CHRIST BLESSING THE DEFICIENT

AND CURSING THE SELF-SUFFICIENT

“And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. But woe unto you that are rich! For ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! For ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! For ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! For so did their fathers to the false prophets”

Luke 6:20-26.

HERE we find Christ our Lord doing what He ever was accustomed to do — pronouncing blessing and help and strength to those who are in the dire straits of need and helplessness, while cursing and casting down the hopes of all those whose confidence is in self. Read the Beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5, for there you find those blessings pronounced upon the needy. But in the Matthew passage, He does not pronounce the curses as given in verses 24-26 here in Luke chapter 6. But as we note the characters who are called “blessed,” we can see that any natural sinner who is not of like character is surely eliminated from Christ’s bounty and left for the great day of His wrath!

Christ is merciful only to those who need mercy. Throughout the Word of God we find it always the same — salvation is for the sinner, healing for the sick, deliverance for those who are bound and need God’s sovereign mercy. But not so today — today salvation is made available to all upon the spur of the moment who will “step out by faith and take it.” Christ is presented as ever so willing, but utterly unable, to receive the spiritually dead sinner. The sinner is pictured as having free will and spiritual abilities which the Word of God knows nothing about; the sinner is said to “cast the deciding vote” in God’s election — God has voted for him, the devil against him and he must break the tie! Well, my friend, if that is the case none will be saved for a spiritually dead sinner cannot vote, cannot call, cannot claim an interest, cannot lift a finger or move a toe. “Salvation is of the LORD” (Jonah 2:9).

I. “Blessed be ye POOR” — “Woe unto you that are RICH!” Vss. 20, 24. (I would have you note that the characteristics here are spiritual rather than physical.)

1. Poor here, yet possessor of the kingdom of Heaven! Psalm 69:33.

2. Rich here, but that is the end of his consolation. Mark 10:23.

3. Rich in own eyes — such self-esteem God hates. Rev. 3:17.

4. Notice Hannah’s prophetic prayer. 1 Sam. 2:7-8.

5. The prophecy of Zacharias. Luke 1:52-53.

II. “Blessed are ye that HUNGER” — “Woe unto you that are FULL!” Vss. 21, 25. (I remind you to be careful, for Satan has his counterfeit of each of these traits.)

1. Hungry here, yet filled with the food of righteousness forever! Isa. 41:17; 55:1-2.

2. Full here, but awaiting an eternal hunger and thirst out yonder in the lake of fire forever. Rev.14:11.

3. Notice the Rich Man and Lazarus — one was always full of the bread that satisfies in this life — the other knew no fullness of bread here. Luke 16:19-25. This story fully comprehends what we desire to show in this entire message. Christ here gives the story in the physical sense, but as all His parables it most clearly illustrates the spiritual sense.

4. Will you be in that number who through much tribulation shall enter the kingdom of God? Rev. 7:13-17, note especially verse 16.

III. “Blessed are ye that WEEP now” — “Woe unto you that LAUGH!” Vss. 21, 25. (Notice the present tense in these words of Christ — highlighting the God-given spiritual characteristics of believers and not conditions of salvation.) A weeping now which shall be turned into JOY. Isa. 51:11.

• Mourning over corruptions. Rom. 7:18-19, 24.

• Crying after Christ. Zech. 12:10; Mark 2:20; Mark 10:47-52.

• A laughing now which leaves the soul stupefied for eternity. Read with me: Prov. 24:9; 10:23; 14:9; James 4:8-9.

• The emptiness of feigned mirth. Prov. 14:13. Many great comedians live a very sad and lonely life. No delight in life, no true joy, no real happiness. Illustration: A man came to a psychiatrist, told him he found no more joy in living and was thinking of ending it all. A famous clown was in town performing with a well-known circus, and so the doctor said, “You ought to go and hear the great Gamiko. He will entertain you, keep your sides splitting with his jokes and funny ways, and you will forget all your troubles. You’ll learn to be happy like that clown!” But the man looked at the physician and said, “No, Doc, that won’t work! You see I AM the great Gamiko!” He who could make other people laugh was in reality a miserable and lonely person.

1. “IT is better to go to the house of mourning.” (Read Eccl. 7:2-6.)

2. Repentance is the necessary balm. Luke 13:3. True repentance cuts to the heart. Luke 18:13; 2 Cor. 7:10-11.

3. Godly sorrow necessary for a sinner to approach unto the Lord God of Heaven. Joel 2:13.

4. Repentance is necessary to saving faith. Faith and repentance are concomitants, they co-exist in such a manner that none can successfully argue that the one opens the way for the other. Regeneration precedes all these spiritual graces. Acts 20:21.

5. A genuine, godly repentance makes no excuses but comes clean in its confession. Witness the Prodigal – Luke 15:17-19.

IV. “Blessed are ye when men shall HATE you” — “Woe unto you when all men SPEAK WELL of you!” Vss. 22-23, 26. (Here we clearly see that the religion of the Lord Jesus Christ will never stand you in well with a God-hating, Christless world.)

1. A hatred that is not to be hated. Mat. 10:22-40.

2. This is the offense of the Cross. Let us rejoice that we are accounted worthy to suffer shame for Him! 1 Cor. 1:18; Gal. 5:11. If we preach on side issues we won’t be persecuted, but it is the preaching of the Cross that they hate! “The offense of the Cross!”

3. “In like manner did their fathers unto the prophets” Vs. 23. See Mat. 23:37.

4. “The world loves its own” (See John 15:19) and speaks well of that preacher or professing Christian who has never known the separating power of the Gospel. John 15:19. God’s chosen, ordained, elected servant is not a part of this world system. God has called him out!

5. “So did their fathers to the false prophets” Vs. 26. Jer. 5:30-31; 14:13-16.

Conclusion: When the Pharisee and the publican came up to the temple to worship, which one did Christ tell you was going home a “justified” man? The publican who cried out to God and smote his own breast in self-despair was saved, rather than the boastful religious Pharisee who saw no need of a Substitute. “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:14). Amen!