Luke 6:17-26
Jesus Preached
After several weeks, we are starting on a third point of this
message. I say the third point because from \\#Luke 6:12-49\\ is all
one event.
1. \\#Luke 6:12\\ Jesus prayed all night. Probably not so much
for guidance as some speculate as for fellowship with God
which is why we should all pray.
2. \\#Luke 6:13-16\\ Jesus picked His 12 apostles. Hundreds were
following Jesus but He picked only 12. These were not the
brightest or the best. God does not select the great ones to
serve Him. He selects sinners and failures just like you and
me so that His greatest can be seen through us. The truth is
that it takes God to make men like these look good and it
takes God to make us look good too.
3. \\#Luke 6:17-49\\ Jesus preached.
Jesus will preach some of the same truths that He preached in the
Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7), but this isn’t the Sermon on the
Mount. \\#Luke 6:17\\ It is the Sermon In A Plain. And while there
was a multitude there, Jesus’ eyes were focused on these newly
appointed apostles \\#Luke 6:20\\. Why? He is making shepherds out
of sheep and they need some instruction.
The Sermon on the Mount has been debated since Jesus gave it. Most
people think it is impossible to live like Jesus taught in that
sermon. Some think it is a millennial sermon that is to be lived
when times won’t be so bad. It isn’t. The problem with our
understanding the Sermon on the Mount is not WHEN it is to be
applied. It is to be applied now. Our problem is understanding to
WHOM it is applied to. It only applies to those who want to live for
Jesus above everything else. By repreaching parts of it to these
apostles, Jesus was teaching them that they were going to have to
love Him above everything else.
Let’s start. What is it that Jesus was telling these disciples?
I. \\#20-26\\ Life is not going to be comfortable.
A. Jesus immediately began by telling His listeners that life was
going to require them to sacrifice the comforts to serve Him.
1. There is no other interpretation of this passage.
2. The Sermon on the Mount has been debated since Jesus gave
it because some feel it is not possible to live like
Jesus taught in this age.
a. Some actually believe it is a millennial sermon to be
lived during the 1000 year reign of Christ.
b. If it was, it was delivered early. It was not. The
message is for this age.
c. The problem in understanding the sermon is not in the
WHEN of its fulfillment but by the FOR WHOM was
it intended.
d. It was only intended for those who are going to love
Jesus more than anything else.
3. By preaching parts of it to these apostles, Jesus was
teaching them that they were going to have to love Him
above everything else.
B. Notice the things that Jesus told them was to be their lot
in life from now on.
1. \\#20\\ They were going to be poor.
a. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus included the phrase
"poor in spirit."
b. That causes many to allegorize the condition
completely to say that what Jesus meant was to be
humble.
c. I won’t argue with that concerning the Sermon on the
Mount, but here Jesus just told His disciples that
they are going to be poor, broke, without riches.
2. \\#21\\ They are going to be hungry.
a. That is not hungry for the Word or for God.
b. That is just hungry.
3. They are going to weep.
4. \\#22\\ These three kind of go together.
a. They are going to be hated.
b. They are going to be separated from.
c. They are going to reproached (insulted, scorned,
ridiculed).
C. To be sure that we did not begin to think that we took His words
too literally, Jesus gave the same truths through the opposite
teaching.
1. When the Word hurts, some excuse the hurt by saying," You
can take the Bible TOO literally!"
2. To be sure that these men did not do that, He put the shoe
on the other foot and taught the same truth but from the
opposite side.
a. He just taught them that they would be blessed if they
did without these comforts.
b. To reverse teach the same truth, He then told them
that they would be under God’s judgment if they had
those comforts.
c. That is what is meant by the word "woe." You are in
God’s woodshed if Jesus pronounces woe upon you.
D. Look at the reverse truths:
1. \\#24\\ Woe if you are rich.
a. There can be no misunderstanding here, can it?
b. You are blessed if you are poor—for Jesus’ sake, and
you are under God’s woe if you are rich.
c. God does not define what rich and poor are. He left
that to the individual believer, but it is obvious
that Jesus—with His eyes on the disciples—intended
us to serve more instead of to build fortunes.
2. \\#25\\ Woe if you are full.
a. Now, don’t get self-defensive. For the moment,
just take the Word for what it says.
b. To be full and under woe is the same truth—just
reversed—that Jesus gave when He blessed the hungry.
3. Woe to you that laugh now.
a. Laughter is the reversed expression for the blessing
on those weeping.
(1) Weeping come from having a broken heart.
(2) Laughter comes from having a full and happy
heart.
(3) This was Jesus making sure that we understand our
lives as His servants are going to be filled
with some disappointments.
b. But laughter is also spontaneous reaction having good
friends and being accepted.
(1) Very few people laugh alone and rejected.
(2) If you hear people alone and isolated laughing,
watch out!
(3) This woe is bleeding over the last one.
4. \\#26\\ Woe when men speak well of you!
a. This is the reversed expression for the blessing Jesus
pronounced for being hated, separated from, and
reproached \\#22\\.
b. If people saying only good things about you, watch
out.
c. I hate to be both misunderstood and lied about, but
the Bible preaches some hard to understand truths and
even more hard to like truths.
E. These sacrifices will not go without some rewards.
1. \\#20\\ For those who will be poor, they will receive the
kingdom of God.
a. That does not mean rich people do not go to heaven.
b. It does mean it is harder for them to do so.
2. \\#21\\ Those who do without in this life—for Jesus’
sake—will never do without in eternity.
3. Those who weep now will have much to rejoice in throughout
eternity.
a. There is not going to just be praise in heaven. There
is going to be laughter!
b. Some people think heaven is going to be boring. No.
It is going to be fun.
4. For those who are hated, lied about, and shunned for Jesus’
sake, you are going to be so well rewarded that you need
to start jumping for joy right now!
a. Your reward is not listed but your reaction to it is!
b. Being so treated puts you into the same category as
the Old Testament prophets who had the same things
done to them.
c. Friend, I am going to ask you a favor.
(1) Will you please put me out, lie about me,
slander me?
(2) I want to stand in that company and, presently, I
do not belong!
F. What does this mean?
1. Most of us have never experienced ANY of these things at
all, let alone for Jesus!
a. Is Jesus displeased with us?
b. Are we bad Christians?
c. Not necessarily.
2. We are living in a time that is contrary to the Bible.
a. Because the United States of America was established
on God’s Word, it has been a blessed land.
b. God gave this land more food than it can eat and
more wealth than it can spend.
c. This country, in turn, helped to usher in a time
of peace, prosperity, and plenty like no other in
the history of the world.
d. But things are changing now. It won’t be long
until we will be back under the norm of the Bible.
3. Yet, this passage means that tegardless of what time we
live in, some things are always going to be true.
a. God is never going to be pleased with His people
having enough and more when others do not.
b. It doesn’t matter if it is money or food or clothing.
c. I am not sure God is pleased with me being a fat,
full Christian!
4. It alo means that—to some extent—God intends His people to
do without this world’s comforts.
a. It is not a sacrifice for the sacrifice’s sake, but
for Jesus’ sake!
Lu 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you,
and when they shall separate you from their
company, and shall reproach you, and cast out
your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
b. Every generation has some comforts and some tests, but
no generation has had as many comforts and tests as
Americans of the last 100 years.
c. Today’s Christians know little of sacrifice, living by
faith, or even seeking God, and that is NOT good.
d. I do not believe I am worthy to stand with those who
did.
e. It may be that—having more need to do more to serve
our God!
(1) \\#Mat 6:2, , 16\\ warn that it is possible to
get all of our rewards on earth.
(2) I don’t want that!
(3) It may be that we are going to have to work a
little harder to send our rewards to the other
side!
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