How To Be Human – Week 4

“Fundamentals”

Introduction:

Jesus is the best example on how to be human

Luke 6 – sermon on the plain
Teaching that Jesus gave
Nothing in this teaching is earth-shattering; they are so simple
Explain it to a child and they can understand
So profound and simple but we as humans are trying so hard to follow them

Rival teachings on idea how to be human

Greek philosophers
Division between body and soul
Epicureans – if the body is separate, then indulge the body; body and soul disconnected
Stoics – try to refine the body, practice self-control, then the spirit will become the dominant thing
Secular humanist – modern epicureans; personal freedom is most important as long as not doing harm
to others
Religionists – modern stoics; abstain from good and fun, if it’s fun, then it’s bad – modern religion
philosophy. All religion has this.

These 2 philosophies are also present during Jesus’ time

They tend to divide our humanity
Separate body from soul; heaven from earth; human from the divine
Neither of them capture the original plan of God for human beings
Created us in His image; not just physical beings or spiritual beings
We are souls with a body; we are a whole being

Jesus came and taught different things from the philosophers and religionists
He came teaching new way of teaching
1. Sabbath
• A day of rest
• Find peace of God in heaven here on earth
2. Blessing
• World view: material things; temporary
• Jesus: blessing in poverty, hunger, suffering
3. Get along with other humans
• Don’t do to other people what you don’t want others to do to you
• Jesus: do to others what you want them to do to you

Hebrew people – set apart from God to show the world how to live
But Hebrew people failed
So jesus came to earth to show us how to live as a human

Religious leaders were mad; romans were mad

They became united to get rid of Jesus
4 final foundational/fundamental truth
If we as the body of christ will follow these truths, then we would shine out in the darkness

1. You are who you follow (6:39-40)

• Mom so concerned who we hang out with
• Jesus not saying don’t be friends with them
• Jesus know that there are rival teachings which are wrong – blind
• I Cor. 15:33
• Prov. 13:20
• Ps. 1:1
• You will become who you follow
• Fashion, trending, wrong doctrine
• Your destination will be the same

2. You judge in others what you fear in yourself (6:41-42)

• Religionists – self righteous but cannot see their own faults
• Splinter come from logs
• We judge in others what we are afraid of in ourselves
• Psychologists call it transference but Jesus already taught it
• Romans 2:1-3
• John 3:17
• If Jesus did not condemn the world, how about us
• James 4:12
• So simple but so hard to do

3. You harvest what you plant (6:43-45)

• If you ever said anything bad – it came from your heart
• What goes in – comes out
• Be careful what you plant – that’s the same thing you will harvest
• What defiles a man is not what comes within, but what comes out
• gardening
• Persistence – harvest the fruits of the spirit
• patience – we can’t be like jesus in a day
• gal. 6:9
• john 15
• you are becoming what you are planting

4. Your foundation determines your durability (6:46-49)

• The absence or presence of the storm do not indicate the love of god or faith of the man
• Storm comes to everybody
• How well are you enduring the storms?
• Who am I following? Who is my foundation?
• Invite god to help you build your foundation
1. Who or what are you following?
2. What do you tend to persistently judge in others?
3. Is your life producing bad fruit?
4. How is your foundation?