The #Blessed Life ~ Luke 11:27-28

February 15, 2015 ~ New City Church of Calgary ~ Pastor John Ferguson
Intro: A few weeks ago, approximately 123M US & Canadian fans watched SuperBowl XLIX. And the fact that
so many people were watching this game wasnt lost on advertisers. According to Forbes, This year, a 30second spot is an eye-popping $4 million while a 60-second spot goes for a jaw-dropping $8 million.1
No doubt the commercials have become their own form of entertainment. The same Forbes article
suggests that studies show some 50% of viewers tune in just to watch the commercials. Some
companies spend in excess of $1M in production of the commercials themselves. The goal: to get
people talking about your product.
Everyone is selling some version of the good life. Question: What is the key to the good life?
Socrates: The unexamined life is not worth living.
Henry David Thoreau: I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential
facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I
had not lived.
Oscar Wilde: To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.
Its not uncommon to see folks commenting about their lives on social media followed by #blessed.
What is the blessed life? Thats the question we are going to see answered by Jesus in our study today.
Be on the lookout for: Jesus definition of the #blessed life.
27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, Blessed is the
womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed.
1. Statement of Affirmation: We are so blessed to hear you, Jesus. How much more blessed is your
mother who raised you and nurtured you! She must be so proud! How wonderful it would have been to
have been Mary!
2. Context of Affirmation: In 11:14-26, there were different responses to the work of Jesus
(1) Some said he was of the devil, leading Gods people astray.
(2) Some said they werent impressed with Jesus, and wanted to see him work some more miracles.
Against this backdrop, this womans statement of affirmation was a profession of faith. She believed!
28 But he said, Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.
1. What is the Word of God?
(1) Is it the OT Scriptures?
2 Timothy 3:16, All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for
every good work.
(2) Is it the message of Jesus?
Luke 5:1, the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God.
Luke 8:1, he went on through the cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news
of the kingdom of God.
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(3) Is it Jesus himself?

John 1:1, 14, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

So which is it? Is Jesus referring to the OT, to the message he preached, or to himself? Yes!
The Word of God is the message about what God has done for us in Christ Jesus which calls forth
a response from each one of us.
Hebrews 1:1-3, Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the
prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all
things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the
exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. (cf. Luke 24)
2. Why is this so important? Why is the key to the #blessed life hearing the Word of God & keeping it?
(1) Because as Jesus said, we were designed to live by the word of God. Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Mt 4:4). IOW, we were designed to
live by heeding the Word of God and his interpretation of reality. His Word gave meaning, purpose,
and significance to our lives.
(2) But with humanitys desire for independence from God and to live for ourselves, we opt for the
illusion that we dont need Gods word nor his interpretation of reality, thank you very much!
In habits of the heart, sociologist Robert Bellah described the way so many folks in North America
construct a DIY religion. Its termed Sheilaism from an interview with a young lady named
Sheila, My faith has carried me a long way. Its Sheilaism. Just my own little voice.
For many people in NA, this seems obvious, intuitive, hip. But heres the deal: Jesus knows that
you were not designed to be your own lord. You are a creature made in the image of God living in
Gods universe, but with no inclination to centre your life upon your Creator, you end up living
under the tyranny of the self. You actually are less free, being enslaved to your feelings and
emotions.
Jesus knows this: He is the only Master who can rule you without ruining you. All other lords and
masters will simply consume and waste your life. Thats why Jesus came.
Being human is not a DIY project. Rather, we learn how to be truly human by following Jesus.
3. Where is the #blessed life found? Hearing AND obeying.
(1) Initially, this refers to hearing the message about Jesus and responding to it.
John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him
should not perish but have eternal life.
(2) Subsequently, it refers to hearing the message about Jesus and responding to it.
Col. 2:6-7, Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up
in him sand established in the faith.
Rom. 1:2, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind
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So why did Luke record this episode in his historical biography of Jesus?
You will miss out on true blessednesstrue happiness/the good lifebecause you are looking for it in all the
wrong places. Jesus is the key to the #blessed life. So listen to him and do what he says.
Main Idea: Jesus views the truly blessed life as being tuned in to Gods agenda & on board with it.
Two Points of Application:
1. Be Careful How You Listen.
(1) Luke 8:18 (NIV), Consider carefully how you listen.
Jesus had just spoken a parable about the seed of the word of God coming into contact with different
soils of the human heart.
(2) Key Point: There is no automatic blessing in the mere hearing of the Word of God.
Ezekiel 33:30-32,As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and
at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, Come and hear the message that has come from
the Lord. My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they
do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.
Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays
an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.
(3) Luke 8:18 cont., Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he
has will be taken from him.
IOW, If we listen one waycarefullywe will be given more. If we listen another wayi.e., not
carefullyeven what we think we have will be taken from us.
2. Be Ready to Change.
(1) James 1:22 (NIV), Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

TM, Dont fool yourself into thinking that you re a listener when you are anything but, letting the
word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear!

(2) For some people, the idea of obedience seems like an onerous thing. Its almost a dirty word. Its been
used to bludgeon people, its been used by ourselves to make ourselves feel guilty for not doing
enough.
God only calls us to do things in response to what hes already done for us in Christ. We dont work to
earn his grace, but we live in light of the grace that he has already given us.
The imperatives (commands) always flow out of the indicatives (News of what God has done for us).

Conclusion: Missional Implications

Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book , Christians feed on Scripture. Holy Scripture nurtures the holy community
as food nurtures the human body. Christians dont simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it,
take it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love, cups of cold water [given in

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Jesus name], missions into all the world, healing and evangelism and justice in Jesus name, hands raised in
adoration too the Father, feet washed in company with the Son.

Calgary needs to see communities of people whose lives are transformed by the Word of God. It needs to
see what it looks like when people bring their lives under the kind and gracious rule of God. It needs to see
people who are liberated from their enslavement to lust, to gossip, to envy. It needs to see people whose
#blessed-ness doesnt depend on their circumstances. It needs to see people whose lives are being
transformed by the power of the word of God. Theres no other explanation.
Calgary needs to see in the local churchthe preview of the kingdom of Godwhat life looks like. It needs
the presence of an alternate city within the city testifying to the beauty of the Word of God.
So NCC, may you be a community of faith that always hears the Word of God about Jesus, and is always
putting the Word of God into practice. May you assimilate Scripture & may it get metabolized into acts of love,
for the glory of Christ and the good of this city we call our home.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/onmarketing/2014/01/29/yes-a-super-bowl-ad-really-is-worth-4-million/

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