Luke 6:17-38

< Back to Luke Index


TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Luke’s Account of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. Kingdom living involves blessings and woes.

  2. Kingdom living demands love and mercy.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Don’t judge motives!

  2. Don’t give grudgingly!

  3. Don’t get too popular!

QUESTIONS

  1. Where is the more famous account of the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount recorded?

  2. List the parallel blessings and woes.

  3. Was this sermon a gospel message?

  4. What sort of Love is able to “love your enemy”?

  5. Should “turn the other cheek” be our national defense policy?

ANSWERS

  1. Matthew 5-7

  2. a. Blessed are you who are poor – Woe to you who are rich b. Blessed are you who hunger now – Woe to you who are well fed now c. Blessed are you who weep now – Woe to you who laugh now d. Blessed are you when men hate you – Woe to you when all men speak well of you

  3. No, it was given to those who were already following Jesus and were preparing for the kingdom that the Lord was announcing as at hand. So in application today, this sermon is not a gospel message to the unsaved, but a message to believers in reference to righteous living and lifestyle.

  4. This agape love – the denial of self in the interest of the other person – is the mark of the Christian. Only this God-given love enables the believer to fulfill the directives in this sermon.

  5. No, these are moral qualities that should characterize those who have chosen to follow Jesus.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Are you living in light of the coming kingdom? The woes in verses 24-26 are addressed to believers who are not fully committed to the Lord. These half-way disciples will suffer loss of reward when the Kingdom is set up at the Lord’s return.

  2. Our society today emphasizes tolerance, saying we should never judge other people. But Scripture shows there is a time to judge: Governments must judge lawbreakers; Church leaders must judge immorality; Parents must judge and discipline their children. How does this passage relate? We are to judge behavior, but we are not to judge motives. Only God can see the heart and judge motives.

CHALLENGE

  1. John 15:18 indicates the world will reject us as it rejected Christ. If you as a believer are being widely accepted by unbelievers, perhaps you have watered down the truth of the gospel. “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.” Luke 6:26 So don’t get too popular.

KEY VERSES

  • “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.” Luke 6:31

  • “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.” Luke 6:35

Luke, Talks, New TestamentDeb HarmsLuke 6:17-38