Luke 6: How to Become More Like Jesus

good morning man I'm glad you guys are here hope you enjoyed worship and if you're new to sandals church or this is your first time you came in the worst weekend ever and this is why the chapter that we're going to study today the the Luke chapter 6 is the hardest chapter in the Gospel of Luke to actually do there are things in here that you wish God would have never have put in there there you are going to be challenged more deeply than you have ever been challenged in your life Luke chapter 6 literally is the boot camp of what it means to be a Christian so I just want to begin with a word of Prayer praying for us because there's some of your in back I'm not doing that and so you know okay we're going to go to hell so you know try just try your best and just know that none of us can do these things without Christ in us none of us can love this way none of us can turn away from anger this way none of us are capable on our own strength to do what Jesus Christ is asking us to do we need him in us working through us to accomplish what he's asked us to do so let's begin with a word of Prayer Heavenly Father I just pray Lord for those of us have gathered today Luke 6 is the most difficult chapter in the gospel to actually be obedient to God so I pray that we would hear your words clearly and God I pray that we would at least make an attempt to live these things out in our lives with our friends and our family member and our neighbors so god bless my words bless our heeere's so that we can hear your truth we pray this in Christ's name Amen so today's message is entitled how to become like Jesus and so a lot of you guys don't know what it means to be a Christian for most of us we think it means I think a certain way about certain things or I've invited Jesus Christ into my heart and and we have all these ideas of what it looks like to be a Christian and I want you to know that for Jesus his understanding of what it meant to be a Christ follower was this that you would become like him that you would learn to think like him that you would learn to feel like him and ultimately that you would learn to act like him that you would change fundamentally who you are the way you think act and feel and the problem is a lot of Christians wear the Christian t-shirt but they don't think anything like Jesus they don't feel anything like Jesus and they certainly don't act anything like Jesus and so Jesus is going to call together his 12 followers the 12 apostles and he is going to begin to teach them what it means to be a follower of Jesus what does it mean to be my disciple and he's going to lay this out now we're not going to cover everything in Luke 6 you need to do that on your own and let me just say this if you don't get discouraged as you read through Luke 6 you didn't read it so read it again because what he's asking you to do is impossible humanly speaking so let's take a look at as he gathers his disciples Luke 6 12 through 14 it says one day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountaintop to pray and underline this words it says he prayed all night to God you see Jesus had a big decision looming last week we talked about he healed the leper he He healed the paralyzed man and he has now become the most famous person in Israel there is no one more famous Caesars not more famous the governor Pilate is not more famous King Herod is not more famous Jesus is the celebrity he is the superstar everywhere he goes people gather to hear him preach and to hear him speak and so now he's got all these followers and out of these literally hundreds and potentially thousands of people he's got to whittle it down to twelve guys twelve guys that I'm going to pour into so that they can change the world ultimately and spread my gospel spread my good news and so he has a big decision so he prays all night for God's guidance and God's wisdom and I would just encourage you as a Christian if you have a big decision if you're if you're going to get engaged if you're going to buy a house if you're talking about having children you're talking about changing a job consult God pray to God go to God for wisdom if Jesus needed to go to God for wisdom what does that say about you okay we all need to do this so he prayed all night at daybreak he called together all of his disciples the whole group and he chose from all of them twelve of them to be his apostles and hear the names Simon whom he named Peter Andrew Peters brother James John Philip Bartholomew Matthew Thomas James son of Alphaeus why cuz there's two james's Simon who was called the zealot that means crazy that's religious for crazy okay Judas the son of James and then Judas Iscariot who later betrayed him okay I would never encourage you to memorize all these names and here's why because they're listed differently in different Gospels why is that because in the ancient world to confuse people you had multiple names okay so I'm just saying this it's great if you're on Jeopardy one day you might win some money but what I want what I think is more important than memorizing the names of the disciples is learning what they were challenged to become so write this down it's not important who they were what's important is what they were challenged to become for many of you you're trying to to outrun your past you've made mistakes if you could go back and make life different you would and let me just say this it's not nearly as important you know where you've been or what you've done what's important is where you're going and what you're going to do you can't change your past you can't fix your past all you can change is today and ultimately that will change your future so God wants to change you God wants to challenge you God wants to alter the future of your life and so he calls these twelve guys together and he says it doesn't matter who you are where you were what you were doing I have called you together okay different people tax collectors fishermen you know crazy people then there's Judas you know the money guy there's all these people and he says I'm going to transform you to become like me listen to what Jesus says then Jesus gave the following illustration he says can a blind person lead another person no he says won't they both fall into a ditch he says students are not greater than their teacher underline this words these words but the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher so what's Jesus saying to his students you will become like me this is what it means to be a Christian so as you evaluate your Christian life don't judge yourself based upon your friends who are Christians because you know what we do we find the loser Christians that's who we that's what we compare it well at least I'm not like Sally look at her look at her I'm not like her she's probably I'm going heaven okay right we judge we judge ourselves based upon people that are worse than us just like when you go to the gym you don't look at the fit people you look at the you know change of OWL that's the people you look at well I'm not like them so that's what we do we need to compare ourselves not to each other but to Jesus are you like Jesus are you thinking like Jesus do you feel like Jesus are you acting like Jesus okay so to become more like Jesus I need to change fundamentally really four things number one I need to change the way I evaluate my life I don't know if you've noticed this but as Americans we are very discouraged we're very dissatisfied with our lives we don't feel successful no matter how much money we make no matter how many blessings we incur we just don't feel successful and this is the reason that as Americans we are the most medicated Society in the world we have to pop pills because we don't feel good about ourselves okay why because the world says you're never successful enough you don't make enough money you're not skinny enough you're not fit enough you're not young enough you're not old enough you're not smart enough you're not good enough and so we're constantly evaluating ourselves on this treadmill where no one wins and we all feel unloved unimportant and unsuccessful and that's just the reality I mean so many of you today you don't feel like you have any friends because you only got four likes on your Instagram post here's like a nobody loves me I don't have a Facebook friend Jesus didn't have any Facebook friends okay you're not alone do you know that people will actually create false accounts so they can like their own stuff I mean not you but people people isn't that crazy it always amazes me people who like their own posts you ever notice that you post it then you like it well I know you like it because you posted it that's kind of cheating right to like your own post but that's what we do and we and we and we feel right if if I if I get you know 100 likes then I'm successful and if I get no likes and I'm depressed and that's and that's the way it is is we're constantly you know on in via Graham looking at all these people saying aye aye I'm not you know pretty enough I'm not smart enough I don't get to go to these places I don't get to do these things and so we feel depressed and discouraged and let me just say this to you if you don't allow Jesus to change your version of success you're going to be a very depressed discouraged Christian because what you're going to find is God doesn't care about our version of success he's not into it it doesn't faze him and so we need to look at his version of success so Jesus says this in Luke 6 he lifted up his it's underlined these words on his disciples now there's two really famous sermons in the Bible one is called the Sermon on the Mount which I'm sure many of you have heard of or you're at least familiar with the Sermon on the Mount and then there's this one the Sermon on the plain and they're really the same sermon why because Jesus had to teach it more than once he had to talk about these issues more than once and so listen to what he says he lifted up his eyes upon his disciples and he said underline these words he said blessed are you who are poor anybody disagree with Jesus you do you do you're just lying because you're I can't disagree with you disagree with Jesus when do we feel like we're blessed when we get a raise when we get a bonus when we win the lottery ok nobody goes to community group I'm so blessed this week why I lost my job I'm so blessed this week I got a 10% decrease in pay I'm so blessed this week I did not win the lottery Jesus loves me that's why I didn't win nobody feels this way nobody thinks this way Jesus says your success is not defined by the money you make he says are you listening Judas why when you read the Gospels you know what Judas is always upset about money he's always upset about money how Jesus spending money I think Jesus is just just frivolous with money and he's always concerned and ultimately Judas you know why he sells out Jesus it's for money he sells them out for money and so Jesus is saying if you're going to be my disciple and you believe that blessings from God are always monetary always financial you're going to be a very miserable person Judas are you listening he says blessed are you who are poor he says for yours is the kingdom of God Jesus okay is not offering a great 401k he's not offering a great salary to come follow him Judas what are we paying everybody again zero right zero okay Jesus is so broke then when he goes for a picnic he's got to take a lunch from a little kid to feed everybody that's that's how it is when he goes to pay his taxes he tells Simon Peter to go fish and they get the coin out of the out of the fish's mouth he has no money he has no house okay they have to hijack a donkey for his triumphal entry into Jerusalem read the Gospels as we say just tell them I need it you go try to take a car that way my master has need of it right you're going to go to jail blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God listen this blessed are you who are hungry really hungry people are blessed starving people are blessed okay Jesus is in providing snack lunches every day remember when he says feed the 5,000 he tells the disciples you feed him that's a you problem what he says blessed are you are hungry for you shall be satisfied look at this one blessed blessed are you who weep now anybody depressed discouraged next time you're popping a prozac oh I'm blessed blessed I'm super blessed because I am super depressed that's what he says blessed are the poor in spirit jesus says blessed are you when you realize life isn't awesome when it isn't awesome God wants you to know that something is incredibly broken in life and it cannot be fixed by our politicians it can't be fixed by our power it can't be fixed by your changes there's something irreparably wrong with the earth it's broken blessed are you I love this one I must be really blessed blessed are you and people hate you I am super hated you don't believe me following me on Twitter you will see what people say someone you know sent me an email this week says sandals Church is the worst Church on earth Wow no one is worse than up not even like the cult no okay we'll have you read Corinthians right I mean they got to be in the top ten that's why they got two books now it's funny you'll get that on the way home these guys we're knuckleheads worst church ever worst pastor ever that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard really something I said the stupidest thing I've ever heard Wow people love to hate okay I don't just be like man jesus loves me why look at all this hate meal right look at this one he says blessed are you when people hate you Circle this one ladies when they exclude you ooh my wife and I we are so different like when we don't get invited to a party my wife's hurt just depressed discouraged I'm like thanks oh man avoided that one right guys we don't want to go to celebrate anyone and sit here and watch this TV I mean guys if it wasn't for women we would celebrate no one you want to know why I'm at the party my wife she made me come she said you're going okay when next time you get excluded I'm blessed Jesus is always excluded when people revile you and spurn you spurn your name as evil I just hate that mat hey it's not my fault my parents gave you the name okay right Jesus is saying people aren't going to love you you know when you stand up for Jesus when you tell people you're a fault people aren't going to celebrate you they're going to hate you when you make a stand for Jesus and I'm not telling you to be a jerk for Jesus but when you stand up for Jesus people are not going to celebrate you they're gonna love you oh here comes that Jesus lover they're gonna get there Jesus goo all over me I had a person tell me this one time don't you pull your Jesus voodoo on me Jesus voodoo those are different religions you can't use different religions to illustrate a negative statement about me right okay so he says blessed are the poor but listen he goes on he says woe to you who are rich you like Mayan god that broblem woe woe to you who are rich he says for you have received your consolation what it actually means is you've received your blessing now so you don't have a lot to look forward to in the next life because God has blessed you now woe woe to you who are full now another way to translate that as fat and happy yeah Lots offensive welcome to Jesus for you shall die hungry whoa that's kind of rough you know woe to you who laugh now for you shall mourn and weep he says woe to you when people speak well of you you know Jesus actually says popularity is a very bad thing he says success is not quantified by the amount of people who like you and some of you guys the number one reason you're so miserable is because you're constantly trying to impress people and they're never gonna like you they're never gonna lie I used to be that guy I do like that you know look at me look at me look at me they don't care I don't care on my gums who said they don't like me they don't and you're gonna be miserable you're never gonna be skinny enough you're not gonna be strong enough you're never gonna be smart enough you're never going to be good-looking enough you're not going to be it's not a it's not a popular contest it's not about being beautiful you know the Book of Isaiah says Jesus was ugly it says that people hid their face from him that's what Jesus looked like rule why because he wanted us to listen to his words not look at his face you see Jesus wasn't popular in any way shape or form until he began to do the things of God and then even then he was just as hated as he was loved so I got to change the way that I look at myself and so let me just say this some you are so critical of yourself because you're judging yourself not based upon anything that God says you should care about and not only that but you're asking for God in your prayer time for things he doesn't want you to have you're asking God for more wealth and you can't handle the wealth you have you ever watch one of those specials about the people who actually win the lottery like to get divorced their lives fall apart it's just it's terrible and we're all asking God for more money and God says man you can't handle what you have so I need to change the way I evaluate my life next I got to change the way I evaluate people underlying these words it says don't judge others okay just right in there I do this all the time you did we we were constantly you know how you should translate this from the Greek to the English so it's written in the Greek we translate you should translate it this way stop judging people because Jesus assumes not that you will do this someday in the future he assumes you're doing it right now so he is telling his disciples on the Sermon on the mountain the Sermon on the plane he's saying stop judging people they're probably judging each other Judas is saying I don't know why Peter's in charge I don't know why I'm the one with clear leadership potential we're constantly overly critical of everyone else we're constantly judging people well I don't know what their problem is look at their kids oh my gosh look at their kids look at her wife oh that's unfortunate right I mean you don't say those things out loud but you think them right somebody snorted that was good I like that makes me feel good all right don't judge others and you will not be judged don't condemn others and/or it will come back against you and let me see this God is not saying that you need to be ignorant of what's right and wrong okay you need to have judgment God Jesus doesn't want you to be stupid for Jesus you need to know what's right you need to know what's wrong you just don't need to be overly critical of people you don't need to run around being the Holy Spirit for everyone else that's not your job matter of fact Jesus says in Luke 6 that your primary obviously take the log out of your eye before you help your brother with the speck in theirs and he says maybe you would be of more benefit to people if you could actually see clear but the truth is we're more aware of the faults of others than we are of our own we are we are like I am more critical of other parents when they blow it with their kids than I am of me right when I when I lose my temper on my kids they deserve it but when you lose your temper on your kids you have a problem and pray for you right we could say listen it says forgive others and you will be forgiven okay part of being a Christian means this you've received grace let me define grace for you grace is forgiveness you didn't deserve you hurt God you've wounded God you've rebelled against God you've asked for forgiveness and he has granted it to you he has given it to you maybe the reason you can't forgive others is you haven't actually received it yourself so Jesus says we're going to be in the business of forgiving others he says this if you love only those who love you he says why should you get credit for that you see it's easy to love people when they love us he says even sinners do love those who love them he says if you're only good to those who do good to you then why should you get credit for that like it's easy to be kind and loving when you go to chick-fil-a and they're like my pleasure you're like oh this is great oh my pleasure - I mean it's right it it's easy to love people who are loving I mean if you can't be loving to someone who's loving what's wrong with you you know there are people in our lives they're just nice they're kind they're good you like to be around them they're they're wonderful people okay so do you think God should give you credit because you're nice to nice people well good for you Jesus says that's what the world does but I want you to love and to be nice to unloving people to unkind people and that's hard matter of fact I think it's impossible that's why we need Jesus so Jesus wants me to change the way I evaluate people you got to learn to love people you got to learn to care about people you got to learn to see things from their perspective I got to change the way that I evaluate them now I'm going to talk more about this I'm starting up something new I'm really excited about this we're starting a podcast if you don't know what that is talk to them outside someone will tell you but it's basically a digital recording you can look up on iTunes it'll be for free and we're going to talk through all each week of the chapter that we cover because I can't cover everything that I want to cover in the sermon and so we're going to talk about things deeper that we covered and things that we didn't cover and I'm going to answer your questions about the text so you can email your questions in and I'll try to answer them as best I can but I just want to say this that this is probably the most difficult thing to do as a Christian it's a tightrope we don't want to tell people that evil is good but we don't want to be so judgmental that they don't ever listen to us and don't know that they love us and so we've got to learn how to walk this tightrope of having judgment but not coming off as judgmental and it's very very difficult and so we're going to talk about that in the podcast this week and so you'll be finding out more information about it but I'm super excited next I got to change the way I respond to hurtful people anybody ever in here been hurt by somebody Riggins okay it's hot it hurts right it hurts I I have had people that I have loved cared for mentored discipled I've had people say horrible things about me I've had people idolize me and then they demonize me and it just hurts say terrible things about me talk behind my back I've been called awful names liar I mean cult leader I've been called all kinds of thing just hurtful stuff so how do we respond to them well I want to punch him in the face but I can't find that verse maybe you can help me find it right so listen to Jesus he says for you who are willing to listen this is a difficult teaching but if you're a Christian you need to listen he says I say love your enemies okay I have a hard time loving my family anybody with me love your enemies he says do good to those who hate you so next time you're on the ninety-one someone's like ask you you're like bless you bless you says bless those who curse you Wow what you know I mean what's the purpose of learning all those bad words if you don't get to use them right but saving this buddy pray for those who hurt you mmm this is just awful if someone slaps you on the cheek offer the other one is he crazy right I mean can you can you imagine you offended me Matt Oh opportunity to be obedient right Kuta but you know what's amazing you know who did this jesus did it when he stood before the trial not only did they slap him on the cheek they ripped out his beard how yeah right and he did nothing you see I need to change the way I respond to hurtful people I got to do this man why because often times we can't we can't even respond in love to the people that we love when they hurt us so last night at church it was hilarious so you guys think I can't see you out there but I can see you and so a lot of times pastors really old and they can't see me but I still see see all the way back there in front side I see you guys yeah hi love you so last night don't tell anybody but last night during service there was a couple married and apparently they were in a fight when they came to church and so they were like like during this message they're gonna hear this message and they're fighting and so I I'm trying to listen to what they're saying cuz they're on the front row I was trying to loot you know how hard that is I'm trying to listen while I'm preaching and if ever eventually she gets so frustrated she gets up and moves three seats I'm like I'm not making this up and then we get to this part right what good is it if you love those who love you she got convicted she moved back it was great it was so great like of all the times not to move that was the one moment she got Jesus slammed it was awesome all right okay here's the number one issue as Christians so if you're new to Christianity let me just say this a lot of people love to play Church so what does that mean we pretend to be something on the outside that we're not on the inside so we do good things right so I go to church I put money in the offering plate I serve the kids I work in the parking and I do all these things and I have all this external evidence that says I'm a good person well those things are all great the problem is those things will never change what the problem is can you imagine if you went to Kaiser and you were diagnosed with terminal cancer and the doctor said okay here's the plan you're going to take a really really good bath and we're going to scrub at your skin from head to toe we're going to clean everything on the outside and that's how we're going to cure the cancer that's on the inside you see that doctor is crazy because the problem is not what's on the outside the problem is the disease it's on the inside and here's here's where Jesus is so different so radically different from every other religion on earth every other religion on earth assumes that God is impressed with the things that we do on the outside when God says the problem is never the behavior on the outside but the feelings on the inside that actually caused the behavior and so and that's why the world is so disappointing like when you think about racism you think about sexism you think about you know income issues all the issues right the politician talk about they believe that we can legislate laws but the reality is what needs to change is not laws it's hearts and so God is in the business of changing your heart so listen to what he says Jesus says hey twelve guys listen to me a good person produces good things from the Treasury of a good heart an evil person produces evil things from the Treasury of an evil heart listen to what Jesus says he says what you say flows from what's in your heart you ever done this Mary people get in a fight get angry get upset and all of a sudden all of the the prohibitors that keep you from saying the things you've always wanted to say disappear and all sin you're on the freeway and you're just like I hate your mother I hate her I hate her from the day I met her that woman is evil and then later you're like I didn't really mean then what I really stress down at work and you know a lot of pressure no you meant it you meant it you just lost control and the truth came out okay those moments are great moments to learn that it doesn't matter how religious you are the heart is evil and listen to me those of you who are not Christians here's what's so wrong with the advice of the world the world says follow your heart God says your heart is the problem you know why people are going to be in hell because they followed their heart he's following my heart why is it so warm we in Palm Springs on what's gone oh wow you know listen I had a moment this last week where my heart my heart just got revealed right I mean how many of you guys think I'm a good guy Richards I better see every hand raised okay if you don't think I'm a good guy why are you coming to his church I got a church my pastors a okay what does that say about you right if your spiritual leaders are more on a little worried about you counting a pretty good guy I try to be a good husband I try to follow Jesus right I try just like you guys do and I had a moment this week where my heart jumped out of my mouth it was embarrassing took my family up for a snow day that's awesome you know what that is is where you just set money on fire watch you burn Oh $20 for a hamburger okay why not you know oh so we're up there we have a great day great family day we're all together we're having a good time we're having a good time it's lunch break we get together or during lunch I paid right my kids didn't offer I got it it's on me so we're sitting there and my son is new to sword snowboarding and snowboarding is not like skiing in that if you hit a flat spot like skiing you just you know you can get your way out snowboarding you're miserable when you it's awful and you kept getting stuck in this spot and so I has his father a spiritual leader tried to offer some direction for him as a snowboarder with more experience than his like three times right so but you know when you give advice to teenagers front ciders I love you it's scary it's really scary because sometimes with teenagers you say I love you but they hear I hate you that's what they hear and so it's just frustrating and so I tried to give some gentle correction and it turned into a combative situation where he's rebuffing my leadership and spiritual guidance and so he was a little rude in a little nasty but you know I was like okay I'm gonna be like Jesus and he would like slam and I would just volley you know you know right I don't know why I'm doing this but it felt like tennis you know and so like for the first couple times you know he's like that stupid that's crazy you don't know what you're talking about you know and I'm like I love you and I'm here to help and and I and I care about you and then all of his sudden meant in my mind my inner lawyer shows up and he's like you paid for this event and he doesn't care and you wanted to slam him right now and I just got I was getting angry and angry and angry we couldn't see on the outside but in the inside the devil was like yeah and so what what I didn't tell you is you know at the beginning of this discussion my wife said I have to go the bathroom so she had left and gone to the bathroom so she missed like the whole of me listening and hmm and being a heart handler and like being like Jesus like I was Jesus in snow clothes right I was just like mmm and then I lost it I lost it and I couldn't take it anymore and I'm not proud of this moment this is not going do like your pastor you know don't be like what the pastor does this so I'm gonna do it no don't do this but all of a sudden I just screen a lost I lost it you know I'm talking about there's that string in your brain peak not like ah and I go shut up not proud of it but right when I said shut up and my fingers pointing at him or the corner of my eye see is what my is what my mom my wife his mom was like she's standing there and she's like okay and I was like I need some time alone start walking my wife's following me hey like what she's like what's going on I think you weren't there I was just like Jesus I was just like Edith I anointed him with oil I mean I didn't right she's like wow you know you are a spiritual leader she's like when are you gonna apologize I'm not apologizing I just preach about forgiveness so I don't actually give it receive it you know ah sorted so we go up to this ski lift I'm gonna go by myself because I need some alone time for my central family and I get on the left and Ethan comes over he goes Nina so can I run it up with you like fine so he gets on the left with me and he goes I'm really sorry for my attitude who was wrong I love you dad you're awesome he's like we forgive me ha ha right the 13 year old has more Jesus in his heart then I do so frustrating so wait here's what's amazing here is what's amazing listen to this it gets worse so I said hey son I want to tell a story about you in church remember when I yell at you to shut up remember that this is what he said No I mean if it would beat me oh you mean at 11:25 and we were sitting on the bench you know and Satan was on your face you mean that moment yes yes he didn't remember the moment it's just like man double conviction us is terrible okay so I got to change the way I respond to hurtful people it's easy to be nice when people are nice but when they're not nice that's when you need Jesus right okay last point you guys are listening slow I gotta hurry up I got to change the way I respond to hurting people how many of you guys got to come to church last weekend you raise hands wasn't awesome is incredible seeing people get prayed for seeing lives touched it was awesome let me share with you the highlight of for me we had amazing things happen at all campuses at all services but here was the highlight we had a couple who came forward for prayer and at one service in particular I think the whole congregation came forward for prayer I mean like nobody like everyone's like everybody comes forward and so the lines are literally going out to the exit signs it was I was like okay we're going to be here till Tuesday so we're like okay we need we need mature Christians to come forward and pray then we not enough we need small group leaders to come forward and pray and then we have enough and like if you've ever thought about following Jesus we need you to come forward and pray right if you're a Buddhist and you're here today lay hands I mean it was it was it was like you I mean was that kind of situation and here's what touched my life is there were there was a couple that was in line to receive prayer who got out of line and began to pray began to pray for people and it just when I heard that story it just blessed my heart because they heard the Holy Spirit and I believe they experienced more healing than they would have received had they come forward because all of a sudden they got it is I got to be here for people they're hurting way worse than me Jesus says this you must be compassionate just as your father is compassionate you know Jesus actually says in Luke 6 that God is good to wicked ungrateful evil people anybody knows some wicked ungrateful evil people God is good to them so the next time you're mad I do everything right and God doesn't bless me any buses damn yeah that's what Jesus says he blesses wicked ungrateful evil people but blessed are you blessed are you who are suffering now why because you're going to be blessed on the other side God is going to reward your faithfulness he promises how will he will roared your faithfulness listen this Luke 6:38 give and you will receive what did that couple do they came forward to receive they got out of line and they gave what does he say will happen your gift will return to you full press down shaken together to make room for more and more poured into your lap so what you give God compresses overflows pours into your lap eases the amount you give will determine the amount you get back Jesus says look guys being a follower of Jesus is not about getting it's about giving but I promise you this I will pay you back a hundredfold whatever you invest in my kingdom for my sake being a Christian is not easy but Jesus Christ promises it will be the greatest decision of your life can you imagine how the world would view Christianity if we all live like this can you imagine those Christians are nuts but they are good right the problem is many of us carry the label but we don't listen to the lesson actually in Luke 6 Jesus asks this question he says why do you call me Lord and not do what I say why do you call me why why would you do that because for many of us Christianity is an external wrapping hiding an internal problem why is our vision to be real because every single one of us falls short every single one of us struggles every single one of us is a mess I mean let's be honest I struggle loving my wife all the time much less my enemy that's where my heart is God needs to do a miracle in my heart in my life and he needs to do it in yours here's the good news you don't have to do this alone Jesus knows you can't so he sent His Holy Spirit to help you to help you do what you know you should do even when it's not what you want to do I love you guys I hope you will read Luke 6 this week I hope you'll read it over and over again and I hope you'll pray about say God change my heart so that I want to do this change my heart so I want to love my enemies change my heart so I don't care about how much money I make change my heart so I am a different person change my heart so I respond in a different way let's close our eyes and bow our heads and let's pray Heavenly Father God thank you for this amazing church and these amazing people Lord I love them so much I'm so blessed Lord to be the leader of this church that allows me to be real but God I pray that they would allow themselves to be real and give themselves permission to admit none of us in here comes anywhere close to obedience in Luke 6 Jesus we need you we need you now more than ever because we can't do this on our own we need your Holy Spirit we need your guidance and we need your direction and ultimately what we need is we need for you to change our hearts so please father help us in this area transform our hearts we pray in Christ's name Amen

Channel: Sandals Church

Views: 65,255

Rating: 4.871172 out of 5

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Id: lJfnUVDPg-o

Length: 41min 34sec (2494 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 08 2016