Appointing the Apostles and the Sermon on the Mount
Book of Luke Chapter 6
What is wrong with much of the Church today? People tend to institutionalize religion, making it full of form and ritual, rules and regulations, ceremonies, and services.
What does the Bible say about this? 2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
The modern church is denying the power of the Holy Spirit, and many have kicked the Lord Jesus Christ out of the doors of the church.
The Church becomes a religion like all the false religions and far from Christianity, which is the desire of our Heavenly Father.
The Church is to walk in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ, or it is not a church!
Why were we saved to begin with? The Lord Jesus Christ needs people!
In fact, that word "need “is wrong. The Lord Jesus does not need any of us!
It is those who are lost who need Christians; they do not need religionists!
We are chosen to carry the message of salvation to the world.
How did the Lord Jesus go about choosing people to serve as ambassadors from Heaven?
*****Luk 6:12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
The Lord Jesus chose His people after much prayer.
No matter what we are about to take on, we are foolish not to spend much time in prayer.
There was a large group of people following Jesus at this time, and not all of them had the right reasons for doing so.
The leaders of Judaism were filled with hatred for Him, and their hatred was increasing.
In every circumstance, prayer is the refuge for those who serve Christ!
Most of us can say our prayers in a minute or two, but in reality, this is not enough time to get our message to our Heavenly Father.
Yes, He knows what we need, but why should He help us or our ministries if we refuse to spend some time with Him?
The Lord continued all night. Once the Lord started this prayer, He stayed with it until He got His message across and received His answer.
We may not always get an answer when we pray, but we must get our intentions to the Lord!
Jesus was about to choose men to carry the Gospel to all the world, and yet He had a reason for every choice He made.
We know that one of those men was Judas Iscariot, and though we may not know the exact reason he was chosen, we do know Christ had His reason.
By the time the sun had come out, the Lord Jesus Christ knew whom He would choose.
*****Luk 6:13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
There were many who were following the Lord Jesus everywhere He traveled, but He chose twelve men from those who were called disciples with the intent that they would be His apostles.
A disciple of Jesus Christ must:
1) Believes in His doctrine.
2) Rests on His sacrifice.
3) Keep the knowledge of His Spirit.
4) Follows His example.
Rest meaning: Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
An Apostle of Jesus Christ:
1) They are commissioned to preach the Gospel.
2) They had the authority of the Master.
3) They aided in the ministry of Christ.
4) They followed His example.
These are the same things we, who are disciples, must do!
How were an Apostle chosen:
1) They were men who had been with Jesus.
2) They could testify to the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Act 1:22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
3) They were given the keys to the Kingdom of God.
4) They were given supernatural gifts. Act 2:43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
5) They were called by the Lord Jesus Christ: Gal 1:1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
6) They were given the inspired Word of God and would not depart from its truth: 1Th 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
These Apostles were to have no successors. They were the only authoritative teachers of the Doctrines of Jesus Christ.
The office of the Apostle ceased when these men died.
We cannot be apostles, but we can be the messengers of Jesus Christ and the Gospel.
The Lord Jesus called Himself the Apostle sent from Heaven: Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
That word “sent” is the Greek word "Apostello," meaning sent on a mission.
The Apostle Paul also said the Lord Jesus was an Apostle: Heb 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
The Lord Jesus Christ, our great Apostle, was sent from Heaven with the message of salvation.
So, the Lord chose His Apostles:
*****Luk 6:14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
Luk 6:15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,
Luk 6:16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.
There should be no doubt that these twelve men were a diverse group.
Simon, whom the Lord had already named Cephas, which means a "mass of rock" and is translated as Peter, was chosen, as was his brother Andrew.
We could say that Andrew was more Greek than he was Israelite. He had also been a disciple of John the Baptist
James and John, along with Simon, were businessmen, and these three seemed to have a closer relationship with our Savior than the rest.
James and John were also called Boanerges, "sons of thunder".
Some say this was because of their preaching, but in reality, the name came because of their temper.
Luk_9:54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
The enthusiasm of James serving the Lord was probably what got him selected as the first martyr.
Matthew may have been the wealthiest of them all, but he may have given even his wealth up to follow the Lord Jesus.
We know Thomas as doubting Thomas, and he may have been a twin.
James the Less was a son of the sister of Mary, also named Mary.
One was a political nationalist and an insurrectionist, Simon the Zealot.
The Zealots were pledged to overthrow the Roman government and to assassinate as many Roman officials and their Jewish cohorts as possible.
Philip was a native of Bethsaida and seems to have had a prominent place among the Apostles.
Bartholomew was also known as Nathanael and is always mentioned with Philip.
Not much is said about Bartholomew. The Lord Jesus did appear to him on the Sea of Tiberias after His resurrection, and he did witness the Ascension of the Lord.
The Lord Jesus said he was indeed an Israelite. Joh 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
Guile means being crafty, so Bartholomew was a man who fulfilled the true idea of Israel. A man of God, and we could say a man who could get in touch with God through prayer.
Bartholomew would be one of those Israelites who stand at the wall today, praying.
Judas or Jude, the son of Alphaeus, who was also the son of Caphi, who was a Jewish general under Jonathan Maccabaeus.
He seems to be the brother of James the Less.
Then there is Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, also called the Son of Simon. Joh 13:26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
Joh 13:27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.
None of these men was famous or in any way tied to the government.
As this group comes together, we can see the power of Christ, who gives us all purpose and meaning to life.
We should understand that the Lord knew that Judas the traitor would betray Him, and this also was the providence of God.
1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
Once these things were settled, the Lord Jesus had a sermon that needed preaching.
*****Luk 6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
Luk 6:21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
Luk 6:22 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.
Luk 6:23 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.
Many Bible scholars call this passage the Sermon on the Plain to say it is different from the Sermon on the Mount, but we are going to see what the Lord says here.
The Lord Jesus had just chosen His twelve Apostles, knowing that one of them would betray Him, which is another lesson for the Church.
It shows that anyone can spend a lot of time with the Lord Jesus and appear to be saved when they never truly accept who Jesus is and why He came as a Shepherd and will return to be King of kings and Lord of lords.
Jesus is not only speaking to the crowd that had gathered, but He is also speaking to those chosen to be His Apostles.
This message, some call the beatitudes, explains clearly what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
What is materialism? Materialism is the philosophy that considers the fundamental principle of all things and denies the independence and autonomy of the spirit.
Some say it is naturalism, but it is not.
It can be called sensualism, but this is an incomplete meaning.
Materialism is sensual enjoyment in its fullest sense and denies the existence of the spirit world.
We should understand that some parts of our being are non-material.
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
What is the image of God?
The image of God in mankind cannot be material because God is Spirit.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
God is spirit, and He does not have a body.
1) Personality is nonmaterial because each of us has self-consciousness and self-determination, which allows us to make choices. Animals do not have this trait.
Without this, we could not be redeemed!
Personality reveals our ability to exercise dominion over our created world and develop the earth.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Gen 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
2) Our Spiritual being. God is Spirit, so the human soul is a spirit.
The attributes of a spirit are reason, conscience, and will. These are all non-material.
God has endowed each of us with those attributes that belong to His own nature as a Spirit.
This is why we can know God and the foundation of our belief in our Creator.
If we do not have the image of God, we cannot know Him, and we would be like the animals.
3) We have a moral nature.
Man was created in moral righteousness, also called knowledge and holiness, which was lost in the fall of Adam.
Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
We are not all material but are also spiritual.
This was Darwin's error that has followed mankind through the last few centuries.
We did not evolve from animals!!!!!!!
The Lord Jesus begins His sermon, preaching to those who are poor in spirit.
There is nothing in this material world that can make us rich in spirit!!
We must seek our Creator, our God, and His Kingdom, knowing that He alone has the power to make us rich in spirit.
Mat_6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Being poor in spirit is being full of self.
There is a lot of difference between having self-righteousness and having God's righteousness.
Self-righteousness dies when the body dies.
The righteousness of Christ Jesus lives forever.
Jesus says all those who become rich in spirit will inherit the kingdom of God.
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Blessed are the hungry. Again, this is spiritual hunger and not physical hunger.
Being hungry is not a blessing; it is sad and tragic.
If we hunger after righteousness, hunger spiritually, it means we have a starving spirit that craves the righteousness of God.
Righteousness means to be right and to do right according to the Word of God.
Just being righteous is not enough; we must do righteousness!
Loose living is dangerous. People do whatever they desire, and they feel comfortable with their relationship with Christ, and they are wrong. They must be righteous and do righteousness to be secure.
Self-righteousness is the first step to legalism and being judgmental.
Jesus does not say Blessed are the righteous because no one is.
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Jesus says Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Jesus continues Blessed are those who are sorrowful, those who weep and mourn.
The thought here is of a broken heart over wickedness, helpless against evil, desperate.
It’s the same brokenness we should feel when we see the Lord Jesus Christ on that cross.
We should be broken when we realize that we should have been on that cross rather than our innocent Savior.
We should be desperately sorry for our sin.
We should feel sorrowful for other sinners.
We should feel sorrowful when we experience personal tragedy or trauma.
When the Lord says He will wipe away all tears, it means we will laugh with the joy and comfort of our salvation and redemption.
Psa 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
We will pass from death to real life!
God will wipe away all our tears.
We should feel blessed when the world looks upon us as the disciples of Jesus Christ.
We will be hated without a cause.
Our names will be seen in slander.
We will be charged with false crimes and accusations.
We should rejoice and jump for joy because our rewards are in heaven and not on this earth.
We must remember that we are not of this world; our home is in Heaven!
Those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ and depend upon materialism will not have any of these blessings.
*****Luk 6:24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
Luk 6:25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
Luk 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
Judgment is coming to all those who depend upon materialism.
We already know that materialism cannot satisfy our God given spirit!
We can say that woe is equivalent to great grief.
I do not consider myself to be rich, but we could say that anyone who has something that they can put away or save after their needs are met are richer than our parents and grandparents were.
Mar 12:41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
Mar 12:42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
Mar 12:43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
Mar 12:44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
The wealthy are esteemed, honored, and envied.
Wealth brings power!
Those who are already wealthy usually work hard to gain more.
What does God say?
Eph 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
What did the Lord tell the rich young ruler?
Mat 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
Riches make most who have it selfish.
Riches attach us to this dying world.
Those who are full are those who are so full of themselves that they do not have room for God!
Those who choose to be full of what this world has to offer.
Rom 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
They will leave everything they have accumulated behind when they pass on.
There are no desires that can be fulfilled after death.
There are no delights fulfilled in Hell that will last for eternity.
They shall hunger for righteousness, but it will be too late.
What did the Lord Jesus say?
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Those who laugh now are those who laugh in their sin.
They have no sense of sin, no sorrow, and no regret over evil or suffering or wickedness.
They pay no attention to this dying world!
They will be alone in Hell to weep over their great losses.
Job 20:5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?
Job 20:6 Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds;
Job 20:7 Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?
Worldly people want attention, honor, and praise, but all these things do is fill them with pride that they cannot overcome.
We must also be aware of the so-called preachers that the world speaks well of.
The modern church would not allow Jesus Christ in the pulpit today.
The modern church has allowed the world into the church, and though they are rich, they are failing because they have rejected the Doctrine of Jesus Christ, who God has made Head of the true Church.
The sermon on the mount and the sermon on the plain would be rejected as false, and the false church will keep growing in sin and riches and end in Hell.
Amen
