{"id":220,"date":"2018-11-07T11:30:22","date_gmt":"2018-11-07T19:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/migrate.bettersermons.org\/?p=220"},"modified":"2020-06-01T11:40:30","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T18:40:30","slug":"the-upside-down-kingdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/the-upside-down-kingdom\/","title":{"rendered":"The Upside-Down Kingdom"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Upside-Down Kingdom<\/span><\/div>\n

\".\"<\/p>\n

Text:<\/b> Luke 6:17-26<\/p>\n

Main Idea: <\/strong>Can we let go of our pride, our individualism, and our need to go it alone? Can we truly \u201clive together\u201d as a band of strangers and urban pilgrims, bound together by the Way of Jesus? This is the call of discipleship that Jesus held out to the multitude when he was on earth, and it is the challenge of today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n
I.<\/strong><\/td>\nIntroduction<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nA.<\/td>\nAs we pass through the season of Epiphany \u2013 and as we progress through the early ministry of Jesus \u2013 we are learning more and more about what is important to him.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nWe have spent time dwelling with the early messages of Jesus<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\na.<\/td>\nHis inaugural sermon in his hometown synagogue \u2013 that was a bumpy start<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\nb.<\/td>\nTo his calling of his first disciples by the lake and the demonstration of the power of the God\u2019s reign.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nB.<\/td>\nAgain, today, we are confronted by Jesus\u2019 and His message about the Reign of God.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nAnd what we see and hear is, if not completely unexpected, at least unwelcome in some respects.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nWe are not used to seeing the world the way Jesus sees it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n3.<\/td>\nHe is inviting us to a different place<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\na.<\/td>\nThis is the meaning of repentance and conversion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\nb.<\/td>\nIt means turning around and going in the other direction.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
II.<\/strong><\/td>\nRead Luke 6:17-26<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
III.<\/strong><\/td>\nPray<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
IV.<\/strong><\/td>\nThe Healing Touch of Jesus<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nA.<\/td>\nThe back-story to today\u2019s passage is that Jesus has gone out to the mountain to pray.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nAnd he spent all night there in prayer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nAfter that he called his disciples to him and set apart 12 of them as apostles<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\na.<\/td>\nApostles are \u201cthose who are sent with a message\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\nb.<\/td>\nSoon they will be (see Luke 10)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nB.<\/td>\nBut then Jesus comes down from the mountain with his disciples<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nTo a level place \u2013 commonly called \u201cthe plain\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\na.<\/td>\nA crowd has gathered \u2013 this is becoming more common now and news about Jesus and his extraordinary power is spreading throughout the land.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nThese people have come from everywhere.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nC.<\/td>\nNow, listen again to Luke\u2019s testimony about Jesus<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nREAD VS 17-19<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nHow many were healed that day?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n3.<\/td>\nALL OF THEM!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nD.<\/td>\nJesus heals everyone!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nSome are physically sick, some are demon possessed, some are emotionally sick, some are spiritually sick.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nJesus touches them and \u201cpower came out from him and healed all of them!\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nE.<\/td>\nThis is the narrative backdrop of our passage today.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nF.<\/td>\nIt is important to get this picture in our heads because it will affect the way we hear the rest of the passage.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nThe overflowing compassion of Jesus which healed an entire \u201cmultitude\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
V.<\/strong><\/td>\nSermon on the Plain – Read vs. 20-26<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nA.<\/td>\nThis sounds a lot like which other passage in the gospels?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nRight \u2013 Sermon on the Mount<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nFound in Matthew 5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n3.<\/td>\nAlso, the Beatitudes, which is the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n4.<\/td>\nSo, we have the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n5.<\/td>\nAnd the Sermon on the Plain in Luke<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n6.<\/td>\nThere are similarities and differences<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nB.<\/td>\nThe most glaring difference is that in Matthew we just have \u201cBeatitudes,\u201d or blessings<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nC.<\/td>\nBut here we also have \u201ccurses\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nD.<\/td>\nAlso, Matthew tends to soften his blessings and almost spiritualize them<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nSo, where as Luke has Jesus saying, \u201cBlessed are the poor\u201d Matthew has it as, \u201cBlessed are the poor in spirit\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\na.<\/td>\nLuke – “blessed are the hungry”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\nb.<\/td>\nMatthew – “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nWe\u2019re not going to get that help from Luke, and so we must simply deal with the text as Luke has given it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nE.<\/td>\nThere are four pairs of blessings and curses<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nthe poor (v. 20) and the rich (v. 24);<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nthe hungry (v. 21a) and the full (v. 25a);<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n3.<\/td>\nthe sorrowful (v. 21b) and the joyous (v. 25b); and<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n4.<\/td>\nthe persecuted (v. 22) and the popular (v. 26).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
VI.<\/strong><\/td>\nUpside-Down<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nA.<\/td>\nThe Rule of God is confusing to us<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nB.<\/td>\nIt\u2019s upside-down when compared to our value system<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nWho in our society is deemed blessed?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\na.<\/td>\nThe poor or the rich?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\nb.<\/td>\nThe hungry or the full?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\nc.<\/td>\nThe sorrowful or the happy?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\nd.<\/td>\nThe persecuted or the popular?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nEspecially in Hollywood, these contrasts are clearly visible, aren\u2019t they?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\na.<\/td>\nIn Hollywood, the blessed are \u201crich and famous\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1)<\/td>\nWho, we are told, are happy and full all the time, never hungry and sorrowful.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2)<\/td>\nHmmm\u2026.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nC.<\/td>\nBut God\u2019s economy is different<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nThings are not valued the same in God\u2019s kingdom \u2013 under God\u2019s rule.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nIn God\u2019s economy, the poor are blessed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n3.<\/td>\nIn God\u2019s economy, the persecuted have the edge<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n4.<\/td>\nIn God\u2019s economy, the hungry are full and the sorrowful are joyful.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nD.<\/td>\nThis is all quite good news, isn\u2019t it?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nAnd it meshes with Jesus inaugural sermon in Nazarath, only a short time ago, when he announced, from Isaiah,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\na.<\/td>\n\u201cThe Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free\u201d (Lk 4:18).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nJesus, it seems, is on message.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nE.<\/td>\nBut what about the flipside?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nF.<\/td>\nJesus can\u2019t just stop with these blessings and let us infer the rest.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nG.<\/td>\nHe gets explicit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nH.<\/td>\nNot only does Jesus defy conventional wisdom and say the poor are the ones who are blessed,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nI.<\/td>\nBut he will now rub salt in the wound and say, Woe (Cursed) to you who are rich\u2026\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nOuch!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nJ.<\/td>\nAnd curses to you who are full and laughing and popular, so that all speak well of you.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
VII.<\/strong><\/td>\nPromises of Reversal<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nA.<\/td>\nWhat is going on here?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nB.<\/td>\nDoes Jesus just love to hate rich people?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nC.<\/td>\nAre we supposed to just go home with a guilt complex if we are happy and have enough money to fill our stomachs?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nD.<\/td>\nWhat Jesus is saying in this passage is that in God\u2019s reign there is and will be a \u201cgreat reversal.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nThings will be turned on their head \u2013 upside-down.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nInjustices and inequities will be justified and equalized.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n3.<\/td>\nThe poor will have enough, which means the rich will not be nearly so rich.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n4.<\/td>\nThe hungry will be fed which means the fed might have to do with less.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nE.<\/td>\nThese blessings and curses have to do with rectifying wrongs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nF.<\/td>\nAs NT Wright loves to say, \u201cGod is in the business of putting the world to rights.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nG.<\/td>\nIsn\u2019t this what Jesus\u2019 mother, Mary, prophesied?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nH.<\/td>\nRemember, only a few pages back, Luke 1:52-53?
\n\u201cHe has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.\u201d<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nI.<\/td>\nPart of the economics of this, according to Luke\u2019s Jesus, is that the rich have already had theirs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nAnd now it\u2019s time for a change.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nWhich is consistent with what we get from Mary as well.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
VIII.<\/strong><\/td>\nThe \u2018Now\u2019 and \u2018Not Yet\u2019<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nA.<\/td>\nSo far we\u2019ve said that these blessings and curses are about the kingdom of God that Jesus is both bringing and announcing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nB.<\/td>\nAnd that God\u2019s purpose in his new reign of mercy and grace<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\n(remember the backdrop of all those healings)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nC.<\/td>\n\u2026is to put the world to rights.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nD.<\/td>\nThrough Mary in Luke 1 and Jesus (quoting Old Isaiah) in the synagogue in Luke 4 and now to the multitudes in Luke 6, the message is, God has begun to reign.<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nThere is a new king in town.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nAnd this king is bringing radical change<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n3.<\/td>\nThat change will be, at once and the same time, good news and bad news, depending on who you are and where you stand when you hear the news.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nE.<\/td>\nOne important dimension of this kingdom is that in the New Testament it is both now and not yet.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nAt times Jesus announces the kingdom is if it is here now.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nAt other times He is clearly talking about something that will come in the future.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n3.<\/td>\nThe reality is that it is both!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nF.<\/td>\nJesus says, the Kingdom of God is at hand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nBut that doesn\u2019t mean it is in hand.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nWe don\u2019t fully \u201chave it\u201d and we certainly don\u2019t \u201cown it\u201d or \u201ccontrol it\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nG.<\/td>\nSo, coming back to our passage for today, we might look around and see that the poor are NOT blessed.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nThe hungry are NOT full<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nThe sorrowful are not yet laughing!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nH.<\/td>\nThis can be puzzling to us until we realize that there is a future dimension to Jesus\u2019 words.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nThey are promise and hope<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nThey are descriptive of the way things will be one day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nI.<\/td>\nAnd as such, they are warnings for the rich and the full and the rejoicing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nThe simply message to the rich, it seems, is that there will be a great leveling someday.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nYou might want to share your riches, your food and your joy with those who have less<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n3.<\/td>\nLest you end up on the wrong side of the future leveling.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nJ.<\/td>\nHowever!<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nK.<\/td>\nAnd I don\u2019t\u2019 want us to miss this!<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nL.<\/td>\nFor Jesus and certainly for Luke\u2019s community, these blessings for the poor, hungry, sorrowful and excluded ones are not simply promises for the future.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nThe community which prayed, \u2018Your kingdom come, your will be done\u2019, was itself a place where the reign of God began to be realized.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nM.<\/td>\nWe\u2019ve been flashing back to Luke 1 and 4 today<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nN.<\/td>\nBut now flash forward for a second to the beginning of Luke\u2019s second volume \u2013 Acts – chapter 2:43-47.
\nAwe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day-by-day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nO.<\/td>\nThese apostles Luke refers to here in Acts 2 are the same apostles (minus one) who Jesus appointed in Luke 6.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nAnd they got it!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nThey understood the blessings of the kingdom<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nP.<\/td>\nThey got that Jesus\u2019 sermon on the plain was an outworking of the Sabbath theology of Luke 4, pointing back to Exodus 16 where God first introduced his economic plan.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nQ.<\/td>\nThe people of God were formed by this teaching in Exodus 16.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nAs the Sabbath is first seriously formed in God\u2019s \u201ccoming-out-of-slavery\u201d people<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nGod links Sabbath with creation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\na.<\/td>\nA creation in which there was abundance of every good thing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\nb.<\/td>\nA creation in which every creature was adequately provided for.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n3.<\/td>\nOn the Sabbath, they would be reminded of God\u2019s provision, through the manna.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n4.<\/td>\nEvery day they were to collect just enough for them and their clan<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\na.<\/td>\nMillennia later Jesus would teach his followers to pray, \u201cgive us this day our daily bread\u201d or \u201cgive us today, bread enough for today.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n5.<\/td>\nOn Friday they were told to collect twice as much and miraculously it would keep over the Sabbath.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n6.<\/td>\nThe theology of ENOUGH – it was ingrained in God\u2019s people<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n7.<\/td>\nBy the time of Jesus, people needed some reminding<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n8.<\/td>\nAnd it was also a promise of hope that God would redeem his people’s oppression and restore Israel.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nR.<\/td>\nToday, and every week, as we observe Sabbath, we STOP.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nWe stop our labor, our accumulating, our consuming<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nWe opt out of the rat race of consumerism and wealth acquisition for a day a week, as a witness to the truth that God is creator, owner and provider.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nS.<\/td>\nBut, as Isaiah had to remind his people, this is not just a day for God\u2019s people to stop accumulating.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nIt is also a day to share \u2013 to give our excess away to those with less (Isaiah 58:7)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nIf the rich shared their abundance with the poor there would be no lack<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n3.<\/td>\nThe poor would get their blessing and the rich would escape their curse.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nT.<\/td>\nThose with vested interests will often prefer a Christianity that will leave the status quo as it is and focus only on the world to come.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nU.<\/td>\nWhen we do that, we betray the poor when we call them blessed.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
IX.<\/strong><\/td>\nConclusion<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nA.<\/td>\nThe question for us is \u201chow will we live?\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1.<\/td>\nCan we envision ourselves living in this \u201cupside-down kingdom?\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2.<\/td>\nWhat would it mean for this community to share its wealth with each other and with the community outside our doors.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n3.<\/td>\nThis passage really does point to Acts 2 as the outgrowth of this kingdom teaching of Jesus.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n4.<\/td>\nCan we imagine living like that?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nB.<\/td>\nCan we let go of our pride, our individualism, our need to go it alone?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nC.<\/td>\nCan we truly \u201clive together\u201d as a band of strangers and urban pilgrims, bound together by the Way of Jesus?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nD.<\/td>\nThis is the call of discipleship that Jesus holds out to the multitude<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nE.<\/td>\nIt is the challenge of Luke to his community<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nF.<\/td>\nAnd it is our challenge today!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Submitted by Ryan J. Bell. Better Sermons \u00a9 2005-2008. Click here for usage guidelines<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Upside-Down Kingdom Text: Luke 6:17-26 Main Idea: Can we let go of our pride, our individualism, and our need to go it alone? Can we truly \u201clive together\u201d as a band …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":760,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":761,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220\/revisions\/761"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}