The Danger of Riches and Comfort

This morning I am reading out of Luke's Gospel and seem to be continuing to follow a theme related to the spirit of the world.  This morning I was reading Luke's version of the sermon on the mount.  He adds a few comments (verses 24-26) that would certainly not resonate well in the majority of American churches, for they speak of woes for the rich, comfortable, well fed and well accepted.  As I mentioned previously the Gospel is counter-cultural, and it is resisted by the spirit of the world. Here are the verses, with some introductory context for the setting of the stage in which these comments were delivered.

Luke 6:17-26 NIV:

[17] He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, [18] who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, [19] and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

[20] Looking at his disciples, he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
[21] Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
[22] Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
[23] Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets."

[24] “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
[25] Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
[26] Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets."

Here are the comments on verses 24-26 of Matthew Henry, who wrote his commentary in the late 1600's.  I find his comments every bit as applicable today as in those days, albeit the language is a bit dated ( http://classic.studylight.org/com/mhc-com/view.cgi?book=lu&chapter=6&verse=24#Lu6_24).  I find that his meditations are helpful to me in differentiating the good from the bad in wealth, comfort, cheer and a good reputation.

     "II. Woes denounced against prospering sinners as miserable people, though the world envies them. These we had not in Matthew. It should seem, the best exposition of these woes,compared with the foregoing blessings, is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus had the blessedness of those that are poor, and hunger, and weep, now, for in Abraham's bosom all the promises made to them who did so were made good to him; but the rich man had the woesthat follow here, as he had the character of those on whom these woes are entailed.

      1. Here is a woe to them that are rich, that is, that trust in riches, that have abundance of this world's wealth, and, instead of serving God with it, serve their lusts with it; woe to them, for they have received their consolation, that which they placed their happiness in, and were willing to take up with for a portion, Luke 6:24. They in their life-time received their good things, which, in their account, were the best things, and all the good things they are ever likely to receive from God. "You that are rich are in temptation to set your hearts upon a smiling world, and to say, Soul, take thine ease in the embraces of it, This is my rest for ever, here will I dwell; and then woe unto you." (1.) It is the folly of carnal worldlings that they make the things of this world their consolation, which were intended only for their convenience. They please themselves with them, pride themselves in them, and make them their heaven upon earth; and to them the consolations of God are small, and of no account. (2.) It is their misery that they are put off with them as their consolation. Let them know it, to their terror, when they are parted from these things, there is an end of all their comfort, a final end of it, and nothing remains to them but everlasting misery and torment.

      2. Here is a woe to them that are full (Luke 6:25), that are fed to the full, and have more than heart could wish (Psalms 73:7), that have their bellies filled with the hid treasures of this world(Psalms 17:14), that, when they have abundance of these, are full, and think they have enough, they need no more, they desire no more, Revelation 3:17. Now ye are full, now ye are rich,1 Corinthians 4:8. They are full of themselves, without God and Christ. Woe to such, for they shall hunger, they shall shortly be stripped and emptied of all the things they are so proud of; and, when they shall have left behind them in the world all those things which are their fulness, they shall carry away with them such appetites and desires as the world they remove to will afford them no gratifications of; for all the delights of sense, which they are now so full of, will in hell be denied, and in heaven superseded.

      3. Here is a woe to them that laugh now, that have always a disposition to be merry, and always something to make merry with; that know no other joy than that which is carnal and sensual, and know no other use of this world's good than purely to indulge that carnal sensual joy that banishes sorrow, even godly sorrow, from their minds, and are always entertaining themselves with the laughter of the fool. Woe unto such, for it is but now, for a little time, that they laugh; they shall mourn and weep shortly, shall mourn and weep eternally, in a world where there is nothing but weeping and wailing, endless, easeless, and remediless sorrow.

      4. Here is a woe to them whom all men speak well of, that is, who make it their great and only care to gain the praise and applause of men, who value themselves upon that more than upon the favour of God and his acceptance (Luke 6:26): "Woe unto you; that is, it would be a bad sign that you were not faithful to your trust, and to the souls of men, if you preached so as that nobody would be disgusted; for your business is to tell people of their faults, and, if you do that as you ought, you will get that ill will which never speaks well. The false prophets indeed, that flattered your father in their wicked ways, that prophesied smooth things to them, were caressed and spoken well of; and, if you be in like manner cried up, you will be justly suspected to deal deceitfully as they did." We should desire to have the approbation of those that are wise and good, and not be indifferent to what people say of us; but, as we should despise the reproaches, so we should also despise the praises, of the fools in Israel."

In summary, I need to evaluate my heart and my pursuits in this life to make sure that I am focused on the Lord and not the things of this world.  This past Sunday our pastor was saying that the biggest issue that shuts down revival and reduces reliance on the Lord and acceptance of the Gospel is prosperity.  We must make sure that we are not allowing the spirit of the world and its focus on material things to distract us from our life in God.  Lord, help us all!