Your Counter Culture Calling

Luke 6 verses 20 through 20. This is where we'll find the passage of study for the sermon today. Luke 6 verses 20 through 26. We'll begin reading in just a moment. But we come to today Luke's recording of Christ's incredible prayer and sermon on the Mount. And we're going to come front and center with a portion of that sermon. And let me just state right up front today, the topic that we're going to cover today is essential to having the proper type of thinking. Essential and proper type of thinking is not optional for our desire and our success in making it to the kingdom of God.

Because the truth is, you cannot make it to the kingdom in the days in which we just observed the fulfillment of the kingdom. You will not make it to the kingdom while thinking like the culture that's around you. Why? Well, simply stated, the kingdom of God operates in a completely different type of way. The kingdom of God operates by a completely different logic, a wholesale reversal of what the culture values. And until our thinking is renewed in this way, our hearts will never be aligned with God and his purposes here on earth. You see, this sermon on the Mount matters because our perspective determines our path.

I wonder if you believe that. It is the truth of how you think will determine how you walk. And how you walk will determine where you end up. That's why when you look at Jesus's teachings, not only did he spend so much time in what the disciples were to believe, what they were to believe, but also spent a tremendous amount of time on how they were to think as they viewed the culture around them. He knew if their eyes remained fixed on the world's values, will they not be able to successfully navigate those pressures?

Now, before we get to chapter 20, let me just set the scene for us a little bit here. On the previous day, Jesus had gone up the mountain there and perhaps to get away from the crowds, but also to pray to his father. If you allow your eyes just to go up to verse 12 for a moment, that fact is given to us. Luke records, now it came to pass in those days, Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, continued praying all night. Luke records there. Then the next morning he called the 12 disciples to himself, verse 13, called the disciples to himself, and from them he chose 12 whom he also named apostles. But now, in this moment, he came down from the mountain. He was met by a great and large crowd. Verse 19, Luke reveals that many endeavored to touch him, and those that were able to were healed immediately. So power in this moment was flowing from Jesus here. Again, that's verse 19. So that's important to state just because of the fact that the power of God was absolutely on full display at this moment, and the crowds came to hear from the Son of God himself, longing to hear from him. So, standing on this plateau of the mountain here, that created a sort of amphitheater, no doubt. He began to speak these incredible words and began to, right at the beginning, reveal this counter-cultural calling. This is what he was presenting to him, to them. Here it is. Luke 6. Let's begin reading in verse 12. Luke records, then he, Jesus, lifted up his eyes toward his disciples and said, Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and when they revile you, and when they cast your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like man or their fathers did to the prophets. Verse 24, I believe there's a pause here, and as Jesus looks out and says, But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

And woe to you when men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Let's stop there.

So it may be fitting to, after letting Jesus's words land on us there, to ask a few questions perhaps. So class, here's the questions for you.

Which would you rather be? Okay, in light of Jesus's words there, which would you rather be? You need to choose one of the two lists here. Okay, here they are. Would you rather be either poor, hungry, sad, and hated, or would you rather be rich, well-fed, happy, and popular?

Okay, so that's the choice to consider. In case you're having a little trouble between the lists, this is it. Which would you rather be? Poor, hungry, sad, hated, or rich, well-fed, happy, and popular? Now don't answer too quickly. Maybe I should have revealed this before I ask the question. As you consider this, I want to tell you that the answer to this question that you give is extremely important. And the weight that your answer to this question actually has eternal implications. Okay? Your answer here, what you answer, hinges ultimately upon a matter of your eternal life. So no pressure there. But again, your answer to this question has extreme implications on you as a called believer. Now, I think this is not a trick question, okay? And I think at first glance, myself included, the answer to this question, which would you rather be? I think we can confidently say as a group, we would rather of course be rich versus poor, right? Who among us wouldn't rather be well fed versus hungry, happy rather than sad, well-liked, popular, rather than hated? And in fact, if you think about it, to a certain extent, the totality of our physical existence, we endeavor in such a way to create our life in such a way where it resembles one list, that first list, over the other, right? But yet, here are the striking words from Jesus Christ here, who stands before us today in Scripture here. And if these are the words of Jesus, then let me also ask, what if we have the whole thing wrong? What if we, as God's people, have our perspective completely upside down? Could that be the case where our value system that we have developed is so dreadfully skewed? Where the things that we have placed priority on and significance are the things that we should not? Or, to those of you out there who like to consider all things, what if Jesus has it all upside down, you know, here? Could that be possible here? It's just, it's quite perplexing. Blessed are you poor and hungry, and blessed are you if you weep now, and blessed are you if you're hated. Now, let me answer one of those parts right off the bat. We can never conclude that our Creator has anything wrong. In fact, you know, not only did he create us, but he created everything around us, and how everything operates. So he has the answers here. So that only leaves one party who perhaps has it upside down. And make no doubt who he's speaking to here. Very clearly, Luke, as a doctor, very detailed, he makes sure he adds, he lifted eyes up toward, and Luke adds that detail, verse 20, his disciples. So these words are confronting God's people here. So what is Jesus saying? Well, I think we can only conclude that he's telling his people, his followers, those to whom he's calling to himself today, that those men and women from the time of that calling must begin to think differently. To be a followers of him, it's going to require different thinking, and not just a little different thinking. I'm talking about a wholesale, radical transformation to anything that is natural in our thoughts.

In other words, Jesus's followers are to be different. Different from whom?

Different from those who are not called in this world.

And as you begin to ponder on this, it really makes sense. You know, if you look at church history, biblical history, history from more current, I think, and I know you'll agree, that a review of history, the history of the church, reveals that the church, God's people, have been most effective towards their purposes for God when they have been radically different than the culture that's around them. That's an absolute fact. We are most effective during those times.

And we discover when you look at church history that God, from all of eternity, has purposed this very thing. He purposed from the very beginning to set us apart, to set his people apart from, and to set his people apart to. God calls his people with the intention to set them apart from sin, to set them apart from the world and its cultures, to set us, his people apart from our own desires, to then set us apart to righteousness, his purposes, and to set us apart to his kingdom culture, if you will, which is so radically different than the world's culture. We are set apart to be different. And let me just, to punctuate this fact, let me just very quickly give you two examples of this truth as we see it in Scripture. First, from the Old Testament. Keep your marker here and turn with me to Leviticus 18 verses 1 through 5. We're just going to look at a couple of examples, one from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament. The Old Testament here in Leviticus 18 verses 1 through 5. Again, from the very beginning, God's intention is that we would be set apart from and set apart to. Look at what is recorded for us here in Leviticus 18, beginning in verse 1. Here it says, Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, I am the Lord your God, according to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do, and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do, nor shall you walk in their ordinances.

Okay, set apart from. Rather, you shall observe my judgments, and keep my ordinances to walk in them. I am the Lord your God, and you shall therefore keep my statutes, my judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them. I am the Lord. So let's stop there. And if you go on to read here in Leviticus, he then goes on to provide the practicalities of the outworking of this principle of being set apart from and set apart to. I am delivering you out of, God says, I am setting you apart from them. You shall not do that anymore. I'm setting you apart from that. I'm bringing you out from that culture. And I'm setting you now apart to a counter way of life. And you see this all throughout the Scripture, this principle. And though what happens is, throughout the generations, many don't. Many men and women don't respond to the call to be countercultural, and they end up being absorbed by the culture, and chaos ensues every time. But God calls us his people to be holistically different. You are now my people. You belong to me. And I want all of you, even the way you think, even the way you perceive the world around you. I want it all. Now, one more example. Perhaps if I asked, what's the most classic example of this setting apart from and to, many of you would come up with it. The most classic teaching in the New Testament comes to us from Romans 12, verses 1 and 2. Let's turn there, if you will. Romans 12, verses 1 and 2, before we get back to Luke. Here in Romans 12, verses 1 and 2, we have it here in the New Testament. This principle of setting apart from and setting apart to. When you begin to look at it, you see it replete throughout all the Scripture. Romans 12, verse 1, Paul says this, I beseech you therefore, brethren, so Paul's teaching this countercultural calling, this understanding. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And verse 2, see if you can pick up on it here, and do not be conformed to this world.

But be transformed by the renewing of your mind, your thinking, that you may prove, give the evidence of what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

So let's stop there. So there it is on full display. Do not be conformed to this world anymore. I'm setting you apart from them, from it, and now you are going to be set apart to a renewing of your mind, your thinking. And I believe, I hope the young people listen to this, whenever there's a season in God's church where there's ineffectiveness, it is always as a result of the failure to take seriously the command to be different. It's that simple. Where, in those times, the uncalled say, well, you're a lot like us. We're really the same.

And so our ability to be different is so crucial.

If you think about the outworking of this, what right does a called of God, man or woman, what right do they have to proclaim anything against the culture when they are, for example, fudging on their tax returns? When they fudge on their tax returns, what right do they have to speak about their, to their co-workers about integrity? None. Why? Their words are ineffective. They're unauthentic because they're just like the culture that they're speaking against. You see.

Young people, what effectiveness do you have, you think, when you engage in immorality in relationships?

What authority or what effectiveness would you have then to speak anything about morality into your culture around you? You see, when we're not separate from the culture, it makes our witness, as we heard in the sermon, ineffective. Why? Well, we're just part of it. We're not counter to the culture at all. That's why the call from God. One more. What does the man or woman of God, who gossips damaging an individual's reputation, what right do they have then to speak about the beauty of the transforming grace of God? What right do we have to speak of God's love and grace when we participate in things that are of the culture? You see. And it is so damaging. I'll speak to the older people now, and myself included. It is so damaging to the reputation of us as we represent God when our young people see hypocrisy. They see we're participating in the very thing that we're preaching against. Oh, is there anything more damaging than that to the authenticity, the effectiveness of our word? You see.

So you see why this, why Jesus Christ comes down off the mountain, filled with the spirit, people are touching him and getting healed, the power is there, and what is the first thing he speaks about? This very thing. He comes out and says, this is your counter-culture calling, and this is what you're being called to. And it is essential. It is essential. So if you'd like to turn back to Luke 6 and verse 20 again.

This is where we are here, and let's just spend the rest of the time we have in kind of looking at this and going through this, digging in some, but allowing for the opportunity for you to do further study on. So here in Luke 6 verse 20, Macarios is the word.

It is what's being repeated here. Blessed, blessed. Macarios, happy, could also be a translation. A beatitude, a state of happiness, of well-being, being expressed here by Jesus Christ. And now he goes right into the teaching. And he begins, verse 20, blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. All right, let's stop there. So, brethren, immediately go out and sell everything you have, right?

And yours will be the kingdom of God. Is that what Jesus is teaching? Perhaps you can tell by the tone of my voice. No. You know, if we go out and sell everything on the corner, thinking that we would inherit the kingdom of God, well, think about it. Going out and manufacturing physical poorness, that's not really counter-cultural, per se, right?

There's many poor in society in various degrees. I don't know if that's counter to our culture here, but that's actually one of the ways religions have interpreted this first instruction here. If you're poor, you're in, you know. So, no money, no resources, no stuff. You're in to the kingdom of heaven. Is that what Jesus is teaching here? No, not at all. So, what is he teaching? Well, what he's saying is those who become aware of their poverty spiritually, they are the ones who become the beneficiaries of the kingdom of God. Those who become aware and live in such a way of their poverty spiritually, and those who are called to and achieve that, well, we could say right off the bat, that would be and is counter-cultural, right?

These poor that Jesus speaks of are humble to their core. They have an awareness of their natural inclination of their moral poverty, right? They're examining themselves. They understand their natural propensity to being, to having poverty morally, right? So, they have that desire, then well up in them to become rich in God's grace and forgiveness. Now, it's important to state that sometimes God employs physical poverty in the life of a called man or woman to bring about a spiritual blessing. Did you know that? That certain times in your life, perhaps some of you are going through this time now, seasons of physical poverty can actually be a spiritual blessing.

God knows that, too, if we respond in the right manner. Because physical poverty can actually be a means to move us to dependence upon Him, dependence in a spiritual way, you see. So, that can also be a blessing there. Perhaps this is what Jesus was evoking and enacting in the rich young ruler. We won't turn there, but of course, good master, he came and said, what must I do to inherit eternal life?

I've kept all your commandments, he said. But within a couple of minutes, he's walking away sorrowful. Why? Well, Jesus says, it's hard, I tell you the truth, it's hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And then the striking picture that's given, it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Ultimately, the young ruler could not see how desperate and how poor he was spiritually in that moment.

And so, Christ enacted a technique through physical poverty with the hope to bring him to spiritual poverty, the awareness of that, you see. And it really is the reason why those who are called, a great portion of those who are called, perhaps are not chosen because they're too rich, they're too self-satisfied, they're too self-healing, they're too self-assured.

And Jesus is calling them and us to a counter-cultural way of thinking and living. So that's number one. The next blessing here that he mentions in verse 21, the same thing reveals itself in hunger, he says. Okay, so verse 21, "'Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled,' he says." So is Jesus suggesting physical destitution is the ultimate blessing. Physical starvation is somehow the key to blessings.

If so, that would be pretty easy to achieve, perhaps. You just go home, you sell everything, you get rid of all your food, go find a bed of nails to lay on, you know, and you're on your way there. That would be nonsensical, of course. Why doesn't that work? You know, some religious men and women have gone down that road. Why doesn't that not work? Why is that not the key?

Simply stated, it is because pride is not removed with the removal of physical stuff.

Okay, pride is not automatically removed with the removal of physical stuff.

Likewise, spiritual fullness is not enacted with getting rid of material things.

Why? These are heart issues. This is internal issues that this is thinking. This is our mind. This is what Jesus is dealing with here. This is the blessing and happiness, which comes from a hunger for spiritual nourishment, for spiritual bread, for the bread of life, for Jesus Christ and His teachings and His example. This is a hunger to be filled in that way. Same thing with sadness. So, poor, you're blessed, hunger, you're blessed. Now verse 21, the next one that comes is, Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. So, number three in the list is sadness.

This is definitely counter-cultural in our natural thinking. What is Jesus doing here with this list here and bringing on, mentioning sadness here? He is presenting the pure essence of the gospel of the good news of the coming kingdom of God and how we achieve it and how we can participate in its blessings. The gospel message is, there's many ways to describe the gospel message, one way, which is a very pure way, is that the gospel message is this, sacrifice now for the ultimate blessing later. If you need just something just to get right down to the core of it, what we're doing is called men and women in this lifetime right now. It is sacrifice now for a time when blessings will come beyond measure. Sacrifice now for the ultimate blessing later. Glorify God now and he will glorify us. He'll share his glory with us later. Are you willing to think in this way where the issues of your physical life are set in the context of the coming kingdom of God? Are you willing in this lifetime to be poor, lowly, humble, hungry? Are you willing in this lifetime to be hungry rather than then filled physically? To sacrifice everything today, even to the point of sorrow and tears, so that one day, by grace through faith, you will laugh in the ultimate joy of his kingdom. So yes, in that context, in the context of the coming kingdom of God in our countercultural calling, verse 22, you can actually be blessed. You can consider yourself blessed, verse 22, when men hate you and exclude you and revile you. That's talking badly about you and cast you out as something evil for the Son of man's sake. So young people, as you are living counterculturally and you find yourself as an outcast, let me tell you on the strength of Scripture, you are blessed. And you are doing the right thing. You are on the right track. You know, do you want to be popular now in this culture with your driving desire to be liked and accepted in this culture? And one of the things that Jesus says is, if that's the case, you may be on the receiving ends of his words where he says, depart from me, I never knew you.

Or do you want to do the things that will make you perhaps unpopular and unaccepted today to have Jesus Christ say later, welcome to my kingdom?

Because, verse 23, there's rejoicing, there's joy. Verse 23, there's a reward that will be known to you when you are hated for my sake. So this is counter-cultural thinking. We're working on becoming radically different in our thinking when these things come to you because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. And so you can count those things as a cause for joy.

When you're on the receiving end. And it is on that account of the faithfulness to the Son of God that a man or woman will be blessed. And you will be setting yourself apart from the culture, the way they think, and the way they behave today. And setting apart yourself to a new way of thinking and behaving. And the new way where the individual will receive all of the kingdom in its fullness, laughter, and joy. Now, there is a shift here, which we'll spend a little time on here, beginning in verse 24 through 25. It seems to indicate, beginning in verse 24, that Jesus lifts his eyes once again, maybe to the greater group that's there. He's definitely speaking to his disciples in those first three scriptures. Now it would seem to indicate he's speaking to the larger group here when he says more generally, verse 24, verse 24, but woe to you who are rich. Maybe he increased the volume of his voice when he said that. For you have received your comfort in consolation.

The disciples weren't rich for sure, so it does seem like he's speaking to the larger crowd here. Woe to you rich. You've received your comfort. Phillips paraphrases this to say, how miserable. Woe! How terrible! How miserable! What a dreadful thing to think that this life is your ultimate consolation or comfort. I hope it's not. It's not meant to be. You see, this can't be the best life. Oh, how miserable if it is. How miserable if you are living in such a way where the things of this culture and this life is going to be your ultimate comfort. That would be a dreadful thing, an unfortunate thing, you know. And the riches of this life, such pale in comparison to the riches to come. Now, to really just punctuate these woes here, this dreadful situation, it can be summarized in one verse. And actually, Luke touches on this. You remember the parable of the rich fool? We'll just read one verse. If you allow yourself to go forward to Luke 12 and verse 20, we'll come back. Luke 12 and verse 20. We have it summarized in one verse. Now, I'll paraphrase here, this rich fool, no offense, that's what Scripture calls him.

This rich fool said, I've got it made in the shade physically. I can tear down my barns and I can build more. I can say to myself, you know, I've got everything, everything's stored away. I got plenty of things laid up for many years. Eat, drink, and be merry. God says to that individual, you fool. And let's pick it up in verse 20. Verse 20, but God said to him, Fool, this night your soul will be required of you. Then whose will those things be which you have provided for yourself? Verse 21, so is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. That is the key. That is the key. Lay up treasure for himself with earthly things. Wow! Why would you do that? The treasure to come, the heavenly treasure, it's so much greater.

How unfortunate would that be? And that's really the key here is we are not to store up things for ourselves, but we are to be rich toward toward God. So going back to Luke 6 again, Luke 6 and 24, we understand what he means here when he says, Luke 6 verse 24, woe to you who are rich, for you've received your comfort, your consolation there, and you fail to acknowledge your need for God. Verse 25, woe to you who are fool, you know, the delusion. Be careful if you're in a season where you're well fed, we could say. Be careful. This is, we need to always be thinking, how can I, I want to make sure I'm counter-cultural thing. We don't want to be comforted or fed by the things of the earth. The things of the earth. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

You know, laughter's good. The scriptures replete with that. The Old Testament says laughter is like good medicine. So what is Jesus saying? Well, don't attach seasons of laughter with blessings and seasons of testing and trial with non-blessing, because tragedy and trial can actually be the means by which God's dealing with you for his purposes for eternity. When in eternity, there's going to be lots more joy, lots more laughter. So even in Ecclesiastes, it says it's better to go to the house of mourning than to join the laughter of fools, you see.

So in trial, there's a great opportunity for us to grab on to this counter-cultural thinking. Now, it's good to laugh, right? And to be joyous, always. But in a way, we can even be more joyous and rejoicing and laughing, even in the midst of trial, because we have this counter-cultural thinking, you see. So we are blessed even when we're poor. We're blessed even when we're in times of hunger. We're blessed even when we're in seasons of weeping. We are blessed. Oh, we're a blessed people.

We're blessed even when people speak poorly of us.

So just know, Jesus is saying, in living this life, there will be a counter-cultural aspect to it. And with this, he continues his incredible sermon.

But it's so interesting that he comes right out. And the most important thing on his heart and mind is this teaching to be counter-cultural in everything that we do.

If you, brethren, want to be rich in this lifetime, well-fed, happy, and popular, you can sign up anywhere. Those booths are all around. They're on every corner. But for the called believer who wants to sign up for the eternal blessings to come, there's only one place to where that sign-up sheet is. There's only one place you sign up for poverty, hunger, sadness, and hatred. And Jesus is saying, that is when you come and bow before my sacrifice. Because he, Jesus, who for our sake became poor, in order that we, through his poverty, might know the riches of eternal life, and that we might know the ultimate blessing of entrance into his Father's kingdom. You see, this is Jesus's perspective, and he lived it. He lived it. And he says, now come and share in this calling with me, and yours will be the kingdom of God, where you will be filled with joy and laughter. In fact, verse 23, verse 23, indeed, your reward is great in heaven, and one day you will leap for joy. And so, let's pray that he will help us. One of the most important aspects for us to pray for, as we come from the worship, looking forward to the fulfillment of the kingdom of God, which we just came off of, one of the most important things that we pray for is for this perspective and this kind of thinking. So, let's pray that God would help us live fully in our counter-culture calling.