Predicated On the Power of God
by Rev. Kirby Williams
The centrality of the Power of God to the "upside-down" nature of His Kingdom.
Text: Luke 6:20
Date: 02/13/2022, the Combined service.
Series: "Luke: Thy Kingdom Come" Part 51
Description:
Can you imagine what Luke’s Gospel would be like if it was stripped of the prevailing presence of the Power of God? The story that would be left would be of little interest to the world, and certainly would not bless the souls of millions of people and lead them to salvation and reconciliation with God. We will consider how important the Power of God is to the ministry and miracles of Christ-- but primarily to His teaching concerning the Kingdom of God. In this message we turn our attention to Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount and will focus on just the first Beatitude. After defining our terms like “blessed”, “poor”, and “the Kingdom of God”, we will recognize that what Jesus teaches in the Beatitudes makes absolutely no sense without the Power of God to complete it. No one wants to be “poor” and “hungry” and “weeping” and “hated”. But when the Power of God is applied to these otherwise negative concepts, the result is the glorious life and eternal future of the Kingdom-dweller. Ultimately, we will come to realize that not only the Beatitudes, but all of the Gospels, (and indeed all of Scripture) are predicated on the Power of God.
View:
Options:
I. Introduction
A. Re-imagining Luke's Gospel so far.
B. Luke's focus on God's power.
II. Exposition of the text, Luke 6:20.
A. Context
B. Overview of the sermon.
1. Is this the Sermon on the Mount?
a. Why this distinction is important.
b. Choosing to harmonize.
2. The important Old Testament symbolism.
a. The "new Sinai" and the "new Moses".
b. The centrality of the power of God in the Exodus, Deut. 7:6-8, Ex. 15:1.
c. The centrality of the Power of God in the Gospels.
3. To whom is the sermon preached?
C. The significance of the first beatitude.
1. Defining "blessed".
a. What the word "makarios" DOES NOT mean.
i. Beyond "happiness".
ii. Beyond "attitudes".
b. What the word "makarios" DOES mean.
i. Rooted in wisdom literature, Psalm 1:1-2.
ii. A sense of eschatology, Dan. 12:12-13, Rev. 19:9.
iii. Religious Joy, Luke 6:22,23.
iv. The secret to "happiness".
2. Understanding the meaning of "poor".
a. Destitute beggars.
b. More than physical poverty.
i. Not a virtue, Matt. 26:11.
ii. Not self-imposed.
c. The spiritual perspective, Eph. 2:1, Luke 5:32, 18:13.
d. The physical perspective.
i. A special place in God's heart, Psalm 34:6.
ii. Focus on the Apostles.
3. Defining "the Kingdom of God".
a. The 'here and now' and the 'not yet'.
b. How is the Kingdom of Heaven "theirs"?
III. Application
A. For the unbeliever, Rev. 3:17, Rom. 1:16.
B. For the believer.
1. The ditch on the left.
2. The ditch on the right, Ex. 20:9, Matt. 25:26,30; 2Thess. 3:10.
IV. Conclusion
