Inside Out And Upside Down

Inside Out and Upside Down

Luke 6:17 – 26

Intro: Raise your hand if you think you are blessed? What is the meaning of “blessed”? For believers, is the blessed life synonymous with the successful life? Is it the Christian version of the good life? A loving marriage, obedient children, a vibrant ministry, a healthy body, a successful career, trusted friends, financial abundance — if these are the characteristics of a blessed life, then having all of them should translate into an extraordinarily blessed life.

I VS. 20 – 22 each verse begins with the word, “blessed”. Jesus says the poor, hungry, weeping and hated are the blessed ones.

A Do you still think you are blessed according to what Jesus says? Are you poor, hungry, weeping and hated?

B The GK word used here is MAKARIOS. It means to be FULLY satisfied by God.

C Satisfaction comes from God NOT favorable circumstances because God indwells the believer through Christ.

II VS. 24 - 26 Luke clarifies who suffers “WOE”. According to Jesus, the rich, well-fed, laughing, loved are those who suffer woe.

A Do you see yourself as one of those who suffer WOE?

B In the GK the word used here is OUAI which is a Greek injection meaning “alas for”

C Jesus is not so much pronouncing a final judgment. He implies they are living in a fool’s paradise, unaware of the misery that awaits them. They are blinded to their spiritual needs by their wealth.

III The final word of importance to us is the word use by Jesus in both the blessed and woe verses. It is the word FOR.

A HOTI is a conjunction meaning THAT, FOR, or BECAUSE.

B The word is casually used to express the word because and is an appropriate translation here.

C I believe using BECAUSE in each blessing and woe clarifies the meaning for us.

Concl: Jesus is telling the people of the importance of realizing that living as a Christian means acknowledging the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and living accordingly even though the world may see that as turning everything inside out and upside down.