Woes and Reasons
Notes
Transcript
Blessings
Then looking up at his disciples, he said:
Blessed are you who are poor,
because the kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are hungry now,
because you will be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now,
because you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you, insult you,
and slander your name as evil
because of the Son of Man.
“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy. Take note—your reward is great in heaven, for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the prophets.
Blessed are those who seek the Lord.
BUT Woe to the Self-Satisfied.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your comfort.
Woe to you who are now full,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who are now laughing,
for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you
when all people speak well of you,
for this is the way their ancestors
used to treat the false prophets.
In the OT when a prophet warned people of God’s condemnation, he would often use the word WOE - so again we have a connection that the Israelites would understand.
WOE - an interjection of grief or a condemnation
Woe is unrelenting sorrow, pain, agony, the kind that cannot be relieved
Woe crushes a person.
SO when the prophet would call out WOE TO THE PEOPLE - the prophet was referring to a condemnation at the hands of God!
I am going to say something that is not popular, but is absolutely true:
Hell is real. Hell is real and people are going. People you know. People I know. And there are warnings. WOE to them who are on that road.
There are blessings for those who receive Jesus as Messiah.
There are WOES to those who reject our Savior. It is unpopular. Social Media calls it hate speech.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your comfort.
If you are rich in the physical world, but have no spiritual wealth toward God; there is coming a day when you will lose all your riches, all your wealth, and discover that it was all meaningless.
Rich - a person who possess great material wealth. In abundance.
Prideful - think you can do it on your own
Woe to you who are now full,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who are now laughing,
for you will mourn and weep.
If you are one of those who gets their fill on this world, indulging and gorging yourself with this world. GET GET GET, Obtain obtain obtain, work work work, MORE MORE MORE.
You will be lacking in the days ahead.
“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
If you spend all of your time enjoying the world NOW, focused on the things of this age. Hey there is nothing wrong with going to the movies, ball games, airsoft, what have you; but when you fill everything with the now and find all this enjoyment in the now and do not spend any time making deposits into what lasts forever: in the eyes of eternity you will be mourning and weeping.
It is interesting because there is the comparison using words that are earthly and words that are spiritual.
The Bible is trying to tell you: YOU IN THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW: You better have your eyes set on things above. Not earthly things.
Woe to you
when all people speak well of you,
for this is the way their ancestors
used to treat the false prophets.
Do not hear the words of people and think that is represents God’s approval. Yes the Bible says that we need to be upright, righteous, have a good reputation; but this is telling us that we do not need to be people who seek the approval and words of others, especially those of this world.
False prophets were always spoken well of in the OT times.
Divine approval is more important than human praise.
If you compare this to the blessings it becomes very clear:
Blessed are the poor in spirit - know you can’t do this on your own
Woe to those who posses great material wealth - think you can do this on your own
Humility vs pride.
Bless are those who hunger for righteousness
Woe to those who are full on unrighteousness.
Blessed are those who weep now - whose hearts are broken by what breaks God’s heart
Woe to those who are blind to these things and laugh
Blessed are those who are hated, excluded, insulted and slandered because of Jesus.
Woe to those who seek the praises of man!
Woe to the rich, the full, the laughing, those who are popular in this world because they are enjoying all this would has to offer; while having no mention of the Lord in their life.
Listen, Jesus said that some disciples would suffer in this world, but those who are enjoying this world this much are not suffering!
So what should this do for you and me:
1 - Since Jesus is teaching the Disciples, it should be a motivation for us to be on guard and keep our minds right. Keep our focus on Jesus.
“No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
OR ANY OTHER false god.
2 - it should motivate evangelism.
Penn shares a powerful monologue about a “polite and kind” businessman who handed him a Gideon’s Bible.
Touched by the man’s gesture, Penn testifies: “If you believe there is a heaven and hell, and you think it’s not worth telling someone about it, how much do you have to hate him to not proselytize? To believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell people? This man cared enough about me to proselytize.”
