In Luke 6:12-19 (NIV) we read these introductory words."One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot,Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon,who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all."
Jesus stood on a level place to preach.
Jesus, "spent the night praying to God" on a mountainside. In a few weeks we are going to come back to these verses and talk about why Jesus spent a whole night praying. But in the morning, Jesus went down from the mountainside and Luke 6:17 (NIV) tells us that Jesus, "stood on a level place" as he began to teach his disciples. Now perhaps it is quite insignificant that Jesus, "stood on a level place" and that Luke, the author of this historical record, bothers telling us so. Who cares where Jesus stood, right? Who cares whether he was on the mountain or by the mountain!
But I immediately thought back to Luke 2:4-6 (NIV) where John the Baptist is preaching to the crowds of disciples that had come out to hear him. "...Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough wayssmooth. And all mankindwill see God’s salvation."
We all come from such different places in life. Maybe you come from the mountaintops or hilltops. You feel as if you are at the top of the world, as if everyone is looking up to you, admiring your life,envying your life, and nothing could be better! Or maybe you come from a place deep in a valley, at the bottom of the world. You feel as if the whole world is looking down on you, feeling sorry for you, and pitying you. You feel that nothing could possibly be worse than your situation. Maybe you come from a place that feels crooked, rough, jagged andout of sorts. Things aren’t horrible or miserable, but they are not terrific either. They’re just okay.
People came to Jesus to be touched by God's power.
In our text, people came to Jesus on foot from all over the place. Some came from nearby villages, but some walked from villages over forty andmaybesixty miles away. Some came to hear Jesus teach, some came to be healed of their diseases, and others came to be delivered from evil spirits. Yet everyonecame to be touched by God’s power.
No matter where you have been andno matter where you are coming from Jesusstands at a levelplace.And as his disciples, his followers, he invites us to that same place.A smooth place, a place of stability, of balance, of healing, of deliverance, of wisdom, of peace, of happiness, and a place of joy. A place that truly honors God. And for each of us, the decision must be made to stand where Christ stood.
Let’s run with this idea of gaining a surer footing in lifeandof finding a level place. In our text all these people are coming to Jesus to be touched by his power. He healed them all and delivered them all from evil immediately. Jesus visibly andundeniably healed them. But with their lives made whole, Jesus began teaching them. And as we dig into his teaching, we cannot help but realize that a key to our physical healing is spiritual hearing. It is truly listening to and obeying Christ’s words. When we come to Christ for healing and deliverance from evil, we cannot keep going back to wherever we came from. We cannot keep doing just whatever feels right. We need to stand in a new place, a level place. We need to stand where Christ stands.
The sure footing of an eternal perspective.
Jesus recognized that a great deal of our physical, spiritual, mental, and moral illness arises from our preoccupation with the material and worldly. It doesn’t matter whether you consider yourself rich or poor. We are consumed with amassing money, with satisfying our desires, with enjoying things, with living for pleasure, with possessing the symbols of status, and with being accepted. For many people, life is summed up in these things. If you have a lot, you are blessed. But if you have not, you are miserable wretch! Woe to you.
In Luke 6:20-23 (NIV) Jesus looks the have-nots in the eye and says,"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.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. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets."
We can be blessed in our poverty, but be unsatisfiedin our wealth.
Jesus was telling us who don't have a lot that of all places, we can be blessed in our poverty, blessed in our hunger, blessed in our weeping, blessed in our misery or sickness, and blessed when hated, excluded, insulted, or rejected. Being blessed has nothing to do with money, a full stomach, laughter, health, or popularity. Being blessed has everything to do with living under God’s rule, in his kingdom.Being blessed has everything to do with seeking rewards in heaven.
In Luke 6:24-26 (NIV) Jesus looks the people who have alot directly in the eye and says, "But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets."
Jesus is warning the have-a-lots that their perception of being blessed is an illusion. The rich are unsatisfied in their comfort, hungry in their abundance, miserable in their laughter, and alone even as they are praised. Again, life isn’t about having or not having. Life is about living under God’s rule, listening to Jesus Christ’s words, obeying his teaching, and seeking rewards beyond this life in the next life. The sure footing of an eternal perspective can bring so much wholeness and joy to our lives. Are you willing to find out?
The sure footing of sacrificial love.
In Luke 6:27-36 (NIV) Jesus tells us to consider the sure footing of sacrificial love. Jesus recognized that a great deal of our physical, spiritual, mental, and moral illness arises from self-centeredness. Not only do we expend ourselves on the material, or worldly, but we expend ourselves getting even with and staying ahead of others. Who are our enemies? They are people who disrupt our well-being, who make us hungry, and who bring pain into our lives. They arepeople who first hate us, then exclude us, then insult us, then reject us, and continually escalate a conflict.
In a dog-eat-dog world, we're taught to get even and then get ahead. It is ingrained in us from an early age.Survival of the fittest, competition, win-lose, self-centeredness. But Jesus encourages us, in even the most extreme instances, to empty ourselves, to pour ourselves out, to give, to serve, and to love.
In Luke 6:24-36 (NIV) Jesus says, "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."
Jesus practiced sacrificial love.
Now maybe these verses make you angry. I'll bet they made a bunch of people in Jesus’ day angry. Maybe Luke 6:24-36 isn’t a place you are willing to stand, not now andnot ever. I hope you plan to get into a Life Group soon. One question that our Life Groups will wrestle with this week is, "What part of Jesus’ wisdom do you find most extreme?" andWho most needs to experience your sacrificial love? Why?"
One reason life is so rough is because in our self-centeredness, we will not let go. We refuse to overlook an offense. We refuse to forgive a hurt or injury. Instead of loving, we hate. We label others. We curse them. We plot against them. We retaliate. We escalate conflict.
Jesus Christ tells us to stand in a different place, however. He tells us to stand where God Most High stands. God is kind to the ungrateful. God is kind to the wicked. God is merciful to his enemies. The Bible says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That’s the essence of sacrificial love, not avenging those who have wronged us but redeeming them instead.
What actions redeem even the most dysfunctional, screwed-up relationships? What actions restore marriages after divorce or separation? What actions reconcile enemies to one another? What actions pave the way to peace? Sacrificial actions. Other-centered actions. Christ-like, godly actions. Self-giving, self-emptying actions. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Turn your cheek.Give to anyone. This stuff is unconventional andyou won’t hear it from anyone but Jesus Christ. Move beyond a worldly perspective andembrace an eternal perspective. Move beyond a self-centered lifestyle andsacrificially love even your enemies.
The sure footing of genuine obedience.
In Luke 6:37-49 Jesus tells us to consider the sure footing of genuine obedience. Jesus recognized that a great deal of our physical, spiritual, mental, and moral illness arises from hypocrisy and from a duplicitous lifestyle. We do not practice what we preach. We do not live out the very things we profess. We hear, but do not obey. We claim to be children of light, but walk in darkness. We hunger and thirst for righteousness, but quench God’s Holy Spirit at every turn.
In Luke 6:37-38 Jesus confronts us in our hypocrisy, and we are all found guilty. Instead of genuinely obeying God, we often turn up the heat on others. We judge. We condemn. We gossip. We belittle. We accentuate their faults. We throw stones. It is terribly destructive to focus on the sins of others, to the exclusion of our own sins.
In Luke 6:37-38 (NIV) Jesus says, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Our external standards for others must first be applied inwardly to ourselves. There is no one righteous.Not one. We all sin and continually fall short of the glory of God.
We all sin and fall short of the glory of God.
In Luke 6:39-45 (NIV)Jesus continues with a parable. "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye', when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."
Hypocrisy is the blind leading the blind. Hypocrisy is the one with the plank in his own eye attempting to remove a speck from his brother’s eye. Hypocrisy is a thornbush attempting to bear good fruit. Jesus calls us to a place of authenticity, integrity, character, and godliness. There isn’t a single area of our lives that should ever be off limits to transformation.
A key to healing, physical or otherwise,is spiritual hearing. It is truly listening to and obeying Christ’s words. And is this a place where you are willing to stand? Can you think of a more level place to stand than the place Christ tells us to stand in Luke6?
Eternal perspective. Sacrificial love. Genuine obedience. Can a reasonable case be built against any of these three things?
In Luke 6:46-49 (NIV) Jesus concludes with a great question. "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
What kind of foundation are you building your life upon? What place will you stand on? Will you stand on the level place where Christ tells us to stand? This week, do not be guilty of merely hearing God’s word. Become a doer of his word. Why not get serious about the eternal perspective God wants you to have? Why not get serious about demonstrating the sacrificial love of God to others? Why not get serious about genuinely obeying Christ in your innermost being?
This past Monday, Denise Kauffman was baptized. She personally chose to dedicate her life to Jesus Christ in the waters of baptism. According to 1 Peter 3:21 she made the pledge of a good conscience toward God. She and her husband Brion join our church this morning.Please welcome them. At her baptism we read Romans 6:1-14. In that passage Paul reminds us that in baptism, we died to sin and should not go on sinning. He says that in baptism, we crucified our old sinful nature and offered our lives up to God as instruments of righteousness.
If you are not yet a Christian, are you ready to offer your life to God in this way? Are you ready to personally choose to follow Christ and to stand in that level place? If so, you have to take the initiative. You have to tell someone you are ready to be baptized. Just so you know, I don’t hide before or after the services. I’d love to answer any questions you have and help you make a decision in your time.
If you have already been baptized, are you living out your baptismal pledge? Are you listening and obeying Christ’s words? Are you living out Christ’s life daily? Are you offering every part of your life to God daily? Are you getting plugged into a Life Group in orderto find encouragement and guidance in living for Christ? Are you reading your Bible? Are you praying?