Appetites & Attitudes of Kingdom Citizens

Jesus promises the world.

Their name something evil Christian in China today call the rat Christian today. North Korea is considered treasonous to their great leader of Christian Muslim world is called an infant out even our own culture today. The Christian is being redefined as tolerance and unloving and downplayed the hard parts today you can see that Jesus didn't do as Jesus called his followers and as he prepared them for ministry. He didn't sugarcoat the realities of what it meant to follow him. He didn't exaggerate the benefits of the Christian life while ignoring the potential hardships he was honest about what following him would mean, here's the truth. Our commitment to declare Jesus as Lord comes with both earthly trials and eternal rewards. Stephen David is calling this message, appetites and attitudes for Christian citizens. One of the most famous musician of the last century was an African-American named Marion Anderson a woman he was a committed Christian, born in 1897 to believing parents who raised her and her siblings in Philadelphia. She would grow up to sing professionally everything from opera to gospel, she performed at the Metropolitan Opera and on stage throughout Europe to sellout crowds during her rather incredible career. She sang before Congress is heads of state. Toscanini, the world-renowned conductor said that hers was the finest voice of the 20th century. Later in life, a reporter asked Marion what was the greatest moment in her life that he suspected it might've been the concert she gave the king and queen in Buckingham palace, or perhaps singing at the inauguration of Pres. Eisenhower for being the very first recipient of the presidential medal of freedom may be receiving the Grammy award for lifetime achievement in 1991, two years before her death. She didn't speak of any of those she quietly responded that her greatest moment in the life, was that day many years earlier when she went home and told her mother she would not need to taken washing anymore. Her mother would not need to do the laundry of neighbors in order to help the family eat, how you define greatness about what would you say as you look back over your shoulder is the greatest moment a great day. I was a great event in your life over time that's going to change.

No doubt effect on just couple of months ago Marcy and I with the Charlotte for a few hours to celebrate her grandsons birthday.

We sponsored an afternoon of of fun and games that Dave and Buster's. If you never been it's it's it's crazy. It's loud noisy, but it has a restaurant attached with really good food for adults who are in the process of losing their hearing and a lot of money. Later that night he went on a scavenger hunt with clues that it been designed by Marcia known to him as Gigi. Later on that night when he climbed into bed. He said to his mother.

This was the greatest day of my whole life with Jesus is about to tell us that really the greatest things in life are about money or metals is turn everything upside down. It's going to be disturbing to his audience and to this day. It is unwelcome. So, go back with me to Luke's gospel in chapter 6 Jesus is been demonstrating his credentials as the true King not only of Israel but every nation really he's healing by his very presence, which was prophesied of the true Messiah. He's he's demonstrating his irresistible unstoppable authority over the demonic world also prophesied in the Old Testament of the Messiah is setting the captives free night begins preaching on the subject of what really makes you happy. What it means to be blessed.

The word is Makarios what it means to be genuinely discovering the favor of God that leads to happiness. True happiness. This is what it likes. Though in a more narrow context of what it means to belong to the king what it means to be a citizen of his coming kingdom. What is that look like well let me tell you upfront again.

If you're new to our study. Jesus is revealed to them the harsh realities of life. Now, but the heavenly realities of the kingdom coming.

The first thing we gotta do is redefine in our minds and hearts what it means to have the blessing of the king in our lives now. Sorry, get a running start on our last session we knows the first redefinition of being truly blessed. Verse 20. Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. We said this is much more than financial destitution. This is the ritual desperation. Blessed are those who depend entirely upon the king in order to get into the kingdom we could paraphrase this to read. Happy are the helpless who come to Christ and trust in him alone. This is the person to get the reservation in that kingdom, the person who enjoys here and now, what it means to have their security and their assurance and belonging to him because were not depending on ourselves. A good week. I guess I'm in this church for four weeks and are probably again. I miss devotions for four days running on good know we are helpless we are spiritually destitute.

The key is we are connected to the king. We trusted him alone. Secondly, Jesus informed us the truly happy people have an appetite for Sparta verse 21. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied in Matthews parallel account he had some helpful words. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be satisfied first. Blessed are the spiritually helpless now.

Blessed are the spiritually hungry.

If you demonstrate your citizenship in the kingdom of God by evidence. He got an appetite for kingdom, food, the glory of God the Word of God. The character described here by righteousness. This is subjective righteousness and hungering for whatever is right, whatever is right is righteous. The apostle Paul writes in this way. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable worth repeating. If there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things that you might be saturated be fed upon these things.

Here's your menu for righteous life feed on these things were Jesus uses here and you shall be satisfied is a word that comes directly from the farm to word prayer primarily means to feed the cattle car talk show filling them up with feed satisfied there well fed. Jesus hints that this paradox you're satisfied with something that fills you up then you're hungry again for that which satisfies you and your hungry again you feast on his word is Gloria's nature's attributes, his creative handiwork. Everything about everything that's right. An excellent, pure, all its righteous and I need to fill out hungry. This is the psalmist saying my soul is consumed with longing hungering after your word.

He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness. So here's the paradox you're hungry for that which satisfies you feast on it and then you're hungry all over again.

It's kind of reminded me of the status of Thanksgiving.

You pull up to the table like hungry cattle and you feast beyond that which is reasonable and in a couple of hours later. What are you doing merely kicking in the he's a punk and fire making the salmon through prayers. There's life deceased body doesn't have an appetite, a living body. It's hungry is Phil. Phil it's very sister physically and spiritually. Your longing for the word in the well of the way the work of God, and you never really reached the point where okay that does that.

You never get past his sense of dissatisfaction do you seem like you're never going to get over your spiritual need all over again. You know why because you spiritually alive. Happy are the helpless, happy are the hungry.

Now Jesus turns everything upside down again in his third beatitude we could paraphrase it.

Happy are the hurting notice. The last part of verse 21.

Blessed are you who we now for you shall laugh beginning context. Jesus is describing citizens of the kingdom of God living down here for a little while. There's a lot of weeping things leap about this is I think specifically in relation to that spiritual destitution. These are tears of repentance and humility.

This is what one author called an emotional breakdown that follows true recognition of spiritual bankruptcy. Tears of sorrow that lead later to the laughter without sorrow.

Jesus's description of judgment is that weeping will never end. His description of heaven is what those tears will be wiped away one more beatitude here. He doesn't pull any punches.

Look at verse 22. Blessed are you when people hate you when they exclude you and refile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the son of man notice to the Jesus doesn't say Blessed are you people hate you. But when they hate you not say exclude you but when they exclude and revile and spurn your net uses for verbs here to describe what they could expect they will be hated that verb means to be detested literally to be pursued with hatred. They just aren't gonna leave the disciples alone.

Maybe you're there. Your wine while they just leave me alone. They they might hate you why I may never be able to put their finger on it. Secondly, they will be excluded. He writes this means being the son ostracized by family and friends. Perhaps you've experienced something similar with people in our church family from other nations that are much more restrictive, who were disowned this error disinherited. I member when I gave my life to Christ at the age of 17, I lost all my friends started from scratch different appetite you can understand that sure can use a believer excluded early church history records the Jewish converts to Christ had their names corrupted from the roles of the synagogue essentially effectively no longer related to the Jewish nation.

They were disowned they were disinherited. It's as if they were dead. Thirdly, Jesus promises his disciples that they will be revile. This means disparage running down denounced, criticized, cut down marked, then perhaps for many of them Jesus as his fourth verb here when the world will spurn your name as evil.

This means to be defamed. In other words the world takes this final step in ruining a believer's reputation and turning their good name. It is something evil when the believer did nothing but good. Make sure it's because were doing good but benefit the Bible says if you're revile by doing evil depending on where you live and when this will rise and fall ebb and flow.

It didn't take the Roman Empire long to turn the name Christian which they were first called Antioch into something evil. If you read early church history, which I love to read. They accused the Christians of being cannibals. They twisted the meaning of the Lord's table reading flash and drinking bought their tennis balls.

People believe that they accused Christians of holding weekly orgies misunderstanding the phrase laws feast in the command to love one another. They said all their their their perverted when they gather together. One historian I read noted that above everything else. Christians were accused get this of hating humanity.

They were called haters of humanity, and for number reasons. They refused to enter the social activities attending the festivals of their guilds because they were related to idolatry and so they were called antisocial. You just don't like people.

They were called treasonous because they refuse to call Caesar Lord which every good citizen did they they refuse, they would claim only the Christ was Lord for treason, treasonous for that believers who actually love their neighbors and love their world for the sake of Christ were called haters of humanity. Jesus promises here in his sermon, the world will turn their name into something evil Christian in China today is called the four rats. The Christian today. North Korea is considered treasonous to their great leader baptized believer in Japan is considered disloyal to his ancestors, a Christian in a Muslim world is called an infidel. We go on believing in our own culture. Today the Christian is being redefined as intolerance, unloving, homophobic back word judge mental and yes hateful. Jesus promises that the followers of Christ are going to be in some measure detested disowned, denounced, defamed, and what's the real reason for all of his Jesus tells them here again in verse 22 on account of the son of man, they they they hated me before they ever hated you Jesus that there is a spiritual undertone to hear there is there is this hatred of the kingdom of darkness, against the king over the kingdom of light. In other words, then the name is spurn the Christians name and reputation. Why, because you believe that Jesus alone is Laura.I mean how dogmatic is that because of our belief in in the biblical gospel of heaven and hell, sin and salvation. How judgmental it is, is that because of our belief in the moral claims of creator God regarding gender and sexual relationships how backward can you be because of our belief in God's design for marriage while you're just on the last thing I believe that Jesus is God incarnate Jehovah in the flesh.

The only way, truth alive.

Nobody gets to the father except through him.

How narrow can you be you must take people as we believe. So it is because you hate humanity because you're backward or unloving or narrow. We simply believe the word of God. It's not for about will determine what we believe by the courts, denominational councils, we simply hold to the word of God you believe all that you're heading into a storm that perhaps may grow to keep this in mind when Jesus is saying this at this particular moment.

He's sounding really strange to his disciples, they were surrounded by thousands of adoring people who are clamoring to see Jesus and in here Jesus just get near to him what you mean, what were working to be hated and excluded and reviled and and defamed because were associating with you.

Everybody around for you. This can get you the greatest leader on the rejection of Jesus begins to pick up steam sometime after the sermon were told in John's gospel that many of his disciples left him and would no longer walk with him when you walk in the footsteps of Jesus. What you do with unitive if they take your name and twisted in the something evil with you to do with following Jesus doesn't win friends and loses friend costs from when you get to do to get ridiculed or maybe even fired from your job because of her moral belief. When you get to doing that.

Prof. mocks Christianity and you stand for read and hear, ridiculed, and then on your way home from class to get a flat tire on top of everything Jesus isn't paying off. We will leave no longer walk with them too much trouble.

Jesus is saying early on even 20 surrounded by thousands of adoring fans way wait-and-see.

Jesus wants his disciples to do is take a longer look at life. Notice verse 23.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy really jump for joy. Why, behold, your reward is great in heaven look further down the road for so their fathers did to prophets in other words, you can be treated much like the prophets were treated by this nation. When they do they kill them. They told the truth to their generation. Just take a little longer. Look what you like to have the reward of and I say Jeremiah Daniel is also implying that the generation of the prophets did not have the last word.

God did to remember this coming day and I will give you joy as you work through the realities of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Don't let your perspective get stuck down here by what you see around.

I recently have an interesting event I accepted my five years ago came to mind as a study done around found it.

This perspective, the Lord wants us to have that it was illustrated so well by the will read it on a balmy October afternoon in 1982 badgers Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, was packed more than 60,000 diehard University of Wisconsin fans were there to cheer on their football team. They were cheering against Michigan for what seemed God.

However, as the score became more and more lopsided was the fact that Michigan had a better team that year, but even while Wisconsin was getting just literally cream. There were these bursts of applause and shouts of joy from the Wisconsin fans who losing how good they cheer when their team was being beaten so badly on the field well it turns out that 70 miles away. Another Wisconsin team.

The Milwaukee Brewers were playing the St. Louis Cardinals in game three of the World Series and the Brewers were winning most of the fans at this college football game were listening on their portable radios and they were responding with joy something other than that which was happening on the field in front of them. Imagine the other team scores a touchdown jump for joy here. Why how you do that don't just like it was happening on the field in front of you. Jesus reminds him that that that's not all there is. The apostle Paul put it this way so we do not lose heart. Why every reason to well think about this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.

As we look not to the things that are seen on the field in front of us, but to the things that are seen coming kingdom the things that are seen are temporary things that are unseen are eternal. So make sure you're tuned in to the kingdom station.

Don't let the signal get overpowered or or or distorted by the static kingdoms of our Shea temporary you belong to the king's kingdom is coming. It happens to be your inherited so stay tuned. This message Luke six. It's called appetites and attitudes for kingdom citizens. This is wisdom for the heart. We are the Bible teaching ministry of Stephen Davey. If you have a comments question over would like more information you can send an email if you address it to info@wisdomonline.org we have a place on our website were Stephen answers questions that have come in from listeners like you go there and read through all of the other questions that have already been answered. All posted online. Thanks again for joining us today. Come back next time. For more