Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Overall, Luke 6 refers to righteousness, the Court of Tabernacle.
In the beginning, God creates perfect man as glorious as Him, according to His image. God puts him in Eden and he lives in happiness.
But human falls into sin, so he loses God's image, glory, holiness, and righteousness.
Consequently, they are cast out to the world, to live in curse and perish.
God is not willing if human perishes. So, He makes efforts to return human to His image, namely righteousness, holiness and glory.
God's effort to return us to His image is called God's upbringing.
There are seven kinds of God’s upbringing as follows:
Ad. 5. the mind is brought up by God
God brings up our mind that we have the mind of the cross and we will receive the things as follows:
Luke 6:24-26
6:24. "But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation.
6:25. Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep.
6:26. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.
There are lots of the son of God who refuse God's upbringing. So, they keep the mind of the flesh and have the characteristic of the flesh as follows:
If we have four characteristics of the flesh, we live without love and refuse the cross, so we get the harm, curse, and perdition.
The practices of refusing the cross are as follows:
God helps through three times of questioning from Jesus, namely we have to have perseverance in doing the three kinds of main service.
John 21:15, 17
21:15. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."
21:17. He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.
In the shepherding, we experience the purification of heart, so we receive the great love of God which is able to change the mind of the flesh to become the one of the cross.
John 21:18-19
21:18. "Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish."
21:19. This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."
Peter has the mind of the cross and willingness to do anything to glorify God.
If we can surrender to God totally, we can glorify and obey Him.
Hebrews 13:15-16
13:15. Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name
13:16. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
We glorify God too through ministering Him faithfully, earnestly and fervently.
1 Corinthians 6: 20
6:20. For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 7: 23
7:23. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
If we obey the Word of God, glorify Him and stretch out our hand to Him, He will stretch out His hand to us too. We are in the hand of God which is full of abundant mercy.
The results are as follows:
God blesses us.
Overall, Luke 6 refers to righteousness, the Court of Tabernacle.
In the beginning, God creates perfect man as glorious as Him, according to His image. God puts him in Eden and he lives in happiness.
But human falls into sin, so he loses God's image, glory, holiness, and righteousness.
Consequently, they are cast out to the world, to live in curse and perish.
God is not willing if human perishes. So, He makes efforts to return human to His image, namely righteousness, holiness and glory.
God's effort to return us to His image is called God's upbringing.
There are seven kinds of God’s upbringing as follows:
- Luke 6:1-5is about the body is brought up by God to enter in spiritual activity.
- Luke 6:12-16 is about the soul is brought up by God that we have spiritual positionin the Kingdom of Heaven.
- Luke 6:17-19 is about the spirit is brought up by God that our spiritual is not sickbut healthy until perfect.
- Luke 6:6-11is about the deed is brought up by God.
- Luke 6:20-26 is about the mind is brought up by God.
- Luke 6:27-45is about the heart is brought up by God.
- Luke 6:46-49is about life journey is brought up by God.
Ad. 5. the mind is brought up by God
God brings up our mind that we have the mind of the cross and we will receive the things as follows:
- happiness of Heaven that cannot be influenced by anything in this world,
- four characteristics of Jesus (as the King, servant, man and Son of God).
Luke 6:24-26
6:24. "But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation.
6:25. Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep.
6:26. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.
There are lots of the son of God who refuse God's upbringing. So, they keep the mind of the flesh and have the characteristic of the flesh as follows:
- 'woe to you who are rich'.
It means wealth for himself, so one is not rich toward God.
Luke 12:15, 19-21
12:15. And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."
12:19. 'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'
12:20. "But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
12:21. "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
Being rich for himself means one is rich, but cannot give, or he has stinginess and greediness.
Being stingymeans one cannot give.
Being greedymeans one takes others' right especially God's, namely tithes and special offerings.
Stinginess and greediness as same as idolatry.
The miser and the greedy are like one who does not wear cloth and he is naked, so he perishes forever. - 'Woe to you who are full'.
It means that one just looks for and chases satisfaction in the world.
If one only looks for satisfaction in the world or deceitful satisfaction of the flesh, he will not appreciate the Word of God (honey).
Proverbs 27:7
27:7. A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
We do not appreciate the Word of God. We are not faithful in ministry, even we do not want to serve God and leave ministry.
Malachi 3:18, 4:1
3:18. Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him.
4:1. "For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch.
The consequenceis living like stubble, being useless and burned forever. - 'Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep'.
It means that one laughs in sin which is same as crying in the hell.
Laughing in the sinmeans sinning willfully without a will to repent. - 'Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets'.
It means that one becomes haughty because he is praised that he becomes disobedient. Disobedience means not loving God.
If we have four characteristics of the flesh, we live without love and refuse the cross, so we get the harm, curse, and perdition.
The practices of refusing the cross are as follows:
- Peter takes Jesus aside in the journey of the cross.
Matthew 16:21-23
16:21. From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
16:22. Then Peter took Him asideand began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"
16:23. But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."
It means that Peter does not want to be shepherded and follow the path of the Chief Shepherd.
Consequently, he becomes stumbling-block.
Matthew 18:6
18:6. "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Becoming stumbling-block means hard and irritable heart, stumbling, and being stumbling-block for others.
The neck of one who becomes stumbling-block is given a millstone.
It means his life is not beautiful, but laborious, and drowned in the sea. Moreover, he falls into sin of Babylon, namely sin of eating-drinking and marrying-giving in marriage.
Revelation 18:21
18:21. Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. - Peter denies God.
Luke 22:54-57
22:54. Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance.
22:55. Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.
22:56. And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him."
22:57. But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."
Titus 1:16
1:16. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him,being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
Denying Jesusmeans lying, denying through work and word, and embarrassing God. - Peter is not obedient.
John 21:3, 7
21:3. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.
21:7. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.
Peter does not obey the Word of God. Peter is called by God to become the fishers of men, but he returns as a fisherman.
Consequently, he totally fails, gets naked, lives in curse and perishes forever.
God helps through three times of questioning from Jesus, namely we have to have perseverance in doing the three kinds of main service.
John 21:15, 17
21:15. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."
21:17. He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.
In the shepherding, we experience the purification of heart, so we receive the great love of God which is able to change the mind of the flesh to become the one of the cross.
John 21:18-19
21:18. "Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish."
21:19. This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."
Peter has the mind of the cross and willingness to do anything to glorify God.
If we can surrender to God totally, we can glorify and obey Him.
Hebrews 13:15-16
13:15. Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name
13:16. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
We glorify God too through ministering Him faithfully, earnestly and fervently.
1 Corinthians 6: 20
6:20. For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 7: 23
7:23. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
If we obey the Word of God, glorify Him and stretch out our hand to Him, He will stretch out His hand to us too. We are in the hand of God which is full of abundant mercy.
The results are as follows:
- God’s merciful hand commands the blessing on us.
Deuteronomy 28:1, 8
28:1. "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.
28:8. "The LORD will command the blessing on youin your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. - God’s merciful hand is able to divide the sea.
Exodus 14:16, 21
14:16. "But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
14:21. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.
God’s merciful hand is able to erase all impossible things in our life. - The hand of God is stretched out to exalt us in due time.
1 Peter 5: 5-6
5:5. Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
5:6. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
The hand of God is stretched out to exalt us. Everything become successful and we have successful and beautiful future in due time.
We are used in the ministry of building the body of Christ. We are purified and changed from carnal men to spiritual ones like Jesus, and we can submit ourselves.
When Jesus comes a second time, we are changed and purified up to perfected and lifted up on the glorious clouds. We enter the Paradise (a thousand years Kingdom of Peace) until return to New Jerusalem.
God blesses us.