Luke 6:20-26 (New Living Translation)

20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said,
“God blesses you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
21 God blesses you who are hungry now,
for you will be satisfied.
God blesses you who weep now,
for in due time you will laugh.

22 What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. 23 When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.

24 “What sorrow awaits you who are rich,
for you have your only happiness now.
25 What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now,
for a time of awful hunger awaits you.
What sorrow awaits you who laugh now,
for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.
26 What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds,
for their ancestors also praised false prophets.

I. Kingdom character defines and divides (v. 20)
• The Beatitudes are the

of a Christian.
• Jesus is

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and

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all disciples through the Beatitudes. (Lk. 2:34, 3:17)
• The Beatitudes define there is truly both good and bad

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.
• The Beatitudes divide where we stand with Jesus -

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?
II. Kingdom character is attitude (vv. 20, 24)
• Attitude is our settled way of thinking and affects

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.
• The Beatitudes expose how attitudes reveal either kingdom of

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or kingdom of

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character.
• The Beatitudes define how pressured circumstances only

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our character.
• The Beatitudes reveal that only a

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attitude fails to see another’s needs.
III. Kingdom character is perspective (vv. 21, 25)
• Perspectives can be

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or

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depending on God’s reality.
• The Beatitudes define that

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and

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do not determine truth.
• Kingdom

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reveals if our character is aligned with God’s truth.
• The Beatitudes define that self-focused

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as priority over commitment is hell’s culture.
IV. Kingdom character is commitment (vv. 22, 23, 26)
• Commitment is being obligated to someone out of

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.
• Commitment restricts our

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in areas of lesser love.
• Christianity and Secularism have rules for character

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.
• Committed love does not meddle, is not rude but is

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by others. (1 Cor. 13:4-7)

1. Read Luke 6:17, 20, and 24. Who are the three groups of people that Jesus begins to speak to? Who is Jesus looking at while he is speaking and why is this significant? Is there an area where you have experienced lack/poverty currently or in the past – love, respect, self-confidence, resources, friends, patience, etc.? How has Jesus filled this void for you?
2. Read Luke 6:21 and 25. What are examples of things that people hunger for beyond physical hunger? How does God bless those who are poor and those who weep and why does sorrow await those who are prosperous and those who laugh? How do these groupings help us determine if we have a temporal or eternal perspective?
3. Read Luke 6:22-23, and 26. Have you ever been criticized for following Jesus like he describes in these verses? Have you ever been criticized for a Christian belief or moral stance? How do these words from Jesus help us during these times? According to Jesus, what does a lack of criticism in these areas indicate about our faith?
4. Did anything else stand out to you from the sermon that you have questions about in this passage of scripture?