{"id":242,"date":"2013-05-28T16:00:25","date_gmt":"2013-05-28T21:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/?p=242"},"modified":"2013-05-28T16:00:25","modified_gmt":"2013-05-28T21:00:25","slug":"gods-standard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/?p=242","title":{"rendered":"God’s Standard"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lesson 13<\/p>\n

God\u2019s Standards<\/p>\n

Luke 6:12-26<\/p>\n

It is so easy to look at oneself and think I am doing well spiritually.\u00a0 Just in the last few days I received a wakeup call during a Life Action Summit meeting.\u00a0 The speaker gave everyone a questionnaire. Everyone was asked to answer several questions about where we thought we were our spiritual walk.\u00a0 Each question could only be answered yes or no.\u00a0 Although I failed it miserably, it was no consolation that everyone with whom I spoke had also done so.<\/p>\n

I told my wife that anyone who went through it with no problems should look at it to see if there is an issue with pride.\u00a0 What I learned was even though I might have thought that I was doing ok, it is God who has set the standards and He is the one who judges me.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I am so thankful that God\u2019s grace does not depend on my trying to measure up to what He has deemed as an example of one He would call perfect.\u00a0 I am a work in progress that will never be finished this side of heaven.<\/p>\n

There is so much talk today about what constitutes a healthy church.\u00a0 Even those that are seeing lives transformed by the preaching and teaching of the word still will have their weaknesses.\u00a0 The best we can do is to try to follow God\u2019s leading for the body called the church.\u00a0 Rick Warren many years ago wrote the \u201cThe Purpose Driven Church.\u201d\u00a0 In it he called for the church to be balanced in the five purposes derived from the Great Commission and Great Commandment found in Matthew. \u00a0They are Worship, Discipleship, Ministry, Fellowship and Evangelism.\u00a0 Very few churches reach the level in which there is not more emphasis given to one or the other of these purposes.<\/p>\n

What God is looking for in a church is the willingness of His people to submit to His purpose.\u00a0 We are to serve Him completely and leave the results to Him.\u00a0 Jesus is still looking for disciples today who desire to follow and serve Him as we walk throughout our world.<\/p>\n

Luke 6:12<\/p>\n

Although not mentioned here specifically, Jesus had already started the selection process.\u00a0 He had called Simon, Andrew, James, John and Levi by this time.\u00a0 John talks about some of the others not mentioned before now in Luke.\u00a0 They had already travelled with Him and seen Him heal individuals.\u00a0 Just as important they had experienced firsthand the opposition from the religious leaders that would eventually result in the death of Jesus.\u00a0 Those were the same men who oppose everything that the apostles would do after the resurrection of Jesus.\u00a0 Jesus wanted the twelve to know what they could expect before they committed to following Him.<\/p>\n

Before Jesus made the final cut and selected His closest associates, the disciples, He went away from the crowd and spent a night in prayer.\u00a0 The choosing of the twelve was very important to Him and the Father.\u00a0 They were to be the men to whom he was going to entrust the future of the movement that would be called Christianity.\u00a0 He could leave nothing to chance.\u00a0 Talking it over with His Father helped clarify who the men were to be.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Why did Jesus spend time with all of the men before deciding who would be part of the twelve who would receive most of His attention?<\/li>\n
  2. From what they had already experienced what could each of the men expect to happen in the future?<\/li>\n
  3. Why was it important for Jesus to spend a night in prayer before deciding on the men to be His disciples?<\/li>\n
  4. How often do you pray through a matter before making a decision?<\/li>\n
  5. What is usually the result when you either pray or do not pray about a particular situation?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Luke 6:13-16<\/p>\n

    After having spent the night in communication with the Father, Jesus came back to the group waiting for Him.\u00a0 From the larger body of disciples He called out certain men who would be His closest companions.\u00a0 Five of the men would have probably known each other coming from the same village of Bethsaida.\u00a0 They were Simon, Andrew, James, John, Phillip.\u00a0 Bartholomew, possibly also known as Nathaniel, was a friend of Phillip. \u00a0Eleven of the disciples were from Galilee.\u00a0 The one lone exception was Judas Iscariot who was from Judah.<\/p>\n

    Jesus chose a very diverse group of men to be with Him.\u00a0 There were fishermen, a tax collector and others about who little is known.\u00a0 Two of the men were nationalists or zealots who were on the fore front of opposition to the Roman rule in their country.<\/p>\n

    Not only did the men have different careers but varying personalities.\u00a0 Peter was bold, while Andrew his brother was the one who was always bringing others to Jesus.\u00a0 James and John were quick tempered and ambitious.\u00a0 Thomas was one who always needed to see evidence before making a decision.\u00a0\u00a0 He also showed a tendency to be brave in difficult circumstances.<\/p>\n

    These are the twelve Jesus chose to be with Him at all times to hear and learn what it would take for them become His disciples. Later after His resurrection they would be given the command to evangelize the world.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Why did Jesus just choose twelve men to travel with Him? (A group any larger would be unwieldy for one thing.)<\/li>\n
    2. Why did He choose such a diverse group of men? (It would take all different types to help grow the kingdom of Christ.)<\/li>\n
    3. Why is it important for a church to have people with different spiritual gifts, passions, abilities, personalities and experiences?<\/li>\n
    4. Why did Jesus deliberately choose a man who would eventually betray Him? (No one is beyond hope.)<\/li>\n
    5. What would Jesus have to do to transform that ragtag group of men in the twelve apostles we see in the book of Acts?<\/li>\n
    6. What work does Jesus have to do in our lives to turn us into a church that will impact the community in which God has placed us?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Luke 6:17-19<\/p>\n

      Coming down from the mountainside, Jesus once again was confronted with a throng of people waiting to not only hear Him but to receive healing.\u00a0 It would be quite a scene greeting the new disciples with the people crowding in on Jesus hoping to touch Him.\u00a0 This would be the first lesson for them to learn.\u00a0 If they did not already know it, it would become apparent that they would have to share Jesus with the crowds that needed what only He could offer.\u00a0 There would be plenty of time for them to be with Him in private sessions. Luke said power was flowing from Him and all were healed.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. What awaited Jesus as He and the disciples came down from the mountain?<\/li>\n
      2. What would your reaction be to such a scene?<\/li>\n
      3. How did Jesus react to the scene before Him?<\/li>\n
      4. Although Luke said they came to hear them what would it take to be able to get the attention of the people? (In this case He would have to take care of their physical needs in order to calm them.)<\/li>\n
      5. What is the difference between the crowd that Jesus met and a mob? (Mobs are unruly the crowd around Jesus respected Him and did not get out of hand.)<\/li>\n
      6. What is the lessons can we learn about sharing Jesus with others from His example?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Luke 6:20<\/p>\n

        After taking care of the crowd He turned His attention to the disciples.\u00a0 There was time to deal with every situation in a timely and orderly manner.\u00a0 Jesus was never in a hurry, but used His time to the greatest benefit of each person. He began His role as rabbi to His disciples.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. At what point was Jesus able to turn His attention to His disciples?<\/li>\n
        2. What role did He assume at that point?<\/li>\n
        3. What right did He have in assuming the role of rabbi? (He had selected the men who would follow Him for the rest of their lives?<\/li>\n
        4. What lesson can we learn from this verse?\u00a0 (Jesus handles everything in an orderly manner.\u00a0<\/li>\n
        5. What would be our response to like circumstances? (We may want a leader to stop what he is doing to give us His full attention.)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Luke 6:21-22<\/p>\n

          If the disciples expected to hear the same old concepts that all the other rabbis taught they were in for a real shock. \u00a0The teaching was to be a radical departure from the dried and staid ideas they had heard so many times before.\u00a0 Jesus began with attitudes He expected His disciples to possess.\u00a0 Both in Matthew and Luke they are called the beatitudes.\u00a0 Luke listed only four here as compared with the listed in Matthew 5.\u00a0 The format is also different.\u00a0 Many believe that these in Luke were not part of the Sermon on the Mount but were taught at a different time.\u00a0 I have been a believer that Jesus spoke about the same subjects many times during the final three years on earth.\u00a0 If this is true the words He used would be according to the circumstances in which He found Himself.<\/p>\n

          The one common idea is that those who have the attitude expressed in each one the beatitudes. Both in Matthew and in Luke those who follow the teaching of Jesus would have happiness, joy, peace and blessedness in his life.\u00a0 It should also be understood that poverty, hunger and hatred, by themselves have nothing to do with the blessedness.\u00a0 It is the way that a person approaches every aspect in life. The four are:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Blessed are the poor. They will have the kingdom of God. Matthew speaks of poverty of spirit.\u00a0 Luke does not go beyond the fact that a person is poor.\u00a0 It is the acceptance that not all will have wealth and that should never be a hindrance to our relationship with God.<\/li>\n
          • Blessed are those who hunger.\u00a0 This too is a temporary condition.\u00a0 One day each follower of Christ will sit at the banquet table of Christ.\u00a0 God will provide for all of the needs in a way He sees fit.<\/li>\n
          • Blessed are those who weep.\u00a0 Laughter will follow. Each person experiences deep hurts.\u00a0 Christ will help each to walk through them and bring joy to life.\u00a0 Here again this too is a temporary situation.<\/li>\n
          • Probably the one that most would give a person the most trouble is the idea that there will be people who will lash out at followers of Christ. The result will be a day in the future when a person can leap for joy.\u00a0 Although things may not go well on the earth, all is in preparation for that future time in eternity with Christ.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            It is important for the disciples to understand that the things Jesus just shared with them were not anything new. He told them that the prophets that had gone before them had been treated the same way by their Jewish ancestors.<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. What is the one factor in all of these are we to understand? (Even in difficult situations Jesus can still provide joy and peace.)<\/li>\n
            2. Of all of these beatitudes which do you find the most difficult to accept?<\/li>\n
            3. Which do you think you could handle?<\/li>\n
            4. Why did Jesus begin His teaching with such harsh realities?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              Luke 6:24-26<\/p>\n

              Jesus moved from those who were blessed, even in difficult situations,\u00a0 to those experiencing all of the comforts of life.\u00a0 He pronounced instead of a blessing a woe.\u00a0 The word woe is a difficult one to translate.\u00a0 It carries with both a denunciation and also a deep sorrow.\u00a0 Those who are receiving the condemnation of Jesus do so not because of the fact that they have possessions but their attitudes towards those who do not.\u00a0 As with the blessing they are neutral or amoral.\u00a0 There is no righteousness or unrighteous found in any of them.\u00a0 There are four different groups upon whom Jesus issues woes.<\/p>\n

                \n
              • Rich- It is not the wealth itself but the arrogance of those who have it that bring the judgment of Jesus.\u00a0 Those individuals look in distain upon the poor but do nothing to alleviate the situation.\u00a0 There are a number of Scriptures that show the attitude of the rich towards the poor.\u00a0 Two of those instances are found in James chapter 2 and in the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3. Like poverty, this condition is temporary and wealth is fleeting. Sadly these individuals are getting their reward now and now storing up treasure in heaven where it really counts. \u00a0They do everything for today.<\/li>\n
              • Well-fed- Selfish individuals are the ones who enjoy all the pleasures of this world without any regard for the next.\u00a0 They live for themselves and lack nothing.\u00a0 The day will come in the future when all their indulgences will be a thing of the past.\u00a0 Those who hunger now will eat at the banquet table of Christ while those live only for themselves will have nothing.<\/li>\n
              • Laughter- Moses turned down the pleasures of this world for the rewards that were to be his as He was faithful to God.\u00a0 Those who live a life just to have a good time will one day come to the reality of how empty that life has been.\u00a0 With that realization of a life wasted on the frivolous will come deep mourning and weeping.\u00a0 The Old Testament speaks of joy turned into mourning because of the actions of the people.<\/li>\n
              • Popularity- The true prophet was usually rejected and persecuted.\u00a0 Those who spoke the words the people wanted to hear were well received.\u00a0 Jesus called those individuals false prophets.\u00a0 Things have not changed for there are many false prophets in churches today preaching not God\u2019s word but ones filled with promises of prosperity, health and a happy life.\u00a0 Jesus\u2019 woes on those men and women have not changed.\u00a0 Sadly, many people are being mis-lead by the promises made by them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. What are some examples that show righteous use of wealth?<\/li>\n
                2. Why did Jesus denounce the wealthy of His day?<\/li>\n
                3. What is wrong with being well fed?\u00a0 (Nothing if food is not hoarded and only used for one\u2019s on benefit.\u00a0 We are a nation of overeaters.)<\/li>\n
                4. What is wrong with being popular?<\/li>\n
                5. To what was Jesus referring when talking about false prophets?<\/li>\n
                6. Why are they more popular than those who truly speak the word of God?<\/li>\n
                7. \u00a0What are some examples of false prophets today?<\/li>\n
                8. How do they misuse the Scriptures?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                    \n
                  • Spend as much time as needed before making important decisions.<\/li>\n
                  • Wait until God gives you an answer to your prayers before proceeding to act.<\/li>\n
                  • Praise God for the diversity He has brought to the church.<\/li>\n
                  • Understand that the same things that God has given you can be a blessing or a woe (a sorrowful denunciation) of the way you use His gifts to you.<\/li>\n
                  • Be careful of pride or arrogance in your life when relating to others.<\/li>\n
                  • Always seek God\u2019s treasure stored up in heaven and not those things that are temporary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    Many in the church world are calling for a radical departure from the way we have thought and done things over the last thirty to forty years.\u00a0 Although we may not agree with them in everything they say, it is a wakeup call to churches that have become lethargic in the teaching and sharing of God\u2019s word. We need teaching and preaching that will literally turn our lives upside down.\u00a0 Paul was accused of teaching the very same thing we about read in Acts 17:6.\u00a0 The charge was that, \u201cThese men who have upset the world have come here also.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

                    This can only happen when we become passionate about two things.\u00a0 The first is to study and meditate on His word until we make it our own.\u00a0 Based on the first, we are to become true followers of Christ who are willing to share the radical gospel with those who do not know Jesus.\u00a0 The time to start is now.
                    \n\u00a0<\/p>\n

                     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                    Lesson 13 God\u2019s Standards Luke 6:12-26 It is so easy to look at oneself and think I am doing well spiritually.\u00a0 Just in the last few days I received a wakeup call during a Life Action Summit meeting.\u00a0 The speaker gave everyone a questionnaire. Everyone was asked to answer several questions about where we thought […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-luke"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=242"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242\/revisions\/243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblicalmastery.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}