Luke 11:14-28 Jesus casts out a demon that was dumb... when the demon left, the man who had been controlled by the dumb demon was then able to speak. How does that hit you? It strikes me, as I read this, in a way I never saw before - the attribute of the demon - its inability to speak- was transferred to and controlled the man within whom he resided. I'll have to think about that....
The multitudes marveled at this, but others, namely the Pharisees, slandered Jesus and blasphemed by saying that His source of power came from Beelzebul - Satan. In Mark there is more of this discourse recorded, but there is something that has been striking me throughout this study in Luke, and it comes out again in this passage...
"Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste..." Jesus tells them. This is true of Satan's kingdom. How could Satan cast out himself? Would he cast out those over whom he has power?
No!
Do the Jewish religious leaders cast out demons? Do they do so by the power of Satan or by the power of God? They need to think carefully about that question.
"But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."
Here is a profound proclamation! Jesus has talked about the kingdom of God coming near.. but now He is stating that it has COME! And the proof, the sign ( that they have been asking for) is evident.
The kingdom of Satan is destroyed by the Kingdom of God.
When God's rule and reign is established in a person, a place, or in a community - Satan is banished and has no power or authority!
Makes us realize again the significance of the prayer request - "Thy kingdom come!"
How is evil and sin and violence overcome? By the good news that God reigns! That He has given us His King, Christ Jesus!
Verses 21-22 are an illustration of this important teaching.
A strong man who is fully armed and guarding his house is undisturbed UNTIL someone stronger attacks and overpowers him. The stronger one will take away the armor, Jesus says, and distribute the spoils.
" He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters." ( verse23)
Jesus wants us to take a side - His or the enemy's. On the side of Satan or on the side of God?
We must make a choice.
If we don't decide to follow Him and join His side - we will be like the man in verses 24-26...
He was delivered of the evil spirit, everything was cleaned out and put in order, but there is a void which is soon filled with other evil spirits who join with the first one and the man is in worse shape than ever.
Verses 27-28 A woman speaks out and blesses the mother of Jesus.. thinking she was doing a good thing. But Jesus corrects her, " On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and observe it." Mary, the mother of Jesus, was truly blessed.. but not because she gave birth to Him, but because she heard the Word of God and obeyed. Luke 8:21 " My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."
Father God, Lord of heaven and earth, we thank You for Your holy Word, the Words of life. We thank You for the Kingdom of God that has come to earth through Jesus Christ. That all power and authority has been given to Him on earth and in heaven. What a marvelous truth. Our God reigns.
Satan has no power where Jesus rules! Lord, will You establish and expand Your kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven, please! Deliver us from the lies and deception of the darkness. Complete in us the full work of salvation and sanctification.. fill us with Your Holy Spirit so that there is no void in our hearts where Satan can gain of foothold. We seek You and You alone Father. Empower us by Your Spirit to hear and obey Your Word. For it is Your kingdom and Your glory and Your power forever and ever Amen! Let it be so!
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Luke 11:1-13 The disciples ask the most important request : " Lord, teach us to pray..." Jesus leads them once again to come to the Father;
to acknowledge His honor and request that His Name be revealed and revered;
to pray that the Kingdom of God come and be established and expanded;
to ask for daily provisions and for forgiveness of sins;
to lead them to forgive others and to avoid temptations;
Jesus teaches them and us that prayer is essential.
He teaches that we must be persistent in prayer.
He teaches us that we should always be asking, seeking, and knocking - to be consistent in prayer.
He teaches us that when we pray, we are heard.
He teaches us that when our Father answers our prayers it will be with the best answer - He gives GOOD gifts to His children.
Luke's version of this prayer is a summary of the instruction that Jesus gave, as recorded in Matthew 6. In Luke's account the disciples are asking for instruction, yet Jesus has already taught them this model of prayer. They have walked with Him for several years now, they have been ministering around the country, they have healed the sick and cast out evil spirits.. they have seen miracle after miracle; but they are still lacking in the understanding of how to pray. Gives us hope, doesn't it?
Even after attending prayer summits and conferences, reading many wonderful books, and joining with others regularly in prayer times... I am still asking the same question - Lord, teach me to pray.
As I sit here at my desk, with the Word before me, I also have notes and lists and verses and reminders - all to direct and remind me how to pray... my wall is covered! Yet, I still feel very inadequate in my prayer life... how about you?
Father, I do pray that Your Name will be honored and revered on earth as it is in heaven today. I pray that Your will and purposes will be accomplished and that Your kingdom will be established and expanded. I ask for our daily bread and for forgiveness. I choose to forgive any that have trespassed against me, against us. And I pray that You will lead us away from the things of this world, deliver us from the evil one, and transform us according to Your righteous and holy Word. May we be faithful to pray. May we be persistent and consistent in praying. May we pray in faith, believing that You hear and that You will answer according to Your good, acceptable and perfect will. Give to us Your Holy Spirit we ask. In the Name of Jesus, our Lord, we pray. Amen.
to acknowledge His honor and request that His Name be revealed and revered;
to pray that the Kingdom of God come and be established and expanded;
to ask for daily provisions and for forgiveness of sins;
to lead them to forgive others and to avoid temptations;
Jesus teaches them and us that prayer is essential.
He teaches that we must be persistent in prayer.
He teaches us that we should always be asking, seeking, and knocking - to be consistent in prayer.
He teaches us that when we pray, we are heard.
He teaches us that when our Father answers our prayers it will be with the best answer - He gives GOOD gifts to His children.
Luke's version of this prayer is a summary of the instruction that Jesus gave, as recorded in Matthew 6. In Luke's account the disciples are asking for instruction, yet Jesus has already taught them this model of prayer. They have walked with Him for several years now, they have been ministering around the country, they have healed the sick and cast out evil spirits.. they have seen miracle after miracle; but they are still lacking in the understanding of how to pray. Gives us hope, doesn't it?
Even after attending prayer summits and conferences, reading many wonderful books, and joining with others regularly in prayer times... I am still asking the same question - Lord, teach me to pray.
As I sit here at my desk, with the Word before me, I also have notes and lists and verses and reminders - all to direct and remind me how to pray... my wall is covered! Yet, I still feel very inadequate in my prayer life... how about you?
Father, I do pray that Your Name will be honored and revered on earth as it is in heaven today. I pray that Your will and purposes will be accomplished and that Your kingdom will be established and expanded. I ask for our daily bread and for forgiveness. I choose to forgive any that have trespassed against me, against us. And I pray that You will lead us away from the things of this world, deliver us from the evil one, and transform us according to Your righteous and holy Word. May we be faithful to pray. May we be persistent and consistent in praying. May we pray in faith, believing that You hear and that You will answer according to Your good, acceptable and perfect will. Give to us Your Holy Spirit we ask. In the Name of Jesus, our Lord, we pray. Amen.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Luke 10 continued:
A lawyer comes to put Jesus to the test. He asks an important question, " Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" We want the answer to this question, don't we? We want it in black and white... what is the formula? What specific things, what are the necessary words and works... It is a very important question!
Jesus replies with two questions, " What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?"
Now, this man was an expert in the Law. He knew the correct answer to the first question. " 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." Good answer! Jesus approves! It is in black and white ( or whatever colors scrolls were written in)! "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live." Jesus tells him. The lawyer who thought he was putting Jesus to the test.. was just tested his own self.. and he passed! Well, at least this section.... but, he realizes that there is more to the test, so he asks, " And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus answers the lawyers question with one of the most well known stories in the Bible, the story of the good Samaritan. We know this story well... A man is robbed, beaten and left for dead.
A priest comes by, sees him, and passes by.
A Levite comes by, sees him, and passes by.
A certain Samaritan comes by, sees him.. and has compassion on him. He treats the man's injuries, takes the man to an inn, pays for the man's keep and care, and takes responsibility for the man's bills. He goes beyond the expected.. way beyond. He has shown mercy and "proved to be a neighbor" to the man. The word neighbor means someone close by... a fellow man, someone near. The Samaritan man bothered to come near to the beaten and dying man and helped him. He showed mercy.
Jesus tells the lawyer, " Go and do the same."
This is the part of the Law that the religious leaders were missing. The "go and do" part. This is often the part we miss too. It is good to know the Law in our minds, but until we put it into action, until we draw near to those in need, until we see AND act... we are failing the test.
How does the Law read to us? Is it a book that we read and then go about our own way?
Or is it something that we try our best to follow? Crossing off the list... haven't killed anyone, haven't stolen anything, etc?
Or, are we hearing what Jesus is saying and actually doing it?
Are we proving ourselves to be neighbors? Showing mercy to those in our paths...
Father in heaven, Lord of all creation, every creature is yours, every man, woman, and child belongs to you. We know that some have made themselves your enemies, but that does not mean that we should stop being merciful. You tell us to overcome evil with good. That if our enemy is hungry, we should feed him; or if he is thirsty we should give him a drink. You have told us to never repay evil with evil. To never take revenge. Help us to do this in the Name of Jesus. Open our eyes to see the needy ones in our paths through this day.. and may we not pass by.. but have compassion, to come to their aid, to do Your will. This is the Kingdom way... and when the Kingdom of God comes, then the dominion of darkness falls! O Praise You Lord! Your Word is True and Your Heart is Good!!! Thank you for transforming us by renewing our minds with Your Word today. Be glorified in our lives we ask. Amen.
A lawyer comes to put Jesus to the test. He asks an important question, " Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" We want the answer to this question, don't we? We want it in black and white... what is the formula? What specific things, what are the necessary words and works... It is a very important question!
Jesus replies with two questions, " What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?"
Now, this man was an expert in the Law. He knew the correct answer to the first question. " 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." Good answer! Jesus approves! It is in black and white ( or whatever colors scrolls were written in)! "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live." Jesus tells him. The lawyer who thought he was putting Jesus to the test.. was just tested his own self.. and he passed! Well, at least this section.... but, he realizes that there is more to the test, so he asks, " And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus answers the lawyers question with one of the most well known stories in the Bible, the story of the good Samaritan. We know this story well... A man is robbed, beaten and left for dead.
A priest comes by, sees him, and passes by.
A Levite comes by, sees him, and passes by.
A certain Samaritan comes by, sees him.. and has compassion on him. He treats the man's injuries, takes the man to an inn, pays for the man's keep and care, and takes responsibility for the man's bills. He goes beyond the expected.. way beyond. He has shown mercy and "proved to be a neighbor" to the man. The word neighbor means someone close by... a fellow man, someone near. The Samaritan man bothered to come near to the beaten and dying man and helped him. He showed mercy.
Jesus tells the lawyer, " Go and do the same."
This is the part of the Law that the religious leaders were missing. The "go and do" part. This is often the part we miss too. It is good to know the Law in our minds, but until we put it into action, until we draw near to those in need, until we see AND act... we are failing the test.
How does the Law read to us? Is it a book that we read and then go about our own way?
Or is it something that we try our best to follow? Crossing off the list... haven't killed anyone, haven't stolen anything, etc?
Or, are we hearing what Jesus is saying and actually doing it?
Are we proving ourselves to be neighbors? Showing mercy to those in our paths...
Father in heaven, Lord of all creation, every creature is yours, every man, woman, and child belongs to you. We know that some have made themselves your enemies, but that does not mean that we should stop being merciful. You tell us to overcome evil with good. That if our enemy is hungry, we should feed him; or if he is thirsty we should give him a drink. You have told us to never repay evil with evil. To never take revenge. Help us to do this in the Name of Jesus. Open our eyes to see the needy ones in our paths through this day.. and may we not pass by.. but have compassion, to come to their aid, to do Your will. This is the Kingdom way... and when the Kingdom of God comes, then the dominion of darkness falls! O Praise You Lord! Your Word is True and Your Heart is Good!!! Thank you for transforming us by renewing our minds with Your Word today. Be glorified in our lives we ask. Amen.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Luke 10 - Luke records a series of events that show us the ministry and purposes of the Lord.
Jesus sends out 70 more disciples to proclaim that the kingdom of God has come near. He gives His disciples authority and power. He tells them that the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few. There is a need for laborers. Pray to the Father to send out laborers, He instructs them. He also tells them to:
Go carefully, knowing that there are evil forces in the world.
Go in faith, not taking extra provisions, for God will supply.
Go peacefully, staying with some in the city and leaving peace with those who receive them.
Go with knowledge - the knowledge that whoever listens to them is listening to Jesus and that whoever rejects them is rejecting Jesus and the Father.
Go with power - over the enemy.
Yet, return with rejoicing - not over all you accomplished - but over the fact that your name is written in His book.
Jesus praises the Father for revealing these things to the "babes", to the innocent and hiding them from the "wise and intelligent". Verse 22 " 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."
The Father has revealed the Truth of Who Jesus Christ is - the Son, Who has been given all authority and power - to save those who listen to Him; who hear what He has revealed. And what is it that Jesus has revealed and spoken of? - It is the Truth of Who the Father is - the Lord of heaven and earth.
Where this Truth is proclaimed - Satan falls!
Where this Truth is heard - there is rejoicing!
Where this Truth is received - there is blessing!
Pray that more laborers will be sent out to proclaim the Truth - that all power and authority belongs to Jesus Christ.
So that evil will be overcome.
So that more will see and hear and receive and believe.
So that His Kingdom will come.
Our Father, Lord of heaven and earth, we praise You for revealing the Truth of the gospel to us; that we have a Savior, Jesus Christ Who has been given all power and authority and Who has purchased our salvation with His own blood. O how we thank You and praise You. We can not know these things on our own, but only as You have chosen to reveal the truth to us. We are grateful for this gift of grace. Lord, will You send more workers into the harvest field? There are many who need to hear this good news. Will You send someone to the lost and dying in Africa? Will You send someone to speak to my lost loved ones? I ask this in His Name, to Whom all glory has been given, Christ Jesus my Lord. Amen.
Jesus sends out 70 more disciples to proclaim that the kingdom of God has come near. He gives His disciples authority and power. He tells them that the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few. There is a need for laborers. Pray to the Father to send out laborers, He instructs them. He also tells them to:
Go carefully, knowing that there are evil forces in the world.
Go in faith, not taking extra provisions, for God will supply.
Go peacefully, staying with some in the city and leaving peace with those who receive them.
Go with knowledge - the knowledge that whoever listens to them is listening to Jesus and that whoever rejects them is rejecting Jesus and the Father.
Go with power - over the enemy.
Yet, return with rejoicing - not over all you accomplished - but over the fact that your name is written in His book.
Jesus praises the Father for revealing these things to the "babes", to the innocent and hiding them from the "wise and intelligent". Verse 22 " 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."
The Father has revealed the Truth of Who Jesus Christ is - the Son, Who has been given all authority and power - to save those who listen to Him; who hear what He has revealed. And what is it that Jesus has revealed and spoken of? - It is the Truth of Who the Father is - the Lord of heaven and earth.
Where this Truth is proclaimed - Satan falls!
Where this Truth is heard - there is rejoicing!
Where this Truth is received - there is blessing!
Pray that more laborers will be sent out to proclaim the Truth - that all power and authority belongs to Jesus Christ.
So that evil will be overcome.
So that more will see and hear and receive and believe.
So that His Kingdom will come.
Our Father, Lord of heaven and earth, we praise You for revealing the Truth of the gospel to us; that we have a Savior, Jesus Christ Who has been given all power and authority and Who has purchased our salvation with His own blood. O how we thank You and praise You. We can not know these things on our own, but only as You have chosen to reveal the truth to us. We are grateful for this gift of grace. Lord, will You send more workers into the harvest field? There are many who need to hear this good news. Will You send someone to the lost and dying in Africa? Will You send someone to speak to my lost loved ones? I ask this in His Name, to Whom all glory has been given, Christ Jesus my Lord. Amen.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Luke 9 Jesus calls the 12 disciples and gives them power and authority "over all the demons, and to heal diseases." He sends them out to "proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing." The good news - the gospel - is that the Kingdom of God has come! The Sovereign God, who rules over all of His creation, has come in the person of Jesus Christ. He has given all authority and power to Jesus, who in turn has given some power and authority to His disciples.
Jesus involves His disciples in ministering to the multitudes. When the people are following Him to a desolate area, He breaks the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and they distribute it to the people.
Peter, James, and John accompany Him up to the mountain where they see Jesus in His glory - see His sovereignty and hear the Father's proclamation, " This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him."
When they argue over who is the greatest, Jesus tells them that it the least of them that is really the greatest.
When they want to rebuke others who are casting out demons in Jesus' Name, He instructs them that they should not stop them - they are on the same side.
And when a town is too afraid to let them stay and they want to call down fire - Jesus rebukes them, "for the Son of Man did not come to destroy but to save them."
The Kingdom of God - the rule and reign of the King of kings - is lived out in every event, every word, and every teaching of Jesus. Because God is Ruler -
the hungry are fed
the sick are healed
the demon possessed are set free
The impossible is possible!
But the Kingdom is not for sale, nor can it be taken by the powerful.
It comes by denying self, by taking up a standard, a cross, and by following Jesus.
It doesn't come by trying to save ourselves, but only by laying our own lives down.
It comes by listening to the Words of Jesus, by believing that He has ALL power and authority.
It comes when we receive even a little child in His Name.
Jesus came to save men. He came to save us.
Proclaim, herald the good news. Jesus is King! He has all power and authority in heaven and on earth!
Father in Heaven, Your Name is holy and we honor and praise You! May others come to know the Truth and honor Your Name too. Father, make Your Kingdom known everywhere. Rule and reign in our lives. Rule over the evil ones who want to kill, steal, and destroy. Bring them to know the Truth.
Let Your will overrule all our selfish wills, our prideful ways, and our misguided priorities. Let Your will be done.
Give to us our daily provisions from Your gracious Hand.
Forgive us for every sin and trespass against You.
May we forgive all who have hurt us.
Lead us in righteousness and truth.
Deliver us from the evil one.
You are King and the Kingdom is Yours. You alone are glorious. You alone are powerful and eternal. Bless Your holy Name.
AMen
Jesus involves His disciples in ministering to the multitudes. When the people are following Him to a desolate area, He breaks the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and they distribute it to the people.
Peter, James, and John accompany Him up to the mountain where they see Jesus in His glory - see His sovereignty and hear the Father's proclamation, " This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him."
When they argue over who is the greatest, Jesus tells them that it the least of them that is really the greatest.
When they want to rebuke others who are casting out demons in Jesus' Name, He instructs them that they should not stop them - they are on the same side.
And when a town is too afraid to let them stay and they want to call down fire - Jesus rebukes them, "for the Son of Man did not come to destroy but to save them."
The Kingdom of God - the rule and reign of the King of kings - is lived out in every event, every word, and every teaching of Jesus. Because God is Ruler -
the hungry are fed
the sick are healed
the demon possessed are set free
The impossible is possible!
But the Kingdom is not for sale, nor can it be taken by the powerful.
It comes by denying self, by taking up a standard, a cross, and by following Jesus.
It doesn't come by trying to save ourselves, but only by laying our own lives down.
It comes by listening to the Words of Jesus, by believing that He has ALL power and authority.
It comes when we receive even a little child in His Name.
Jesus came to save men. He came to save us.
Proclaim, herald the good news. Jesus is King! He has all power and authority in heaven and on earth!
Father in Heaven, Your Name is holy and we honor and praise You! May others come to know the Truth and honor Your Name too. Father, make Your Kingdom known everywhere. Rule and reign in our lives. Rule over the evil ones who want to kill, steal, and destroy. Bring them to know the Truth.
Let Your will overrule all our selfish wills, our prideful ways, and our misguided priorities. Let Your will be done.
Give to us our daily provisions from Your gracious Hand.
Forgive us for every sin and trespass against You.
May we forgive all who have hurt us.
Lead us in righteousness and truth.
Deliver us from the evil one.
You are King and the Kingdom is Yours. You alone are glorious. You alone are powerful and eternal. Bless Your holy Name.
AMen
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Luke 8 Again, Luke tells of the miraculous works of the Lord, revealing His authority and power.
Verses 22-25 - Jesus has authority over the wind and the sea. If He can stop a storm, He can do anything! So, "Where is your faith?"
Verses 26-39 - Jesus delivers the demoniac from the legion of evil spirits. If He can do that, He can deliver us from any and all evil! So, don't fear the evil, put your faith in Jesus; and when He delivers you... go and tell "what great things God has done for you."
Verses 40-48 - Jesus healed the woman who had suffered 12 years with an incurable disease, and if He can do that... He can heal us too... we also need to have the faith that will reach out to touch Him.
Verses 49-56 - Jesus raised the daughter of the synagogue official from the dead, and if He can do that... then nothing is impossible with God, so " Do not be afraid any longer, only believe... "
All authority in heaven and on the earth is in the Hand of the One Who loves us and Who died for us.
Hear His Words and do them. Believe. Reach out. Don't be afraid. And when He answers your prayers and provides for you... go and tell the great things He has done!
Psalm 145:4 " One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts."
It is our privilege and responsibility to let our children and grandchildren know that God is great and awesome and gracious and merciful. It is our mouths that need to proclaim the glory of His majesty and the greatness of His power! To let the light shine, uncover the lamp.... so they also can see Him.
Oh Father, forgive us for failing to do this! Help us to be filled to the full by Your Holy Spirit, that we might proclaim Your mighty works and Your holy Word, every day, forever and ever. You are good to us and Your mercies have covered us. Thank You!
Amen
Verses 22-25 - Jesus has authority over the wind and the sea. If He can stop a storm, He can do anything! So, "Where is your faith?"
Verses 26-39 - Jesus delivers the demoniac from the legion of evil spirits. If He can do that, He can deliver us from any and all evil! So, don't fear the evil, put your faith in Jesus; and when He delivers you... go and tell "what great things God has done for you."
Verses 40-48 - Jesus healed the woman who had suffered 12 years with an incurable disease, and if He can do that... He can heal us too... we also need to have the faith that will reach out to touch Him.
Verses 49-56 - Jesus raised the daughter of the synagogue official from the dead, and if He can do that... then nothing is impossible with God, so " Do not be afraid any longer, only believe... "
All authority in heaven and on the earth is in the Hand of the One Who loves us and Who died for us.
Hear His Words and do them. Believe. Reach out. Don't be afraid. And when He answers your prayers and provides for you... go and tell the great things He has done!
Psalm 145:4 " One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts."
It is our privilege and responsibility to let our children and grandchildren know that God is great and awesome and gracious and merciful. It is our mouths that need to proclaim the glory of His majesty and the greatness of His power! To let the light shine, uncover the lamp.... so they also can see Him.
Oh Father, forgive us for failing to do this! Help us to be filled to the full by Your Holy Spirit, that we might proclaim Your mighty works and Your holy Word, every day, forever and ever. You are good to us and Your mercies have covered us. Thank You!
Amen
Monday, October 20, 2014
Luke 8:16-18 " Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, in order that those who come in may see the light. For nothing is hidden that shall not become evident, not anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. Therefore take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him shall more be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him."
Jesus has just told the parable of the sower, how the seed grows in the good soil - in an "honest and good heart" that holds on to the Word and bears fruit. Now He tells us how -
Take the Word and let others see it! Like a lamp, let the Truth shine.
What is in your heart is what will come out - if you have the Truth in your heart it will be evident to others.
If we carefully listen to the Word we will find that it will bear fruit.
And in verse 21 we find that those who "hear the word of God and do it"... are His mother and brothers...
Father in heaven, fill our hearts with Your Word. Make our hearts open, to receive the word with honesty and goodness, that we might do it, let it shine, let it bear fruit. Do all you desire in us today. May every word we speak and every action we do, be out of love for You. Be in our thoughts, transform us by renewing our minds by Your Word. We pray in Jesus Name. Amen.
Jesus has just told the parable of the sower, how the seed grows in the good soil - in an "honest and good heart" that holds on to the Word and bears fruit. Now He tells us how -
Take the Word and let others see it! Like a lamp, let the Truth shine.
What is in your heart is what will come out - if you have the Truth in your heart it will be evident to others.
If we carefully listen to the Word we will find that it will bear fruit.
And in verse 21 we find that those who "hear the word of God and do it"... are His mother and brothers...
Father in heaven, fill our hearts with Your Word. Make our hearts open, to receive the word with honesty and goodness, that we might do it, let it shine, let it bear fruit. Do all you desire in us today. May every word we speak and every action we do, be out of love for You. Be in our thoughts, transform us by renewing our minds by Your Word. We pray in Jesus Name. Amen.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Luke 8: 4-15 Luke's version of the parable of the sower is presented here. The seed is sown and some is:
beside the road where it gets trampled
on rocky soil where it grows quickly but withers away
among the thorns where it grows but is choked out
planted in good soil where it grows well and produces a great crop
Jesus tells the disciples that they have been granted to "know the mysteries of the kingdom of God"
As He teaches in these parables, Jesus calls out to the multitude, " He who has ears to hear, let him hear." But He tells the disciples that He teaches with parables so that "seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand." This is hard for us to understand.. Why would God not want some to see or hear? It is a mystery.
The parable of the sower does tell us what happens when people hear the Word of God..
Some hear it, but it is snatched away by the devil. These do not believe and are not saved.
Some hear the Word, receive it with joy, believe for a while, but then fall away due to temptations.
Some hear the Word, and as they go on they get choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of the world. They bear no fruit because of that.
Some hear "the word in an honest and good heart and hold it fast and bear fruit with perseverance."
To just hear the Word is not enough. We must hold on to it. Keep it, memorize it, retain it, seize it.
Paul wrote, " So faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ." Our faith depends upon our hearing. We must have ears to hear and actively HEAR what He is saying to us. We must not let it be snatched away by the devil, trampled by the worldly temptations, or choked out by worries, riches, or pleasures. We must honestly desire to hear the voice of the Shepherd, as one of His sheep. We need to recognize that our lives depend upon it. We must desire it as a hungry man desires food. Without the Word, our Daily Bread.. our faith will wither and die.
EM Bounds talks about faith in relationship to our prayer life, " How great - without qualification or limitation- is the power of faith! If doubt be banished from the heart, and unbelief made stranger there, what we ask of God shall surely come to pass, ..." How can we banish doubt? Fill our hearts with the Truth, the Word of God. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised! What a marvelous mysterious Kingdom He calls us into!
Father, open our ears and eyes we pray. We want to hear Your Voice and to see Your glory. We want to follow Jesus with all of our hearts. We ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen
beside the road where it gets trampled
on rocky soil where it grows quickly but withers away
among the thorns where it grows but is choked out
planted in good soil where it grows well and produces a great crop
Jesus tells the disciples that they have been granted to "know the mysteries of the kingdom of God"
As He teaches in these parables, Jesus calls out to the multitude, " He who has ears to hear, let him hear." But He tells the disciples that He teaches with parables so that "seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand." This is hard for us to understand.. Why would God not want some to see or hear? It is a mystery.
The parable of the sower does tell us what happens when people hear the Word of God..
Some hear it, but it is snatched away by the devil. These do not believe and are not saved.
Some hear the Word, receive it with joy, believe for a while, but then fall away due to temptations.
Some hear the Word, and as they go on they get choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of the world. They bear no fruit because of that.
Some hear "the word in an honest and good heart and hold it fast and bear fruit with perseverance."
To just hear the Word is not enough. We must hold on to it. Keep it, memorize it, retain it, seize it.
Paul wrote, " So faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ." Our faith depends upon our hearing. We must have ears to hear and actively HEAR what He is saying to us. We must not let it be snatched away by the devil, trampled by the worldly temptations, or choked out by worries, riches, or pleasures. We must honestly desire to hear the voice of the Shepherd, as one of His sheep. We need to recognize that our lives depend upon it. We must desire it as a hungry man desires food. Without the Word, our Daily Bread.. our faith will wither and die.
EM Bounds talks about faith in relationship to our prayer life, " How great - without qualification or limitation- is the power of faith! If doubt be banished from the heart, and unbelief made stranger there, what we ask of God shall surely come to pass, ..." How can we banish doubt? Fill our hearts with the Truth, the Word of God. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised! What a marvelous mysterious Kingdom He calls us into!
Father, open our ears and eyes we pray. We want to hear Your Voice and to see Your glory. We want to follow Jesus with all of our hearts. We ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Luke 7: 11-17 Jesus comes to the city of Nain. As they are walking into the gates, a funeral procession is coming out. A young man, an only son, a widow's child... has died. Notice that Jesus responds to the grief of the mother, not to the state of the man. "And when the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, ..."
His compassion leads to action.
He stops the procession.
He approaches the coffin.
He speaks to the dead man.
He gives the resurrected son back to his mother.
The response of the crowd is one of fear and worship. They knew that God was there.
Verses 18-35 John the Baptist sends his disciples to see Jesus. He seems to want a reassurance that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus complies with this... He heals many of diseases, afflictions and evil spirits. Then He tells them to go and tell John what they have seen - Prophecy being fulfilled.
Jesus says that John is a great man, greater than "those born of women". But, " he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." There were 2 responses to this:
The people who had received John's baptism - "acknowledged God's justice".
The Pharisees and company "rejected God's purpose for themselves,"
Jesus compares them to children, not happy with John for his way of life, not with Jesus and His ways. " Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children." Jesus says.
Matthew Henry's commentary says that those who listen to God's instructions and obey will prove that they are the children of Wisdom. The lives of the believers will reflect the wisdom of God. Those who reject God's Word and ways will be like these Pharisees, too proud to repent and be baptized , too self-righteous to acknowledge the Lord's authority over them.
Father in Heaven, Help us to believe, to obey, and to receive all that You have purposed for us. We see through these passages that Jesus is Lord of all. That all power has been given to Him. That He is our source of Life. We chose to bow before Him and worship. Lead us in Your will and may Your Kingdom come in its fulness. Make us Your own in every facet of our lives. Amen.
His compassion leads to action.
He stops the procession.
He approaches the coffin.
He speaks to the dead man.
He gives the resurrected son back to his mother.
The response of the crowd is one of fear and worship. They knew that God was there.
Verses 18-35 John the Baptist sends his disciples to see Jesus. He seems to want a reassurance that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus complies with this... He heals many of diseases, afflictions and evil spirits. Then He tells them to go and tell John what they have seen - Prophecy being fulfilled.
Jesus says that John is a great man, greater than "those born of women". But, " he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." There were 2 responses to this:
The people who had received John's baptism - "acknowledged God's justice".
The Pharisees and company "rejected God's purpose for themselves,"
Jesus compares them to children, not happy with John for his way of life, not with Jesus and His ways. " Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children." Jesus says.
Matthew Henry's commentary says that those who listen to God's instructions and obey will prove that they are the children of Wisdom. The lives of the believers will reflect the wisdom of God. Those who reject God's Word and ways will be like these Pharisees, too proud to repent and be baptized , too self-righteous to acknowledge the Lord's authority over them.
Father in Heaven, Help us to believe, to obey, and to receive all that You have purposed for us. We see through these passages that Jesus is Lord of all. That all power has been given to Him. That He is our source of Life. We chose to bow before Him and worship. Lead us in Your will and may Your Kingdom come in its fulness. Make us Your own in every facet of our lives. Amen.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Luke 7:1-10 Jesus has gone back to Capernaum , when a group of Jewish elders come to Him on behalf of a Roman centurion. Now this was an unusual man. First of all, he had a slave whom he loved and highly regarded. Secondly, he loved Israel and had Jewish friends. Thirdly, he had built a synagogue for the town.
When the Jewish elders came to Jesus they "earnestly entreated", they begged Jesus to heal the centurion's slave because the he was "worthy". However, as Jesus approaches the centurion's home, another group of friends is sent to Jesus to say just the opposite. " ... for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word and my servant will be healed." (verses 6-7).
The centurion understood the authority of Jesus. He knew a measure of authority in his office as a centurion. He ordered soldiers and slaves to do something and it would be done. His orders were respected and carried out because he had authority in his position and because he was respected. He, in turn, had respect for Jesus and His authority over everything. Jesus called this "great faith". The servant was immediately healed even though Jesus never went into the man's house.
E.M. Bounds wrote, " Faith does the impossible because it brings God to undertake for us and nothing is impossible with God. How great- without qualification or limitation - is the power of faith! If doubts be banished from the heart, and unbelief made stranger there, what we ask of God shall surely come to pass, and a believer hath vouchsafed to him 'whatsoever he saith'"
From this event we take away two lessons -
1. We need to have a proper evaluation of ourselves - we are not worthy, even though others think we are.
2. We need to have a proper evaluation of Jesus - He has all authority- over everything and He is worthy of our respect and trust.
E.M. Bounds says that "prayer is simply faith... taking possession of its illimitable inheritance." When Jesus tells us to pray and believe that we receive, and then we will have our requests - this is active faith "Here is described a faith which realizes, which appropriates, which takes. Such faith is a consciousness of the divine, an experienced communion, a realized certainty."
The centurion had this kind of faith. I want this kind of faith too.
Father in heaven, we thank You for the Truth of Your Word and for the many examples that You have provided for us, to teach us Your ways. May we know ourselves.. humble ourselves, realizing that no matter our position in this world.. we are not worthy to come to You on our own. But, we have a Savior, Who is Worthy of all our respect and trust, for You have given Him all authority in heaven and in earth. Jesus is Lord of all. We come to You in His Name to make our requests. We pray for our daily provisions - for food and health, for safety and wisdom. We pray for forgiveness from all our sins, known and unknown and we pray for compassion and love to forgive those who have hurt us and sinned against us. We pray that You would lead us in Your ways, to do everything for Your glory with pure hearts and clean hands. We pray that You would deliver us from the lies and deceptions of the evil one. And Father, we pray that You would send out workers into the fields to bring others into Your Kingdom. Let Your Light shine through us wherever we go and whatever we do today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
When the Jewish elders came to Jesus they "earnestly entreated", they begged Jesus to heal the centurion's slave because the he was "worthy". However, as Jesus approaches the centurion's home, another group of friends is sent to Jesus to say just the opposite. " ... for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word and my servant will be healed." (verses 6-7).
The centurion understood the authority of Jesus. He knew a measure of authority in his office as a centurion. He ordered soldiers and slaves to do something and it would be done. His orders were respected and carried out because he had authority in his position and because he was respected. He, in turn, had respect for Jesus and His authority over everything. Jesus called this "great faith". The servant was immediately healed even though Jesus never went into the man's house.
E.M. Bounds wrote, " Faith does the impossible because it brings God to undertake for us and nothing is impossible with God. How great- without qualification or limitation - is the power of faith! If doubts be banished from the heart, and unbelief made stranger there, what we ask of God shall surely come to pass, and a believer hath vouchsafed to him 'whatsoever he saith'"
From this event we take away two lessons -
1. We need to have a proper evaluation of ourselves - we are not worthy, even though others think we are.
2. We need to have a proper evaluation of Jesus - He has all authority- over everything and He is worthy of our respect and trust.
E.M. Bounds says that "prayer is simply faith... taking possession of its illimitable inheritance." When Jesus tells us to pray and believe that we receive, and then we will have our requests - this is active faith "Here is described a faith which realizes, which appropriates, which takes. Such faith is a consciousness of the divine, an experienced communion, a realized certainty."
The centurion had this kind of faith. I want this kind of faith too.
Father in heaven, we thank You for the Truth of Your Word and for the many examples that You have provided for us, to teach us Your ways. May we know ourselves.. humble ourselves, realizing that no matter our position in this world.. we are not worthy to come to You on our own. But, we have a Savior, Who is Worthy of all our respect and trust, for You have given Him all authority in heaven and in earth. Jesus is Lord of all. We come to You in His Name to make our requests. We pray for our daily provisions - for food and health, for safety and wisdom. We pray for forgiveness from all our sins, known and unknown and we pray for compassion and love to forgive those who have hurt us and sinned against us. We pray that You would lead us in Your ways, to do everything for Your glory with pure hearts and clean hands. We pray that You would deliver us from the lies and deceptions of the evil one. And Father, we pray that You would send out workers into the fields to bring others into Your Kingdom. Let Your Light shine through us wherever we go and whatever we do today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Luke 6 - continued...
Reading back over yesterday's thoughts, I realized that.. this uncommon life, transformed by renovated and refashioned thinking.. is what it means to live and walk by faith... It is faith in the final and exalted authority of Jesus Christ that enables us to live beyond our natural tendencies.
By faith we can be blessed even in our poverty, knowing that a greater future is ours in God.
By faith, we can endure the hunger, for we know that we will be forever satisfied.
It is because we believe that a day is coming when we will receive a greater reward in heaven, that we can survive evil men that hate us, ostracize us and throw insults at us.
It is because we believe in Jesus and His love for us that we can love our enemies, do good to those who hurt us, and say good things about those who say bad things about us.
Because we have a Father in heaven Who has mercy on us.. who takes pity on us and shows us compassion...that we can have pity on even our enemies and show them compassion and forgiveness, and forbearance.
"Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your measure it will be measured to you in return ." ( verse 38) That is both a positive and negative - If we give good things with generosity of heart - He will pour out His goodness upon us. But, if we grudgingly give... we will find our blessings curtailed. If we do evil to others, we will find that evil returns to us with a vengeance. Do we believe this? Do we know it to be true in our own lives?
Jesus tells a parable at this point, " A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? will they not both fall into a pit?" A true statement for sure.. but how does this fit it? He goes on to tell us that a student is not above his teacher, but will become "like" his teacher when he is fully trained.
This is our purpose... our goal... to be like our Teacher, to be completed in Him. To be trained by Him. We cannot remain blind and lead others to Christ. We must hear what He says and do what He says.. build our lives on the foundation of Truth that He is giving us here in His gracious words.
That starts with looking inward.. at our own hearts and getting rid of the "log" in our own eyes. We need to have good hearts to bring forth what is good, to bear good fruit. We cannot do that if our eyes our blinded and our hearts hold onto evil treasures.
Yes, it is an uncommon, completely renovated life that we are called to as disciples of Jesus Christ. We must believe with all of our hearts that what He has told us is TRUE.
We must believe that He has all authority and He will do everything just as He says He will.
Then, we must do just what He has asked us to do. And do it with "good measure" - for the measure we use is the measure we receive....
Father in heaven, Abba, transform our lives by renewing our thinking with the gracious Words of Jesus Christ. Teach us, train us completely, so that we will be like our Teacher. Remove the logs in our eyes and the evil treasures from our hearts. We come in the Name of Jesus, believing that He is Lord of all and this is Your will for us. Amen.
Reading back over yesterday's thoughts, I realized that.. this uncommon life, transformed by renovated and refashioned thinking.. is what it means to live and walk by faith... It is faith in the final and exalted authority of Jesus Christ that enables us to live beyond our natural tendencies.
By faith we can be blessed even in our poverty, knowing that a greater future is ours in God.
By faith, we can endure the hunger, for we know that we will be forever satisfied.
It is because we believe that a day is coming when we will receive a greater reward in heaven, that we can survive evil men that hate us, ostracize us and throw insults at us.
It is because we believe in Jesus and His love for us that we can love our enemies, do good to those who hurt us, and say good things about those who say bad things about us.
Because we have a Father in heaven Who has mercy on us.. who takes pity on us and shows us compassion...that we can have pity on even our enemies and show them compassion and forgiveness, and forbearance.
"Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your measure it will be measured to you in return ." ( verse 38) That is both a positive and negative - If we give good things with generosity of heart - He will pour out His goodness upon us. But, if we grudgingly give... we will find our blessings curtailed. If we do evil to others, we will find that evil returns to us with a vengeance. Do we believe this? Do we know it to be true in our own lives?
Jesus tells a parable at this point, " A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? will they not both fall into a pit?" A true statement for sure.. but how does this fit it? He goes on to tell us that a student is not above his teacher, but will become "like" his teacher when he is fully trained.
This is our purpose... our goal... to be like our Teacher, to be completed in Him. To be trained by Him. We cannot remain blind and lead others to Christ. We must hear what He says and do what He says.. build our lives on the foundation of Truth that He is giving us here in His gracious words.
That starts with looking inward.. at our own hearts and getting rid of the "log" in our own eyes. We need to have good hearts to bring forth what is good, to bear good fruit. We cannot do that if our eyes our blinded and our hearts hold onto evil treasures.
Yes, it is an uncommon, completely renovated life that we are called to as disciples of Jesus Christ. We must believe with all of our hearts that what He has told us is TRUE.
We must believe that He has all authority and He will do everything just as He says He will.
Then, we must do just what He has asked us to do. And do it with "good measure" - for the measure we use is the measure we receive....
Father in heaven, Abba, transform our lives by renewing our thinking with the gracious Words of Jesus Christ. Teach us, train us completely, so that we will be like our Teacher. Remove the logs in our eyes and the evil treasures from our hearts. We come in the Name of Jesus, believing that He is Lord of all and this is Your will for us. Amen.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Luke 6 Jesus continues to reveal His authority over all of heaven and earth. In verses 1- 11 He teaches that He is the Lord of the Sabbath. He has the authority to do whatever He wants to do.... even if it isn't what the Pharisees like. Jesus tells us that doing good and saving a life.. is always right in the Lord's eyes... even on the Sabbath.
In verses 12-19 Jesus chooses the 12 disciples that He names as apostles. These are the ones who will be delegated to be His ambassadors. His authority will be extended to them.
Verses 20 - 49 are Luke's version of the Beatitudes. They recall some of the same teachings that Matthew recorded, but in a condensed way. Perhaps this is the contents of Jesus' messages as He went from one place to another preaching, " the gracious words" ( Luke 4:22) that even the people of Nazareth received. These words are indeed gracious and good news to us all... yet they are also challenging us to live in a way this is beyond our common abilities....
Those who are poor now... will receive God's kingdom.
Those who hunger now... will be satisfied.
Those who weep now... will laugh.
Those who are treated badly.. will find a great reward waiting for them.
On the other hand..
Those who are rich... have already received their due.
Those who are well-fed... shall be hungry.
Those who laugh.. will mourn.
Jesus taught that we should:
love our enemies
do good to those who hurt us
say good things about those who say evil things about us
pray for those who mistreat us
Give... to the one who takes from you and to the one who can't pay you back.
It's easy to treat people well when they treat you well.
It's easy to love those who love you.
It's easy to do good to those who do good to you.
It's easy to lend to those who will repay you.
"But, love your enemies, and do good, and lend expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men." ( Verse 35)
He calls us to an uncommon life.. as some author wrote ( can't remember who)... To be like Him. To be like the Father in heaven. Thankful that He gives us His Spirit so that we can walk in His ways.
Heavenly Father , thank You for loving us when we were yet sinners. For continuing to love us when we fall so far short of Your perfect will for us. Have Your way in us today and help us to do what the word says.. to build our lives on the firm foundation of Truth. We are poor.. but rich in Christ. Thank You..
In verses 12-19 Jesus chooses the 12 disciples that He names as apostles. These are the ones who will be delegated to be His ambassadors. His authority will be extended to them.
Verses 20 - 49 are Luke's version of the Beatitudes. They recall some of the same teachings that Matthew recorded, but in a condensed way. Perhaps this is the contents of Jesus' messages as He went from one place to another preaching, " the gracious words" ( Luke 4:22) that even the people of Nazareth received. These words are indeed gracious and good news to us all... yet they are also challenging us to live in a way this is beyond our common abilities....
Those who are poor now... will receive God's kingdom.
Those who hunger now... will be satisfied.
Those who weep now... will laugh.
Those who are treated badly.. will find a great reward waiting for them.
On the other hand..
Those who are rich... have already received their due.
Those who are well-fed... shall be hungry.
Those who laugh.. will mourn.
Jesus taught that we should:
love our enemies
do good to those who hurt us
say good things about those who say evil things about us
pray for those who mistreat us
Give... to the one who takes from you and to the one who can't pay you back.
It's easy to treat people well when they treat you well.
It's easy to love those who love you.
It's easy to do good to those who do good to you.
It's easy to lend to those who will repay you.
"But, love your enemies, and do good, and lend expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men." ( Verse 35)
He calls us to an uncommon life.. as some author wrote ( can't remember who)... To be like Him. To be like the Father in heaven. Thankful that He gives us His Spirit so that we can walk in His ways.
Heavenly Father , thank You for loving us when we were yet sinners. For continuing to love us when we fall so far short of Your perfect will for us. Have Your way in us today and help us to do what the word says.. to build our lives on the firm foundation of Truth. We are poor.. but rich in Christ. Thank You..
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Luke 5 Jesus travels about Judea, teaching and healing. As He walks among the multitudes, who press in on Him, He reaches out to individuals. This chapter records some of those interactions.
Verses 1-11 describe the calling of Peter, Andrew, John, and James. Jesus sees the 2 boats and the men washing their nets after a night of working without success. Jesus climbs onto Simon's boat and teaches the crowd from there. When He is finished he instructs Simon to go out and let down the nets once again. When he obeys, the nets are filled to overflowing! This was a life-changing experience for those 4 men. They recognized the power and authority of Jesus Christ and received faith in that recognition. They followed Him then, leaving behind everything else, for the rest of their lives.
Verses12-14 Jesus meets a man with leprosy, who falls on his face and makes a statement of faith, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Jesus was willing and healed the man immediately.
Verses 15-26 Here Jesus is teaching; and in the audience there are some Pharisees and scribes. Some men bring their friend to Jesus to be healed of paralysis. The place is so crowded that they can't get in the door, so they go through the roof. Jesus calls this "faith". He disturbs the religious leaders by forgiving the man's sins. Then He proves His authority by healing the man, who gets up and walks.
Verses 27-32 Jesus sees Levi ( Matthew), a tax-collector, and calls him to follow Him. Levi leaves everything and becomes a disciple of Jesus. His first action is to host a reception, inviting other tax-gatherers to meet Jesus too. This disturbs the Pharisees again. Jesus clarifies His purpose for them,
"I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Faith is given to individuals freely when they repent, acknowledging that they are sinners.. not those who think they are "righteous" and have no desire to repent of anything.
Verses 33-39 Jesus answers a question about fasting. His disciples are not fasting because He is with them. He is like a bridegroom and they are His attendants. It is not time to fast. It is a time to rejoice. But, a time is coming for fasting, when He is taken away.
Then Jesus tells them a parable - No one tears a new garment to fix an old garment. Also, no one puts new wine into an old used wineskin.
Jesus is not trying to take a place in the reign and authority of the Pharisees and scribes. He is doing something brand new and completely different than what they have been doing. They are trying to make Him fit into their mold, into their system of religion... but it cannot work. For Jesus is totally different and unique....
His authority includes nature and mankind.
His will is to help those in hopeless situations - physically and spiritually.
His relationships include those outside the clique of the religiously accepted.
His work will not conform to the old ways and traditions of men.
This is Who we put our faith in - Jesus Christ the Lord. He has all authority in heaven and earth.
He is willing and able to help us when we come to Him in prayer.
He loves us, individually, personally, even when we aren't part of the in crowd.
He will do a new work in our lives if we let Him.
E.M. Bounds writes this about faith, " It is the initial quality in the heart of any man who essays to talk to the unseen. He must, out of sheer helplessness, stretch forth hands of faith. He must believe, where he cannot prove...... Faith does the impossible because it brings God to undertake for us, and nothing is impossible with God.... Prayer projects faith on God, and God on the world. Only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God."
Father in heaven, we come to You in faith, in prayer, asking for healing of our bodies and souls. We need You and have no other help. Our help comes from the Lord of Heaven and Earth . We ask for for Your perfect will to be accomplished in each of our lives, so that You will receive glory and honor and praises. Open our eyes to see Jesus more and more clearly, that our faith will grow and our prayers will move Your mighty Hand of power and glory in our world today. We need You so much.
We ask this in His Name, Amen
Verses 1-11 describe the calling of Peter, Andrew, John, and James. Jesus sees the 2 boats and the men washing their nets after a night of working without success. Jesus climbs onto Simon's boat and teaches the crowd from there. When He is finished he instructs Simon to go out and let down the nets once again. When he obeys, the nets are filled to overflowing! This was a life-changing experience for those 4 men. They recognized the power and authority of Jesus Christ and received faith in that recognition. They followed Him then, leaving behind everything else, for the rest of their lives.
Verses12-14 Jesus meets a man with leprosy, who falls on his face and makes a statement of faith, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Jesus was willing and healed the man immediately.
Verses 15-26 Here Jesus is teaching; and in the audience there are some Pharisees and scribes. Some men bring their friend to Jesus to be healed of paralysis. The place is so crowded that they can't get in the door, so they go through the roof. Jesus calls this "faith". He disturbs the religious leaders by forgiving the man's sins. Then He proves His authority by healing the man, who gets up and walks.
Verses 27-32 Jesus sees Levi ( Matthew), a tax-collector, and calls him to follow Him. Levi leaves everything and becomes a disciple of Jesus. His first action is to host a reception, inviting other tax-gatherers to meet Jesus too. This disturbs the Pharisees again. Jesus clarifies His purpose for them,
"I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Faith is given to individuals freely when they repent, acknowledging that they are sinners.. not those who think they are "righteous" and have no desire to repent of anything.
Verses 33-39 Jesus answers a question about fasting. His disciples are not fasting because He is with them. He is like a bridegroom and they are His attendants. It is not time to fast. It is a time to rejoice. But, a time is coming for fasting, when He is taken away.
Then Jesus tells them a parable - No one tears a new garment to fix an old garment. Also, no one puts new wine into an old used wineskin.
Jesus is not trying to take a place in the reign and authority of the Pharisees and scribes. He is doing something brand new and completely different than what they have been doing. They are trying to make Him fit into their mold, into their system of religion... but it cannot work. For Jesus is totally different and unique....
His authority includes nature and mankind.
His will is to help those in hopeless situations - physically and spiritually.
His relationships include those outside the clique of the religiously accepted.
His work will not conform to the old ways and traditions of men.
This is Who we put our faith in - Jesus Christ the Lord. He has all authority in heaven and earth.
He is willing and able to help us when we come to Him in prayer.
He loves us, individually, personally, even when we aren't part of the in crowd.
He will do a new work in our lives if we let Him.
E.M. Bounds writes this about faith, " It is the initial quality in the heart of any man who essays to talk to the unseen. He must, out of sheer helplessness, stretch forth hands of faith. He must believe, where he cannot prove...... Faith does the impossible because it brings God to undertake for us, and nothing is impossible with God.... Prayer projects faith on God, and God on the world. Only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God."
Father in heaven, we come to You in faith, in prayer, asking for healing of our bodies and souls. We need You and have no other help. Our help comes from the Lord of Heaven and Earth . We ask for for Your perfect will to be accomplished in each of our lives, so that You will receive glory and honor and praises. Open our eyes to see Jesus more and more clearly, that our faith will grow and our prayers will move Your mighty Hand of power and glory in our world today. We need You so much.
We ask this in His Name, Amen
Monday, October 6, 2014
Luke 4: 14 - 44
Jesus was "full of the Holy Spirit" as He returned from the Jordan.
He was "led about by the Spirit" into the wilderness.
And He "returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit".
Jesus begins teaching in synagogues and is well accepted and praised as He goes. Then He returns to Nazareth where He grew up. He went into the synagogue and "stood up to read".
The scroll containing the book of Isaiah was handed to Jesus to read. He turned to the section that we label chapter 61 and read about the coming of the Redeemer. Starting in Isaiah 60 and through chapter 62 the Lord revealed His future plan for Israel. A new and glorified Zion, the City of God.
Jesus explains to the people of Nazareth that this promised Redeemer had now come.
At first the people are happy and receptive of Jesus, but then they start questioning His family background. They seemed to have wanted more proof, perhaps miracles, since Jesus says,
" ... Whatever we heard was done in Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well." Mark tells us that Jesus didn't do many miracles in Nazareth due to their "unbelief". Luke tells us here that they got so upset with Him that they tried to kill Him by throwing Him off a cliff. However, He simply walked away and went to Capernaum, which became His home base from that point on.
In Capernaum the reception was much warmer and Jesus healed all that were brought to Him.
He rebuked evil spirits and freed many from that bondage also.
Jesus reveals His authority in His speaking and in His power over the unclean spirits.
With authority He spoke the message that the Kingdom of God, the new Zion, was coming. It was the favorable year of the Lord. The Redeemer was among them.
With authority He fulfilled the Words of Isaiah, releasing the captives, giving sight to the blind, and speaking the good news to those who were poor and downtrodden.
Jesus told His disciples right before He returned to Heaven, that all authority in heaven and earth was given to Him. Listen to these words from Daniel 7: 13-14 " I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed."
Both Paul and Peter write about the authority of Jesus, authority over the living and the dead, authority over all rule, all powers, all authorities and all dominions in every generation and in the age to come. He has been seated on the throne at the right hand of God the Father, and He has been given a Name that is above all names. This word "authority" is the greek word "exousia" and holds the sense of ability, privilege, capacity, competency, freedom, mastery.. power, strength and right.
This is Jesus, our Redeemer, our Friend, who is King of kings and Lord of lords. Everything He speaks is spoken with "exousia" and everything He does is done with this same authority. He is worthy of all our worship and praise. He has come to bring good news to us... that the Kingdom has come and we are welcomed into it - into Zion the City of God.
Abba, thank You for being gracious and merciful, for sending forth Your Son to redeem us from sin. Thank You for the Good News He came to proclaim among men. We rejoice in Your salvation through Christ the Lord. Lead us in Your ways we pray, amen.
Jesus was "full of the Holy Spirit" as He returned from the Jordan.
He was "led about by the Spirit" into the wilderness.
And He "returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit".
Jesus begins teaching in synagogues and is well accepted and praised as He goes. Then He returns to Nazareth where He grew up. He went into the synagogue and "stood up to read".
The scroll containing the book of Isaiah was handed to Jesus to read. He turned to the section that we label chapter 61 and read about the coming of the Redeemer. Starting in Isaiah 60 and through chapter 62 the Lord revealed His future plan for Israel. A new and glorified Zion, the City of God.
Jesus explains to the people of Nazareth that this promised Redeemer had now come.
At first the people are happy and receptive of Jesus, but then they start questioning His family background. They seemed to have wanted more proof, perhaps miracles, since Jesus says,
" ... Whatever we heard was done in Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well." Mark tells us that Jesus didn't do many miracles in Nazareth due to their "unbelief". Luke tells us here that they got so upset with Him that they tried to kill Him by throwing Him off a cliff. However, He simply walked away and went to Capernaum, which became His home base from that point on.
In Capernaum the reception was much warmer and Jesus healed all that were brought to Him.
He rebuked evil spirits and freed many from that bondage also.
Jesus reveals His authority in His speaking and in His power over the unclean spirits.
With authority He spoke the message that the Kingdom of God, the new Zion, was coming. It was the favorable year of the Lord. The Redeemer was among them.
With authority He fulfilled the Words of Isaiah, releasing the captives, giving sight to the blind, and speaking the good news to those who were poor and downtrodden.
Jesus told His disciples right before He returned to Heaven, that all authority in heaven and earth was given to Him. Listen to these words from Daniel 7: 13-14 " I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed."
Both Paul and Peter write about the authority of Jesus, authority over the living and the dead, authority over all rule, all powers, all authorities and all dominions in every generation and in the age to come. He has been seated on the throne at the right hand of God the Father, and He has been given a Name that is above all names. This word "authority" is the greek word "exousia" and holds the sense of ability, privilege, capacity, competency, freedom, mastery.. power, strength and right.
This is Jesus, our Redeemer, our Friend, who is King of kings and Lord of lords. Everything He speaks is spoken with "exousia" and everything He does is done with this same authority. He is worthy of all our worship and praise. He has come to bring good news to us... that the Kingdom has come and we are welcomed into it - into Zion the City of God.
Abba, thank You for being gracious and merciful, for sending forth Your Son to redeem us from sin. Thank You for the Good News He came to proclaim among men. We rejoice in Your salvation through Christ the Lord. Lead us in Your ways we pray, amen.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Luke 4:1-13 "And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led about by the Spirit in the wilderness... " As followers of Christ we are also commanded to be "filled with the Holy Spirit" ( Ephesians 5:18) To be continually filled and under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus went into the wilderness as He was led by the Spirit. He did not eat for 40 days. At the end of this time of fasting He was hungry. And this is when the devil shows up. We know that there are 3 specific temptations recorded here:
Make the stones into bread - feed yourself ....do your own will.
Worship the devil and receive the world. ...do the devil's will.
Throw yourself down and see if the angels will catch you like the word says... test the Father's will..
Jesus does not yield to these temptations but submits fully to the Father's will as found in the Word:
"Man shall not live on bread alone" - Jesus fully trusts His Father to provide for His needs. This quotation comes from Deuteronomy 8. Hear what the Word says in verses 2-3 " And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord."
There are too many parallels here to be a coincidence :
Israel was led in the wilderness - Jesus was led in the wilderness
Israel was hungry - Jesus was hungry
God allowed them to be humbled - Jesus humbled Himself
God provided manna for the Israelites. God sent His angels to provide food for Jesus. ( Matthew 4:11)
The second temptation has to do with the kingdoms of the world and satan's price for them - worship.
Jesus says, " It is written, You shall worship the Lord Your God and serve Him only." This is also from Deuteronomy. 6:13 " You shall fear only the Lord your God and you shall worship Him and swear by His name." And again in 10:20-21 " You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name. He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen."
Jesus, the Son of God, would never worship a corrupted creation of God... and neither should any man. Only the Lord our God is to be feared and worshiped and served.
In the third temptation, Satan tries to use the Word to test Jesus. But Jesus answers, " It is said, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." This is a quote from Deuteronomy 6:16 " You shall not put the Lord Your God to the test as you tested Him at Massah." What happened at Massah? This is where they came to a place with no water and the "quarreled with Moses". The Lord instructed Moses to strike the rock and water came out. They named the place Massah, which means quarrel. Exodus 17:7b says " .... because they tested the Lord, saying, 'Is the Lord among us,or not?"
When Israel failed to trust God for His provisions.. and they quarreled with His servant Moses, they were found guilty of testing God Himself. Jesus had absolute confidence in the provisions of His Father. He would never quarrel with or test God. Do we?
Satan could not shake Jesus' confidence in the Heavenly Father. He left Jesus in the wilderness ,
" until an opportune time."
Satan's tactics have never changed.. from the time of Adam and Eve in the garden until now. He uses the same ploys.. trying to shake our confidence and trust in God's provisions, in His power, and in His place as the only true and holy God. Our world, especially our society it seems, has this weird, distorted view of Satan. There is a revolting and horrid fascination with the occult, with death, with horror, and with evil. It seems that everything at this time of the year is a competition to see who can have the scariest haunted house. Instead of the old-fashioned jack o'lanterns and scarecrows.. we now see gravestones and zombies! Why?
Satan's tactics still involve trying to take our eyes off the Truth!
He is a defeated enemy of God.
His time is coming to an end.
He hates mankind.
He wants us to be wrapped up and warped by morbid imaginations.
Jesus shows us the Truth about satan.
The Word of God defeats him.
The Truth dominates him.
When we know the Lord our God, worshipping Him alone, believing His Word, we have nothing to fear!
James says it this way, " Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (4:7)
Heavenly Father, You alone are God and we give You all our worship! We praise You and seek to draw near to You. Draw near to us. Fill us with Your Spirit continually. Give us clean hands and pure hearts. Transform us by renewing our minds with Your Holy Word that we might discern Your will.. that which is good, acceptable and perfect. We put on the belt of Truth.. Thank you for providing everything we need. Loving Father, we run into Your arms and give ourselves to You fully.
Amen!
Jesus went into the wilderness as He was led by the Spirit. He did not eat for 40 days. At the end of this time of fasting He was hungry. And this is when the devil shows up. We know that there are 3 specific temptations recorded here:
Make the stones into bread - feed yourself ....do your own will.
Worship the devil and receive the world. ...do the devil's will.
Throw yourself down and see if the angels will catch you like the word says... test the Father's will..
Jesus does not yield to these temptations but submits fully to the Father's will as found in the Word:
"Man shall not live on bread alone" - Jesus fully trusts His Father to provide for His needs. This quotation comes from Deuteronomy 8. Hear what the Word says in verses 2-3 " And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord."
There are too many parallels here to be a coincidence :
Israel was led in the wilderness - Jesus was led in the wilderness
Israel was hungry - Jesus was hungry
God allowed them to be humbled - Jesus humbled Himself
God provided manna for the Israelites. God sent His angels to provide food for Jesus. ( Matthew 4:11)
The second temptation has to do with the kingdoms of the world and satan's price for them - worship.
Jesus says, " It is written, You shall worship the Lord Your God and serve Him only." This is also from Deuteronomy. 6:13 " You shall fear only the Lord your God and you shall worship Him and swear by His name." And again in 10:20-21 " You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name. He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen."
Jesus, the Son of God, would never worship a corrupted creation of God... and neither should any man. Only the Lord our God is to be feared and worshiped and served.
In the third temptation, Satan tries to use the Word to test Jesus. But Jesus answers, " It is said, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." This is a quote from Deuteronomy 6:16 " You shall not put the Lord Your God to the test as you tested Him at Massah." What happened at Massah? This is where they came to a place with no water and the "quarreled with Moses". The Lord instructed Moses to strike the rock and water came out. They named the place Massah, which means quarrel. Exodus 17:7b says " .... because they tested the Lord, saying, 'Is the Lord among us,or not?"
When Israel failed to trust God for His provisions.. and they quarreled with His servant Moses, they were found guilty of testing God Himself. Jesus had absolute confidence in the provisions of His Father. He would never quarrel with or test God. Do we?
Satan could not shake Jesus' confidence in the Heavenly Father. He left Jesus in the wilderness ,
" until an opportune time."
Satan's tactics have never changed.. from the time of Adam and Eve in the garden until now. He uses the same ploys.. trying to shake our confidence and trust in God's provisions, in His power, and in His place as the only true and holy God. Our world, especially our society it seems, has this weird, distorted view of Satan. There is a revolting and horrid fascination with the occult, with death, with horror, and with evil. It seems that everything at this time of the year is a competition to see who can have the scariest haunted house. Instead of the old-fashioned jack o'lanterns and scarecrows.. we now see gravestones and zombies! Why?
Satan's tactics still involve trying to take our eyes off the Truth!
He is a defeated enemy of God.
His time is coming to an end.
He hates mankind.
He wants us to be wrapped up and warped by morbid imaginations.
Jesus shows us the Truth about satan.
The Word of God defeats him.
The Truth dominates him.
When we know the Lord our God, worshipping Him alone, believing His Word, we have nothing to fear!
James says it this way, " Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (4:7)
Heavenly Father, You alone are God and we give You all our worship! We praise You and seek to draw near to You. Draw near to us. Fill us with Your Spirit continually. Give us clean hands and pure hearts. Transform us by renewing our minds with Your Holy Word that we might discern Your will.. that which is good, acceptable and perfect. We put on the belt of Truth.. Thank you for providing everything we need. Loving Father, we run into Your arms and give ourselves to You fully.
Amen!
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Luke 3 John the Baptist was called out of the wilderness where he was living, to preach the "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;"
He preached the coming of the Lord.
He preached the coming of judgement.. the wrath of God.
He preached that a life of true repentance will be revealed by good fruit.
He preached that those who had bad fruit would be cut down and burned up.
Verse 10 - the multitude asked, "Then what shall we do?"
Verse 12 - the tax-gatherers asked, " Teacher, what shall we do?"
Verse 14 - the soldiers asked, " And what about us, what shall we do?"
John's answers reveal his deep understanding of the Truth:
Verse 11 - he tells them to love their neighbors - sharing with those in need.
Verse 13 - he tells them to be honest and just - taking no more than they should.
Verse 14 - he tells them to be kind and content and peaceful.
And to Herod, who had taken his brother's wife, John spoke up about purity and morality. ( verse 19)
The good fruit of a life lived in right relationship with the Coming King will be evident in all circumstances. We all need to ask the question that John's audience asked, " What shall we do?"
In light of the Truth given to us through the Word spoken through John and then later by Jesus, we know it begins with a heart of repentance. A laying down of our lives and taking up the cross and following Jesus.. in loving others, in giving, in honesty and kindness, in being content with what we have and in being thankful to the One Who has saved us.
Father, overwhelm us.. baptize us by Your Spirit, in Jesus Christ the Eternal and Beloved Son, that we might walk as He walked and do the things that we should do... We pray in His Name, Amen
He preached the coming of the Lord.
He preached the coming of judgement.. the wrath of God.
He preached that a life of true repentance will be revealed by good fruit.
He preached that those who had bad fruit would be cut down and burned up.
Verse 10 - the multitude asked, "Then what shall we do?"
Verse 12 - the tax-gatherers asked, " Teacher, what shall we do?"
Verse 14 - the soldiers asked, " And what about us, what shall we do?"
John's answers reveal his deep understanding of the Truth:
Verse 11 - he tells them to love their neighbors - sharing with those in need.
Verse 13 - he tells them to be honest and just - taking no more than they should.
Verse 14 - he tells them to be kind and content and peaceful.
And to Herod, who had taken his brother's wife, John spoke up about purity and morality. ( verse 19)
The good fruit of a life lived in right relationship with the Coming King will be evident in all circumstances. We all need to ask the question that John's audience asked, " What shall we do?"
In light of the Truth given to us through the Word spoken through John and then later by Jesus, we know it begins with a heart of repentance. A laying down of our lives and taking up the cross and following Jesus.. in loving others, in giving, in honesty and kindness, in being content with what we have and in being thankful to the One Who has saved us.
Father, overwhelm us.. baptize us by Your Spirit, in Jesus Christ the Eternal and Beloved Son, that we might walk as He walked and do the things that we should do... We pray in His Name, Amen
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Luke 2 records the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem because of a Roman decree. But, we know it was God's plan for Jesus to be born in this city. There is so much that we can say about this passage. Something that stands out to me today, as I read through this is the testimonies that Luke includes in his writing:
Verses 9-14 The angels were the first to proclaim the Truth about Jesus.
They proclaimed that this is "good news of a great joy".
That "there has been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord."
That the sign would be the baby wrapped in cloths and laying a manger.
That this baby was from God and He would bring peace on earth to those with whom He is pleased.
Verses 15-20 The shepherds were the next witnesses of the Truth.
They acted on the words from the angels, acknowledging God's revelation.
They found the baby just as they had been told.
They told everything that the angels had told them.
They praised and glorified God.
Mary and Joseph followed the Law, having Jesus circumcised and presenting Him to the Lord as required. They offered the required sacrifices. ( Verses 21-24)
Verses 25-35 Simeon is a witness for the Truth about Jesus.
Simeon was a man who lived for the Lord. He was anointed by the Holy Spirit.
He was called righteous and devout.
He was looking for the Messiah.
He knew God in such an intimate way that he was told that he would not die until he saw the Messiah.
Simeon recognized Jesus immediately ( by the Holy Spirit) and makes these proclamations:
He has seen the Lord's salvation, who God had "prepared in the presence of all peoples.
Jesus is " A light of revelation to the Gentiles"
He is the glory of Israel.
He is "appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel."
He would be opposed.
A sword would pierce Mary's heart.
God would use this to reveal the "thoughts from many hearts".
Verses 36-39 Anna was also at the temple that day. She was an 84 year old, devout, woman who had been widowed for many years. She also recognized Who Jesus was immediately.
She gave thanks to God.
She told everyone who "were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem" about Jesus.
Luke skips over the first 12 years of Jesus' life and tells of Jesus and his family traveling to Jerusalem for Passover. The family leaves to head home and has to return to find Jesus. They find Him in the temple listening and asking questions of the teachers there. Once again there is a testimony given.
"And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers." ( verse 47).
Verses 40 and 52 tell us that Jesus grew physically - becoming strong and increasing in stature; spiritually - increased in wisdom and grace and favor with God; and relationally - gaining favor with men.
There are lessons here for us - how to be a witness for Jesus:
Be joyful - there is great joy in the good news that a Savior has come Who brings peace.
Share what you know - listen to the Word, act on the Word, and share was you have heard.
Be Spirit filled and led - live for the Lord, fully devoted to Him, look for His coming, know Him so well that you are ready when He comes.
Be faithful in service and thankful in all that God has done.
Treasure the truths about Jesus in your heart. Ponder them often. Rejoice in this great salvation, giving thanks and praise to our heavenly Father.
Father in heaven, this is Your beloved Son that we read about here. This old, old story is the one we love so much! May we hear it again with open hearts and with new understanding. May we increase in wisdom and grace as we ponder these truths in our hearts. May we rejoice with the angels and the shepherds, with Simeon and Anna, at Thy salvation that has come in Jesus Christ our Lord. We give You thanks for allowing us to see the Light of revelation to the Gentiles. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit that we might also proclaim the good news of Jesus to those around us. May we not stop talking about the redemption provided through Jesus Christ. Many need to hear this old old story over again. Fill our mouths with these wonderful words of life. In His Name we pray, Amen.
Verses 9-14 The angels were the first to proclaim the Truth about Jesus.
They proclaimed that this is "good news of a great joy".
That "there has been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord."
That the sign would be the baby wrapped in cloths and laying a manger.
That this baby was from God and He would bring peace on earth to those with whom He is pleased.
Verses 15-20 The shepherds were the next witnesses of the Truth.
They acted on the words from the angels, acknowledging God's revelation.
They found the baby just as they had been told.
They told everything that the angels had told them.
They praised and glorified God.
Mary and Joseph followed the Law, having Jesus circumcised and presenting Him to the Lord as required. They offered the required sacrifices. ( Verses 21-24)
Verses 25-35 Simeon is a witness for the Truth about Jesus.
Simeon was a man who lived for the Lord. He was anointed by the Holy Spirit.
He was called righteous and devout.
He was looking for the Messiah.
He knew God in such an intimate way that he was told that he would not die until he saw the Messiah.
Simeon recognized Jesus immediately ( by the Holy Spirit) and makes these proclamations:
He has seen the Lord's salvation, who God had "prepared in the presence of all peoples.
Jesus is " A light of revelation to the Gentiles"
He is the glory of Israel.
He is "appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel."
He would be opposed.
A sword would pierce Mary's heart.
God would use this to reveal the "thoughts from many hearts".
Verses 36-39 Anna was also at the temple that day. She was an 84 year old, devout, woman who had been widowed for many years. She also recognized Who Jesus was immediately.
She gave thanks to God.
She told everyone who "were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem" about Jesus.
Luke skips over the first 12 years of Jesus' life and tells of Jesus and his family traveling to Jerusalem for Passover. The family leaves to head home and has to return to find Jesus. They find Him in the temple listening and asking questions of the teachers there. Once again there is a testimony given.
"And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers." ( verse 47).
Verses 40 and 52 tell us that Jesus grew physically - becoming strong and increasing in stature; spiritually - increased in wisdom and grace and favor with God; and relationally - gaining favor with men.
There are lessons here for us - how to be a witness for Jesus:
Be joyful - there is great joy in the good news that a Savior has come Who brings peace.
Share what you know - listen to the Word, act on the Word, and share was you have heard.
Be Spirit filled and led - live for the Lord, fully devoted to Him, look for His coming, know Him so well that you are ready when He comes.
Be faithful in service and thankful in all that God has done.
Treasure the truths about Jesus in your heart. Ponder them often. Rejoice in this great salvation, giving thanks and praise to our heavenly Father.
Father in heaven, this is Your beloved Son that we read about here. This old, old story is the one we love so much! May we hear it again with open hearts and with new understanding. May we increase in wisdom and grace as we ponder these truths in our hearts. May we rejoice with the angels and the shepherds, with Simeon and Anna, at Thy salvation that has come in Jesus Christ our Lord. We give You thanks for allowing us to see the Light of revelation to the Gentiles. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit that we might also proclaim the good news of Jesus to those around us. May we not stop talking about the redemption provided through Jesus Christ. Many need to hear this old old story over again. Fill our mouths with these wonderful words of life. In His Name we pray, Amen.
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