Today’s passage: Luke 7:18-35

Helpful thoughts:

• John the Baptist wanted to know if Jesus was the Messiah.
  • Jesus confirmed this and also confirmed that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of Malachi 3:1.
• Jesus said, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”  Then when he preached good news to the poor, some were glad and others were offended (Verses 29-30).
• When people do not repent and become followers of Christ, it’s not because the message isn’t relative enough or because it wasn’t sweetened enough for them to hear.  When people do not repent it’s because they don’t want to follow Christ.

Questions to consider:

1. Why did Jesus do these miracles to strengthen John’s faith when He told the Jewish leaders, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” (Matthew 16:4)?  What was different about John the Baptist’s request of confirmation and the request of the Pharisees and Sadducees?
2. What do these miracles prove?  What do they also represent?  In what ways were we blind, lame, unclean, deaf, poor and dead?
3. What is the good news preached to us?  Why is it so good?  Why are people offended by it?

Today’s passage: Luke 7:1-17

Helpful thoughts:

• The greatest faith Jesus found in Israel was that of a Gentile.
• The faith of the centurion was evidenced by the way he viewed/treated people, the way he shared his resources, and the way he showed respect to the Son of God.
• God is sovereign and all-powerful over His creation.
  • Jesus showed up in Nain at just the right time, for just the right purpose.
  • Touching the coffin of a dead man didn’t make Jesus unclean.  Jesus touched the coffin of a dead man and His creation was brought back to life.

Questions to consider:

1. Who asked Jesus to go heal the centurion’s servant?  What might be surprising about this?  What seems to have motivated them to go to Jesus?
2. What did the centurion believe that Jesus was able to do?  What did this communicate of Jesus’ identity and power?
3. What motivated Jesus to raise the dead man in Nain?  What was He accomplishing?

Today’s passage: Luke 6:46-49

Helpful thoughts:

• Follower of Jesus follow Jesus.  You cannot call Jesus, “Lord” while continually refusing to obey Him.
• Remember, there were religious teachers in the crowd when Jesus was teaching who were leading people away from God.  There are many people today who give words of teaching and counsel…many who call themselves Christian.  If what they say does not agree with the Lord’s Word, it is false.  Build your house on the Rock!

Questions to consider:

1. Is there anything you know Jesus has commanded you to do that you are not presently doing?
2. How would anyone come to be able to discern whether teachers, preachers, and counselors are rightly relaying the instruction and commands of God’s Word?  What must all Christians endeavor to learn?
3. What will true repentance result in?  Is it enough to simply feel badly about our wrongs?  What will those who built their house upon the foundation of Word of the Lord do?

Today’s passage: Luke 6:37-45

Helpful thoughts:

• It is not wrong to have an understanding of what is right and wrong.  Otherwise, it would be impossible to say it is wrong to think you are better than everybody else. Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
  • Anyone who tries to use this verse (“Judge not, and you will not be judged”), to tell people to stop acknowledging right and wrong are violating the same principle.
  • There is a major difference between being judgmental and condemnatory versus being aware of right and wrong and loving your neighbor.
• Galatians 6:1-2 – “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
• A sinner who know he/she has been rescued by the grace and love of God will exemplify grace and love.

Questions to consider:

1. How would you describe a loving confrontation over sin versus a judgmental confrontation?  How would they be different?  What would be the differing goals of the one addressing the problem?
2. Why do we say the things we do?  Is it ever correct to say, “That wasn’t me” when we say something we regret?  Why or why not?
3. How does the Gospel help you to attack the problem and not the person when something is wrong?  How does God’s love for you through Christ give you the right frame of mind to help others?

Today’s passage: Luke 6:27-36

Helpful thoughts:

• Verse 31 is surrounded with commands that make this central command different from the way the world thinks about it.
  • This is not a command about doing good things to people in order to get treated well.
  • This is a command about treating others well, even if they are NOT treating you well.
  • Romans 5:8 – “…God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
• When I see how much mercy God has shown to me through Christ (The Gospel!), it enables and strengthens me to show mercy to others.

Questions to consider:

1. In what ways did Christ exemplify this unconditional love and kindness He has commanded us to pursue?
2. How does the command of verse 31 change if Christ had said, “Don’t do bad things to others if you don’t want them to do bad things to you”?  How does Jesus’ command display love as opposed to self-preservation?
3. Is there someone from whom you have been withholding kindness and love?  How could you exemplify Christ-like love today?

Today’s passage: Luke 6:20-26

Helpful thoughts:

• The poor are those who are entirely dependent on others (Or Another) to care for their needs.
• We hunger because we cannot be satisfied with our own righteousness.
• The one who weeps now is the one who recognizes their helpless condition before God.
• John 15:18 –  “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”

Questions to consider:

1. What kind of poverty or hunger is Jesus talking about in this passage? What is true of us because of our sin?
2. What are people not realizing if they think they are rich, full, and laughing (Happy) without Jesus?
3. How would Jesus’ words have been an encouragement to Stephen even during his persecution (Acts 7:51-60)?  What makes us rich?  What fills us and gives us joy?  How long will our joy last?

Today’s passage: Luke 6:12-19

Helpful thoughts:

• There was no try-out for becoming a disciple/apostle.  They were chosen.  (John 15:16)
  • The Apostles were specifically chosen for a specific task of representation and communication.  To proclaim Jesus.
• Before choosing the twelve, Jesus prayed all night long.
• Jesus compassionately and powerfully gave this crowd a taste of Heaven.
  • All demons were expelled.
  • There was no more sickness.
  • Truth was proclaimed.

Questions to consider:

1. In what way is your choosing similar in nature to the choosing of the Apostles?  (Not that you are an apostle…but what does God choosing you result in?)  Check out Ephesians 2:7.
2. How does drawing near to God and asking Him for wisdom help us in making biblical, godly decisions?
3. In what ways does the church gathered give us a taste of Heaven?  In what ways can every member contribute to this function of our heavenly kingdom embassy?