The Poor And Poverty In Jesus’ Teaching

A. The Servant Among the Poor Foretold 1. Four Servant Songs (3:22 = Isa. 42:1) If we begin with Jesus we have to begin back in the book of Isaiah, and there are four servant songs in Isaiah. Are you familiar with the servant songs? In Isaiah 42:1-4, is the first song. This is a prophesy about Jesus from 600 years before his birth. – 42:1-4, 49:1-6, 50:4-9, 52:13-53:12 So here is Jesus as a little child, and he is meditating on the book of Isaiah. And he comes across these passages about the servant. And he realizes that he is the servant about which the scriptures talk. You are i n Christ, and you also are the servant. “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one, in whom I delight.” Does he delight in you? If you delight in him he will delight in you. “I will put my Spirit on him.” You’ve experienced this, no? The Spirit of God is on you. He is in you, he is on you, he is anointing you. This we hunger for, thus we walk in this spirit. But why was the Spirit on Jesus. Have a look at the verse. “To bring justice to the nations.” But you say, but the Spirit is on my so I can plant churches. That’s the objective. To plant churches. But how come the objective for Jesus was to bring justice to the nations. Are you a follower of Jesus? I am trying to expand your vision. An intermediate goal is to have a church. Evangelism, discipleship, churchplanting. But the ultimate goal is justice for the nations. So from our church, we have to see our community transformed. We could say, transformed slums. So as we see this happening, then we will see justice come to the nations. The objective is not just a little church inside a bowl which it cannot get out of. The goal to to enable the church to get out to transform the community. The objective is justice for the nations. This is not like justice like the marxists, with every week their bombs and marches down the street. There in verse two, it tells us Jesus’ manner, Jesus style of bringing justice. “He will not raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not snuff out.” It is like the skit last night. There is the evangelist coming very gently very softly, and these drunkards among us making so much trouble. But still he keeps his soft gentle manner. Through meekness, the gospel moves. Through meekness, you can smash through a wall. See, the people we are among, they are broken reeds. You walk along beside the lake there are some reeds and they are bent over. So what do you want to do? Just snap it off. But Jesus he walks along and gets some scotch tape. He binds up the reed. And those drunkards last night were broken reeds. The evangelist came and bound them up. And some of us were like the candle which his almost dead. And Jesus comes along and puts the wax there and blows on the candle and makes it come alive. And among the people you work, these people need the flame of life. And a third thing about his character, faithfulness. He will not falter or be discouraged til he has established justice on the earth. So we just keep going without being discouraged until justice is discouraged. India is in what I would call phases two of a whole process of changing a nation. After revival comes to a nation, 50 years later the economy of the country is transformed. Today we are seeing this in Brazil. There is research that shows 50 years after the revival, the economy peaks. The reason, is because the children who are born during the revival grow up in holy families. By the age of 25 many will move into business. Because of those qualities that come from the revival, by the age of 50, they will be the leaders of society. And you will find the society transformed. It begins in the slums. 50 years later it reaches the top of society. Maybe God will do it faster. But at least we can work with the processes of God and watch him bring this about. Hallelujah. So here is Jesus. I am just introducing you to the beginning of Jesus. We find these verse repeated again and again. So in Luke 3:22, we find Jesus at his baptism, and the Spirit of God descending on him like a dove. And that Spirit is speaking the words of God from this psalm in Isaiah. “You are my son who I love, with you I am well pleased.” So we find Jesus the Servant. You have chosen. A fourth kind of poverty. We talked of 3 kinds of poverty yesterday. Injustice, Calamity, personal sin and injustice or oppression. Now there is a fourth kind of poverty. This is chosen poverty. And many of you have chosen to be poor among the poor. And you have done this because “Jesus, though he was rich, chose to become poor, so that through him we may become rich.” (11 Cor 9:8) This is the most honorable poverty. When you are in the presence of great pastors and leaders remember, you have the most honorable of callings. You have simple chosen to follow Jesus.

B. The Servant Among the Poor Foretold 2. The Magnificat 3. John The Baptist – Clean Up Your Act (3:11-14) If we begin with Jesus we have to begin back in the book of Isaiah, and there are four servant songs in Isaiah. Are you familiar with the servant songs? In Isaiah 42:1-4, is the first song. This is a prophesy about Jesus from 600 years before his birth. – 42:1-4, 49:1-6, 50:4-9, 52:13-53:12 So here is Jesus as a little child, and he is meditating on the book of Isaiah. And he comes across these passages about the servant. And he realizes that he is the servant about which the scriptures talk. You are i n Christ, and you also are the servant. “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one, in whom I delight.” Does he delight in you? If you delight in him he will delight in you. “I will put my Spirit on him.” You’ve experienced this, no? The Spirit of God is on you. He is in you, he is on you, he is anointing you. This we hunger for, thus we walk in this spirit. But why was the Spirit on Jesus. Have a look at the verse. “To bring justice to the nations.” But you say, but the Spirit is on my so I can plant churches. That’s the objective. To plant churches. But how come the objective for Jesus was to bring justice to the nations. Are you a follower of Jesus? I am trying to expand your vision. An intermediate goal is to have a church. Evangelism, discipleship, churchplanting. But the ultimate goal is justice for the nations. So from our church, we have to see our community transformed. We could say, transformed slums. So as we see this happening, then we will see justice come to the nations. The objective is not just a little church inside a bowl which it cannot get out of. The goal to to enable the church to get out to transform the community. The objective is justice for the nations. This is not like justice like the marxists, with every week their bombs and marches down the street. There in verse two, it tells us Jesus’ manner, Jesus style of bringing justice. “He will not raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not snuff out.” It is like the skit last night. There is the evangelist coming very gently very softly, and these drunkards among us making so much trouble. But still he keeps his soft gentle manner. Through meekness, the gospel moves. Through meekness, you can smash through a wall. See, the people we are among, they are broken reeds. You walk along beside the lake there are some reeds and they are bent over. So what do you want to do? Just snap it off. But Jesus he walks along and gets some scotch tape. He binds up the reed. And those drunkards last night were broken reeds. The evangelist came and bound them up. And some of us were like the candle which his almost dead. And Jesus comes along and puts the wax there and blows on the candle and makes it come alive. And among the people you work, these people need the flame of life. And a third thing about his character, faithfulness. He will not falter or be discouraged til he has established justice on the earth. So we just keep going without being discouraged until justice is discouraged. India is in what I would call phases two of a whole process of changing a nation. After revival comes to a nation, 50 years later the economy of the country is transformed. Today we are seeing this in Brazil. There is research that shows 50 years after the revival, the economy peaks. The reason, is because the children who are born during the revival grow up in holy families. By the age of 25 many will move into business. Because of those qualities that come from the revival, by the age of 50, they will be the leaders of society. And you will find the society transformed. It begins in the slums. 50 years later it reaches the top of society. Maybe God will do it faster. But at least we can work with the processes of God and watch him bring this about. Hallelujah. So here is Jesus. I am just introducing you to the beginning of Jesus. We find these verse repeated again and again. So in Luke 3:22, we find Jesus at his baptism, and the Spirit of God descending on him like a dove. And that Spirit is speaking the words of God from this psalm in Isaiah. “You are my son who I love, with you I am well pleased.” So we find Jesus the Servant. You have chosen. A fourth kind of poverty. We talked of 3 kinds of poverty yesterday. Injustice, Calamity, personal sin and injustice or oppression. Now there is a fourth kind of poverty. This is chosen poverty. And many of you have chosen to be poor among the poor. And you have done this because “Jesus, though he was rich, chose to become poor, so that through him we may become rich.” (11 Cor 9:8) This is the most honorable poverty. When you are in the presence of great pastors and leaders remember, you have the most honorable of callings. You have simple chosen to follow Jesus.

C. The Incarnation: Act That Changed History (2:6-7) 1. Down From His Glory… 2. O The Joy Of Following Jesus! 3. Incarnation As A Profound Economic Act 4. Incarnation As A Profound Political Act 5. Incarnation As A Profound Historical Symbol 6. Incarnation As the Beginning Of A New Social Ethic. So here is the beginning with Jesus, Incarnation. And you think you are simply going into the poor and preaching. When you walk in to the slum, what does the rich owner think? He sees you walking into the slum, and he begins to feel a little unsettled. You are a threat to his power over the people. You think, “Oh, I am just a poor man, my clothes are a little old, my sandals are covered in dust.” But you are upsetting the whole social structure. You are turning India upside down. Hallelujah. Prasie the Lord! An upside down India would be a very beautiful India. In fact some people have called the Kingdom of God the Upside Down Kingdom, because power is not important, but Humility is. And you walk into that slum and you don’t know that you are bringing economic transformation. But this word of God has power. And this word of God creates a community of faith. And the first step in economic change is to create a small community that can work together with trust. And you have started a process that will go on for 50 years, simply by walking into the slums. And this transforms the world. Incarnation is the second most powerful thing on earth. The most powerful symbol is the crucifixion. I remember when Monique was a little child, she would always turn to one story. It was the story of Jesus on the cross. Even as a small child, something in her mind said this symbol is the one that is central to everything else. So as you go among the poor and you suffer, you bring also the cross into the very center of the slum. So here is Jesus meditating on Isaiah, come as the incarnate son of God, and after his anointing by the Spirit, he begins to preach. What does he preach, he preaches the kingdom of God. So I have to give you al little examination, what is the Kingdom of God. So let me teach it again. Gods Kingdom is within us, but that’s not what it is. It breaks the barriers and go forwards this is what it does, but what is it. The Kingdom of God is God’s Reign. He is King. But it results in the redemption of people and the restoration of creation. The other day we looked at it in Gen. 1. Before time began, the King was. Throughout eternity, he is, and ever will be. Hallelujah. So his Kingdom, in the Old Testament, the Lord intervened. He stepped in at different points in history. So we find his interventions, with Noah and Adam… And in each of those events we find the same principles each time in history. Economic, social, and spiritual principles. The Kingdom principle I just mentioned of humility rather than power as a way of leadership. We find it for example, when David was king. He keeps saying, the role of the king is to serve the poor. So all through we see the same principles, in different situations. But the King does not dwell among the people. In the New Testament, when Jesus came preaching that the Kingdom of God is at hand, then it invaded, and it is now in us. The Kingdom of God is now here forever, and it multipies like mustard seeds among us. And the Kingdom is seen in the church. These are communities of the Kingdom. But the Kingdom is bigger than the church. His reign is also over the world. So we bring the kingdom principles to apply to the different parts of society. Some of us pick up the paper in the morning, and as we pick it up we begin to want to change the central govt. So make our change in the slum community. Change at the top is fine, but for now, do what God has called us to do. So how many parables about the Kingdom say the the Kingdom is here now. And how many say the Kingdom is future? I will give you some homework. Go and study the scriptures. Half say the Kingdom is present, half say the kingdom is future. So how can this be? How can it be present and future at the same time. The future Kingdom, when the King comes to earth and reigns, Indeed it will be spiritual, but he will reign on the earth, justice will be done, economic disparity will be changed. There will be no rich no poor. Everybody will be equal. So not just spiritual but all of these. In that day the Kingdom will come in all its power. And he will come as judge and destroyer. But we are not to come as judge, here in this stage of history ,we are to come as servants. And quietly infiltrates the whole earth. Preparing for the time when he comes again. Part of my dream is to see a city like Chennai prepared for when he comes. So here is the Kingdom of God.

D. The Empowering Spirit: Compelling Us To The Poor (4:18) 1. The Power Of The Proclaimed Kingdom 2. The Godly Poor Of Yahweh 3. O The Joy Of Following Jesus!

E. Jesus Confronted With The Needy 1. A Mother In-Law’s Fever (4:38,39) 2. A Man With Leprosy (5:12-13) 3. A Paralytic (5:17-26) 4. Jairus Daughter (8:10-36) 5. A Women With A Flow Of Blood.

F. The Blessed Poor In The Horror poverty (Luke 6:20-27) 1. Jesus Speaking As a Poor Man 2. Blessing Is Not Poverty But For The Poor 3. The Terror Of Riches

G. Validation Of Our Ministry: Impact On The Poor (7:22-23) 1. Miraculous Among The Poor 2. Social Ministry Among The Poor 3. Good New Is Preached To The Poor 4. Righteousness Is Related To Involvement With The Poor 5. Teaching The Poor By Parables

Apostolic Poverty: Dependent On The Poor, Dependent On God 1. Mission Is By The Poor To The Poor (9:1-3,10:7) 2. Foxes Have Holes (9:58) 3. God’s Provision (12:32-34)

Almsgiving 1. Parable Of Neighbors (10:25-37) 2. Hospitality For The Poor (Luke 14:13,14)

The Call To The Rich For Radical Repentance 1. Analysis Of Poverty => Analysis Of Riches 2. Jesus Loved The Rich 3. Parable Of the Rich Fool (12:13-21) 4. Give Up Unconditionally Your Attachment To Riches (Luke 12:33, 14:33) 5. You Cannot Serve God And Money (16:13-15) 6. The Rich Man And Lazarus (16:19-31) 7. Gaining The World, Losing Your Soul (9:25)

K. Finale: Which Would You Choose? 1. The Race we Must Run 2. Choice: Junk Or Jesus