Luke 6:17-26, “Man, these are eight tough questions!” A Bible Study Devotion.

Luke 6:17-26, “Man, these are eight tough questions!” A Bible Study Devotion.

Read Luke 6:17-26

Here we find Jesus with a large crowd. His disciples are there along with people from all over the area. It can safely be assumed by his next few words that there are believers and unbelievers both present. Jesus then turns to his disciples, and indirectly all believers, and gives part of the most famous sermon ever delivered; The Sermon on the Mount. He first lists 4 attributes that basically make God happy, then four that basically make God unhappy. Believe me, come judgment day, you will God happy with you. That being said, after my microscopic summary of this part of the sermon, I have eight questions for you. Better think how you answer them; your eternal resting place could depend on it… (For the purpose of this post, we will assume Jesus is speaking spiritually example, poor equals poor in spirit.)

Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."

1. Are you pretty comfortable with where you are spiritually? Do you think there might, might not be a god out there somewhere? Have you ever said something like this, “I don’t really follow a god, but I’m a really spiritual person.” Or, “I get everything I need from my heart.”
2. Or… Do you think that you are poor without God? Are you nothing without him? The word poor makes you think beggar. Have you had a moment where you fell down and begged God to forgive you?

Jesus says, “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.”

3. Do you feel spiritually full? Do you do your one hour of church a week and call it good. Do you pretty much know the jist of the Bible and are satisfied with that?
4. Or… Do you live for diving into the Word of God? Do you get excited when you learn a new truth that you can share with another? Do you carve out time every day for time with the Lord as if you would go hungry without it?

Jesus says, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”

5. Do you trot through life laughing away footloose and fancy free? Do you think you are a pretty good person? How about that dude next to you? Do you care about him?
6. Or… Do you “weep” when you think about how you have sinned against God? The very God who gave you life… Do you “weep” for loved ones that do not know Jesus?

Jesus says, “Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.”

7. Do most people like you when you tell them about Jesus? Oh… You don’t tell them? They probably like you then, huh? Do people even know you are a Christian? Do you at least tell them that God loves them? They probably still like you for that…
8. Or… Do you tell those you love how God hates sin? That all people sin against God. That there is nothing they can do to get back in the good graces of God. That the ONLY chance they have is to acknowledge their sin, repent, beg for forgiveness, and trust in Jesus? Do they like you then?

Jesus was speaking to his followers. He was speaking in the presence of non-followers. If you are a believer, he is speaking to you. If you are not a believer, he is speaking to you. I guess that is all of us. If you are a believer, ask yourself these questions. How would you answer them and what does that mean to you? If you are not a believer, but you want to be, but you don’t know how, send me an email…

Written by Chris Vasecka

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