Sunday Morning IBC. 8/25/2013. Luke 6.

Luke 6:27-36. Sermon on the Plain, Part II.
Pastor Nam Park.

Instruction on His love: A Distinctly Christian Love.
We'd feel a burden of conviction because what Christ speaks of is so unnatural to us. We also recognize that we fall so short of what Christ calls us to be.

Luke 6:27 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. 31 Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

We recognize, Lord, the unfitting nature of our lifestyle. How too often, when we come across scripture, the reality of Your commands and our lives do not intersect well. Might you not just help us foster conviction... But teach us how to love how Christ loved through His example. We fall so short of loving as He loved but may this not result in guilt but rather in a HOPE, a desire, an ambition to become more like our Savior. Might we be unnatural in our love. And that with might walk with that Grace that can only come from our Savior. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Erich Honecker and wife was a German communist politician that led until the Berlin Wall came down. Was taken in (to his own home) and cared for by a man named Pastor Homer. All Pastor Homer's children were rejected from University by his faith due to Honecker. Pastor Homer was willing to take them in due to the love of Christ. This is the kind of love that Christ has for us.

v.27-31 The Unnatural Nature of a Distinctly Christian Love.

v.32-36 The Supernatural Nature of a Distinctly Christian Love.

Not Natural because:
1. Unexpected in terms Kindness.
2. Vulnerable in terms of Generosity.
3. Dependent on God's Grace.

FOUR COMMANDS. He is placing this responsibility on those who HEAR to ACTION.
I. Love your enemies. 
[[AGAPE love. Translated as Charity.]]

II. Do good to those who hate you. 
[[The action is to actively pursue good for these people, those who HATE YOU.]]

III. Bless those who curse you. 
[[To Speak well of. Ask God to grant them favor. And they are cursing you, hoping harm upon you.]]

IV. Pray for those who mistreat you. 
[[Mistreat, which might include physical violence. Usually we want retribution; payback with interest. Instead we are to pray.]]
These are not typical actions, but they are VERY Christ-like.

FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS. Jesus instructing disciples how to live. 
Luke 6:29 Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. 
- Idea: I will be offensive because the Gospel offends people. Public humiliation for following Christ. Whoever would slap you on the cheek, offer the other cheek also. The message is: "If I offended you, I'm sorry. But I will offend you again." 

Missionary love is risky. Yet, we will persist.
Similar to the attitude of Peter, "I don't care what you'll do to me, I MUST preach Christ."
Acts 5:27 When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

POINT: There is a vulnerability to Christian love.

- Yet, suffering in itself is not noble. Christians should defend themselves, with legal means if necessary. Paul exerts over and over again in Acts that, by Roman law, certain things shouldn't be allowed.
- Love is available, vulnerable, and subject to repeated abuse. ~ Commentator.

Luke 6:30 Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. 
- No discriminating. This is unnatural. Vulnerable. You might be taken. 
- Whoever "takes" what is yours by theft or by stealth, don't demand it back.

"It is the spirit of the saying that is important. If Christians took this literally, there would soon be a class of saintly paupers (owning nothing) and another class of prosperous idolators and thieves. It is not this that Jesus is seeking, but a readiness to give, and give, and give." - Leon Morris in a commentary.

POINT: How do you respond to a wicked world?
A: Unexpected in kindness. Vulnerable in generosity. And Gracious in the Golden Rule.

The key to obey Jesus: THINK THROUGH Carefully. Become Intentional. Become Purposeful. Why do you do what you do? Do not blindly give money away. Don't forget why you are writing checks, and how does that measure in with what Jesus describes? A: It measures nothing. Know why you Give, and Give with the risk of being taken. 

Paul gives reasons in 2 Thessalonians for why they worked night and day: to not become a burden to the Thessalonian church.

2 Thessalonians 3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; 9 not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. 10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. 11 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. 13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.

The Golden Rule.
This is not the negative version that avoids the negative penalties.
Luke 6:31 Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

Christian, you are you going to get hurt if you want to be a follower of Christ.

Based on this context, Jesus wants us to treat others as we wish they would treat us, BUT THEY WON'T. But still do it, because that is what the follower of Christ does.

Preview: A distinctly Christian love is not just unnatural, it's also supernatural. It's not because we are so good. Biblical Christianity has no Dali Lama (super enlightened). Does Nam excel in Christian love? A: Probably not. I am no better than any of you guys. What is amazing about the love of Christ, is not us, it's what is supernatural. What has been given to us.

A distinctly Christian love is the opposite of what the world might think.
Luke 6:33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. 
- Listen, it needs to be distinctly Christian.

Hitler probably loved people and they loved Hitler too. Love exchange is not supernatural.
To love those who don't love you, that's supernatural.

Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Conclusion. Did Erich Honecker come to faith? A: No. The fairy tale ending is not the point. Your Christ-like love will most likely not result in the fairy tale ending, but the point is NOT the fairy tale ending, it is WHO YOU ARE, BECAUSE CHRIST IS.

There is not one of us that deserves the kind-intention grace, mercy, love of Jesus Christ. But here we are, impossibly. So, of all people, to be willing (by supernatural ability), take on the task of loving those that are unlovable, it ought to be us. It ought to be us.

Sunday Morning IBC. 8/18/2013. Psalms 1.

Psalms 1:4-6. The Wicked Man.
Pastor Wayne Hu.

Recap: Psalms 1 is a Wisdom Psalm. 
Comparison and Contrast of the way of the Wise and the way of the Wicked.
Written to those who seek Wisdom of how to live.
This Psalm is a PLEA for you to choose God's way over the World's Way.
In Verse 3, as a tree is dependent upon the water, we are dependent on the Word of God.

Today: Verses 4-6 give us the description of the opposite of the Happy-Righteous Man; The Wicked-Ungodly Man. Comparing and contrasting the way of the Righteous and the Way of the Wicked allows us to choose the right way.

Psalms 1

1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.

4 The wicked are not so,

But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

But the way of the wicked will perish.

Verse 4 is what the blessed man is not like.

This is catered to those critical thinkers out there. Compare and Contrast.

What if you could be a tree? But if there was a flying tree, you would choose the later. We would choose what was better.

Job 21

7 “Why do the wicked still live,

Continue on, also become very powerful?

8 “Their descendants are established with them in their sight,

And their offspring before their eyes,

9 Their houses are safe from fear,

And the rod of God is not on them.

10 “His ox mates without fail;

His cow calves and does not abort.

11 “They send forth their little ones like the flock,

And their children skip about.

12 “They sing to the timbrel and harp

And rejoice at the sound of the flute.

13 “They spend their days in prosperity,

And suddenly they go down to Sheol.

14 “They say to God, ‘Depart from us!

We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.

15 ‘Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him,

And what would we gain if we entreat Him?’

16 “Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;

The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

Doesn't it seem unfair that the Wicked prosper in this world?

The Wicked choose to insult God, their creator.

The "Wicked" is the title given to unbelievers in general.

The Psalmist in Psalms 1 says that "time will tell" who is who.

We do not define who is "Wicked," God defines the term "Wicked."

Evaluate yourself, not horizontally, but vertically.

Psalms 1:4 The wicked are not so,

But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.

Chaff: Always dead, no matter what season.

Fruit: Useful for life.

This verse teaches us to evaluate our decisions in light of eternity.

Psalms 1:5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

The final judgement will come (1st a vertical judgement and 2nd a horizontal judgement).

The wicked will not survive the judgment. Clearly guilty. No escape. No defense. No Savior. Deserving of Hell. 

The wicked will not be in the community of His people. Our relationship with God affects our relationships with other people. If you are right with God, you will not be separated apart from the people of God.

He is our Loving Savior, but also is the Wrathful Executioner .

Matthew 3:11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

No other option: Either you are saved or not.

Sheep vs. Goats 

Wheat vs. Tares

Believers vs. Unbelievers

Satan's greatest lie in Genesis: There is no consequence for sin and rebellion.

Psalms 1:6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

But the way of the wicked will perish.

What is the main difference of the righteous?
A: Your relationship with God. 

And the Lord continually knows them; a lasting relationship with those that believe.

"The way I do not know, but well do I know my guide.
I don't know where I am going, but I know the one who is holding my hand."
- Martin Luther

Our ultimate security is that we know God and that He knows us.

The wicked will wander off and perish.
Their lives and their legacies will ALL be destroyed and quickly forgotten.

Psalms 9

5 You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked;

You have blotted out their name forever and ever.

6 The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins,

And You have uprooted the cities;

For the wicked, the very memory of them has perished.

"What we do in life echos in eternity" - Gladiator
But that is not true for unbelievers.

WARNING.
Ask yourself: Does God. KNOW. you.? Are you His Child? His Redeemed?
Or, will He say to you on the day of separation and judgement, "I NEVER knew you, depart from Me you workers of lawlessness."

What will your legacy be?

Sunday Morning IBC. 8/11/2013. Luke 6.

Luke 6:17-26. The Sermon on the Plain: Part I.
Pastor Nam Park.

What do these newly chosen 12 disciples need to know the most? The basics.

Luke 6:17 Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. 19 And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.

The Beatitudes

20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. 23 Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. 24 But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. 25 Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.

v. 17 "stood on a level place"

This is not exactly the Sermon on the mount but instead is the Sermon on "a level place."

v. 20 "turning His gaze toward His disciples"

This message was meant for the disciples but was given in the presence of others that were considering to become followers.

Here in Luke the Sermon is written in the 2nd person (more personal) while the Sermon on the Mount in the Book of Matthew is written in the 3rd person.

v. 20 “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."

Poor isn't the opposite of wealthy. Poor here is the opposite of the PROUD. Don't lose hope, the best is yet to come.

v.21a "Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied." 

All believers will hunger for something. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Their hunger will be fully satiated one day. Their hope will finally be realized.

v.21b "Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh."

Just plain crying. Weeping associated with painful injustice. Lack of protection of the good.

v. 22 "Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man."

This is social rejection. By the time Luke is written, some were kicked out of the synagogues. Their names cast down as evil.

This passage isn't about suffering for the sake of suffering, but rather suffering for the sake of Christ. These early Christians were living in an era where claiming to BE a Christian would bring about a world of hurt.

"There are two days in my calendar. This day and THAT Day."

- Martin Luther.

Pay attention, that day is WORTH IT.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

WARNINGS.

v. 24 But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. 

- If you are too satisfied with wealth in this life, your life is stamped: "paid in full." Rather, learn to long after the Lord and do not fall short by forgetting to do the things of the Lord.

v. 25 Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 

v. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.

- Yet be weary that if ALL men love you, be sure that they do not misunderstand the gospel. The gospel is meant to be offensive if understood properly.

Immediately after selecting them, Jesus instructs the 12 about the comforts of THAT day, for the difficulties of THIS day. "THAT" day will be the comfort you need when "THIS" day goes wrong. Seek the Lord and care about what happens in THAT day, so that we might live for him today.

Sunday Morning IBC. 8/4/2013. Luke 6.

Luke 6:12-19. The Calling of the Twelve.
Pastor Nam Park.

What is unique in the calling of these 12 men is the ordinary nature of each of these individuals. What kind of men and women does God use? Super Spiritual or Good Humored... In His excellent wisdom, wouldn't God chose the extraordinary? In truth, the Lord chooses those that are made of clay; very flawed but AVAILABLE and ORDINARY human beings.

There will always be someone better than you. Yet the encouragement is that the church is made up of flawed human beings. God has chosen you, not because you are good at any one thing, but He CHOSE you. God uses ordinary individuals to EXTRAORDINARY ends.

It's not about special at one thing, but us being SPECIAL TO HIM.

Your Grace is more than sufficient, to take away our sins... to sanctify us... to help us to know that we are much esteemed in the eyes of the Lord, not because we are extra-ordinary, but because though we are ordinary, we are willing to submit to the God who can accomplish all things and can glorify Himself in clay vessels. 
Teach us how to appreciate the ordinary ones among us and to be available to do great things, not because we are great, but because our Savior is. Amen.

Luke 6:12 It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; 15 and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Luke 4:18 
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,

19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

20 And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus had described His ministry; He was calling the lowly, the uncouth. 
Yet think, what's the best way to start a cult? A: Start with rich people.
Does Jesus choose rich people? He chooses a tax collector at most who then decides to leave tax collecting. Most of them are country folk; fishermen; simpletons. Not the kind that you would think would change the world. He chose people that were faithful, that would display His glory.

Before big decisions, Jesus spends time in prayer. Possibly 10 hours, in prayer for the choosing of the 12 disciples.

Luke 6:12 It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. 

In God's humanity, we see His intense commitment to prayer, in order to be clear to God's will. 
John 8:28 So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

And the right 12 were selected. Even Judas Iscariot was not a mistake.

John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
- The idea that we don't live prayerfully upon the Father; it should bother our conscious that we are not whole heartedly devoted to prayer.
We try to depend upon our "vast" intellect, yet we are ordinary people. We are not better than anybody, but God has chosen us and EXPECTS of us to DEPEND solely on Him. There is no greater human being that has ever walked the planet than Jesus Christ; and how did He approach one of the big decisions of His ministry? A: An all-night prayer vigil. He went off on His own to pray, all night. To know what His Father's will would be.

Term Disciple: A Student. Not just followers would would show up at a class. Invested not just for a time period but they were investing their lives. At least 70 but the number is probably in the hundreds. 

The "calling" here is a literal, verbal calling.
And he "chose" in the sense of election. Jesus CHOSE them according to the Father's good will. 

Why 12? They were deliberately chosen to be stewards of God's new covenant promises, parallel to the 12 tribes in the old covenant. Ordinary, sufficient to change an entire world; the extraordinary, accomplished by ordinary men.
"Jesus never set up an organization. These 12 men represent the total of his ministrative machinery. Some of them were clearly outstanding men but on the whole they seemed to have been no more than average. Most have left very little mark on church history. Jesus preferred to work THEN as NOW, through perfectly ordinary people." - Leon Morris, NT commentator.
God is the one that choose to use them.

Term Apostle: Sent out ones. General title for a commissioned messenger.

Simon Peter (leader): The rock. Greatly flawed but greatly used. It's the security of God that allows a sinner like Peter to fall and then to get back up again.
Andrew: Known for seeking out Christ and bringing those he loved to Christ; he soon shares the news with his brother Simon.
James: Sons of Zebedee (Thunder). Half brother of Jesus. Writer of the New Testament Epistle. 
John: Sons of Zebedee (Thunder). Beloved disciple.

Philip (leader): The "bean" counter. Practical but always Christ-centered.
Bartholomew/Nathaniel: Prejudiced to say, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"
Matthew/Levi: Tax Collector. An unlikely follower but not ashamed of Jesus. He invites other tax collectors to come meet Christ in his home. He recognized value in Christ.
Thomas: Curiously faithful. John 11:16 Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”

James (leader): Not much known. Took gospel to Egypt and crucified.
Simon the Zealot: Not much known. Zealot was a political group that rebelled against Roman authority. Extremist group.
Judas/Thaddeus: He thought less of himself. Shouldn't others also know that Jesus is the Christ... this should not only be revealed to them, but to the world. He's usually seen with a club in his hand at the last supper because he was clubbed to death.
John 14:22 Judas (not Iscariot) *said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?”
Judas Iscariot: Betrayed Jesus.

In the last supper, the other disciples couldn't tell Judas Iscariot apart from themselves. This should be a warning to us.
If you think that you possess more than the church already has, you are mistaken.

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;

1 Corinthians 1:26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 
- Be encouraged, don't fear that you are special to the world, but rather be encouraged that you are SPECIAL to the Lord. That should be more than sufficient. Give him your absolute allegiance and availability because that's all He asks of you.

"God can achieve His purpose either through the absence of human power and resources or the abandonment of reliance upon them. All through history God has chosen to use Nobodies because their unusual dependence on Him made possible the unique display of His power and grace. He chose to use Somebodies only when they renounced dependence upon their natural abilities and resources."
Oswald Chambers

We are nobodies, which makes us perfect as emissaries of the gospel.