Who is your favorite referee?

As a child, did you have posters of those referees on the walls of your bedroom? Did you buy tickets to pro sporting events only if your favorite ref was on the whistle?

No?  Me neither.

As a kid, the walls of my bedroom were covered with posters of my heroes … NBA players (not referees.)  I had posters of Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, not NBA refs Tony Brothers or Scott Foster. If you grew up a fan of a sport, my guess is what drew you in was the performance of the athletes and the spirit of competition, not the ones calling balls and strikes.  You buy a ticket today to see Lebron play, not to watch Bill Kennedy call fouls.

Why do I say this?

The Christian life is about following Jesus in the game of life, not just being His referee to identify the errors of others. In the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus told His disciples to “judge not” and to “condemn not.” In today’s day and age, these statements of Jesus are quoted frequently, but often misunderstood. Was Jesus telling His followers to have no moral discernment or to never call out sin in another? I don’t think so. In too many other passages, we are called to sharpen one another, confess sin to one another, and to remain faithful to the Truth. Jesus was not removing standards with these words, but He was shifting our focus.

In Luke 6:27-36, Jesus called His disciples to a level of love that was out of this world: love your enemies, pray for those who mistreat you, give to those who take from you, etc. Jesus ended that section of this sermon by calling us to “be merciful even as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)  What does it look like to be merciful? Well, in Luke 6:37-42, it looks like not judging or condemning, but instead forgiving and giving. It looks like not elevating yourself as the authority, but following the right Authority and dealing with your own wickedness, instead of just obsessing on the sin of another.

This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church, in part 4 of our sermon series, “Speak Plainly,” we will be looking at Luke 6:37-42.  In these verses, we will see that we are called onto the court in the Christian life, not as a referee, but as a player. Unlike the self-righteous Pharisees of the first century, the disciples of Jesus are to be gracious to others, and grounded in humility.  Join us Sunday, July 26 in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 service as we see more of what Jesus meant in these statements. We will also celebrate the Lord’s Supper together. See you Sunday … and bring friends!

Godliness – the quality, state, or condition of being godly: such as (1) piety – earnest observance of religious duties and virtues; or (2) the state or condition of being divine. (definition provided by Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

What makes someone appear godly?

Some might say church attendance … the more days a week we gather with God’s people, the more godly we might seem.

Some might say biblical knowledge … the more facts we know about theology or the Bible, the more godly we might seem.

Some might say practicing the right rituals …if we participate in certain ceremonies, we appear more godly.

Some might say what or who we avoid … if we do not associate with certain crowds or participate in certain activities, we appear more godly.

But what if we asked Jesus.  What if we asked Jesus (the SON OF GOD) what godliness looks like.  What would He say?  After all, He is God!  There really is no better source to ask what godliness looks like!

In the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus begins to answer the question of what godliness looks like among His people … but (just like we saw last week in His description of the blessed life), His description of the godly life is shocking.

In Luke 6:27-36, Jesus says (among other things) that His followers are to

* Love their enemies

* Do good to those who hate them

* Bless those who curse them

* Pray for those who mistreat them

* Be generous to those who are not generous to them

This list that Jesus mentioned is WAY HARDER than merely attending certain events, avoiding others, or memorizing facts.  Jesus was saying that the godly life is an alien life.  In our fallen nature, what Jesus is asking us to do is both uncommon and impossible.

I mean seriously … who lives like this?!?

Well, there was One who did live this life.  And He has invited us and provided for us to follow Him.  This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 services in week 3 of our “Speak Plainly” sermon series, we will be looking at Luke 6:27-36 together to see what godliness looks like, and how Jesus has made a way for us to experience it.  See you Sunday … and bring friends!

Imagine that scene atop a plateau and near a mountain on the shore of the Sea of Galilee about 2,000 years ago …

Jesus, the Son of God, had just invited twelve men up towards the mountain’s summit where He called them to join His special team of Apostles.  Immediately after their commissioning they followed Jesus down the mountain to a flat place filled with people who needed Jesus’ help.  Some in the crowd were committed to Jesus as their rabbi (and hopeful Messiah), while others were curious (who is this guy that everyone is talking about?)

As the 12 followed Jesus down the mountain that day, no doubt they felt blessed.  “He picked ME to be on HIS team!!!”  They also probably wondered what all this would mean for their lives.  Being “blessed by God” looked a certain way in their minds.  Would they become rich?  Would they have all their desires fulfilled?  Would they become famous and beloved?  Would they live like rockstars?

Their expectations may have even been enhanced as they saw Jesus that day heal every sick person He saw, and free every oppressed person from the devil’s grasp.  “If He did all that for them, what will He do for us?” (They may have been wondering.)

Imagine their surprise that after healing the sick and casting out demons from the dominated, Jesus began a sermon by talking about the life that is blessed.

He looks over His disciples (Luke 6:20a tells us), and begins to define the blessed life.  No doubt the Apostles were welling up with pride, imagining how Jesus would finish the sentence, “Blessed are you who…” If they were blessed for following Him, surely they should expect to never get sick, to never experience difficulty, to never be in need.

When Jesus speaks, though, He says something shocking …

*  Blessed are the poor (not the rich).

*  Blessed are the hungry (not the full).

*  Blessed are the weeping (not the laughing).

*  Blessed are the persecuted (not the popular.)

In fact, Jesus went even further … the rich, the full, the laughing, and the popular are to be PITIED!

After making these statements, the Apostles may have been scratching their heads.  They may have even been wondering, “what have we been called into?”

Today we live in a world where some versions of Christianity make statements like “believe in Jesus and you will never be sick or poor and you will always be living your best life now.”  Because of this, many have become disillusioned when they trust Jesus and still deal with many struggles in this life.

But Jesus never promised no difficulties in our current experience.  In fact, Jesus says that the blessed life often looks poor, hungry, weeping, and beaten down.

How could this possibly be?

Followers of Jesus, He is our ROCK, and we are not rockstars.  We are attached to the One who is able to fill every wallet, satisfy every stomach, turn every frown upside down, and raise up the lowly.  Indeed He HAS promised to do  ALL OF THIS for ALL OF US who trust in Him … but let’s not get the calendar wrong.  This life has hints of the fullness of His blessings, but it is not until we enter eternity that all HIs promises will be realized around us.

Does that make us blessed?  Absolutely!  The mixed bag of triumph and tragedy will be experienced for a few decades, but the fullness of His provision will be enjoyed unfettered in an era without end.

This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church in part 2 of our series “Speak Plainly” we will look at Luke 6:20-26 and see the first section of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Plain” where He grabs their attention (and ours) with this surprising assessment of blessing and woe.  Hope to see you Sunday in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 service … and bring friends!

Have you ever been a part of a “tasting”?  I have not, but I have talked to friends who have participated in these events. In the “tastings” I am familiar with, the hosts of a party attend a dinner where they get to “taste” the different options for food that will be served at their gala.  Think about a bride and groom meeting with the caterer to decide if they want the beef or the chicken as the main course of the dinner at their wedding reception.  The small portions at the “tasting” are but an appetizer for the full size entrees at the feast.  The food at the tasting is real, but it is designed to whet the appetite for what is to come.

In Luke 6:17-19, after selecting His 12 apostles, Jesus descends from the mountain to resume His ministry among the people. In the congregation that day at Jesus’ open-air meeting on a plain were the 12 apostles (the core), many other people who were His disciples (the committed), as well as people who had traveled from great distances to see what Jesus was all about (the curious). The meeting that materialized that day included Jesus preaching His most famous sermon, but also Jesus demonstrating His compassion by healing the sick and casting out the demons from the oppressed.

What was Jesus doing?

He was offering a “tasting” of His goodness before the main feast would be served with the establishment of His Kingdom.  When Jesus returns to this earth and we live in His presence, what kinds of things can we expect?  Clarity of message.  Compassionate care.  Consistent relief from suffering.

Today, we live our lives in the face of great turmoil and need.  Like the people of the first century, we also deal with disease, depression, despair, and domination.  Where can we hope to find relief, compassion, and clarity?  By turning to Jesus.  His ministry that we see in the Gospels is real, and it is designed to whet our appetite for what is most certainly to come.

This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church join us in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 service as we will begin a new series titled “Speak Plainly: the message of the movement.”  This series will look at the Sermon on the Plain/Mount that Jesus gave in Luke 6:20-49.  In part 1 on Sunday, we will look at the intro to this section (Luke 6:17-19) as we see the “tasting” before the feast.

Join us Sunday in one of our all-in services (no children, student, college, or adult classes this week), as we worship God together for who He is, and for what He has promised to do when His kingdom comes.  This message is for the core, the committed, and the curious.  That means this message is for you, your children, and all you know.

Can’t wait to worship with you Sunday … and bring friends!