What Did Jesus Just Say?

Scripture Reference: Luke 6:46-49

Preached at Mount Zion Baptist Church on February 16, 2020

Delivered by Rev. John Daniel Johnson

One of my favorite shows I used to watch is called “Little Big Shots.” The show was similar and older show called “Kids Say the Darnest Things.” If you’ve ever seen one of these shows, you’ll literally roll on the floor laughing at some of these comments that children say. I can honestly say, as a parent myself, if you don’t want it repeated, don’t tell a kid. Also, I’ve learned this. If you don’t want all your secrets revealed, don’t let your child answer your phone.

I do not desire to get my child in trouble with the wife, so I won’t tell you which one it was, but I wanted to share with you what one of my children did. My wife was fast asleep on the couch. Usually when this happens, my children get her cell phone and play games or watch their shows on it. Well as my wife napped, her phone rang. Unfortunately, it was in the hands of one of my children. Before I could run into the living room, I overheard this short conversation. I heard my child explain, “No, my mama can’t talk right now.” My child continued, “She can’t talk because she’s on the couch and she is snoring real loud.” Sadly, that wasn’t even the worst part. She concluded with, “Yeah, my mommy is always sleeping and she always snores real loud too.”

Just a couple of weeks ago, my cellphone rang. I had left the phone in the living room, and told the family I was going to go study in the bedroom. Well one of you, and you know who you are, called. That same child of mine answered the phone and I overheard her statements before I could capture the phone from her hands. She answered the phone and said, “No, my daddy is studying and he don’t want to talk to you.” Again, I apologize for the way she said that.

You know children do have a way of saying things and we as parents standing back, grimising and saying, “I wished they wouldn’t have said that.” If you’re a parent, you’ve all been there at least once in your life. Sometimes, we just wish those words would have not been spoken.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been studying the sayings of Jesus or what some call “the words written in red.” As I began studying these statements, I even had to say to myself, “What Did Jesus Just Say?” It’s not because I’m questioning His Word, but Jesus said some pretty radical statements in Scripture that completely go against human nature.

A quick example of one of these statements is found in the Book of Matthew.

"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..."

(Matthew 5:44)

Be honest! I bet sometimes we wished that Christ would not have said those words. You know why we wish that. Because we know that Christ’s word is correct. And we know that if we want please Him, we have to obey His Word. Then we read statements like “love your enemies” and “pray for those who persecute you,” we say, Jesus it would be a whole lot easier to serve you if we could just “ignore our enemies” and “ask that those who persecute us will get what’s coming to them.” See, Jesus didn’t say that.

Illustration:

When you are confronted with the truth, what is your reaction? Think about it for a moment. When you stand face to face in front of your bathroom mirror, what is your reaction to what is starting back at you?

Transitional Sentence:

In looking at a few of these radical statements that Christ made I want you to examine your reaction to Christ’s words. When I share with you these statements there are a few different reactions we can have.

First, we can choose to ignore Jesus’ words. We can say, “He probably didn’t mean it like that” or as some people have said, “I don’t think He’s right” and ignore them. Secondly, we can say “Jesus, you said them, and whether I like it or not, I chose to receive your word into my life.”

Turn with me to the 6th Chapter of the Book of Luke. As you find your spot, let me set the background for today’s Scripture.

Scripture Reference:

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”