October 31: Matthew 19 & Mark 10

October 31, Matthew 19 & Mark 10

Matthew & Mark continued… Be in prayer today for all the celebrated evil. Jesus is triumphant but evil is permeating our cultures and powerful. Be on guard…

Matthew 19 Jesus Teaches on Divorce. Many people followed Jesus where He went and as He went he healed people… The Pharisees came to test Jesus again. Remember, they knew the law and were trying to trap Jesus. Their hearts were not there, but their minds were. “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” Jesus then responded to their question with what they already knew, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” You have undoubtedly heard this at weddings, and it is true. However, they were trying to trap Him and went on further to ask then why Moses allowed certificates of divorce. Jesus told them that it was because of their hardness of heart that he allowed it - but that is not how God intended it to be. There is no grounds for divorce except for sexual immorality. If you get divorced for any other reason than sexual immorality, when you remarry you have committed adultery - as has your new spouse. Side note - culturally the Jews were able to divorce their wives for just about anything, literally. One of their written laws stated that even if a wife spoiled a dish for her husband he could divorce her! If he found one prettier than her, he could divorce her! These were written down laws. Jesus rebuked their laws and went after the heart of the matter and what God actually intended - not their added on rules and laws… The disciples overreact to Jesus’ teaching and state, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” Jesu explained that in this context there are eunuchs and those that choose a life of celibacy. Either eunuchs from birth, master, or choice - they do not get in a marriage because there would be no sexual relations. Other than for those that are eunuchs or celibates, marriage is good! Not always easy, but worth every effort placed into your covenant. Fight for your marriage and don't let the enemy sneak in and destroy your homes…

Let the Children come to Jesus. There were people bringing kids to Jesus that He might bless them and the disciples thought they were a hindrance. Jesus did not agreed and called them out. “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” It is the faith of a child that Jesus is after with His people. We need not complicate everything…

The rich young man & Jesus and the disciples learning moment. There was a devout young man that came to Jesus and inquired as to what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to keep all the commandments and he had done that since he was a boy. Jesus knew his heart and how he found his identity in his wealth (IDOLATRY) so Jesus told him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me…” This was too much for the rich young man and he left. Jesus then explained to His disciples that “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven…” When we find our identity in money, it is quite easy to see yourself as your own savior. It isn't so. Your money does not buy you forgiveness of sins. It is impossible actually. This disciples understood the impossibility of this and seemed hopeless. Jesus answered them, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Salvation only comes through Jesus with the mighty power of the Holy Spirit through God the Father! What we must do, is to serve everybody else - not ourselves. “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Sum it up here - there can be nothing more important to you than Jesus. Nothing. Put Him first and everything else second. 

Mark 10 Jesus Teaches on Divorce - let the kids come to Jesus - the rich young man… Very similar to above…

Jesus tells his disciples he must die. Then Jesus talks to his disciples while they are walking down the road and prophecies what is going to happen (this is the 3rd time He has told them). “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.” It happened just as Jesus said it would. How hard it must have been to know what was coming to yourself and still have to walk that road…

A conversation about future things and servants. James & John want to be granted from Jesus to sit at His right and left hands in heaven - to be the best there… Jesus explained that it was not up to Him where they sat - but then Jesus gets to the heart of the matter. By the way, the other disciples were not real pleased with their request… Jesus told them that they were going to have a hard life because they believed in Jesus and that the ultimate goal would be “… whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus set the example for us - He was the ultimate servant and that is who we are to emulate. Not to be 1st - but to be His and to serve. 

Jesus Heals Bartimeaus. There was a blind beggar with faith - Jesus healed him! He wanted Jesus’ mercy and he received it… Jesus changes lives in many ways…

To sum it all up: 

• Stay away from anything that would promote sexual immorality in your own life and you need not worry about this. Stay true to your spouse. Stay true to what God has called you to. If you are in a marriage with infidelity, it does not mean that you are required to get divorced. If you can work through it - do work through it. Divorce is truly the last option, but an option none the less. This does not seem to be the practice in our society sadly…
• Salvation only comes through Jesus with the mighty power of the Holy Spirit through God the Father!

October 30: Luke 17:11-18:14

October 30, Luke 17:11-18:14

Luke continued…

Luke 17:11-36 Jesus cleanses 10 lepers. What does it look like when you are blessed beyond compare by Jesus and your life is truly changed forever? Here is a great example. Jesus comes into the company of 10 lepers. In an instant, He heals them & tells them to go and show themselves to the priests. They all leave. One of them comes back and falls at Jesus’ feet and praises Him and thanks Him. This particular man was a Samaritan (remember that prior to Jesus, Samaritans and Jews had bad history and bad blood). Jesus looked at him and said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Regardless of the 9 that didn't event thank Jesus for the healing, this foreigner did. What was the outcome besides his physical healing? His spiritual healing. From that point on, Jesus told him to get up and go and “your faith has made you well.” Out of the 10, it seems as though only one of them came to Christ. Not that the others were not thankful, they just didn't experience full life change, only physical.

The Coming of God’s Kingdom . This is another interesting exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees. They wanted to know how they could observe the coming of the Kingdom of God. Jesus plainly told them “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” Jesus brought the Kingdom of God and again, they missed it. He then took some time to teach His disciples. A day will be coming when they will look for Christ and He will not be there. Before He leaves though, He must suffer and be rejected (Jesus the Prophet!). He cautioned them - in the context of the coming of the future kingdom - life is going to be going on as usual and boom - Believers in Jesus will be taken up to heaven. Just like in the days of Noah and Lot, where people were going about their everyday lives, it will happen. Paul also talks about this in I Thessalonians 4, “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord…” A day is coming my friends where 2 people will be hanging out and one of both or neither will be taken up into heaven. People get ready!  

Luke 18:1-14 The Parable of the Persistent Widow & . A parable about a widow who doesn't quit. The judge had to figure out what to do. He neither feared God or respected man. But because of the persistence, the judge granted her justice.The big point, “And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” God is the righteous judge who gives justice to His elect, His chosen ones, but we must remain persistent in Him.

And we read about The Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Powerful. Imagine the Pharisees hearing this one! These Jews thought that they were above reproach and the law - but their walk with God was a show and their hearts were not in it. You have 2 men praying and only one of them is honored by God. The arrogance of the Pharisee is obvious - no humility. On the opposite, “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” This is an example of humility and conviction of sins. Jesus sums it up incredibly: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” 

To sum it all up: 

• Do you give thanks to Jesus for saving you and sustaining you? 
• Are you persistent in pursuing Christ?
• Is your heart for show or sincerity for Christ?

October 28: Luke 16-17:10

October 28, Luke 16-17:10

Luke continued…

Luke 16 The Parable of the Shrewd Manager. From Baker’s commentary, ‘In the parable of The Shrewd Manager (The Steward with Foresight) Jesus shows that worldly people are often more shrewd, more forward-looking, than are the people upon whom the light has been shining. Of course, none of this means that Jesus in any way whatever praises this “manager” for his dishonesty. The very opposite is true, as verses 10–13 (climaxed by “You cannot serve God and mammon”) clearly show.’ That being said, what are you doing with the gifts and items that God has given you? Are you a good manager for Jesus?

Besides, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” It goes back to what I keep saying, either you are in for Christ or you are not. Either you will be faithful or you will be dishonest. This is not a game. Jesus goes on further, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” If you are a faithful servant of Jesus you will serve Him. If you are not, you will not. Jesus talked about money a lot because He knew it was going to be a big deal. 

The Law & the Kingdom of God Divorce & Remarriage.. The Pharisees were supposed to protect God’s laws and God’s people… Instead, “The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him…” They were lovers of money… no wonder they didn't like Jesus! Jesus knew their thoughts though and He called them out again. “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” They may try to excuse themselves before man but what they are doing is an abomination before God.In addition, Luke adds in this section that “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.” It seems as thought the Pharisees views on money and marriage and divorce were skewed. Jesus sets them straight. 

The Rich man & Lazarus. This story is still within the context of Jesus speaking to the Pharisees who were lovers of money and self… So, here we meet a nameless rich man who lived a life of luxury and a poor man named Lazarus. The poor man died and went to hang out with Abraham in heaven. The rich man died and went to hell. In this story, he could see Lazarus and recognized him and Abraham. “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.” He asked to have Lazarus serve him and bring him some water because he was in agony. Abraham explained that there was a chasm between them and it is not possible to cross over once your eternal destiny is secured. He then asked if Lazarus could rise from the dead and go tell his 5 brothers to change their evil living as to not end up in hell. Not possible Abraham said. “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” It is not enough to know Jesus and His goodness. Do you live for Him? Where is your heart before it is too late?

Luke 17:1-10 Some solid teachings.… 

“Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come…” Do not be the cause of somebodies sin. If your brother sins rebuke him and if he repents forgive him… keep forgiving him. Yes - call out sin and be consistent. 

“We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.” God owes us nothing. Whatever we receive from Him is a gift. Our duty is to serve Him. 

To sum it all up: 

• If you are a faithful servant of Jesus you will serve Him. If you are not, you will not.
• Like I often say to my wife and kids, you cannot make a theology of something that occurs once in the Bible. Tyndale Bible Dictionary puts it this way: ‘Care should be taken to avoid building a detailed theology of the afterlife based solely on this parable.” There is all truth here, but it is also a form of an analogy and we cannot be certain that we will be staring at people in Hell while we are partying in Heaven with Jesus.

October 27: Luke 14-15

October 27, Luke 14-15

Luke continued…

Luke 14 Jesus Heals another man on the Sabbath. Jesus was having dinner with the ruler of the Synagogue and they were watching Him carefully. Side note - we can take a note of Jesus’ playbook here - He didn't play it safe and hide out. He knew that the Pharisees were trying to kill Him, and yet here He is having dinner with them! How could He reach all that God had for Him if He was not bold in His calling? back to the Sabbath and the Pharisees… There was a guy there with a disease and jesus asked the Pharisees before healing, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they remained silent.” Then Jesus healed him anyway. Then Jesus, being very practical and intentional, said, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” How true is that? We judge others by other standards than we judge ourselves and Jesus called them out in that. 

The parable of the wedding feast. Jesus told them a story about attending a big party and the lowest seat at the party and the greatest. Even in our day and age, picture the head table and we know that the most important people sit there… What was the point of the whole parable? “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Let the others promote you, don’t do it yourself. Humble yourself. 

The parable of the great banquet. Again, Jesus told another story about a big party. Jesus starts out by saying don’t just invite people that will invite you back when they have a party. Instead, invite those who cannot repay your goodness and you will be blessed. You will be repaid by God when Jesus returns. Continuing on with the conversation, Jesus hears from one of them who chimes in, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Sounds all good, and then Jesus throws in a but… He tells a story about a guy who throws a massive party and when it was time to party, all the people that were invited did not show up. They had excuses, valid as they may be, they are still excuses for what they had committed to. The man was furious! He told his servants to go out into the alleys and and bring in the ‘low lifes’ and invite them. They had already done that and there was still going to be room at the banquet. The man said, “Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.” Then Jesus finished it up, “For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.” There is much to be said about that verse. From Bakers NT Commentary, ‘Probable, therefore, is that here the parable stops. Its central lesson surfaces. Jesus himself is saying to all present at that dinner, including the man who uttered the exclamation (verse 15), and further to everyone who reads or hears this parable down through the ages, that refusal to accept God’s gracious invitation of salvation by grace through faith will result in being excluded from the blessings and joys of the new heaven and earth, the kingdom in its consummation, the church triumphant.

When Israel, as a whole, rejects Christ (verses 18–20), God’s plan is not abandoned. Even among the Jews in the old dispensation and during the period of Christ’s earthly ministry there were genuine believers (verse 21). There was always that little remnant (1 Kings 19:18; Isa. 14:32; 29:19; Luke 6:20; Rom. 9:27; 11:5).

The cost of Discipleship. Jesus must be 1st. I will say it again, Jesus must be 1st. He must be before yourself, your mom and dad, siblings, spouse, business, everything. Jesus must be first. Count the cost of following Jesus - yes, salvation is free. But the cost is putting Jesus first in everything (well worth it!). “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”What does Jesus want from us? All of us. Not once a week, or everything but ______. It is an all or nothing item. Are you in? You willing to completely put Jesus 1st and pursue Him and spend eternity with Him? Don’t like your life so much that you don't need Him, because that is a trick of Satan. 

Useless Salt. In light of what Jesus just said about us having to wholly desire and give up everything for Him, He tells us about worthless salt. They got their salt out of the Dead Sea and it had impurities in it. Once processed, it would be good salt. If it sat around, it would lose its taste and become worthless - not even good enough to put in the fertilizer pile. Again, from Baker, ‘The implication is clear. Just as salt having lost its saltiness cannot be restored, so also those who were trained in the knowledge of the truth but who then resolutely set themselves against the exhortation of the Holy Spirit and become hardened in their opposition are not renewed unto repentance.’ Either you are active for Christ and worthy, or you are not. 

Luke 15 The Parable of the Lost Sheep & the Lost coin. Again, the Tax Collectors and sinners were drawing near to Him (not to test Him or trap Him, but to hear from Him), likewise the Pharisees and the scribes were there as well, grumbling that Jesus hangs out with sinners. Jesus told them a parable about a man who has a 100 sheep and loses one. He leaves the 99 and goes in search of the 1. When he finds it, he carries it and rejoices. “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” That is awesome truth! 

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins,[a] if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’  Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” There is great joy when one repents and comes to Christ! 

 The Parable of the Prodigal Son. A famous Christian parable. Let’s look at it together… This is God’s Sovereignty on display. Short version: A dad has 2 sons. One asks for his inheritance early, leaves his father, and goes and squanders all of it. God sends a famine and the young man had nothing left. He is broke and destitute. He realized that his dad’s servants had it better off than he did. He humbled himself and decided to seek his dads forgiveness and come home. He came home and the dad was elated and threw him a huge party. They all celebrated his return except for the other brother. He was mad because he had been loyal to his dad and he never got a party. Well, what can we learn from this parable? 

• God sends ‘famines’ to accomplish many things. One of which, is to bring us back to where He wants us. Famines can be literal in life or there can be famines in our own life that draw us to God. Remember, we are reading in the context of the parable of people losing things and finding them and rejoicing. 
• It is often that when we are destitute that we realize how much we need Jesus. 
• He confessed his sins. He sinned against his father and God. He needed forgiveness from both of them. If you sin against somebody, go for their forgiveness as well as Gods. 
• There is great rejoicing when there is a person who repents and comes to Jesus! Celebrate it!
• Don’t be angry when somebody who has lived a worthless life is blessed enough to have Jesus at a certain point. Rejoice! The loyal ones already have all that Jesus offers. 

It ends this way, from the dad, “It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.”

To sum it all up: 

• How could Jesus reach all that God had for Him if He was not bold in His calling? What about you? Are you getting out of your ‘comfort’ zone to be obedient to what Jesus is calling you to? What is holding you back if you are not? If Jesus can have dinner with people that wanted to kill Him, how much more can we do to emulate Him?
• It is better to be humble and to be praised than to praise yourself and be humbled
• Do not reject the invite of Jesus Christ. Join Him. There is no other way either in this life or the next. It is all about Jesus.
• Either you are active for Christ and worthy, or you are not. Harsh as that may sound - think of the implications of being worthless to Jesus. 
• If the religious people grumbled against Jesus for hanging out with sinners, does that make you want to do and be like Jesus or the religious leaders?
• Rejoice when sinners come to Christ and become saints
• Famines. Is God bringing things/events into your life to draw you to Him? If so, be like the prodigal son and return to Him! There is nothing you could do that could separate you from the love of Christ Jesus. In addition from Brother Paul in Romans 8, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

October 26: Luke 12-13

October 26, Luke 12-13

Luke continued…

Luke 12 Pharisees. Jesus was surrounded by literally thousands of people, so much so that people were trampling each other. He was talking to His disciples and warning them about the Pharisees and the fact that they are infectious hypocrites. “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.” Short story - if your heart is for Christ and you are pursuing righteousness/holiness, this is not as horrific of news. If you are living in sin, this should be very disturbing. No Secrets.

Luke goes on to explain that Jesus said that we are to have no fear of man - even if they kill us, they cannot touch our soul. What are we to fear? God. He is the only One that can cast us into hell. Fearing God at its simplest explanation is to respect Him and revere Him for the All-Powerful and All-Knowing God that He is. 

Acknowledge Jesus before Man… If you do not, Jesus will not acknowledge you before His Father in heaven - deny Jesus here, Jesus will deny you in heaven. See below for comments. People on earth can talk against Jesus and they could be forgiven, but if you are unrepentant against the works of the Holy Spirit - you will not be forgiven. That is the only unforgivable sin. When you deny the works of the Holy Spirit - you will not be forgiven. Oh, and in light of that - when you have to make a defense for why you believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit will guide you and tell you what to say! Fear not, He is real and will be there for you…

The parable of the rich fool.  One of the people standing there asked Jesus some questions and Jesus never wasted an opportunity to teach. Jesus was clearly teaching on abundance of possessions. Is it bad to have stuff? Nope. Is it bad to have so much that you tear down your existing buildings and build bigger better ones to store more stuff because you trust in your stuff and not Jesus? Yes. ‘‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” Where is your heart? For yourself or for your Savior? 

Don’t be anxious. This is very practical, as Jesus often was in His teaching. “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.” This is all about truly trusting God in your life to provide for your needs. “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.” Do you put all your stock in what you can consume or get? Life is so much more than that! “Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” God will provide for His people how He sees best for you. Do you trust God with all your needs? If you can trust Him with your soul, do you believe that He can also take care of your needs? Have FAITH in Him!  Don’t put your goal on things but on Jesus and “Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” He will take care of you, its a promise from God. More about the heart… “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Are we supposed to sell everything? I don't know if you are. This is about the heart. If you are not willing to share or you are more concerned about yourself than others, maybe you need to start letting some things go now. Don't give God your leftovers either. Give God your best. Where is your heart???

Stay on the ready. My wife watches this guy on Youtube called Tom Lupshu and he says that all the time, stay on the ready. He was a military guy and he is pushing Americans to ‘stay on the ready’ and always be prepared for action. Jesus is saying something similar to us today. Be prepared for Jesus coming back. Live your life in anticipation of that. Can God trust you with that? If you do not steward what God has entrusted to you it will be taken away. “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more."

Peace or Division and some great practical advice? Jesus did not come to bring peace but division. Remember earlier I wrote about 2 teams… Yup… The Jews were expecting than when the Messiah would come there would be a kingdom on earth with a valiant king. Nope, that is not what Jesus meant. He was building a Heavenly kingdom and they couldn't see it. Oh yeah, also always try to settle your differences out of court. Court is costly…

Luke 13 Wonder why some people hated Jesus? “ No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish…” Repent or perish. That is actually a loving thing to say, at least we know where we stand. Jesus then gives a parable of a barren fig tree. Long story - there is a brief opportunity to repent before it is too late and we burn in hell. Time is of the essence, per Jesus. Back to Jesus the healer… He healed a woman on the Sabbath who had a disabling spirit for 18 years. Can you imagine that? He healed her and the Synagogue ruler says this, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” Oh yeah - that is real thoughtful of him, more worried about their man mad rules than God. “Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” Suck on the eggs! Jesus was not about to take their lies. Then we get a parable about a mustard seed - a very small seed that makes a huge tree for the birds to nest in. God takes the small and does what He wants with it. 

The narrow door. Someone asked him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” His response is incredible… “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” This is about true repentance and full trust in Christ. 

At the end of the chapter, Jesus laments over Jerusalem and their wickedness. They don’t get Jesus, and they will be forsaken…

To sum it all up: 

• No Secrets. There is no such things as keeping secrets, as much as we would like to think that we can. We are better off confessing everything here on earth and living clean instead of thinking that we are fooling our loved ones or God. 
• Truth is - if you are too ashamed to admit and confess that you are a Christ follower, are you one? Probably not. Besides, if you are willing to deny that Jesus is God on earth, why would you want to spend an eternity with Him?
• There are only 2 teams, Jesus’ and the enemies. Let us not be fooled into thinking that we can live how we would like to and pretend to be on Jesus’ team. Let’s live out our lives in the fullest for Christ.
• Jesus knows all of our needs. Trust in Him.He knows your finances. He knows your health. He knows your hurts. He knows your joys. He has got you covered… Let Him!

October 25: Luke 10, 11 and John 10:22-42

October 25, Luke 10, 11 and John 10:22-42

Luke & John continued…

Luke 10 Jesus appointed 72 others to go out and proclaim Him before He was to go into those towns. Why? “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” There are many who God will bring in to his Kingdom, but few that are willing to put in the real work to get it done. They were directed by Jesus to go into the towns and homes - bringing no supplies or money to trust in God’s provisions for His workers - and to bring the peace of Christ to all of the homes that would receive it. Heal their people and proclaim that the Kingdom of God has come near to them (Salvation). Blessed are those towns that receive it and cursed are the ones that do not. It would be better for Sodom (which was destroyed) than the towns that do not receive Jesus Christ. 

Jesus declares a ‘woe’ to the unrepentant cities as they are sealing their deaths apart from Him. “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” Jesus sends us. God sent Jesus. If people reject our words about Jesus, they are rejecting God Almighty. 

After this, the 72 remain and they are stoked! “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” Yes, how great of a truth that is for us today! Jesus warned them though, as Satan and his minions are subject to His name, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” The true joy comes from knowing that we will be with Jesus in heaven. 

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit that they got to see God working and chose to reveal it to them (God’s Sovereign plan!). 

The parable of the Good Samaritan. Here we have another famous Christian story. But let’s take a closer look at it. The ones who were typically against Christ were the Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees and Lawyers. A lawyer came up to Jesus to test Him and asked him what he had to do to inherit eternal life? Jesus asked him, what do you think the law says about it? “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.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” The guy knew the answer… To justify this guys own life, he questioned Jesus further - “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus gave him a parable in light of their conversation, the good Samaritan. We have 3 guys. A priest (Jewish leader). A Levite (Jewish leader) and a Samaritan (culturally, Samaritans would have never helped a Jew. Bad blood between them). Some robbers beat a man up almost to death and stripped him of his clothes and left him there to die. Each of the 3 listed above sees him as they are strolling down the road, and the Priest and the Levite walked on the other side of the street, avoiding Him. Then walks on the scene the Samaritan and he had compassion on this man. He put some bandages on him and took him on his horse to a hotel. He paid for the hotel and stayed with the man overnight to help heal his wounds. He told the hotel manager that if any other costs were incurred that he would pay for it when he got back. Who was more of a ‘neighbor’ to this Samaritan, Jesus asked the lawyer. “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” Honestly, we must look at this a bit - the ones who know what they were to do failed to do. Maybe it was inconvenient. Maybe they didn't want to get their hands dirty. Maybe to help him was below their pay grade. Regardless, they left him to die and did not show the love of God to this man. It was left to a Samaritan to do it. It is not enough to know the truth of God. We must do and live out the truth of God. 

Martha and Mary. Jesus entered a village and went to his friends house, Martha & Mary. Martha was upset because she was doing all the work and Mary was just ‘sitting’ there listening to Jesus.  She came to Jesus and complained. “But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Yes, we are called to serve. But we are not to be too distracted with serving that we do not take the time to just sit down with Jesus. That is the greater thing to do. 

Luke 11 There is some additional overlap here with the other gospels, and some additions. For starters, the disciples wanted to learn how to pray, so Jesus set the model for them in a way that honors God and to depend on God for everything, while looking forward to what He is going to do. Seeking forgiveness and forgiving others while being protected from evil. 

Then we get a parable about a friend in need and another friend with a choice to help. We learn here that prayer requires action and obedience. No games. Not just lofty words. 

1. Ask and it will be given to you.
2. Seek, and you will find.
3. Knock and the door will be opened to you.

Everyone who asks, seeks, and knocks will get where God wants them to go. God knows what we need and will give it to us. Like a good dad who knows what his kids needs, that is God in its fullest because He does not sin like us. In addition, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit from God!

Jesus was often accused of being demonic Himself by the ‘Leaders’ and here he casts out another demon. “But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.” Jesus’ reply is epic “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?” Basically saying that they are wrong with their philosophy. He was not done yet, “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you…” They were witnessing God’s power before their very eyes. Jesus finished with an analogy of a strong man overtaking a home and says, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” The evil spirits that are kicked out will try to return and if you have not filled your life with Jesus, then the demon will come back and bring many more demons to inhabit. Scary and true. If you have been released of a demon the next thing to do is to fill your heart with Jesus or the demons will fill your life. 

The sign of Jonah. This is where we learn that Jesus is Prophet, Priest, & King. He is all of them. He is the greatest Prophet, the greatest Priest, and the greatest King. The greatest.  

Light in You. If Christ is in you - it will shine out of you into the world. You wouldn't hide such a great light but shine the way for others to see. Either you are full of Christ and it shows or you are full of the world and it shows. 

Woe to the Pharisees again for being poor leaders and leading people astray. They wanted to look good on the outside & inside they were wicked. Oh yeah, and woe to the interpreters of the law who do not practice what they preach and place additional heavy burdens on people that are not required by God. Lawyers! Just kidding - but truthfully, we are not to place additional burdens on anyone that God has not placed. They wanted to condemn Christ because He was against them. 

John 10:22-42 we are picking up where we left off yesterday. Jesus went up to Jerusalem in winter, during the Feast of Dedication. The Jews gathered around Jesus again to listen to Him and asked Jesus when He was going to tell them if He was the Messiah or not. Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand…” They are not His so they don't know Him, nor will they. He is one with God and that is the end of the story! The Jews wanted to stone Jesus, so they picked up stones to kill Him. He stood His ground and asked them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” They didn't disagree with His good works. They wanted to stone Him because He was claiming to be one with God, and God. Jesus told them that He was the Messiah and “If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father…” They wanted to kill even more now, but He slipped away. They hated Him. 

Jesus went away to where John was baptizing before and many believed in Jesus there.

To sum it all up: 

• The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Pray that God builds up more workers to get out there. If you claim to be a follower of Jesus, then you are a worker - so get out there and make His name famous!
• Jesus sends us. God sent Jesus. If people reject our words about Jesus, they are rejecting God Almighty.
• It is one thing to know all the Christian answers, it is another thing entirely to live out the Christian answers. Do this and live. Know the truth and do nothing with it and die with just knowing the truth. 
• Again, either you are full of Christ and it shows or you are full of the world and it shows.
• Many people hate the Truths of Christ for many reasons, most of which are because His Truths go against what they want. 

October 24: John 9:1-10:21

October 24, John 9:1-10:21

John continued…

John 9 Jesus is still healing people and ruffling the feathers of the Pharisees. We start out by learning about this blind guy that meets Jesus. Jesus spat on the ground and made some mud. He anointed this guys eyes with it and told the guy to go wash off in the pool of Siloam. The guy came back and he could see. He had been healed! People began to talk… they couldn't figure out if this guy that they knew their whole lives was the same guy that could now see. The guy was adamant that he was the guy that they knew as blind and this ‘Jesus’ had healed him and made him able to see. Enter the Pharisees… the guy that was blind was brought before them. The Pharisees were divided as to what was going on - mainly over the concept of Jesus giving somebody their sight. The Jews didn't believe him, so they brought in his parents and asked them. They were too chicken and afraid to get kicked out of the synagogue so they did not tell them anything and basically just pinned it on their son. Nice work mom & dad… So, they brought in the guy that was blind again and asked again. He gave them the same answers and he had a sense of humor as well - “Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” I like this guy… he goes on to tell them, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”  As you could imagine, they were not really thrilled with his answers. So, “They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.” 

Jesus heard that they had cast him out and went and found him. Jesus assured this man that he was the son of man, Jesus. The man believed in Him and worshipped Him.

John 10 Jesus spoke - I am the good shepherd. I am the door of the sheep. My sheep know my voice and follow me. I know my own people. “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

To sum it all up: 

• You must be ready to stand for what is right, even if you get kicked out of something that is culturally awesome. 
• What is your response to Jesus? Worship or boredom or complacency?

October 23: John 7-8

October 23, John 7-8

John continued…

John 7 

Feast of Booths. Jesus did not go to Judea because the Jews wanted to kill him. The time of this was during the feast of booths (in essence, they would temporarily live in ‘booths’ that were located outside their houses and remember what God had done for them). We learn here also that Jesus’ own brothers did not believe in Him and doubted him. Jesus told them that the world hates him and not them and He was not going to join them at the feast (even though He did end up going and the Jews there were looking for Him). Many of them were confused as to who He was and if He was true or false… During the middle of the feast Jesus went up to the temple and began teaching - the people were blown away at His teaching. Jesus proclaimed that His teaching was from God, not man, and He was doing it for God’s Glory. The Jews had many accusations against Him and he rebutted them. Some of the people of Jerusalem wondered if this Jesus was the Christ they were expecting. Jesus continued to just point them to God as the source of truth. Many people believed in Him because of His teachings. They were going to arrest Him but feared the people and even some of them were persuaded by His teachings! They could not figure out what or who he was. They said the Messiah was supposed to come from Bethlehem (which Jesus did come from!). 

Side note here - a lot of early manuscripts do not have 7:53-8:11, but none of this section contradicts itself, so it is 100% solid!

The woman caught in adultery. The Jews were trying to trap Jesus so they brought to Him a woman caught in the act of adultery. Back in the day, she was to be stoned.  Jesus is such an amazing example for us. Instead of letting them stone her, Jesus asked the Pharisees whichever of them was without sin, to cast the 1st stone! Well, none of them could throw a stone and they all walked away. Jesus told her to go and sin no more! 

John 8 Jesus explained to the people that He is the Light of the World and those that believe in Him don’t walk in darkness but in the light. He is the Light that we follow. Jesus continued to point them to God who was guiding Jesus. He also explained to them that where He was going they would not be going - they would be going to hell. His authority was from God and not man - we hear that about 10 times in these chapters. Think He is making a point? Also, if they embraced the truths of Christ they would be free. They thought they were free, as so many believe today, but Jesus explained that if they are sinning that they are in bondage and not freedom. 

They are of their father, the Devil. Seriously, Jesus pulled no punches. Because they did not believe in Jesus, whom God sent, they were believing Satan - the father of lies, a liar. If you believe in Jesus you believe in God. Simple. Period. 

Jesus also claimed that before Abraham walked the earth, Jesus was there. Jesus was one of the Creators of the world - obviously that was before Abraham! 

“So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham.” What was Jesus’ response? “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”  So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” No wonder they wanted to kill Jesus. He was not taking any of their lies and deceit.

To sum it all up: 

• Are you doing things for God’s Glory?
• Go and sin no more. If you have been forgiven, then go and sin no more. Receive the forgiveness and embrace the life that God has called you to live. 
• Believe no lies. Challenge what you hear with Scripture. Even ‘Spiritual Leaders’ will be wrong from time to time and you must be diligent in searching the Scriptures for truth. If you are wondering, ask God to help you understand it better. He is alive and well and there to guide you.

October 22: Matthew 18

October 22, Matthew 18

Matthew continued…

Matthew 18

• Conversation amongst the disciples about who is the greatest in God’s Kingdom. Jesus brought a child to them and got His point across this way: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” So what must we do to be the greatest in God’s Kingdom? Live with a humble life like a child. Jesus continued on teaching them on sins and kids. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” I would say that Jesus is not playing around here. Think about it… if you morally or spiritually cause a child to sin - you are on the hook for it. This is everything from sex trafficking to not protecting children in many simple ways. There is no excuse for causing a child to sin.
• Temptations to Sin. “For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes.” Never cause someone to sin! Being tempted is not the sin, giving into temptation is the sin. We must do everything we can to eradicate sin in our lives. The New Testament does not refer to believers in Jesus Christ as sinners but as saints. Do whatever it takes to be freed of sin, “It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.” We are not commanded here to literally pluck out our eyes so that we don’t lust, but truth be told, if that is what it takes to be freed of sin… kinda joking - Don’t gouge out your eyes - instead eradicate the sin at its root. Most of the sins that we deal with are idolatry issues anyway - us making things more important than God. This is how you deal with it - Pull out that weed of sin at its root so that it does not regrow again. What sins are you struggling with? Also, are you dealing with them or are your sins dealing with you?
• The Parable of the Lost Sheep. 
• Side note - did you notice in some translations, such as the NIV & ESV, there is no Matthew 18:11? We read in the NASB version, “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” I personally think that it should be in our Bibles as it is not contradictory. From this website, Why Is It Missing? ‘The verse is missing from some of the Bibles because the passage does not actually appear in the best early Greek manuscripts which contain Matthew. It is important to remember that the New Testament was written in Greek. These original documents called "autographs" were copied and passed from one person to another. In the process of making copies, errors would occur sometimes. Sometimes words were misspelled, words were left out, and on rare occasions, some copyists would insert some words. Today there are more than 5,000 thousands ancient manuscripts of the New Testament in our possession. By using a process called Textual Criticism we have been able to determine very accurately how the original"autographs" should read. A better explanation of textual criticism and the accuracy of our Bible is available from an article at the following link, "How Accurate Is The Bible?" The conclusion of that article says that the Bible is 99.9% accurate. There is no other ancient book in existence with so many copies and with so little error. The Bible is really unique. The Bible is very accurate! 

      Textual criticism has determined that verse 11 should not occur in Matthew 18. The Expositor's Bible Commentary, edited by Frank Gaebelein says that verse was "Omitted in the earliest witnesses of the Alexandria, pre-Caesarean, Egyptian, and Antiochene text types" (Vol. 8, p. 401). 

      Another Thought. It appears someone borrowed Luke 19:10 and copied and modified it into Matthew 18. Here is both Mathew 18:10 and Luke 19:10,  

For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. (NASB) Matt. 18:11  

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (NASB) Luke 19:10

The only difference is the phrase "to seek." While Matthew 18:11 should not exist in our Bibles, it is not an inaccurate statement. It captures the sense of Luke 19:10.  

Conclusion: God has helped us to keep His Word very accurate by preserving thousands of manuscripts. By employing textual criticism, we have been able to keep it pure. Thank the Lord for His Word!’

• Back to The Parable of the Lost Sheep.  Jesus, still teaching, explains that God uses angels to protect His kids. The parable is profound - if one of God’s chosen is lost, God will go after him/her. When that person is found (spiritually speaking) there will be rejoicing in heaven! Compound that with John 6:39, “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Jesus will find a way to save His. 
• How to deal when a brother sins against you. This section of Scripture gives us incredible insight and instruction on how to properly manage confrontation and sin. This is not always easy, but this is the way that we are to handle sin. If a brother sins against you (we are referring to how to handle Christian confrontation…)

1. Confront him and tell him what he has done - just the 2 of you.

• If he listens to you you have gained a friend, if not…

2. Take 1 or 2 others with you so that all evidence presented is honest and straight

• If he still refuses to listen, then you are to..

3. Take it to the church - not the elders, but the congregation. 

• The intent is to love the offender back to Christ as a church. The authority of the church is guided and given by the Holy Spirit for wisdom and discernment. We are never told in Scripture that only Elders have this given to them, but believers. If he still refuses to listen to the counsel of the church…

4. Kick him out of the church and treat him as a non-believer. That doesn't mean to ostracize him, but rather treat him as one who does not know Christ. The person needs to repent so that he can be saved. He needs to experience God’s forgiveness and love.

Continuing on, Jesus goes on to say, “Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this.” That is a paraphrase from the Message translation - basically what we do and say here on earth has eternal ramifications. Then Jesus goes further and states, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” This Scripture is in the context of confrontation and we can be assured that when we are gathered in the name of Jesus - God is there to give us His Spirit and guide us. What a relief that we don’t have to try and do this on our own!

• How many times must I forgive? Peter asked Jesus if he had to keep forgiving a brother that has sinned against him a bunch, over and over again. Jesus told Peter (and us) that we are to forgive as many times as it takes.
• The Parable of the unforgiving servant. Jesus spoke another parable about a servant who owed the king about $6 Billion dollars. The king had him arrested and then had compassion on him and released him and freed him of his debt. Then the servant that just received an unfathomable amount of grace threw a fellow servant into prison that owed him about $12,000. The king heard about it and was furious and threw the guy that did owe him $6 billion back into prison until he could pay his debt (which he never would be able to). “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” Here is the point: The massive debt that we owe to God is unfathomable - our sin is our debt. We have no such ability to repay our debt to God. Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We are unable to pay our debt but we are offered a free gift - Salvation in Jesus Christ. 

To sum it all up: 

• One such organization that is fighting sex trafficking and those causing children to sin, is Agape International Missions. You can access their website here. I have personally gone to Cambodia and watched these guys in action - it is incredible what they are doing to help free kids and women from sex trafficking. 
• Are you living as a sinner or a saint?
• Even though Matthew 18:11 is not in my version of the Bible does in no way insinuate that we have a flawed text. There is no other historical document that is 99.99% accurate.
• Confrontation between believers can be tough. But if the intent is to confront in love with the hope of producing righteousness and salvation, then we are on the right track. If it is to be vindictive or any form of gossip, then it will go bad. 
• We are to offer forgiveness to others because it has been offered us. If we do not forgive others, we will not be forgiven. What does this look like tangibly for you? Only you can answer that with God’s help. But I will tell you, there is great freedom in forgiving others that have wronged you (not to mention that fact that we are to forgive others by God’s command). Hey, who said that living for Jesus can’t also be incredibly rewarding? Of course it is. 
• Repent of your sins and return to God. Forgive others and be forgiven.