THE GREAT SERMON – Continued

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LUKE 6:39-49
Lesson #19
THE GREAT SERMON – Continued

• Memory Verse: Luk 6:46
• In our previous lesson, we began to examine what is generally called the Sermon on the Mount, though in the book of Luke this sermon was given on a plain instead of a mountain. We saw how this sermon makes many parallels to the lists of blessing and cursing in Deu 28. This list in Deu 28 was specifically for a period under the Law of Moses, a conditional covenant where God said if you obey, I will bless you or if you do not obey I will curse you.
  • In Deu 28 the list of blessings was the reward for a people that maintained faithfulness to God.
  • In Deu 28 the list of cursing was for a people that disobeyed God and went their own way.
• In Mat 5-7 and Luk6, this sermon is the beginning of a period of grace under the New Covenant. We live under this covenant today. It is an unconditional covenant where God promises to bless His people unconditionally.
  • The difference between Deuteronomy and the Sermon on the Mount is that under this New Covenant God makes a difference between believers and non-believers based on the acceptance or rejection of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for sin on the cross.
  • The blessed are the people of God, those people that have given their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ.
  • The cursed are the people that reject Christ and His sacrifice for them personally.
• Read Luk 6:39-49 Various Parables
  • The parable of the blind leading the blind: (39-40) (Mat 15:14)
    • Who are the blind leaders?
      • The blind leaders are the Pharisees who were spiritually blind to God’s plan for the Messiah. They chose to be blind according to Mat 13:15.
      • In other words, it is not that they were deceived or ignorant. They knew the truth and purposely led people the other way.
    • Who are the blind people that they lead?
      • Those people that followed the blind leaders end up spiritually blind themselves.
      • The blind people are the common Jewish people that trusted the Pharisees and Sadducees to lead them to truth.
    • The phrase “leaders of the blind” was a phrase in common used to describe the ideal of a Rabbi’s calling.
      • Without a teacher all people are spiritually blind.
      • The Pharisees were to be a light to them that were in darkness, but they failed.
      • Read Rom 2:17-24
    • In the parable, what does the ditch represent?
      • In the parable, both the blind leaders and the spiritually blind people they led fall into the ditch.
      • In Jesus’ day, the ditch represented the destruction of the city of Jerusalem that would come upon them in 70 AD when the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem, the Temple, and the temple worship.
        • 70 AD was the end of the nation, the end of the priesthood, the end of animal sacrifice, the end of the temple.
    • Generally speaking, however, the ditch is the bondage and hopelessness of false doctrine that produces spiritual death and an eternity in hell.
    • The central truth of the parable is this:
      • There will always be false teaching ad false doctrine in our midst that will lead many people astray.
      • It is up to the individual believer to discover the truth from the false.
      • Read 2Tim 2:15-16
    • “…everyone that is perfect shall be as his master.” (40)
      • The word “perfect” means = mature. In other words teachers and leaders are to be mature believers.
      • The leaders and teachers are responsible before God for what they teach people.
  • The parable of the mote and the beam (41-42) (Mat 7:1-5)
    • The mote:
      • In English it is dust particle in the air.
      • In Greek it is small splinter, a twig, or a stalk.
    • The beam:
      • A massive piece of timber.
      • Something that is much too large to fit in the human eye.
    • The central truth of the parable:
      • We bring a lot of trouble upon ourselves because we condemn others for their faults seeking to correct them instead of seeing and correcting our own faults.
      • The sin is judging others. The word judge here means looking at with condemnation.
      • The warning is against severe faultfinding. The greater sin is not what is in your brother, but the sin of severe criticism within yourself.
      • The difference between “judging” and “discerning”:
        • Judging is to condemn people for the flaws in their character. This parable tells we are not to judge others in this way. Why?

Do not judge another Christian because God has received him as a child of God (Rom 14:3)

Do not judge another Christian because God is his master and Lord. (Rom 14:4)

Do not judge another Christian because God is in control of His life. (Rom 14:4)

Do not judge another Christian because it does not honor God. (Rom 14:8)

Do not judge another Christian because Christ will judge him one day. (Rom 14:10)

Do not judge another Christian because he is personally accountable for his own acts. (Rom 14:12)

Do not judge another Christian because it causes him to stumble in his faith. (Rom 14:13)

Do not judge another Christian because we all have liberty in Jesus Christ. (Rom 14:14)

Do not judge another Christian because we are supposed to edify others. (Rom 14:19)

• • • • • However, spiritual discernment is something the believer is encouraged to develop. Spiritual discernment is to judge between right and wrong, good and evil, and true from false.

There are a variety of Greek words translated as “judge” or “discern” that fall into this category.

The believer is to discern (judge) the following:

Spiritual times and spiritual things.

His own attitudes and actions.

The spiritual principles of life.

The source of spiritual power and motivation.

The truth of another’s witness or confession of faith.

The spiritual level of another person or the level of his faith.

The fruit of a ministry.

The truth of a message or a prophecy.

Whether or not a person is a Christian.

The needs of another believer.

To arbitrate a dispute between believers when asked.

• • The parable of the good tree and the bad tree. (43-44) (Mat 3:10)
    • In Mat 3:10 we are told an ax will be laid at the root of the tree.
    • The central truth of the parable:
      • The Jewish religious system of that time would be cut down by God’s judgment because it did not bring forth fruit for the Kingdom of God.
      • The root of the tree is Abraham and the covenant God made with him.
      • The tree did not grow the way God wanted, so it is worthless and would be cut down.
    • The Jews as God’s chosen people were given four responsibilities:
      • =1= They were supposed to witness for God among the pagan gentile nations. (Deu 6:4 1Sam 43:10-12). The Jews failed to be a light to the gentiles.
      • =2= The Jews were supposed to illustrate the blessedness of serving God. (Deu 33:16-29 1Chr 17:20-21 Psa 144:15). Because the Jews did not obey God, God could not bless them but instead cursed them. When gentiles would see how much God blessed the Jews, it would make them jealous so they would want to serve God. This did not happen.
      • =3= The Jews were responsible to receive, preserve, and transmit the scriptures. (Deu 4:54-58 Rom 3:1-2). The Jews fulfilled this responsibility very well.
      • =4= The Jews were responsible for the human bloodline of the Messiah by keeping their genealogies. The Jews fulfilled this very well until 70 AD when the genealogies were destroyed in the destruction of the Temple.
    • What does the good fruit and fire represent?
      • The good fruit represents repentance and righteousness or the converts to faith in God.
      • Fire in scripture is always an illustration of God’s power in judgment or chastisement.
  • The parable of the good man and the evil man. (45-46)
    • The central truth of the parable:
      • That which is in man’s heart will eventually be revealed by his own words.
      • Therefore, you can discern spiritual motivation and the spiritual level of a person by his conversation.
    • The religious leaders called Jesus Rabi or master, but they did not do what He said to do to inherit eternal life. A student was supposed to obey his master. (46)
  • The parable of two houses. (47-49) (Mat 7:24-27)
    • The obedient people are those who build their lifestyle in conformity with the Word of God. When problems come in his life, the lifestyle built on Jesus Christ, the Rock will stand firm.
    • The disobedient people are those who build their lifestyle without any spiritual foundation. When the storms of life occur, they crumble.
    • The central truth of the parable:
      • The Christian life begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and is the foundation of a life of obedience to Christ and to the Word of God.
      • Because Christ is the foundation, the believer has help in times of trouble.
    • Who is the wise man?
      • The person that has received Jesus Christ as his personal savior into his heart.
      • Notice that the wise man builds his life after having received Christ into his heart. There are many people who think they have spiritual “fire insurance” but when they do not build on their relationship with Christ, they have a useless policy.
      • Read Jam 1:22-26 The believer must be a doer and not just a hearer of the Word.
      • Who is the foolish man?
        • There are two valid possibilities for the interpretation of the identity of the foolish man.

=1= The foolish man is the non-believer who does not have faith in Jesus Christ but only good works.

He thinks he is a Christian because he leads a good, moral life. He bases his salvation on his good works.

What does he foolishly disregard?

Read Isa 64:6

• • • • • =2= The foolish man is the person who is a saved, believing Christian but he does not know the word of God on which to build his life.

If he does not know the word of God, he cannot be obedient to that which he is foolishly ignorant.

The Apostle Paul would call this person a carnal Christian.

• • • What does the rock represent?
      • The rock is a sound foundation on which to build your life.
      • All through scripture, Old Testament and New Testament, Jesus Christ is called, the rock.

(1Cor 10:4 Deu 32:4 Psa 18:2, 46 Isa 28:16)

• • • What does the sand represent?
      • Sand is a poor foundation on which to build.
      • The sand represents a shifting, uncertain, empty profession of faith.
      • It is like the Pharisees who had an empty profession of faith. They believed they were saved based on an external religious practice without faith in the heart.
    • What do the rains, flood, and winds represent?
      • Excessive rain and high winds threaten the roof and walls of a building.
      • Flood and earthquakes threaten the foundation of a building.
      • All these things bring fear and call to mind the fact that physical life is transient (not permanent).
    • Some truths to notice:
      • There are only two types of elements on which to build your life: rock or sand.
      • There are only two kinds of foundations: one that stands and one that falls.
      • There are only two types of people: wise or foolish.
    • Read 1Cor 3:11
• Application:
  • These five short parables give us the differences between the believer and the non-believer.
    • =1= The non-believer is blind without spiritual light.
    • =2= The non-believer does not judge himself to discern that he is a sinner.
    • =3= The non-believer does not bring forth good fruit for God.
    • =4= The non-believer will reveal the condition of his heart by what he says eventually.
    • =5= The non-believer builds his life-style on things not permanent in this world.
  • Jesus’ teaching is demonstrating how God will divide people when the final judgment comes.

Homework
Luke 7:1-16

• Application of Luk 6:39-49
  • Which of the 5 short parables speak more specifically to you and your life. Why?
  • How will this change your life?
• Preparation for Luk 7:1-16
  • Read Luk 7:1-16
    • What does the healing of the Centurion’s servant tell us about Jesus?
    • Why is the healing of the widow’s son put together in the same chapter with the healing of the centurion’s servant?
• Memory Verse: Deu 32:1