A Stark Contrast: 2016 Gospel of Luke #20
This is an exposition of Luke 6:27-36. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, July 3, 2016.
Intro:
You find yourself in 1st century Palestine. It is a beautiful sunlit day. The birds are singing, there’s not a cloud in the sky, a gentle breeze is blowing and all is right with the world. You are walking through the country when you notice a group of people gathered on a plain. As you move for a closer look you realize you’ve stumbled upon a traveling preacher. The crowd seems to be hanging on every word he speaks. You decide to settle in and see what this guy is all about.
At first you are startled. “This guy is crazy.” You cannot believe what you’re hearing. “This can’t be right.” You want to leave; you want to write it off as the ravings of a lunatic; but there is something about him, even though everything he says violates everything you’ve ever believed. You have the uneasy feeling that he’s right!
By the time the preacher has finished you have become convinced that he is right. His message is still startling. It demands that you rethink all you’ve believed. It would require a radical change but you can’t shake that feeling. There was a definite authority behind his words. He spoke as one who had authority in himself.
Such was the reaction of the crowd gathered that day 2000 years ago as the Lord Jesus spoke to his followers about what it means to follow him. Our text this morning in found in the sixth chapter of Luke’s gospel.
Text: Luke 6:27-36
Our Lord has just called the 12. Out of the many disciples who were following him, he set apart 12 to be apostles. These ambassadors, these sent out one would carry his message and perform miracles in his name. Having called the 12 he then instructed his disciples in what it meant to follow him. Last time we learned that a life of genuine discipleship demands nothing less than the radical recording of life and loyalties. It is a life grounded in the call of God and utterly dependent upon divine enabling. It is a life that is to be rooted in and reflective of the ministry of Jesus; and a life at odds with the world’s agenda and contrary to the natural instincts of the disciple. This text continues along the same line.
From this text we discover that…
Thesis: A life of genuine discipleship stands in stark contrast to the unbelieving world.
To be a Christian, a follower of Christ is to be called out from the world. “Come out and be separate” is the call of God. Our lives are to be different from those of unbelievers. We are a peculiar people. A people set apart, consecrated to the Lord. A people in the world but not “of” the world. As the people of God we see the world differently. We react to the world in a different way. We march to the beat of a different drummer. His agenda has become our agenda. His will is our command. His will is contrary to this world.
Again, Jesus said if you are going to follow me – “Put your hands on the plow and do not look back.”
If you are my disciple – “Take up your cross daily and follow me.”
As our Lord made clear in Luke 6:20-26 the disciple’s life is one that embraces poverty, hunger, sorrow and rejection. Yet it leads ultimately to a life of great wealth, overwhelming satisfaction, laughter and reward. Now, that seems contradictory but you ain’t seen nothing yet! Just as his hearers regain their balance and are striving to make sense of what he said, our Lord lands another blow even more startling.
I want to note three (3) things in our text.
- A life of genuine discipleship demands a profound love born of grace. (6:27)
- This profound love expresses itself in undeniable ways. (6:27-30)
- Such a love radically alters your entire approach to life and faith. (6:31-36)
Conclusion:
This is the love we’ve been called to demonstrate.
You want to be my disciple?
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you…you will be called sons of the Most High, for his is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.