Luke 11:14-28  There are two kingdoms.. The Kingdom of God... that Jesus told the disciples to pray that it might come... and the kingdom of satan which has been overcome. Praise the Lord!

Jesus cast out a demon from a man who was rendered dumb by it. When the man was freed he began to speak and the "multitudes marveled." The Pharisees could not admit the truth and instead chose to blaspheme by giving credit to satan for the casting out of the demons.  Jesus condemns this kind of thinking.. it is foolish, for  "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid to waste; and a house divided against itself falls."

Satan cannot cast himself out, Jesus tells the Pharisees. They should know this. Only the "greater" power can cast out the "lesser" power.  "But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."  Only God can overcome everything and everyone! 

The Kingdom of God cannot be divided. Either you are "with" Him.. or you are "against" Him.  Either we are on the Lord's side.. walking in Truth.. walking in the Light.. honoring His Name and praying for the Kingdom to come.. hearing His Word and doing it.. or we are not.  And if we are not filled with His Spirit then we open ourselves to those unclean spirits that will come and fill the empty soul with more and more evil. 

We see it in our world. We see that people who refuse Jesus, who give credit to false gods and evil spirits for anything that is "good".  We can see that their lives reveal that they belong to the kingdom of darkness.  If we pay attention we can recognize those who belong to satan's kingdom by the "fruit" of their lives... immorality, impurity, idolatry, sorcery anger, strife, factions, dissensions, drunkenness.. and more.  Galatians 5 gives us the whole list.  Paul wrote, ".. the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit.. for these are in opposition to one another.." (v17)  There are two kingdoms and you can't belong to both. 

In contrast, the Kingdom of God.. that we "inherit" because we belong to Jesus, is a Spirit led Kingdom. He produces in us His holy fruit.. " love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control... "  It is a Kingdom that we need to "seek first".. a Kingdom of righteousness... a Kingdom that is more precious than any earthly possession. 

How thankful we are Father, that You have "delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of  [Your] Beloved Son."  We have been delivered. We are set free. We are walking in His Light.  We have heard the Truth and we commit ourselves to do it.  Jesus Christ died for us so that we might live in Him! Hallelujah !  Blessed be the Name of the Lord! Let the Kingdom of God come!  Amen

Luke 11:1-13  Luke records what we call the Lord's Prayer.  It is similar but not exactly the same as what Matthew recorded.  We are not told here which of the disciples asked Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray.. " but we are so glad he did.  Didn't they know how to pray already?  Hadn't they seen and heard Jesus pray so often before this?  Why did it take them so long to ask this simple question? What is it that we need to learn along with them?

No matter, Jesus was happy to teach His disciples and jumped right into this wonderful example, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation." 

Luke's version strips this prayer down a bit from Matthew's version, but it still hits the vital parts of prayer:

We come to the Father, who is to be hallowed and Who's greatest desire is for His Kingdom to be completed. 

We come to the Father, Who alone provides all that is needed for life. 

We come the Father, Who alone can forgive us our sin and make us whole again. The One who gives us grace so that we can give grace to others. 

We come to the Father who leads our steps when we follow His ways.. 

Jesus gives His disciples a simple illustration to help them (and us) to understand how to pray.  The story is about a man (us) who has a surprise visitor ( someone who needs the Lord). Even though the man (we) don't have what this visitor needs,  he (we) can go to someone who does ( the friend.. God).  We go in faith that our God has and will give us what we need to bring to our visitor.  We ask with persistence. We ask as beggars to a generous giver.  We ask and keep asking, for we have no other resources and we know that our God will provide. We ask and we seek and we knock. 

Jesus said that the Father will give good gifts.  He is a good Father.  He won't give a snake instead of a fish. He won't give a scorpion when what is needed is an egg.  He gives Himself.. He gives the Holy Spirit.  He gave His Son.  He is a generous giver and we can come to Him for what is most needed. 

Jesus, You have taught us to come to the Father in prayer.. to enter into this communion, this relationship with the One who holds all the answers, Who provides all that is needed, and Who loves us and desires for us to want His Kingdom to come just like He does.  May we give to the unexpected visitor the Bread of Life.. May we ask the Father and receive the Holy Spirit to lead us in our actions and words. May we learn to pray effectively as the children of God who have been made righteous through the shed blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Lord Jesus, we ask You once again. ."Lord, teach us to pray." . Amen.

 Luke 10:38-42   

Luke gives us a brief description of Martha and Mary who invited Jesus into their home.  Here Luke tells us that Martha made the invitation and began to prepare a meal for them all.  She was, "worried and bothered about so many things".

 Here she was with the Lord of all sitting in her dining room.. and all she could think about was the fact that her sister wasn't helping.  She was in the Presence of the Prince of peace, yet she was "bothered".. troubled.. disturbed.  And she was "anxious".. thinking only about her work.. her preparations.. her service.. she was "distracted" to the point that she was missing the "good part". 

Does this hit home?  Are we often so  "bothered.. anxious.. or distracted" about our service to the Lord that we actually miss the "good part"?  Do we miss Him?

Mary didn't miss it. She was "listening to the Lord's word, seated at His feet."  Mary wasn't being lazy or ignoring her sister's need.  She was in the Presence of the Lord and she couldn't move away.  This is the same Mary who anointed the Lord with the expensive perfume and wiped His feet with her hair.  Mary was not distracted by the preparations.. she was so drawn to Jesus that she probably wasn't even aware that there was anything more needed. 

I don't think that Martha loved the Lord any less than Mary.. but she was a doer.. and she was busy "doing" her own thing.  Mary, on the other hand, was able to just "be". She wasn't striving for anything more than to just be with Jesus. 

Father in heaven, help us to be more discerning in our own lives.. to not miss the "good part" by worrying about our own "service".  Let our hearts and minds be so absorbed in the Presence of Jesus that nothing else can compare.  Keep us from the distractions that take our focus off of the Lord. Help us Lord Jesus we pray in Your Mighty Name, amen.

Luke 10:25-37  A "certain lawyer"  had a question for Jesus... "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  Luke indicates that this was a "test".  But, this man's question and answer seem to indicate to me that maybe something deeper was going on in him. Maybe he had listened to Jesus talking about the book of life.. and wondered if his own name was written there?   Either way, it was a good question!

Jesus answered "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?"  This man was an expert in the Law of Moses.. if anyone could know the answer it should be him.  The answer was not a mystery.. it was not hidden.. it was  something that was already available to everyone who would have ears to hear...  The lawyer knew the right answer "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."  

Jesus' next words point to the problem "And He said to him, 'You have answered correctly; Do this and you will live.' "  More than knowing the answer is needed... as Jesus had taught before.. the one who has a firm foundation is the one who listens and does what the Word says.  

The lawyer wanted to "justify" himself.. he wanted to exhibit his own righteousness, so he asked another question, "And who is my neighbor?"  To this, Jesus uses the parable of the Good Samaritan.  Who "proved to be a neighbor" ?  It was not the priest or the levite.. it was the "one who showed mercy".   Jesus told the lawyer to "Go and do the same." 

That's love.. to show kindness.. to have compassion.. to see someone in need and do what you can to help. The Greek word rendered "neighbor" means more than the person who lives next door.. it is a friend or a countryman; it means anyone that you come near to.. your "fellow man" or woman.. any other person that you meet. 

This is what Jesus told the lawyer to do.. to show compassion... to truly love others.. to truly love the Lord! This word is something we need to hear.. and to do!

Father in heaven, fill our hearts, minds, souls, and wills to do Your will.. to love You completely and to love others as ourselves.  It's hard sometimes Lord.. to "feel" love for others, but by Your grace and provision we can show compassion..we can be kind.. we can welcome the stranger and the needy. Give us the will and the ability to love as You have loved us we pray.  Pour out Your love into our hearts Father, so that we can show Your love to those who we come near to in our daily walk. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

 Luke 10:21-24   "At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit.. "  Jesus was overjoyed by the presence of the Holy Spirit working in the lives of His followers.  He praised the Father for revealing "these things" to "babes".  What were "these things"?  

They saw the power of the Name of Jesus over evil.  They knew the significance of having their names written in God's book.  They had the privilege of knowing Jesus who revealed the Father to them.  They were blessed to "see the things" that they saw.  The prophets had longed to see Jesus.. kings had longed to see Jesus.. many had longed to hear the voice of the Father.. but these disciples were the ones who got to experience "these things"!  What a blessing and privilege..  they had every reason to rejoice!

And Jesus rejoiced with them and over them.  Hear His prayer.." I praise Thee O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes. Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight."  Jesus goes on to say, "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." 

Father in heaven, Lord of heaven and earth and Jesus Christ the Son, we praise You and give You thanks for revealing Yourself to us that we might know You.  You have given us eyes to see and ears to hear. You have made Yourself known to all who You will to reveal Yourself to.  Let the Word of God spread through our nation, Father, that more people will hear and seek You and find You and know Jesus Christ.. the Savior who came to open blind eyes and deaf ears... the One who came to save the lost.   We ask this in His Name, rejoicing for the love, grace and mercy You have lavished on us..  Amen. 

 Luke 10: 17-20  The 70 disciples "returned with joy" from their mission trip. It had been a success in their eyes because "even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  

Jesus had a  few things to say about this.  He acknowledged that Satan was defeated by this profound defeat of his minions.. and that the authority that God had granted His followers would be granted even further... but the most important thing was not that at all.. the most important thing is that their names "are recorded in heaven." 

I'm reminded of an old hymn,  Is My Name Written There?  The chorus goes like this: " Is my name written there, on the page white and fair? In the book of Thy kingdom, Is my name written there?" 

Revelation 20:12 "And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things in the books, according to their deeds."   In Revelation 20:15 the Lord tells us that "... if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."  

Moses is the first to mention this "book of life" in  Exodus 32:31-33.  After Moses came down from the mountain and found the people worshipping the golden calf... and after he commanded that those who were on the Lord's side kill those who were not.. he went back up the mountain to pray for forgiveness for the people, saying, "But now, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin - and if not, please blot me out from Thy book, which Thou hast written."  But the Lord responded to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book." 

Psalm 69:28 also references this book.. "May they be blotted out of the book of life, and may they not be recorded with the righteous."  David was speaking of those who had come against him, but there are Messianic overtones- verse 21 "they also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." 

Revelation 3:3-5 also mentions the book of life.. " He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels."  How do we overcome? " Remember therefore what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent." ( verse 3a) 

So when Jesus tells his followers to rejoice that their names are written in heaven, He is talking about the most important thing for all of eternity.  If our names are "blotted out" because of our sin.. we will be thrown into the lake of fire.. forever!   So, we need to ask ourselves that question from the old hymn.. "Is my name written there?"  Have I received the Word of God.. have I listened to what Jesus has said.. am I keeping the Word.. have I repented of my sins? 

Father in heaven, keep us in the Truth, walking in the Light of Your Word - that our names will be written in heaven!  In this alone will we rejoice.. that Jesus confesses our names before You!  Thank You for cleansing us from our sins and making us wholly Thine.  Blessed be the Name of the Lord who has written our names in the Book of life. Thank You Lord. Amen. 

 Luke 10: 1-16 As Jesus continues His journey towards Jerusalem He sends 72 more disciples out to the cities ahead, to prepare the way. They were given authority to minister in His Name as they went.  They were "laborers" sent out to reap a harvest that was ready and plentiful. 

Like the 12, these disciples were told not to take anything with them.. no purse, no shoes, no bag. They were to give peace to those who would receive them. They were to stay there and receive whatever the host would give them to eat.. and they were to "heal those.. who are sick" and present the Kingdom of God to them. 

Jesus expanded the message He had given the 12..   He had told them that those who received the little child in His name are those who received Him and they also received the Father.  This time He says, "The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me." 

When the message of the Kingdom "comes near"... we either receive it or reject it.  We either listen or we don't.   Jesus illustrated this with His words about Chorazin and Bethsaida and Capernaum .  The kingdom had come near to them.. miracles had been done in them.. the Word had been given to them.. but they did not receive Jesus as Messiah.. They had not listened.  The comparison that Jesus makes with these cities with the cities of Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom would have been shocking to the Israelites.. these cities were so wicked that the Lord destroyed them completely.  How could they be worse?  Jesus said they would be judged more harshly because God the Son stood right in front of them, proving Himself to be the anointed One with His words and His deeds.. and they would not listen or receive Him. 

We live in a world that is just as divided.. the Kingdom has come near.. and some will reach out and receive it.. listening to the Word, following Jesus.. and Jesus receives them and comes to live in them and the Father also comes to make them His own.  But, some will not believe.. they reject the Word, they reject Jesus, and they reject the God who made them, loves them, and who will judge them with right judgement. 

 O Lord , help us, send out more laborers into Your harvest field we pray. Open blind eyes and deaf ears, change hearts of those who are lost, who have rejected the Good News of the Kingdom. Let Your grace and mercy be poured out to our lost world once again.. to our lost family members.. to our towns and cities where we walk today.. Spirit of God, come! Empower us to go and tell others about Jesus! We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen