*.
Jesus is using *hyperbole*, stating things in the extreme, like “*Pluck* *out* your *eye*.”
(Matt 9:47).
This is to *shock* them out of their *preconceived* ideas, to make them think differently.
· Jesus was *contradicting* the teaching of the day (an *extreme* “*Good* *Life*” perspective) and had to *push* *really* hard.
God or mammon?
Q So what is his *point*?
You can either *pursue* *wealth* or you can *pursue* *God*, not both.
You can *pursue* God and still *have* *money*, many have.
But you cannot *pursue* *money* and still get *God*.
· God will not be an *add* *on*.
“You cannot serve God and money.”
And if you are spending your *life* *pursuing* money, *woe* to you.
Yes, you might have *comfort* in this *life*, but all that money will be useless when you die.
· If you are not following Jesus, this is the *closest* to *Heaven* you will get.
2.
Comfort
21a Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.
25a ¶ Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.
Life is not about *physical* *comforts*, being well fed and comfortable.
It’s not even about being *hungry*, as if *anorexics* are more holy.
But woe to you if a *full* *stomach* can keep us from evaluate your *spiritual* *hunger*.
3.
Happiness
21b Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
25b Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
Life is not about being *happy*, about *pursuing* *fun*.
We like being happy.
Woe to you if you are so *busy* *laughing* on the outside that you ignore the *emptiness* on the *inside*.
Q Is this starting to sound familiar?
This is Jesus’ take on *Ecclesiastics*.
There is nothing *wrong* with the *God*-*given* *joys* of this life, so long as they are in their proper place and don’t *distract* us from the next life.
4.
Fame
22 Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.
For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
Life is not about being *popular* (nor is it about being *hated*), it’s about *following* *God* no matter the cost.
· In Jesus’ day, following him was sure way to *persecution*, *not* so much *now*.
But we are still in danger of *care* *more* about the opinions of your *friends* and *co*-*workers* than of God.
Woe to you if you *deny* *Jesus* out of fear of being thought a *weirdo* or *prude*.
So our life is not about *money*, *possessions*, *happiness*, or *fame*.
Those things are not bad in and of themselves, but woe to you if you pursue them instead of God.
Pursue love
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