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Luke 6:20-29, "A Longing For Values" · Clifford Baptist

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  Speaker A: Welcome to the May 24 sermon from Clifford Baptist Church, 6:35 Fletcher's Level Road in Amherst. Today's scripture is Luke, chapter 6, verses 20 through 29. And the sermon is entitled A Longing for Values, delivered today by Pastor Jeffrey Campbell.
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  Speaker B: As you take your Bibles, go to Luke chapter number six, Luke chapter number six. And my prayer today is you came to church that you came expecting the Lord to speak to you. And as we understand what that means, it could be very different for each of you. And so today, whatever this week is held for you or whatever you hold inside of you, my prayer is that the Lord will meet you in this place. We open our Bibles to a place somewhat of debate in Luke chapter six, a place of Scripture that draws two different people's perspectives, if you will. It's not something that we should get all worked up about, but as we view this scripture today, in some Bibles, it is called the Sermon on the Plain. In some it's called the Sermon on the Mount. And the question is, is it the same sermon? Is it the same place? Is it the same sermon, just a different person writing about it? Or is it actually a different sermon in a different location? Well, here's what I want you to know, the truth of that. It really doesn't matter. I'm going to tell you a little secret. I've taken some of the same sermons I preached here, and I've taken them 10 miles down the road and I preached them, but it was a totally different sermon. Though it may have been the same basis of it, it was totally different because it was a different crowd, different church, different people, different needs, different hearers. And so today, as we look at this Scripture, whether it is a different person recording it or if it is a different location altogether, in the big picture, Luke's account is this the message of Jesus consistent. And that message is one that we all need to hear. And here's the truth of this message, that Jesus followers are called to be different. And as Jesus followers, we are called to act different and to care different. But we are to hold different values than what the world holds. And so if you would like the sermon series on the Sermon on the mount, there are 21 sermons online for you to go and listen to through Matthew's account. I'm not going to make this a 21 sermon series, okay? We're going to get three sermons through this sermon that Jesus preaches. And the first one is this. What does it mean to long for values? Long for values. We are in a time in our lives, when people all around us, their values are changing, and we understand that in a moral way, when we cannot even figure out what a man and a woman should be defined as morally, our values are off. We understand that when we don't understand what right and wrong is. Growing up, I felt like I knew what that was. Today, we don't understand what right and wrong is. We look at marriage and there's another area to define or try to redefine what the standards are. And corruption and chaos and confusion have ensued in our nation and in our denomination. Amen. And with that said, whether you sit in church or whether the United States is your country, you cannot neglect. The truth is this. Many people are in doubt of what the truth really is. And as we try to wrap our minds around that, my prayer is this. If you get nothing out of this sermon today, my prayer is that you understand that what you value, you will worship. What you put as top priority in your life will become your God. And for that, you will either live the blessed life or you will live a life of regret. And so today I start off this sermon on a very serious note by saying this. What do you value? Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Oh God, today, by your Holy Spirit's power, God, meet us in this place. Lord, lead our study of your word. Draw us to understand and desire truth and lead lives that value our Lord above all. By your spirit's power, we are able to do this. We ask you to join us now in Jesus name. Amen. Vance Havner said this. If you are a Christian, you are not a citizen of this world trying to get to heaven. You are a citizen of heaven making your way through this world. And as we understand that very true quote today, we look at three simple points that valuing Jesus should touch every one of our lives. And the first one today is the blessed attitude. The blessed attitude. Look at verses 20 through 23 of Luke chapter 6. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said, blessed be ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, when they shall separate you from their company and shall reproach you and cast out your name as evil for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day and leap for joy. For behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. Point number one today is the Blessed attitude we see the primary listeners of Jesus sermon are those that are called disciples. Now, in our mind we limit this to a number of 12. And certainly the 12 disciples were present. But we know from the study of Scripture that Jesus had more than 12 followers. These were the closest followers. The 12 were. But Jesus had more disciples or more followers that followed him trying to understand and teach and learn from him. But his intended audience was not the multitude, was not the stranger. It was his disciples, the true followers of Jesus Christ. And so with that said, this message today is for those who truly follow Jesus as Savior. For you and I today, we can reap the benefits of understanding what Jesus was trying to tell his followers. Now listen, he was not trying to plot a promising political takeover. He was not trying to overthrow the Roman government or the religious establishment. He just wanted people to understand. If you are going to follow me, this is what your life should look like. If you will follow me, this is what it's going to look like. And so today as we read these verses, these are simple markers of the characteristics of believers. And when we understand that it comes with wisdom that only can come from God to try to live our lives in this way. What does the word blessed mean? Well, it means happy. Yet it doesn't mean our definition of happy. It carries with it joy and contentment and a promise, a reward, that the faithful one will be blessed. We'll be happy, we'll be content. We'll have joy that the world cannot explain. The promise that we read about in these Scriptures is that the reward for the blessed life will not be received as we walk on this earth. And that's hard sometimes for us to understand. As Luke records four of the eight Beatitudes that Matthew had recorded. We look at this sermon and we understand that if we follow Jesus teachings, they really all could be condensed with these four things. The first one is this. Blessed are the poor. Now Jesus is not telling them. His disciples is not telling us to go sell everything and live as poor people. That's not what Jesus means. What Jesus was talking about is his disciples were not well off. They were poor, they didn't have everything. But blessed are the poor, inwardly broken poor, dependent on someone else. Friends, when we live in that way that we cannot do it on our own, we cannot meet our own needs. We need someone else. We are poor. We need Jesus. Oh, friends, what a blessed life that is. There are many times we try to figure it out or fix it in our own power or by our own strength. And what Jesus is calling his followers to do is this. You must be poor and depend on me. Poor in spirit means you cannot do it on your own, but you are fully relying on me. How many of us today recognize that we desperately need help from someone else? That in your own strength you cannot do it, and that you need something for someone far more powerful than yourself. Those who are spiritually poor search and dig and find until their soul is satisfied. I look at a church full of people today. You've got nice clothes on. And here's the reality. If you live in the United States of America, you are well off, more well off than far many people around the world. I look out today and I can't look at your bank account or what's in your wallet. But here's what I want you to know, friends. You are not poor by the world's standard. But maybe today there's somebody in this room that as you look down deep inside and you do that soul searching, you realize you have a great need. There is something that you are lacking. Your soul is poor and you need something or someone. And let me tell you this, the answer is Jesus, the poor in spirit. As Luke writes, he says this, blessed be ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. The people that reach or make it to the kingdom of God are the ones that are poor in spirit, that know that they cannot make it without the Lord Jesus, that Jesus can satisfy every need they have. These people in inherit God's kingdom. There's a second group that's mentioned those who hunger. Have you ever been hungry before? Maybe today if I listen very closely, I might hear some of you that are getting hungry. You know, we get signs. There are signs that you are hungry. Your stomach lets you know that I'm growling a little bit. I'm getting a little hungry. But let me ask you this. In this room, is there anyone that's spiritually hungry? And what I mean by that, you know that as you look at the pains of this life that you can't get enough from the world, that you've tried other things, but your soul is still found wanting. Today, the promise from the Word of God. If you are a follower of Jesus, you will come to Jesus knowing that he will fill your your every need. Blessed are the poor, blessed are the hungry, and blessed are those who weep. Now, following Jesus will not always be days of happiness. Church Today I will tell you the hardest week of ministry was this past week. And if you cannot weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn, I Don't know how we serve our God. But there will be times where you are on the mountain, but in desperation there will be times where you are weeping down in the valley. And those who weep understand this, that weeping may endure for a night, but there is joy that comes in the morning. What about faith that weeps? Weeps. When you look at yourself as sinful as we are, we ought to weep. You weep at a world that we love. We better country that we love, but it is in shambles. And if the church doesn't recognize that we are blind, the world is falling apart at our doorstep. And if we cannot weep over a world that needs Jesus, oh God, help us. Blessed are the ones that weep over tragedies and hurts and pains and sin, knowing only Jesus can give us what we need. So today, spiritually, are you poor? Are you hungry? And do you weep? The one who weeps shall laugh later be filled with joy. So today, when we think about the things that we value, we understand that money and food and happiness drive the world around. They make the world run round the dollar bill leads America, not God. And so what do we do? There's one more and I don't like this one. I'm just going to tell you this. Blessed are ye when men shall hate you and when they shall separate from you and they reproach you and cast out your name as evil for the Son of Man's sake. Jesus is telling his closest followers, listen, when you value me, there are gonna be people that hate you. I learned that lesson as a teenage boy. I gave my life to Jesus and I told people and my friends and they started distancing themselves from me. I thought that was a good thing. Following Jesus was good, but in my teenage mind, people distance themselves. It's not much different as an adult, a 43 year old man. When you tell people you love Jesus, they're going to look at you like you're crazy. And if you walk out into this world, people will hate you for Jesus sake. But Jesus says this. Rejoice, leap for joy, because your reward is great in heaven. Persecution is real. And Jesus says this, my followers will face it. If you identify with Jesus Christ, you will have enemies because the world wants nothing to do with Jesus. So today, the first point, what you value matters. And if you value the things of God, there is a blessed attitude that believers should carry because we realize that we need Jesus more and more every single day of our life. And so church. When the world hates you or the world talks about you, or the world separates from you. It's okay when the world laughs, when you're weeping, it's okay. It's okay when you hunger for more of God. And you pursue that hunger to be filled of God. And the world laughs at you. It's okay. When deep down inside you know you need Jesus. You're poor, you're needy, you pursue that. Oh, friend, great is your reward. What do you value? If you value the world, you will follow the world. But if you value the Lord Jesus, oh, he's going to lead you in a very different way. There's a second point that we need to see today, and that is what I'm calling the woeful reward. Look at verses 24 through 26. But woe unto you that are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full, for you shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now, for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you, for so did their fathers, the false prophets. That woeful reward as Jesus turns the table, the promise of blessing and happiness, joy and contentment to the poor and hungry and weeping and persecuted. But this warning are for those who are rich and full and laugh and that have people that speak well of them. Now, listen, here's what I want to say very, very quickly off the top, that we're not. To make sure that we're not misunderstanding one another. It's not wrong to have money to be rich. It's not wrong for somebody to say that you're a good person or speak well of you. It's not wrong of those things. But when you look to these things to fill you up instead of the Lord Jesus, woe unto you, that is Jesus message. And so when you look to the world for that which you need, instead of looking to Jesus, there is a warning, a regret that you will live with for the rest of your life. I'm not going to ask you to raise your hand, but maybe today you are holding a regret. Has there ever been someone that you crossed paths with that you knew you needed to share the Lord with, but you didn't? And then they slipped on into eternity and you had no listen, I carry that regret. I carry that regret. I carry a regret of some of the things I've done as a husband and as a dad because I'm not perfect. Oh, I regret some of the things that I've said to people. My tongue. It has been that flame that has burnt bridges. But this woeful reward today, one that as you look at the world and you look at your circumstances and you say, I am happy and I have all I need, I'm rich. People are saying good things about me. That's what I care about. And nowhere in sight is a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Then your reward will only be what you have in this world. A rich man knows his worth is found in Jesus and his reward is found in heaven. People laugh and are comforted by the things of this world. But when it's all gone, will they be able to find comfort in a relationship with Christ? When you value the wrong things, these things become your pursuit. It was a struggle for those in Jesus day and it's a struggle in our day. But we must heed the warning. And that warning is this. It's okay to take care of yourself. It's okay to take care of your children and spoil them some and take them on trips and get them involved in so many activities. But listen to this as a parent, if you spoil your child and you fail to lead them to Jesus, you that is a regret woe unto you. That is a lifelong regret that you will have to bear. Jesus says, the rich realize they don't have any need and they don't need me as their Savior. Those who are full, full of what the world has provided and there's no room for Jesus, we're too busy. We're too committed in so many other areas. We don't have time for that. Those that laugh will soon weep and mourn. And when those men speak well of you, you are reminded that people did that in the past and woe unto them church today. The second warning in this woeful reward is this, is that if you value the world and you fill yourself with the world and you feel like that is the greatest reward that you can have is this world, that will be your reward. But you one day, and here's the warning, will face that regret. And it may be when you stand before the Lord face to face and he presents you with your life open before your eyes and you're going to be like, oh, gosh, boy, did I fail. Then, my friend, it's going to be too late. Here's the hope of the message today for everyone here that still has breath. It's not too late to change this. It's not too late to set your mind and your heart on the Lord and be filled with the things of God. A woeful reward some will inherit one day. But that's not my desire. And I pray it's not your desire as children of God. There's one more warning today in verses 27 through 29. But I say unto you which hear, love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on one cheek, offer also the other. And him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. When we think about the things that we value, the third thing today is this is loving the unlovable. I told you we can boil down all Jesus teaching into this one little sermon. You need to love Jesus with all that you are, and you need to love others in his name. But what does it mean to love the unlovable? Well, right now the world teaches us to love our enemies. And right now you're being taught that anyone that doesn't look like you, that doesn't think like you, that doesn't vote like you, is an enemy. Church. If that is our attitude, we will never be able to share the truth of the Gospel. You may not agree with every word I say, but I pray this that you can never doubt my love for Jesus. And my prayer is this. As I look at you, I may not agree with everything that you do, but I will respect you. And I know that we're on the same team because we both love Jesus. And as the church comes together, we are called to love the unlovable. Jesus is calling his disciples to love those who hate them. How do we do that? Well, as the world says this, to turn away, use a platform and spew and spread your hatred. Don't fall for that church and turn. We have a prime example what Jesus gives those that hear. In verse number 27, Jesus calls to love your enemies. And the first thing that he says to them is to do good to them. Don't raise your hand. How many of you in this room have enemies right now? Somebody pops in the forefront of your mind when I say that word, enemy. You have a name, you have a face. You have a situation that somebody hurt you and you can't get over it. Can I tell you something? In love, that's your problem. Jesus calls us to forgive. And if we cannot forgive, how are we to expect forgiveness in return from our Heavenly Father? If somebody has hurt you so bad to carry the title of enemy, as Jesus followers, you are called to do good to them. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that you may not go have Sunday dinner with them tonight. Okay? But when you get the opportunity, you Take that high road. You take the godly road. You take the right road, and you show that love of Jesus to them. We are called to do good. We're called to bless them that curse you. Here's Jeffrey's interpretation of that. You're to speak well of people. When somebody talks about you, what are you gonna do? You gotta tell your side of the story. I've gotta tell my side of the story because my story is true and theirs is not. There are really three sides to every story. Yours, theirs, and the truth. And here's what I want you to know. Church. When we talk good about people, talk well about people. Quit spreading the gossip, quit spreading the story. Quit spreading your side and building up people to go against the other side. That's how churches fracture. That's how families fracture. And what we're called to do is we're called to bless those that curse you. Speak well of them. I've learned a little phrase from an older woman in my life, and that woman is not my wife. Okay? She used this phrase. Well, God bless them when something comes up that I don't want to be a part of. Here's my answer. Well, God bless them when the story is asking for my side. No, no, no. God bless them. God bless them. It's water under the bridge. May the Lord bless them. We're called not to get involved in that, not to spread it and stir it. But we're called to even talk good or well about those people that we would define as enemy. This doesn't make sense, does it? No. Because the world is telling you, get revenge, get back, tell your side. But Jesus says no. If you're a follower of me, not only you're going to do good. And not only are you going to speak well of them, but you're going to pray for those that despitefully use you. Did I just cross a line? Pray for your enemies. How many of you had a name pop in your mind when I said enemy? Here's what you're to do today. Sometime in your day, before you close your eyes at night, I want you to pray for that person. Don't pray for them in a negative way. I know some of you, I know some of you. I know my own heart. But you pray that God will open their eyes, that you have an opportunity to share God's love with them, that there's an opportunity to mend a relationship and that God could bring it back together, that forgiveness would be at the forefront. Friends, we are called to do good and to speak well, and to pray for those that we would call our enemies. And on top of that, Jesus says this in verse number 29. And to him that smiteth thee on one cheek, offer also the other. Now, in our minds, in our minds, we got somebody just taking their open hand and just smacking us right across the face. And I know some of you sitting here in this pew say, have somebody done that to me? Preacher, I know what you're telling me to do, but it ain't gonna happen. Well, listen, here's what the scripture truly means. If somebody hurls insults at you, somebody talks about you, if somebody hurts you so bad that it would be like striking you right in your face, here's what you're to do. You are to turn that cheek and offer them the other. That doesn't make sense in our minds. It doesn't make sense in my mind because retaliation is. Is an evil thing. We want to get back and we want to repay, and we want to give them some on top of that. But this radical love that Jesus is calling us to looks beyond what we want. It looks beyond the enemy. It looks beyond the insults to overcome evil with the love of Jesus Christ. He goes on to say this. If someone wants your outer coat, don't only give them that. Give them your inner coat too. And that's a no no in Jesus day. That was a no no. Today, if you need a suit coat, I'll take it off and give it to you. Right? We can do that. We can bring ourselves that far. But what if they need more? What if they want more? What if. What if they demand more? Jesus says this. Give it to them in our minds today. This doesn't make sense. But you know what? I'm praying God does. I'm praying in Clifford, Virginia. God starts a revival. God starts a revival in families and friendships and a community all centered on the love of our Savior Jesus Christ. If we can identify enemy number one in our life, then we should fall on our knees and begin to pray for them. Maybe that person used to sit at your table or in your home. Maybe it's someone that used to go to church here. Maybe it's someone in your work world, or maybe it's someone that you don't even know that truly, truly hurt you. Jesus calls you to go that extra mile. Do you value loving someone else like Jesus loves you? And Jesus says this. If you value my love, you will go to the most hated person and you will give that love to them. Could you imagine sitting through this sermon If I was sitting listening to Jesus, I probably would have got antsy and I would have probably got up and left. Praise God. You didn't do that. But here's my question today. Are you empty? You look at me and you say, pastor Jeffrey, yes, I'm empty. Well, Jesus says this. I can fill you up. I can be that what you're looking for, that you're longing for, that you need in your life. If you've tried everything else and you're still empty, you, Jesus is your answer. His death on an old rugged cross paid your sin debt. His resurrection offers life and hope and a future if you will just turn to him and believe. Maybe today you're here and you're full. You're full of the world. The world's ideas have influenced you, have torn you, have shaped you. Maybe today, today you think that I'm okay. I'm okay, Pastor. I'm okay. God, here's what I'm calling you to do. Look down deep and see if you're full of the right things, the godly things. I'm calling every person in this room to love the unlovable. The person that you say I cannot love, Jesus says, go to them and offer them my love. Do we desire to be Jesus followers? If we do, this is for every one of us. What do you value today? Is it a relationship with the Lord? Is it the world? We have our choices. Let's consider them now. Let's pray. Father God, today as we come before you, Lord, you know how direct this sermon was. But God, I pray that you will use it in such a way, Lord, that will soften hearts and lives represented in this room and those that are watching livestream. Oh God, I pray that you go before us as we take this moment of invitation just to search our own hearts. Not to look at anybody else or not to blame anybody else, but simply to look at our own hearts. Oh God, I pray that you will search this room and you will see the hearts that are empty needing you. You will see the hearts that are full of the wrong things. Oh God, that you will find us wanting more and more of you, no matter where we are in our walk with you, God, teach us to love those who are unlovable. And that may need to start with just coming to an altar, praying for strength and for forgiveness from a holy God for our part to open doors, to go meet that enemy, to meet that one person. Oh God, today just use this moment and this message to strike in our hearts what it truly means to value our walk with you to claim to be Jesus followers Though the world hates us oh God, may your love lead us. We pray we make our prayer in Jesus name Amen.
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  Speaker A: Clifford Baptist Church invites you to join us for worship every Sunday morning at 11am for more information about our church, please call our church office at 434-946-0555.