Rev. David Holwick C Life On the Level, #2
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
January 20, 2013
Luke 6:24-26
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I. It's tough to be on top.
A. The rich can be very different.
Tyco International chief executive officer Dennis Kozlowski
liked to live large.
Especially at his company's expense.
He spent more than $1 million for his wife's birthday party
in Sardinia.
It had gladiators and Michelangelo's David carved out of ice
and gushing out vodka.
The company picked up the tab.
His $17 million Fifth Avenue apartment had a $15,000 umbrella
stand and a $6,000 shower curtain.
His new housing cost considerably more - the Mid-State
Correctional Facility in Marcy, New York, where he is
serving a sentence of 8 to 25 years.
#18045
B. It is a great motivation for our youth.
1) A 2006 poll by the Pew Center found the top goal of college
students was becoming rich (80%), followed by becoming
famous (50%).
2) Helping others rated only 30%.
C. We like to despise people like this.
1) It is not just that we figure we will never have that kind
of money, but their values seem all wrong.
2) Jesus has harsh things to say about them, too.
3) Does he consider you to be one of them?
II. The four woes.
A. Jesus gives lots of woe statements.
1) He pronounces woes on religious opponents and obstinate
cities - and on his betrayer. 11:42, 10:13, 22:22
2) It was common for Old Testament prophets to pronounce more
woes than blessings.
a) Woes reflect the Biblical idea that evil actions have
very bad consequences.
1> This is because God is a God of justice.
b) Jesus is firmly in this tradition.
3) But only Luke includes woes with the beatitudes.
a) The woes give a counterpart to the blessings.
b) And just like the blessings, they have a concrete,
earthy focus while conveying a spiritual truth.
B. Content of the woes.
1) Woe to rich, they have received their comfort.
2) Woe to well fed, they will go hungry.
3) Woe to you who laugh, they will weep.
4) Woe to you who are well spoken of, false prophets got the
same.
III. Each one portrays what is called the Great Reversal.
A. Those who have it good now, will have it bad later.
1) The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus portrays it as well.
2) The Rich Man goes to a place of torment, and the poor
Lazarus goes to a place of comfort. 16:19-26
B. It is more than economics.
1) Notice it is not just rich people.
a) People with enough food, who are having a good time,
and have a good reputation are lumped together.
b) Superficially, it sounds like he is against people
who are just like us.
2) Does Jesus only bless people who are utterly miserable?
a) His woes probably reflect the Old Testament attitude
toward rich and complacent people.
b) There were some good people of wealth, but most seemed
to get it at the expense of the poor.
IV. The Bible's attitude toward the complacent rich.
A. Fashion-conscious women who crush the poor. Isaiah 3:15-17
"What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces
of the poor?" declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.
The LORD says, "The women of Zion are haughty, walking along
with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping
along with mincing steps, with ornaments jingling on their
ankles.
Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women
of Zion; the LORD will make their scalps bald."
(another example of the reversal theme)
(notice the link between crushing the poor and oblivious
rich people.)
B. Fat and sleek people who ignore the powerless. Jeremiah 5:26-29
"Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait like men who
snare birds and like those who set traps to catch men.
Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit;
they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and
sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of
the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of
the poor.
Should I not punish them for this?" declares the LORD.
C. Rich bosses are in big trouble. James 5:1-6
"Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the
misery that is coming upon you.
Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.
Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify
against you and eat your flesh like fire.
You have hoarded wealth in the last days.
Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your
fields are crying out against you.
The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord
Almighty.
You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have
fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.
You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not
opposing you."
(James, the brother of Jesus, sounds very much like an Old
Testament prophet in full denunciation mode. He uses many
of the same preaching points as his brother.)
V. The whole world seems to be gearing up for class warfare.
A. There has been a surge in proposals to soak the rich.
1) France is proposing an upper tax bracket of 75%. That's
pretty steep.
2) Our top rate is about half that even after the recent
increase on the top 1% of taxpayers.
B. Is Jesus engaging in a little class warfare here?
1) Note how he addresses them directly - "Woe to YOU!"
2) Jesus knew how material things could get in the way of
loving God.
a) After he challenged a rich young guy to give up his
wealth and follow God, and watched him walk away,
Jesus said, "It is hard for the rich to enter
the Kingdom of God!" 18:14
b) But then he says - with a miracle - even the rich can
get saved.
1> Of course, not a single person can get saved without
a miracle. We all need God to do it for us.
C. It is not class warfare, but attitude adjustment.
1) Material blessings can be a stumbling block, but they do
not have to be a disqualification.
2) It all depends on how you handle them.
VI. How have you handled the good things of life?
A. There is nothing wrong with money, as long as you realize
it is a spiritual tool.
1) Jesus says we should use our money to help the less
fortunate.
2) You can do this even if you're not that fortunate.
An old man showed up at the back door of Mark Tidd's house.
They opened the door a few cautious inches, and saw his
eyes were glassy and his face was stubbled.
The man clutched a wicker basket holding a few unappealing
vegetables.
He bid them good morning and offered his produce for sale.
They were uneasy enough that they made a quick purchase to
alleviate both their pity and their fear.
To their chagrin, he returned the next week, introducing
himself as Mr. Roth, the man who lived in the shack down
the road.
As their fears subsided, they got close enough to realize
it wasn't alcohol but cataracts that marbleized his eyes.
On subsequent visits, he would shuffle in, wearing two
mismatched right shoes, and pull out a harmonica.
He'd puff out old gospel tunes between conversation about
vegetables and religion.
On one visit, he exclaimed, "The Lord is so good!
I came out of my shack this morning and found a bag full
of shoes and clothing on my porch".
"That's wonderful, Mr. Roth!" they said.
"We're happy for you."
"You know what's even more wonderful?" he asked.
"Just yesterday I met some people that could use them."
#1348
B. There is nothing wrong with a good meal, as long as you do
something for the many people who don't have enough.
1) Perspective - assault weapons have murdered 78 people a
year, while starvation kills around 15,000,000.
2) Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes because he had
compassion on the people. We should have compassion too.
3) But we also remember that people don't live by bread alone.
People need salvation as well as nourishment.
C. There is nothing wrong with a good laugh, as long as you
recognize the seriousness of suffering all around you.
1) The laughter that Jesus is referring to is probably the
derisive kind, where you chuckle at someone's misfortune.
2) But Jesus did know how to have a good time, and he enjoyed
many banquets with his friends.
3) Yet he never ignored the suffering he saw around him.
It is easy to get used to indifference.
I heard a story of a newly hired young preacher standing
at the window of his office, crying.
He was looking out at a scene of busy people scurrying
here and there on the street below.
He saw dope peddlers, prostitutes, junkies, panhandlers,
and thieves.
One of the members came near, gently placed a hand on
his shoulder and said, "Don't worry.
After you've been here a while, you'll get used to it."
Responded the minister, "Yes, I know.
That's why I am crying."
#30732
D. There is nothing wrong with a good reputation, as long as
you aren't promoting yourself to get attention.
1) Jesus refers to the false prophets, who preached what people
wanted to hear.
a) Many Christians succumb to the same temptation.
2) Truth matters more than being popular.
a) Promote what is true rather than yourself.
VII. You can live now, or you can live forever.
A. The short focus always gets you into trouble.
B. Have a supernatural perspective!
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 1348 “He Met Some People Who Could Use Them,” Mark Tidd of Webster,
New York, Leadership magazine, page 48, November 6, 1990.
#18045 “From Riches To Rikers Island,” America Online News,
September 18, 2002.
#30732 “You’ll Get Used To It,” David DeWitt in his sermon “Is Jesus
Still Weeping?” www.sermoncentral.com newsletter,
March 13, 2006.
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