Luke 6.37-49 - Sermon on the Plain (Part 2)

Jesus' most famous sermon continues with some of his more famous imagery.  Jesus is a preacher, but Jesus is not preachy.  His images are earthy and easy to understand, yet they are not earthly, dull, or flat.  Jesus' true message is about imitation and discipleship.  If we follow the ways of Jesus, we are more concerned with leading ourselves than leading others.
When we call Him "Lord, Lord", we commit ourselves to imitate Him, learn His ways and follow Him.

Luke 6.20-37

Two of Luke's difficult sayings on stewardship:

Luke 18.22

Acts 2.45

Luke 4 - part 2

Unfortunately, this is what people think of when they think of an exorcism.  Spinning heads and vomit. Priests leaping from windows. The reality of this kind of oppression is actually worse.  The man in the congregation at Capernaum suffered greatly, with no relief until Christ.  Many suffer the same way in our own day; often, this suffering is diagnosed as some sort of mental illness. (1) We do a disservice when we despiritualize this kind of suffering. (2) We must develop a healing ministry for people who suffer in this way.  Casting out demons is not a matter of some type of incantation, but the healing power of the presence of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Luke 4

In Luke 4, Jesus begins his ministry in the synagogue.  Jesus preaches with authority, a recurrent theme early in Luke.  What does this authority look like?  What about someone else who reads the same words.  Was Jesus just an effective public speaker? Surely that is not it.  Some have spoken powerful, manipulative words, without this kind of authority.  They led people to their deaths or had them kill others.

Jesus delivers the Old Testament prophetic message with a new authority, full of the grace of God, delivered to an amazed and sometimes angered congregation.  Healing and exorcism accompany these sermons.  Jesus came to transform and show the true power of God for humanity.  As he said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God...I was sent for this pupose."  God be praised.

Luke

This week we begin an extended sermon series on the gospel of Luke.

Some common assumptions about Luke the writer:

1. Physician - the gospel of Luke recounts many healings and presents a compassionate Jesus. However, this profession for Luke is biblically based on Colossians 4, not the gospel itself.

2. Gentile - if Luke is a Gentile writer, he is certainly the evangelist most interested in the Jewishness of Jesus. The beginning chapters of Luke's gospel present close up views of the Temple and Jesus' very Jewish upbringing, including his circumcision on the eighth day. Based on this information, recent scholars have challenged this tradition.

3. Character in the Story - in Acts 16, Luke uses "we" in the narrative, placing himself in the story as Paul sails the Mediterranean.

The gospel:

1. Is part one of a two part series, including the book of Acts. Paul begins before the birth of Jesus and ends with Paul in Rome.

2. Is not really a gospel, but an epistle to a certain new Christian named Theophilus.

3. Is intended "so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed" (Luke 1.4).

Amos 5 - Overflowing Worship

Amos 5.24 is probably the most famous passage in the book, particularly over the last century. Martin Luther King's quotation of the text will echo for years to come. Hard to top that.

These are some of the strongest words of the prophet Amos. The day of the Lord is dark. The Lord calls Israel to task, not just for its actions, but also for its very worship, a worship pleasing to humanity and displeasing to God.

"But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."

May our worship overflow with spirit and truth!

219th General Assembly

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