The Gospel According To Luke - Week 4
It’s the Sixth Sunday of Epiphany and also the fourth installment of our sermon series, "The Gospel According To Luke."
Epiphany - a realization, a sudden revelation that changes everything.
Today, we will explore the story from Luke’s Gospel about Jesus’ Sermon On The Plain (and a different take on the Beatitudes)
How Do We Measure Success?
Let’s make a list.
The fact is, our idealized lists are more accurate than the reality.
Succession - A TV show that has a blueprint in the Bible
In the TV show Succession, a media mogul with a multi-billion dollar empire pits his children against one another to determine who will inherit the keys to the kingdom.
It is reminiscent of the story of King David from the Hebrew Scriptures and the rebellions of his own children against him.
David was a lowly shepherd who became king. His children were born into it. He spent most of his life destroying his enemies to hold on to his power. All of the chickens came home to roost.
The thing about the TV show is that it reveals how power and riches can destroy those who attain it, along with everything they touch. It tears apart families, creates a worse world, and ultimately is taken by those who are even more powerful.
Today’s sermon is from a passage of Scripture that is probably one of the most difficult for a preacher to preach from… I don't envy me today.
But I want us to hold on to one very important idea throughout the sermon:
THE PATH TO SUCCESS IS PAVED WITH HUMILITY
Luke 6:17-26
Luke’s Gospel has a Sermon on the Plain—not a Mount.
17 He came down with them and stood on a level place with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
Here’s a comparison between Matthew and Luke (see the difference?)
Luke: "Blessed are the poor."
Matthew: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness."
Luke: "Blessed are you who are hungry now."
24 “But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
25 “Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
What are you putting your faith and trust in, really?
When we hold loosely the material things that we believe will bring success, we discover the kind of “blessedness” that can’t be bought.
A Super Bowl parable about humility and happiness. Declan Lebaron.
What Do We Need To Know
1. The Provision of God is more trustworthy.
2. The Purposes of God are more rewarding.
3. The Prosperity of God isn’t grounded in pride.
THE PATH TO SUCCESS IS PAVED WITH HUMILITY
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