2-17-19 Grace-Tucson Sermon

Pastor Timothy Patoka 6 Sunday After The Epiphany: February 17, 2019 Embrace The Christian Life Luke 6:17-26 th

1) Prepare For What Will Likely Happen 2) Receive Unexpected Blessings 2) Listen To The Warnings Of Woe How many times have you signed up to do something only to do something else instead?

That what you expected to do was not what you ended up doing? Sometimes it happens when we fall victim to false advertising or bait-and-switch tactics. Other times it happens because the thing we signed up for changed on its own. But perhaps this most often happens when we don’t realize all that it is involved to do the task we’ve signed up for. I can think of many times before I came to serve as one of your pastors when I’ve signed up for more than I expected.

Whether it’s in the area of school and academics, or work and family, or even in the arranging of your social schedule, we often take on more than what we first expected. And the same can be said about what the Christian life actually is. This morning we’re looking at chapter 6 of Luke’s Gospel where Jesus shares with us what the Christian life is so that we may knowingly embrace it: 1) by preparing for common yet unexpected hardships, 2) by receiving unexpected blessings despite those same hardships, and 3) by listening to Jesus’ warnings of woe so that we may always embrace this Christian life.

1) Prepare For What Will Likely Happen These past few weeks at Grace we’ve been highlighting the early months of Jesus’ public ministry where he showed all people that he is the Promised Savior. And as we’ve looked at those historic accounts, things have been on getting better and better for Jesus and his disciples.

It would be natural for Jesus’ followers to assume that to follow Christ means that life will only continue to get better. Our opening verses show us this with people from all over are coming to Christ and being healed of whatever that ails them. Yet as we can attest from experience, and as Jesus will clarify in a moment, the Christian life is not only roses and rainbows. We do not and should not expect a life that is full of miracle healings and worldly wealth.

It’s for that important disclaimer why Jesus lifted his eyes to his disciples and explained to them how they should prepare for likely hardships and unexpected blessings to come. He says, “Blessed are you who are poor, because yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, because you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, because you will laugh. Blessed are you whenever people hate you, and whenever they exclude and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy because of this: Your reward is great in heaven!” (Luke 6:20b-23a) You wouldn’t normally call people in these hard circumstances blessed. Poor people who have trouble making ends meet let 1

Pastor Timothy Patoka 6 Sunday After The Epiphany: February 17, 2019 alone enjoying the occasional luxury. Hungry people who don’t expect to met one of life’s bare necessities. Weeping people who will have tragedy and regrets in their lives. Persecuted people who are mistreated, overlooked, or discriminated simply because they let their Christian light shine. While it is not mandatory that every Christian needs to be poor or hungry or weeping or persecuted, such hardships commonly happen to Christians at one time or another. th

Such unexpected hardships in a Christian’s life can lead us to wonder if we are in over our heads to follow Christ. We see in later biblical accounts (i.e. John 6:66) where large numbers of Jesus’ followers left him once they understood that there’s more to being a child of God than seeing and receiving miracles. How many of us likewise have misconceptions about what it means to be a child of God? Do we sometimes hold God to an assumed contract, that as long as we follow him, give our offerings, and study his Word he will prevent us from suffering hardships like poverty or hunger or weeping or persecution? Have we not felt discouraged that when we try to share the good news of our Savior’s forgiveness for all sinners we get pigeonholed or labeled in some negative way? Do people not sometimes think that Christianity is only a tool to unlocking our happiness or achieving our full potential? Believers and unbelievers alike can have misconceptions about what the hardships are in the Christian life.

And when the reality doesn’t meet our misconceptions, we are much quicker to blame God and walk away from him than to admit that we were wrong.

Christians are not isolated from this world and its hardships of poverty, hunger, weeping, and persecution. These 4 and many other hardships have always been a part of the Christian’s life, from the prophets of the Old Testament (Luke 6:23b) to Jesus Christ himself. And let’s look at how Jesus endured those hardships. Although Jesus’ earthly father was a carpenter, that didn’t mean they were living high off the hog. They certainly faced some financial hardships as they moved around (Matthew 2:14-15, 19-23) during Jesus’ childhood to eventually set up shop in backwaters Nazareth. Jesus likewise had to ignore the pangs of hunger when the crowds would not leave him alone (Mark 6:30-34). Jesus likewise felt strong sorrow that brought him to weeping (John 11:35). Jesus likewise was discriminated, denied, and hated because of the good news he came to share. Because Jesus too went through hardships, we have a Savior who can sympathize with us in many ways.

2) Receive Unexpected Blessings And yet, we don’t let such hardships bring us down with only the expression “misery loves company” to console us. We still have a happy hope in this life and look forward to receive unexpected blessings. And that’s because of what Jesus accomplished through all those hardships. He came as the Son of Man to do that which no man ever could – live a life that is pleasing to God. Not only did Jesus live according to God’s exact specifications, he endured these 4 hardships and every other that led to his greatest hardship of all – his innocent death on 2

Pastor Timothy Patoka 6 Sunday After The Epiphany: February 17, 2019 the cross. It is because of his death that we have the forgiveness of our sins. It is because of his resurrection we can expect to receive these unexpected blessings that we will now look at. th

Listen to how Jesus describes these blessings after stating each hardship. “Blessed are you who are poor, because yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, because you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, because you will laugh. Blessed are you whenever people hate you, and whenever they exclude and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy because of this: Your reward is great in heaven!” (Luke 6:20b-23a) Jesus starts off with his first blessing to those who do not have all that this life can offer. Even though you may be lacking in worldly wealth or exotic adventures, yours is the kingdom of God. As we say in the Lord’s Prayer – “let your kingdom come”—we’re not only referring to God’s kingdom in heaven, we’re referring to God’s kingdom in the hearts of every believer. It’s because of this that every believer is already richer than any unbeliever. For they have a treasure in heaven through their faith in who Jesus is and what he has done.

For those who hunger and weep now, things will do a complete 180. They will be satisfied and want for nothing. They will laugh and cry with tears of joy. While we may get moments of this satisfaction and laughter now, it won’t be until we’re in heaven that this will ultimately be the case. For those who are persecuted because they are Christ’s, they can rejoice and leap for joy for their reward is great in heaven. They have their place prepared for them, or as the King James Version says in its poetic prose, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:2-3) No matter what hardships we are going through in this world, what is to come is already ours: an everlasting home in the kingdom of God, satisfaction of every bodily need, laughter with friends who have already passed away and those still coming, a great reward that can only be found in heaven. Yes, the Christian’s life may not be exempt from hardships. But don’t be discouraged by the obstacles of this world or duped by misconceptions. Embrace the Christian life. Know that whatever you’re going through in this world is nothing compared to the blessings your Savior gives you now and will fully give you in heaven.

3) Listen To The Warnings Of Woe Yet many of us have a while to go until we receive all these unexpected blessings in heaven. It’s for that reason we turn our attention to Jesus’ warnings of woe. Jesus tells us, “But woe to you who are rich, because you are receiving your comfort now. Woe to you who are well fed now, because you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, because you will be mourning and weeping. Woe to you when all people speak well of you, because that is how their fathers 3

Pastor Timothy Patoka 6 Sunday After The Epiphany: February 17, 2019 constantly treated the false prophets.” (Luke 6:24-26) There are many enjoyable blessings in this world. Blessings like riches to buy any number of things we want, a stomach full from fine food, laughter and good times, and the approval of our peers. There is nothing wrong with these blessings in and of themselves. Think of some heroes of faith who enjoyed these very blessings in great measure. Believers like Abraham or King David who were some of the richest people of their day. Believers like Paul who was contently satisfied in every situation. Believers like Joseph who had a good laugh with his 11 brothers after they reconciled things in Egypt.

Believers like King Solomon who had people coming from far away to witness and commend his God-given wisdom. th

But the problem with these blessings, and the reason why Jesus tells us these warnings of woe, is because they can so easily distract from our Savior and his promises. So easily, we can focus on gathering the riches before us, satisfying our body’s desires, living life to the fullest, or seeking the approval of our role models and peers. So easily, our attention can forever drift from our God and what he has done for us to ourselves and what we can do or get for ourselves.

Don’t let that happen to you. Take to heart the Bible’s good news you’re hearing today and embrace the Christian life. Be prepared for hardships in life like insufficient funds, hunger, sorrow, persecution, and others. While they all may not happen to you or at one time, they are common to Christians of all ages and to our Savior himself. Yet we don’t go walking around this world sad and hopeless. And that’s because of the ultimate hardship our Savior faced on the cross, when he gave his life up as payment for our sins. It is because of that unexpected sacrifice that we have unexpected blessings coming our way now and through eternity. And to ensure we receive these blessings, let us listen to Jesus’ warnings of woe. To keep our focus on what is to come so that we may correctly enjoy what is before us. Amen.

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