Jeremiah 6  The Lord has tested Judah.  He has given them many warnings and opportunities to return to Him, to repent and be forgiven.  But, they have closed their ears to His word.  They have all refused to listen.  "For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain, and from the prophet, even to the priest everyone deals falsely." 


The enemy is coming upon her, " The comely and dainty one, the daughter of Zion, I will cut off." 
War is coming and God will not stop it. The full punishment for their sins of rebellion and injustice, idolatry and wickedness.. total disaster is on its way "Because they have not listened to My words, and as for My law, they have rejected it also." 

Because they rejected the Lord their God, they were rejected also.  The enemy from the north, Babylon, would not only take many captive, they would tear down the walls and the temple.  Jerusalem would lay in ruins for 70 years.

Our God is unchanging.  He tests every nation and every one of us to see if we will hear His voice, if we will turn to Him.  His desire is to see us heed His voice, repent, and live.  But, if we do not take heed... as Jesus said, " He who has ears to hear, let him hear."  and " Therefore take care how you listen;" we too will be rejected.

 Jesus gives us another warning also:

"For what is a man profited, if he gains the whole world,

and loses or forfeits himself?

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, 

of him will the Son of Man be ashamed

when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father

and of the holy angels." 

Luke 9:25-26

Judah forfeited herself because of greed and sensuality.  America is following her example. 

O Father, forgive us and turn our hearts back to Yourself!  Help us to have ears to hear and to really listen to Your Word.  There is no profit in living for the things of this world.  We must have Jesus, our Lord and Savior.  He is our King by Your command and we bow before Him. Thank You for providing a choice.. the revelation given to us by the Son of Man.. the Gospel of Truth. May many more hear the Word and receive the Truth today.. here and in the nations around the world.  All glory to You and to the Lamb, in Who's Name we pray. Amen. 

Jeremiah 5   The Lord makes an offer, " If you can find a man, if there is one who does justice, who seeks truth, the I will pardon her."

But, there are none to be found.  Jeremiah searches through streets of Jerusalem and finds many who will say "As the Lord lives,".. but they are swearing falsely.  They are using the Lord's name in vain. There is no truth in them. They have hard hearts and "faces harder than rock".  They refuse to repent.

Then Jeremiah goes to the "great". Those who "know the way of the Lord".  The leaders, the priests, or the prophets... "But they too, with one accord, have broken the yoke and burst the bonds." 
Sin has completely consumed the land.  They are rebellious.  They have forsaken the Lord their God.
Idolatry.
Adultery.
Deceit.
Oppression.
"They are fat, they are sleek, they also excel in deeds of wickedness." 
( Sounds familiar doesn't it).

The people of God have no knowledge of Him.
They don't fear Him. They don't listen to Him.
They don't believe He will punish them for their sins.
They lie about Him.
And,  they refuse to heed the warnings that He has given them.

"Shall I not punish these people? declares the Lord, on a nation such as this shall I not avenge Myself?" ( v29)

There is a question that ends this chapter that should ring in the ears of our nation too.. "But what will you do at the end of it?" Because judgement did come. And they were swept away into exile.

Our nation began with godly men and godly principles.
But now, the majority of people have no knowledge of Him.
There is no fear of God.  No belief that He will one day punish sin.
The man on the street and the rich and powerful have all gone their own way... rebelling against God's authority.. refusing to repent, lying about Him or completely ignoring Him. They refuse to even believe that He exists.

The truth is needed once again. The truth that we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Paul's letter to the Romans makes this clear:
"There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God."
Therefore, " because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds. "
Judah couldn't believe that God would bring destruction to Jerusalem or that He would punish His people for their sinfulness.  But, He did.
We may not think that God will bring judgement upon America, but He will.  He has said it and He will do it.
We may not think that God will judge our sins.. but He will.  Paul writes, " Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" 

 If we continually refuse to turn back to Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies.. then we deserve the judgement that comes. We do not know the day or hour when we will be called to give and account to the Lord our God.  We must live in utter humility, submission, and dependance upon Him.

O, how thankful we are that despite our failures and weaknesses, we have a Savior Who paid our debt, Who covers us with His shadow, and Who lives in us so that we can walk in Truth.. so that we can Know Him, and so that we can be ready for that day when we meet Him face to face. Praise to Jesus Christ our Advocate and to the Father who accepts us because of Him.

Father in Heaven,  holy, holy, holy.. the Lord God Almighty, who was and is, and is to come. May our hearts seek Your will.  May You rule and reign over us completely.  May Your righteousness be our breastplate, Your truth our belt, Your salvation our helmet, Your peace our shoes.  May faith be our shield and the Spirit and the Word our sword.  May we stand in this day of evil.. steadfast in our Lord Jesus Christ.. and deeper in love with You.
Amen.

Jeremiah 3-4  This message brought Jeremiah to tears. " My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart!" ( 4:19)    It is the message of God's own anguish at the rebellion and treachery of His people.

Israel had been faithless.
She turned away from her Lord.
She had turned to every idol.
She had been given a "writ of divorce" and sent away.

But, Judah did not learn from her sister's failures or judgement.
Instead, she became worse.. she is accused of treachery. A betrayal, a treasonous, covert and deceitful rejection of the Lord.

The Lord says that Judah is like an adulterous woman who sneaks out to see her many lovers, but then comes back home to her husband, and is not even ashamed at her actions.
He says that Judah still calls Him, "My Father" and wonders why He is angry or indignant with her as she goes after every idol.. every tree and stone image she can find!

Judah's treachery makes Israel look "more righteous". 
The Lord would even bring Israel back home if they would, "Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the Lord your God and have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree and you have not obeyed the My voice." 

The Lord wanted His people to return.. and one day they will fulfill all that is written here:
Jerusalem will be called "The Throne of the Lord". 
"...All the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the Lord;" 

God offers to Israel and to all of us what we can never have on  our own -
a "beautiful inheritance. " v19
healing of our faithlessness v22
" truth... justice and righteousness, " 4:2
blessing and glory in Him.

But we must do as He asks:

We must put away our "detested things" from His presence.  There must be NO things that come before Him and we cannot waver in our complete commitment and devotion to Him!

We must be willing to "circumcise" ourselves to the Lord,  and "remove the foreskins of your heart".
This entails a total exposure of our hearts to Him.. allowing Him to cut away and destroy everything that keeps us from being His completely. (v3)
We must "wash [our] heart form evil.. that [we] may be saved." (v14)

Our Lord, the One and only God, the self-existent One who is the Creator and King of all the universe calls each of us to "come".  To come in repentance, in humility, in submission, and in brokenness before Him.. so that we can live.  The gift of abundant life filled with love and joy, peace and grace.. is well worth everything we think we have.. which in reality is only rubbish.  But, like Judah so many of us are  "... foolish.  They know me not; they are stupid children, and they have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, but to do good they do not know. " 

Pretty accurate description of our world today, I am sad to say.
Jeremiah goes on in chapter 4 to describe the fate of Judah.. and perhaps of the earth itself;
it becomes formless and empty v23
there is no light from the heavens v23
the mountains quake v24
no men are left v25
the birds of the heavens flee v25
the once fruitful land is a desert v26
the cities are destroyed v26
"The whole land shall be a desolation," says the Lord.

BUT,  there is hope,  " Yet I will not execute a complete destruction. " 

Like Israel and Judah, judgement will come to every nation and to every individual.  Judgement for rebellion and treachery.  Judgement for faithlessness and for deception.  Judah tried to cover up her idolatry and proclaim her faith in God.. but that does not work.  Our God is a jealous God and He will not accept a divided heart. If we do not worship and serve Him and only Him, we will find ourselves devastated like Judah.  Are we "stupid children" without understanding ? Do we really Know Him?
If we think that we can live any way we want to.. we are foolish.

If we belong to the Lord, and are indeed saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, then we need to fully live for Him and in fellowship with Him. We must confess our sins and open our hearts to Him.  We must wash our hearts from evil and put away anything that comes between us and our Lord. 

Father in heaven, hallowed is Your Name.  Your kingdom come!  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  We want to live in complete dependance and submission to You, our God.  Father, forgive us our trespasses and deliver us from all evil.  Circumcise our hearts and renew our minds.  We offer our bodies... our entire beings into Your service. Thank You for being gracious and merciful.  Thank You that you are not angry with us forever, but that You keep offering us forgiveness and salvation, truth, justice and righteousness.. when we turn to You.  Bring our wayward loved ones back to You we pray, in Jesus' mighty Name. Amen.

Jeremiah 2:20-37  The Lord, the God of hosts, is pronouncing judgement on Judah. They have forsaken Him, the One who:
Freed them from slavery in Egypt
Planted them as a choice vine in Canaan
Treated them as one would a son or as a bride.
And calls them "My people". 

They have forsaken Him, lost the dread of Him, turned themselves from Him, turned their back to Him, and forgotten Him.  ( v19,21, 27, and 32)

Instead, they have:
acted as a harlot with idols
become  "degenerate shoots of a foreign vine"- a weed, kudzu !
become "stained with iniquity"
gone after the Baals
"loved strangers"
looked to a tree or a stone as their gods, as their father or mother.
contended with Him
Refused His discipline
killed the innocent
denied their sinfulness

The result will be "shame" when they are marched out of the land with their hands on their heads. (v37)

The Lord compares Judah's idolatry to a wife who has committed adultery.  They have polluted His land. They are harlots. Brazen and full of evil.

What must the Lord think of our land?  We may not have idols of wood or stone like Judah did, but nonetheless  there is a spirit of idolatry in the USA.
There is a stain of iniquity, the killing of innocent babies.
There is a worship of other "gods" - entertainment , media or sports - where it becomes more important to do anything else before going to church or spending time in God's word. Where thousands of dollars go into nothing and people are dying of starvation and abuse next door.

Jesus said it clearly. "But seek  first the His Kingdom and His righteousness.."   Honor His Name.  Indeed, He calls us to lay down our lives and take up the cross and follow Him.  That is the only way to find Life. The only way to restore the relationship with the One who is our Father, our Creator, and our King.  It begins every day as we choose to put Him first.  He is the most important Person in our lives.  And the beautiful thing is.. when we learn to do that.. He makes all things beautiful and flourishing, and alive! And that includes those relationships that are most precious to us - our marriages, our families, and our friendships in Christ.

Father in Heaven,  we hallow Your Name.  You are worthy of all our praise and worship and we will give it to no other.  "My heart will sing, no other name, JESUS! JESUS!"  You are Savior, King, Shepherd, and Lord.  Your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven - completely, quickly, perfectly, and powerfully!  May Your Kingdom come and fill this land.  Thank You for daily bread, for forgiveness of sins, and for Your Spirit to guide us in ways of righteousness and grace. Be glorified in our lives and help us to make every decision... every decision, every day, that will honor You.  In the Name of our Heavenly Mediator, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Jeremiah 2: 1-19  The word of the Lord given to Jeremiah to proclaim begins with a reminder of what Israel once had - a covenant with the One True God, in love and devotion, in faithfulness and holiness.  He was their provider and guide.  He was their shield and their shelter. There was no reason for the rebellion that came after.. " What injustice did your fathers find in Me... ?"  Why?

Why did they go far from Him?
Why did they choose emptiness and become empty?
Why did they not seek Him?
Why did they not remember Who had brought them out of Egypt?
Why did they forget Him, Who brought them into a fruitful land?
Why did they defile the land and make His dwelling place and "abomination"?

Why did the priests fail to seek Him and know Him?
Why did the rulers fail to obey His Law?
Why did the prophets betray Him by serving Baal and choosing "things that did not profit"?

Why did the nations of Israel and Judah exchange the glory of their One true God for idols?
"For that which does not profit." 

"They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water."

v14 "Is Israel a slave? Or is he a home born servant?"  The answer to this is "No".  Israel was not forced to serve other gods.  They willingly turned from the One True God and brought upon themselves their own destruction. " Have you not done this to yourself, by forsaking the Lord your God, when He led you in the way?"

The sins of Judah are not unique to them.  The same questions that God asked them then, He asks us now.
Why do we seek the things that do not profit? Those things that are vain and empty and hold no value?

Paul wrote in Romans1:21 "For even though they knew God they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened." 
Why do men continue to choose lies over the Truth?
Why do we fail to "see fit to acknowledge God any longer"?

"Be appalled, O heavens, at this, and shudder, be very desolate, declares the Lord." 

We have no one to blame. We all have a choice- To turn to that which is empty and vain and futile... or to the Lord, "the God of heaven above and the earth below.. and there is no other."
And we must make that choice every day!

Our world is obsessed with the futile and empty things..
The politicians are obsessed with their power and positions.
The newsmen are obsessed with their own opinions and viewpoints.
The entertainers are obsessed with their selves.
The athletes are obsessed with winning and boasting and money.
Many of our countrymen are willing to spend thousands of dollars and thousands of hours on things that are "cisterns that hold no water".  Sports, movies, tv, video games,  drinking, drugs.... emptiness that makes them empty. Vanity.  Futility.

Father in Heaven, "Where are You Lord?"  What the priests failed to ask, we humbly cry out... we do not want to live futile and empty lives running after the things that will perish or the things that will separate us from You.  We come to You, the "fountain of living water", and drink deeply !  We acknowledge You in all our ways and lean on Your understanding, not on our own.  We honor You as the One and Only True God. We choose You, Your Life, Your Way, and Your Truth.. Jesus Christ our Lord.  We give You glory and praise, with thanksgiving. Amen.

Jeremiah 1  Jeremiah is from a family of priests that live outside of Jerusalem . He is called to be a prophet while he is still a young man.  His encounter with God is powerful and unique.  God says:

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you."  God "knew" him... saw him, acknowledged him, recognized him, observed him, considered him.... before he had been conceived by his parents, before he had a body, before his heart began beating, before he took his first breath.

"And before you were born I consecrated you."  God "consecrated " Jeremiah.  He dedicated him, separated him, prepared him, purified him.. kept him holy.

" I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."  Not to Israel only, but to the gentiles.. to the world, Jeremiah would speak the Word of God.

The Lord promises Jeremiah that He will:

Send him.. and he will go. v7
Command him.. and he will speak. v7
Deliver him. v8
Make him a like a "fortified city... a pillar of iron.. and walls of bronze." v18
"And they will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you." v19

The Lord puts His words directly into Jeremiah's mouth. v9  And then appoints him "over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."   Jeremiah  was given a task that was beyond his ability to perform.  It is a ministry of warning and judgement.. sorrow- filled and tragic.  He began his ministry in the days of Josiah, a king who did right in the eyes of the Lord.. but after Josiah came only those who did evil.. and Jeremiah was still there when Judah is taken into exile.

The Lord prepares Jeremiah for what is coming - " And I will pronounce My judgements on them concerning all their wickedness, whereby they have forsaken Me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands."   But, " don't be dismayed before them, lest I dismay you before them, " the Lord warns Jeremiah.

Jeremiah is a remarkable man... called as a boy and given a task that had to be so heart-breaking, that only with the Hand of God on him.. could even begin to obey it.  The Lord speaks to Jeremiah twice more in this chapter.  Both times He begins with a question, " What do you see Jeremiah?"
This is a way that is used again during the years of Jeremiah's ministry.  The Lord opens Jeremiah's eyes, taking his physical sight and revealing spiritual truths. 
Jeremiah sees an almond branch.  The Lord tells him that he has "seen well"  and then reveals that He is "watching over [His] word to perform it." 
Jeremiah sees a boiling pot, facing the north.  The Lord reveals that evil is coming from the north against Jerusalem to bring judgement.

So, what do we hear the Shepherd saying to us from this message to Jeremiah?
The same God who knew Jeremiah before his conception.. knows each of us too.
The same God who chose Jeremiah before his birth .. calls us too.
God, the Holy Spirit puts His words in our mouths.. we are promised. ( Luke 21:14-15)
God is with us and will deliver us also.

May we be faithful to speak all that the Lord commands and to go everywhere the Lord sends us.

Father in heaven,  Holy and exalted God, You have made us, knit us together in our mother's wombs. You call us to Yourself and give us a ministry of telling others the good news of Jesus Christ.  Open our eyes to see the spiritual realities before us.. to keep our eyes on You.. on the unseen reality of Your Kingdom.  It is so easy to be living in this temporary and carnal world without acknowledging that what is really True is what we need to live for .. Your Kingdom come and Your will be done, we pray in the mighty name of Jesus, our King and Great High Priest. Amen.

Luke 23-24  Chapter 23 tells of the trials before Pilate and then Herod.  Over and over Pilate declares that Jesus is not guilty, but the voices of the chief priests, rulers, and the people  " began to prevail".. and Pilate finally granted them their demand.  Jesus was delivered "to their will".  He was crucified and buried.  Luke writes this, " and all the multitude who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts."  

I find that I cannot read of the death and burial of my Lord without going on to the 3rd day.. His resurrection!  It is important to know that Jesus died on the cross.. that His blood was spilled and His body broken...as Isaiah wrote,  that " ..... He Himself bore the sin of many..." But, how glorious is the truth that He rose on the third day, just as He said!  He is alive and is at the right hand of the Father even now, interceding for us!

Luke abbreviates the account of what happens on that glorious day:
The women come and find the empty tomb and speak to the angels there.
Peter runs to the tomb and finds it empty.
Jesus walks with 2 men on the road to Emmaus.
Jesus appears in the upper room and speaks with His disciples.

Twice we are told Jesus explains "... the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures."  First to the two men in Emmaus and then to the disciples in the upper room.  ( v27, 44-45).  This time, they truly understand.

Clothed with "power from on high" they are declared to be His witnesses, ".. that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem." 

Father in Heaven, You are gracious and merciful, slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.  How thankful we are that Your plan to bring us to salvation through the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord, is to bring "all nations" to repentance and reconciliation with Yourself.  What good news!
We are amazed at the death of One so innocent on our behalf.  We are amazed at the resurrection and at the glorified body of Jesus Christ.  We are in awe of His ascension into Heaven... to sit at Your right Hand and to mediate for us.. who are born in sin and enemies until Your love reaches us and we turn to You confessing our sins and calling upon the Name of Jesus!  We are so thankful that He covers us.. He overshadows us and that His blood makes the payment for our sins.  Fill us, Lord, with power from on high.. that we will also be Your witnesses to the ends of the earth. Amen.

Luke 22: 24-71

The last few hours before the crucifixion of Jesus are recorded here.  Luke had started this account with a desire to put it all down in consecutive order, " having investigated everything carefully from the beginning", so that we might have "the exact truth about the things [we] have been taught".  

After their meal together and after Jesus told them that one of them would betray Him, the disciples again argued over which one of them was the greatest.  Perhaps Peter though that would be him.  Maybe that is why he had to go through the sifting by Satan.  Peter thought he could do it... prison or death did not seem too much for him at that moment.  But, Jesus knew he was not able and so He prayed for Peter.. not that he would not fail.. but that his faith would not fail.  It is that prayer that is answered!

Jesus said that the greatest would be the one who allowed himself to be the least. The leader would be the one willing to be a  servant.  Jesus Himself is the supreme example of greatness.   He came to serve. He came to die. He came to bring all the Word of God to fulfillment.  "And He was numbered with transgressors;"  This quote from Isaiah 53:12 is being completed.  What precious words:
 "

"But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, 

putting Him to grief;

If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,

He will see His offspring,

He will prolong His days,

and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.

As a result of the anguish of His soul,

He will see it and be satisfied;

By His knowledge the Righteous One, 

My Servant, will justify the many,

As He will bear their iniquities. 

Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,

And He will divide the booty with the strong;

Because He poured out Himself to death,

And was numbered with the transgressors;

Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,

and interceded for the transgressors."

Isaiah 53:10-12

Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives and prayed.  His disciples could not even keep awake. 

Judas came with the enemy to turn Him in.  Peter followed from a distance. 

Jesus is arrested and tried.  Peter denied he even knew Him. 

Jesus is beaten, mocked, and blasphemed... Peter runs away in sorrow and shame, weeping. 

Jesus is taken to the Council and plainly declares that He is indeed the Son of God. 

They reject Him completely. 

All this happens so that He could save us. 

I was given a book by Charles Spurgeon titled Till He Comes, a selection of sermons centered around the communion table.  In a sermon titled "Under the Apple Tree" Spurgeon uses an obscure verse from the Song of Solomon 2:3 " I sat down under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit was sweet to my taste."  He likens Jesus to the apple tree where the bride sits to find shade from the heat and to enjoy the fruit thereof.  Spurgeon says this:

 " Did you ever feel the heat of divine wrath?  

Did the Great Sun - that Sun without variableness of shadow of a turning - ever dart upon you His hottest rays - the rays of His holiness and justice? 

Did you cower down beneath the scorching beans of that great Light, and say,

'We are consumed by Thine anger'?

If you have ever felt that, 

you have found it a very blessed thing to come under the shadow of Christ's atoning sacrifice. 

A shadow, you know, is cast by a body coming between us and the light and heat;

and our Lord's most blessed body had come between us and the scorching sun

of divine justice, so that we sit under the shadow of His mediation with delight." 

What a wonderful picture of our Lord, who bore our sin, took our punishment, and covers us with His blood.  Spurgeon goes on to write this, " I do not know a more delightful state of mind than to feel quite overshadowed by our beloved Lord.  Here is my black sin, but there is His precious blood overshadowing my sin, and hiding it forever. Here is my condition by nature, an enemy of God; but He who reconciled me to God by His blood has overshadowed that also, so that I forget the I was once and enemy in the joy of being now a friend. I am very weak; but He is strong, and His strength overshadows my feebleness. I am very poor, but He hath all riches, and His riches overshadow my poverty . I am most unworthy; but He is so worthy that if I use His name I shall receive as much as if I were worthy ; His worthiness doth overshadow my unworthiness." 

As Peter learned.. we must come to Jesus and be overshadowed by Him.. in all He has done for us and in all of who He is.. the Son of God who came to fulfill all of the Father's will, to bear our sins and to cover us by His blood. What a wonderful Savior!  Delight in Him!

Father in Heaven, You are exalted in the heavens and we exalt You here on earth.  How precious is Your word to us and how great is Your love, that You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ to be numbered with the transgressors so that He could cover us with His blood.  We rest and we delight in the shadow of His sacrifice.  Oh, how we love You and give You praise and thanksgiving for the salvation that comes in Christ alone.  Fill us anew with Your Holy Spirit so that we might bear much fruit in Your Kingdom.  We are Your servants and Your children and we willingly lay down ourselves to pick up our crosses and follow Jesus .  It is in His shadow that we come before You to pray. Amen. 

Luke 22:1-23 Jesus and His disciples celebrate Passover together.  This is the last time that they will dine  together before His death on the cross.  This is the place that Jesus reveals the New Covenant that will be initiated by the shedding of His blood and the breaking of His body.

A new covenant - a better, eternal, perfect testament between God and mankind.  The Law was unable to save or to make anyone righteous.  It was unable to change the heart of men.   But, the new covenant is based on the promises of God.  By His grace, as we place our faith in Jesus Christ, our High Priest forever, the final and eternal sacrifice.. we are saved and given a righteousness that we can never earn.  He has made us complete!

The time of suffering for Jesus is just hours away.  His desire was to "eat this Passover" with His friends.  Judas would betray Him and kill himself.  Peter would deny Him and weep bitterly.  Thomas would doubt.. all of them would run away.  This last meal was a shelter before the storm. So significant that we incorporate it into our church's liturgy. To remember...

His body was broken.
His blood was shed.

Without this we would have NO hope.  NO salvation.  NO righteousness. NO eternal life.

Father we come to the throne of Your grace, in Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, to honor You and to give You thanks for this new covenant.  Holy Spirit, we yield to Your leading, so that we may know the Truth and walk in it, by faith in our Lord Jesus.  Open our eyes to see and our hearts to receive spiritual wisdom and understanding.. in order that we may walk in a manner worthy of  our Lord.  In His name we pray. amen

Luke 21   At the temple, Jesus sees the people putting their money into the treasury.  His attention is drawn to a poor widow who puts in two coins.. not worth much, but all she had to live on.  Here is one who truly is valued by our Lord.  She is His own and trusts Him to provide all her needs.  This is the faith that our Lord desires from all of us.

The rest of this chapter focuses on the future.  The temple will be torn down, Jesus tells His disciples.  What will happen next?  Watch and be ready, our Lord tells us, " But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing nigh. " 

" Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom."  v10
".. great earthquakes.. plagues.. famines... terrors and great signs from heaven."  v11
"Jerusalem surrounded by armies.. " 
".. great distress upon the land and wrath to the people.. " v23
" signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and waves..." v25
" men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world for the powers of the heavens will be shaken..." v26


"And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." v27

We are told to pay attention and to recognize these signs.. and to know that the Kingdom of God is near.  Jesus tells us that these things will happen and that we need to be ready and praying.  We need to be alert and not distracted by the things of this world.

We like to think that the time of Christ's return will be soon.. and we may be right,  but we have not begun to see some of these signs that Jesus has told us about.  I have heard that this passage applies to Israel and will happen after the rapture, prior to His second coming.. but I do not know if that is true.
Either way.. we must keep looking up!

Father, as much as we long to see the coming of our Lord, we are not anxious for the terrors to come. Still we rest in You.  You are our Shelter.. our Rock... and in You we live.  The Words of Jesus will not pass away, and we await the fulfillment of His prophecy.  For then, all that is old will pass away and there will be a new heaven and a new earth!  No more tears and no more pain.  No more sin! Eternity with You... that is our Hope.  Far above anything we can imagine.  Make us ready, Lord.  Keep us steadfast in Jesus we pray.  By His Name we come, amen.

Luke 20  Jesus has come into Jerusalem on a donkey.. His entrance has brought His disciples great joy for He is " the King who comes in the Name of the Lord"!   We call it the "triumphal entry".. yet Jesus stops and weeps over the city that cannot see the Truth.   Those who should have exalted at His coming were so blinded that they could only conspire to destroy Him instead of receive Him.

Jesus heads to the most important site in Jerusalem, the temple.  The place that was meant to be holy and set apart for the Presence of God was instead, a place where robbers were given free reign.  The chief priests, the scribes, and the leading men failed to obey the Word and led Israel to completely miss the Messiah that they had waited for all those years.  No wonder Jesus wept.

Though the people who had heard Jesus preach over the last 3 years had recognized His authority, the  chief priests did not.  They questioned Jesus again.. but He would not answer them.  Instead, He tells a parable about a vineyard owner.  The vineyard was rented out, but those who worked there refused to recognize that the owner was due his part of the produce.  They abused and killed the slaves who were sent to receive the goods.. and they took the life of the heir.. the Son, who was sent.   Jesus is revealing to the Jews that the kingdom they wanted to control.. was not theirs at all.  The Kingdom belongs to God and because of their failures, it was going to be lost altogether and given to others.

Three questions are discussed here.  The first is posed by spies who ask Jesus about paying taxes to Rome.  Jesus silences them with His answer. " .. render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's."  
The second is posed by the Sadducees who ask about a wife and the 7 brothers she married and what would happen at the resurrection ( that they didn't believe in).   Jesus sets them straight, explaining that the resurrection is real and that it is unlike anything they can imagine. Their concept of God is lacking.. they do not understand that God is not limited by death!  " Now He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to Him." 
The third question is posed by Jesus - .. how is He ( the Lord) both the son of David and the Lord of David?  No answer is recorded here..  They could not begin to conceive of an answer, because they did not want to believe.

Jesus warns the people to beware of those who were supposed to be leaders in the things of God, but who only wanted to exalt themselves.  They were going to be condemned.  Following these false teachers would bring condemnation, not salvation.   Only the Truth would bring them to find salvation and that would be in Him.

We know that Jesus is within days of the cross.  He is teaching important truths to His disciples and to those who have not yet decided to follow Him.  He has wept over the City of God.  He has revealed that all will be done as God has willed. He wants us to look beyond the physical world and into the True reality of Eternity - All things belong to God.  God is God of everything and everyone.

God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways far higher than our ways!  How should we respond to these truths?  Not as the the priests, scribes, and ruling men did.. questioning the authority of the Lord.. but with humble acceptance and faith.  It is our duty to render to God what is His.. and all things are His!  In faith we must acknowledge God as God of the living..  whether we are in these earthly bodies or not.. He sees us, knows us, and loves us.  Believe it!

Father in Heaven,  how blind we are to the true reality of Heaven.. and of You!  Open our eyes that we might KNOW You in all our ways, trust You with all our hearts, and lean on You, not on our limited understanding. We are not wise.. we do not begin to grasp the greatness of Your Holiness.. of who You really are.  But we have learned to fear You and to turn from evil to follow the Lord Jesus, our Savior and King.  Thank You for the mercy and grace that You have poured out on us through Jesus! O Lover of our souls, we desire to know You more and to delight in You always.  We pray for Your will to be done in our hearts and lives today.  In the Name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Luke 18-19   In chapter 18 Luke tells us about a rich man who asks Jesus what he should do to "inherit eternal life".   Jesus reminds the man about keeping the commandments, which he knows - and the man is confident that he has kept them perfectly.  When Jesus asks the man to give up his wealth, giving it to those who are poor, the man cannot follow through.  His wealth is a stumbling block to his eternal salvation.

In contrast, Zaccheus, a rich tax-gatherer, climbs a tree to see Jesus. ( 19:1-10)  When Jesus comes and calls him down, Zaccheus immediately receives Him, and declares that he will not only give half of his possessions to the poor, but he will also repay 4x as much to those he defrauded .

It is hard for "those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God,"  Jesus tells us.  But, it is not impossible... "with God".  

The disciples did not have great wealth, but they had sacrificed their "own homes" to follow Jesus. The Lord assures them that "there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life." 

Luke records another parable here.  A nobleman went away to receive a kingdom for himself. Before he leaves he calls 10 of his slaves and gives them each a "mina" - about 100 days wages.  When he returns he calls them to give account of the business they have done for him.  The first had multiplied his mina by 10, the second by 5, and the third had kept it hidden and returned it with an excuse.  Those who did well with what they had been given, were greatly rewarded.  The one who did nothing was left empty-handed.  Jesus says this, " I tell you, that to everyone who has shall more be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away." 

Everything we have comes from the Hand of our Father.  Everything!  Talents, health, family, money, jobs, food, clothing, homes, time... everything.  The Lord expects us to be faithful in serving Him with all that He has given us.  When He returns or calls us home, we will give an account to Him.  All we have given in faithful service to Him, will be returned many times over.  But, all that has been hoarded for ourselves will be taken away. 

Father in heaven,  You are our King and the Giver of Life!  We honor You and give You glory!  We want to please You in all we do. We are grateful that nothing is impossible with You and that You help us to know Your Word.. the Truth.. and then You help us to obey it!  Keep us walking in humility and faith, according to Your will.  We lay down our lives and give You back all that is Yours to follow Jesus and to bear fruit according to Your will.  Lord, may we be found faithful and fruitful when Your return or call us home.  We pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Luke 18: 9-14  Jesus tells another parable about prayer.  Two men went into the temple to pray.  The first was a Pharisee, a religious leader.. a supposedly devout Jew.  His prayer was prideful.  He thanked God that he was not a sinner - and bragged of his religious practices.  This man, Jesus says, will not leave justified.  His prayer asked nothing of God.. for he felt no need of Him.

The second man was a tax-gatherer.  He worked for the Romans and was despised by his countrymen.  His prayer was honest and earnest.  " God, be merciful to me, the sinner."  Jesus says that this man, who humbled himself before God.. who looked to God for what only He could supply- mercy... went away justified.

If the first parable in this chapter teaches us to boldly approach our Father with persistence .. then this one teaches us that our attitude in prayer must be absolute and humble dependance on Him.  "Blessed are the poor in spirit", Jesus has taught us.  We are so spiritually poor that if He does not answer, we will die.  We must seek Him and find Him.. our source of life, the Giver of mercy. 

V15-17  The people bring their children to Jesus, that He might touch them.  The disciples try to intervene.. after all Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem and He is a busy man...  But, Jesus calls for the children, " Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." 

I am reminded of the lessons of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son... our Savior values each one of us.  We are His beloved... whether we are children or adults... whether we are lost or not.. we are important to Him. These little children had great value in the eyes of our Lord.  And, right now, wherever we are and whatever is happening in our lives.. He still says, "Come".

Father in Heaven, how blessed is Your Name in all the earth!  Jesus Christ our Lord, how glorious You are!  We come to You as needy and poor children and You take us into Your lap and touch our heads . You wrap Your arms around us and hear our whispered prayers for mercy.  Oh, how You love us.. each of us are precious to You.  We don't understand why.. but we are so thankful that it is so!

I love You, my Lord.  I want to rest in the shelter of Your wings and in the shadow of Your Hand. I ask for Your Holy Spirit to fill me.. to fill us, Your children today.
amen.

Luke 18  Jesus tells His disciples "they ought to pray and not to lose heart".  That phrase "not to lose heart"  caught my attention today.. listen to this:

2 Cor. 4:1 " Therefore, since we have this ministry ( of the New Covenant), as we received mercy, we do not lose heart... " 
Galatians 6:9 " And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary". 
Eph. 3:13 " Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory." 
II Thes. 3:13 "But as for you , brethren, do not grow weary of doing good." 

ekkakeo - to be weak, to fail in heart, faint, be weary

Jesus is saying that we must not be weak in prayer!
Don't be weak in ministry.
Don't be weak in struggles.
Don't be weak in doing good.
But, most of all... don't be weak in prayer!

Jesus tells the story of a widow who comes to an unrighteous judge.  She comes over and over asking for justice, until the judge finally answers her plea.. not because he wants to, but because he is tired of her coming.  ".. now shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" 

E.M.Bounds book Purpose in Prayer emphasizes this point over and over.  I could quote the whole book here.. but I won't.  Here are a few quotes that have greatly inspired and convicted me:

"The Syrophenician woman, the importunate widow, and the friend at midnight are wonderful lessons of what dauntless prayer can do in mastering or defying conditions, in changing defeat into victory and triumphing in the regions of despair.  All these people of God knew how to pray and prevail in prayer. Their faith in prayer was no passing attitude that changed with the wind or with their own feelings and circumstances; they were confident that God always heard and answered, that His ear was always open to the cry of His children, and that the power to do what was asked of Him was equal to His willingness. "

"It is only when the whole heart is gripped with the passion of prayer that the life-giving fire descends, for none but the earnest man gets access to the ear of God; and that is the purpose of prayer."

" Could the necessity of importunity, its power and tremendous importance in prayer, be pictured in deeper or more impressive coloring? Importunate prayer surmounts or removes all obstacles, overcomes every resisting force, and gains its ends in the face of invincible hindrances.  We can do nothing without prayer, but all things can be done by importunate prayer. That is the teaching of Jesus Christ."

" There is neither encouragement nor room in the religion of the Scriptures for feeble desires, listless effort, lazy attitudes. All must be strenuous, urgent, ardent.  Inflamed desires and impassioned, unwearied insistence are the things that delight heaven.....  Heaven is too busy to listen to half-hearted prayers or to respond to hasty, thoughtless calls to God." 

Gracious Father in Heaven,  Your ear is open to hear our cries.. and we are so weak in our praying!  Forgive us, we pray!  Oh may our hearts be fully committed to pray.. earnestly, fervently, consistently.. whole heartedly!  There is great need.. injustice, evil, hatred, lies... all the fiery darts of the evil one.. are aimed at Your elect.  Yet, we have failed to cry out to You day and night.. so that You will bring about "justice" for us as You promised.   Will You find faith in us?  I pray that You will.  Stir our hearts.. Change our hearts.. light a fire within us to pray without ceasing, to pray with fervor and faith.  May we stop being lazy in our praying!  I am praying this, Lord Jesus, in Your Name!  amen.

Luke 17:22-37  The day is coming, Jesus teaches His disciples, when He will come again, " in His day."  But, before that He will be rejected and suffer.

The day of His coming will be like the days of Noah or the days of Lot.  In both these illustrations, life was going on normally for most people:

People were eating and drinking.
People were getting married.
People were doing business.
People were building new homes.
People were planting new crops.

But, Noah and his family were entering an ark.
And, Lot and his family were leaving town.

These two were willing to lose their lives - their homes, businesses, fields, friends... everything part of normal life, to preserve their real life.  Lot's wife left with him, but turned back, not willing to lose everything that she thought was more important.. and she ended up losing everything, including her own life.

Jesus tells us that "It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed." 
Some will be sleeping.
Some will be working.

Some will be taken and some will be left.
Some will lose their lives because they are unwilling to give it all to Jesus.
Some will lay down their lives to follow Him and gain eternity.

Today is a day like any other.. for most of us.  We will eat and drink.  We will work. We will build or plant..we may even marry ( or celebrate our marriages).  But, what we do not know is whether or not Jesus will return today.  We must be ready for that day, like Noah.. prepared to be taken into the Ark of His protection.  We must be like Lot, willing to leave it all behind, in obedience and sacrifice.

To be ready.. for the day of Christ's return, or the day of our own death... we need to be completely committed to our Savior.. to the point that nothing else is worth turning back for.. at least no material things.  Both Noah and Lot took along the only things that really mattered.. their families.

Father in heaven,  You are holy and mighty.. and we glorify Your Name. All things are in Your Hands.  We are in Your Hands. O Lord, may we be fully committed to losing everything in order to gain eternity with You.  Hold us close and lead us moment by moment.  May our families know You and trust You also.. that we might all be together with You forever.  We pray this in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Luke 17  Ten men, stricken with the horrible disease of leprosy, cry out for Jesus to show them mercy, and He does.  He instructs them to go to the priest as the Law commands, and as they go, they are miraculously healed.  One man, a Samaritan, turns back to give thanks and to give glory to God.
Jesus points out that the other 9 were also cleansed, but did not turn back to give God the glory.  To the Samaritan He says, " Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."  

Did the others not have faith?  They were healed.. but were they "made well"?  To be made well - sozo - safe, delivered, healed, preservered- saved.  Over and over again, Jesus links faith and wellness.  To the woman who touched His garment, to the blind man who asked for sight, and to the woman who washed His feet, and to this leper.. Jesus says, " ... your faith has made you well."

Faith - as small as a mustard seed;  faith - a conviction... a reliance.. a persuasion.. to trust in Jesus; is necessary to make us well, to save us, preserve us, deliver us, and heal us.   The Samaritan man had that kind of faith.   He asked and received; then he gave thanks and worshiped God.


Do we have faith?  Are we like the 9... we cry out for help.  We receive help.. but we go on with life as if nothing significant has happened?  Do we take Jesus for granted? Do we use Him like a wishing star.. and give no glory to God?  Faith goes beyond asking.  It goes beyond even receiving what we asked for.  Faith, the writer of Hebrews said, " .. is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." ( 11:1)  And, he goes on to say, " And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."  ( v6).  Jesus , the " author and perfecter of faith"  is our Example.. and we are commanded to "lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus..." ( Hebrews 12: 1-2)

Galations 2:8-9  " For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast."

We are saved through faith.
We are called to walk by faith.
We live by faith.
We are made whole, preserved, and complete - in faith.

So Father in heaven, the Giver of faith.. we find ourselves asking, like the disciples, "Increase our faith".  And yes, we hear the Words of our Savior... "if you had faith like a mustard seed..."  Like the leper who turned back.. we give thanks to You !  We give You glory!  You, who began a good work in us.. will complete it too.  We will trust in You alone.  For we want to live by faith and please You.  Help us to do this constantly and consistently in this new year, we pray.  In Jesus' name. Amen.

Luke 17  Jesus gives us some truths to guide us into living faithfully..

v1-2  Stumbling blocks are traps, snares, or temptations to sin.  Jesus warns us to not be a stumbling block to others, for it would be better for us to be thrown into the sea.. than to cause others to sin.  Whether that is another believer, an unbeliever, or even our children... we must carefully consider the influences we have on them.   Do we cause them to have faith?  Or not?  Do we help them learn the Word of God, the Truth?  Or do we ignore our responsibility to share the gospel?   If we are not doing all we can to lead others to Jesus, then we must repent and diligently begin to live as Christ's servants.

v3-4 Jesus tells us to be "on your guard" - to help others by "rebuking" them if they do stumble - not in a judgmental way, but coming along side of them to lead them back to Jesus.  We are to be loving and compassionate, but we are also called to be truthful and righteous.  To ignore our friend or brother when we see him or her falling into the trap of satan.. is not loving them at all.  Forgive and forgive as often as necessary, as long as they repent.

v5-6  The disciples ask Jesus to give them more faith.  Jesus tells them that just a small grain of faith is necessary.. if you act with it.

v7-10  Jesus tells us that, as His disciples, we are responsible to be obedient to Him, our Master.  Even if we do everything that He asks.. perfectly,  we are " unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done."   Are we willing to live in this way?  To lay it all down for Him and not pat ourselves on the back for doing what we should be doing anyway?

Perhaps, in this New Year.. the Shepherd is giving me/us some "resolutions" here:
1. Resolve to NOT become a stumbling block to anyone else's faith . 
2. Resolve to look out for others, helping them turn from sinful life choices. 
3. Resolve to forgive - anyone, anytime, for any reason. 
4. Resolve to live by faith.. actively, daily, faithfully
5. Resolve to be humbly obedient to God's Word... a good and faithful servant

Father God, may You be exalted in my life, in my words and actions this year as I once again commit myself to You.  You are my Master and I am Your slave.  Fill me Holy Spirit that I might comprehend and obey the Word each and every day.  Help me to keep these resolutions and any other directions that You have for me this year. I ask this in the Name of Jesus, my Lord. Amen.