The Kingdom Jesus came to initiate inside of you is so wildly different than what our world expects, you almost look lucky. Tune in today to learn how your citizenship and not your circumstances determine more about you than you know. Jump in with us in Sections 49 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT’S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).
OPENING ILLUSTRATION:
I am perhaps one of the most unlucky people you will ever meet! I’m telling you, if something could go wrong, it’s going to happen to me. The first time this hit me was when I was a kid, we had been going off and on to this church – they were having a meal afterward and it was a fancy church. Like, they had real crystal and china for church meals – none of this paper plates and red solo cups! For some reason, my parents asked me to carry the tray. I think they were trying to empower me. But as I was carrying this tray, I started to fumble it and everything flew off of it. crashing to the floor, tons of crystal and china. You could see in the old lady’s faces that I had just committed a mortal sin. Ha. And since that point in time, that’s basically the story of my life…
So much so, that I’ve learned to use my bad luck to my advantage. I’ve found that if I’m in a doctor’s office and I’m really getting into an article in a magazine that the doctor will call me to come. I used to hate this, but now I use it to my advantage 🙂
Can I ask you a question?
Who are the people you consider “lucky” in our world?
If you’re like me, you’ve got a person in your mind who nothing ever goes wrong for. The person who just lucks into meeting famous people, the person who starts a business and it all just seems to go well for. I’ve got a buddy who is hyper-aware of his luck and he will tell you right away, he doesn’t know why, but he always seems to be in the right place at the right time…
What are the things you would use to say a person is lucky?
b
Did you know Jesus talks about who gets to be lucky in this world?
Ah, some of you are like, “Kent, this sounds like witchcraft – I don’t remember Jesus ever saying anyone was lucky”
Let me read you the passage and then it will make sense to you, you ready for this?
As I read this passage, every time you hear the word blessed, I want you to use the word “lucky” in your mind.
Matthew 5:1-12
When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then[a]he began to teach them, saying:
- Blessed are those who are happy and have it all together, for they will be the envy of all
- Blessed are those who are surrounded by loved ones, for they never have to experience true loss
- Blessed are the powerful, for they get whatever they want
- Blessed are those who are hungry for more and more, for their hunger will only grow
- Blessed are those who are in control and overpower, for they get to be in charge
- Blessed are those who are willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want, for they will be feared by all
- Blessed are those who will do what it takes to win any fight, for they will never lack an opponent
- Blessed are those whose life is easy and never has to stand against or for anything, because their life will be easy and relatively meaningless
Ha, some of you are like, “wait a second, I don’t think that’s right…”
I made up all those blessed/lucky statements
b
Some of you know that’s not what Jesus said – but this is what you would expect if you were making a list of what makes a person lucky, right?
b
I did this because I want, when you read Jesus’ actual list of what makes you lucky or blessed, for you see it for what it is – strange…
Mt 5:1-12
When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then[a]he began to teach them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the humble,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
11 “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me.12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
So, what’s the deal? Why does Jesus’ list seem so backward from what you would expect?
-poor in spirit? Mourning? humble?
Matthew has just got done at the end of Chapter 4 telling you how Jesus has been preaching the Kingdom of God, and now, Jesus is going to sit down and tell you what it’s like for someone who lives in the Kingdom – for the person who has found the treasure of God.
When you have the Kingdom of God in your life, you have the luckiest of all lives!
But why?
Jesus’ point is that circumstances don’t determine your status – your citizenship does…
-you can be depressed
-you can be the janitor sweeping up after people
-you can be the lowest of the lows and still you have been translated from a life of meaninglessness to a life of complete meaning.
This kind of perspective allows you to live with a freedom others find perplexing
-You can say no to things that seem like absolute opportunities
ILLUSTRATION: Not taking a promotion to stay with the team you’ve been able to share Jesus with, guy who chose to stay in prison as a Christian so he could continue to share the gospel
-You can say yes to things that seem like the absolute wrong thing
ILLUSTRATION: kids going to bible college when their parents told them not to, missionaries going on the field, giving up a secular job to work at a church
Reminds me of what Paul says…:
Romans 8:35-39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[a]
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When you are “in Christ” you are already “in”
What does this mean for us?
- It means if you AREN’T “in Christ” (never committed your life to Him as Lord & Savior) then you better worry… (Matthew 21:44)
- It means if you ARE “in Christ” you can hold the things of this world loosely – your time, your treasure, and your talent all become opportunities for God to work rather than means by which you gain significance (Philippians 3:8)
- It means rebooting and reinstalling an entirely new way of thinking about life that is counter to our culture (Romans 12:2)
Just because you are saved doesn’t mean your body, mind, and heart doesn’t need to come under the thinking and way of the Kingdom. This is why you NEED to be in a connect group – around other Christians who can help challenge you.
CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:
The day we visited the Mount of the Beatitudes in Israel was July 5th, in the US on the 4th, there had been an attack where some people got shot in Chicago – our tour guide had been quiet. We found out it’s because his dad had been shot and was in the hospital. He finally shared as we were getting off the bus – he had talked to his dad that day and found out he was ok. But as we were getting off the bus – it hit me that 11 years earlier on July 6th, my dad had died. That morning, I had talked to him because he was in the hospital and he had used the same words, “don’t worry about me, I’m fine” I tried to hide my face as this flood of emotions ran through my bones. I held back from the group, spent time by myself. We all gathered by this church and someone from our group just spontaneously started to read the beatitudes…
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
as he read those words “blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”, I felt Jesus speak to me, “this is for you too Kent”… I couldn’t handle it, I walked off by myself – what were the odds that I would be there on that day, that series of events would happen, all so God could speak to me and say, “you too”. Listen, the list of Beatitudes matters – because I believe if you have made Jesus your savior, He’s looking right at you and wants to speak to you today and say, “you too”
Why not give Him your entire life? Your entire heart?
