Kingdom Come: Week 2
- Throughout his Gospel, Luke makes it clear that entrance into the kingdom of God is not based on physical circumstances or success, but it is based on accepting the conditions of the kingdom— if you want to get in to the Kingdom, you have to accept how this Kingdom works— and at the center of the kingdom is Jesus
- But the kingdom of God doesn’t always operate like we expect it to, like we think it should, or even like what we would want it to. In fact, the Kingdom of God works counter to our assumptions.
- Luke 6:17-26
- I love how Luke the doctor, the well-educated, the thorough researcher makes a clear distinction between the sick that were being healed, and the demon-possessed who were being healed.
- 3 times in two verses Luke, the doctor mentions healing— I love it
- Luke 6:20-26
- This right here is why Jesus is so challenging, even divisive at times. He’s going to take our assumptions, our metrics, and turn them on their head. That’s what makes Jesus so unreal in His teaching and preaching. He’s absolutely dismantling, replacing and taking everything that we’re taught to believe, that we understand as “success,” and that we assume is the way things work, and he says “no, that’s not it.” He’s completely disruptive.
- Since when did poverty, hunger, sorrow and rejection become blessing? And when do wealth and abundance, and being thought well of be cause for caution and sorrow? In every great success story, the key component in every inspirational book, everyone who was ever on Oprah, is that they moved from here—poverty, rejection, hunger, despair—and they moved to wealth. Isn’t it? Isn’t every great success story marked by someone who moved from here to here? It moves in this direction. But Jesus shows up and goes, “No, no, no. It moves the other way.”
- ANd it’s confounding, and it’s hard. But Jesus is making a point. He’s letting his disciples know that His kingdom, the Kingdom of God, works differently than the kingdoms of the world. That the Kingdom of God is for the humble and desperate, not the haughty and comfortable. He’s not speaking against being wealthy, he’s letting us know that there is more to life in the Kingdom than our socioeconomic status. If you’re wealthy, that’s fine, but don’t let that be all your life is about.
- Luke 6:27-31
- The Kingdom of God works counter to our offenses
- In this moment Jesus is introducing a standard of living that is so counter-intuitive to human nature. Love your enemies…man…
- Agape love— love that is shown even when the loved one has no merit for that love. It is love that is chosen and willed.. not fallen into. It is the love that was first shown to us by God, through Jesus.
- And Jesus is saying, if you want to be my followers, if you’re listening, if you’re ready to hear and obey, than you have to let your offenses go— when someone hates you, curses you, insults you, takes from you, takes advantage of you— let those moments go— choose to love those who don’t deserve it.
- The Kingdom of God works counter to our offenses
- Luke 6:32-36
- The Kingdom of God works counter to our culture
- In these statements, Jesus is showing how his followers must be different. He says “so what if you love those who love you, or do good to those do good to you, or lend to those who pay back? Everyone does that.” Everyone takes care of their own, that’s not anything new. But to love your enemies, that is something bigger. That is something greater. That makes you children of God, heirs to His kingdom, because He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. He is merciful to the undeserving.
- Video
- “You cannot comprehend the deepest love God has for you until you realize that he has that same love for the person or people you most despise.”
- Love your enemies.. and you will be children of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
- The Kingdom of God works counter to our culture
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