Satan In A Pinch

Scripture

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Acts 13 – 14

Observation

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The Holy Spirit selected Paul and Barnabas for a task and the church in Antioch sent them out after fasting and prayer. Good thing that they had the Holy Spirit power and authority backing them up because Satan has been desperate and be is pulling out all the stops.

The Satanic interference begins right away. Satan had lost the battle when Jesus left the tomb but he was still going to fight against the gospel message being spread, his only hope was that Christ death wouldn’t benefit too many people, he had to stop the good news from spreading very far.

The governor of Paphos, Cyprus was a seeker and he sent for Barnabus and Paul because he wanted to hear the word of God, despite interference from Satan through a sorcerer the man became a believer.

In modern day Turkey at Pisidion Antioch, Paul preached in church and told the gospel message and the crowds were coming from all over town. But then here comes the interference the jealousy and abuse and then our first missionaries get run out of town.

In Iconium they were sent packing again, because of threats of violence, but only after making some more converts.

In Lystra the Devil tries to attack the apostles pride. The crowd fell down to worship them as gods and wanted to offer sacrifices to them, what a disaster if the apostles had allowed this. When that didn’t cause Paul and Barnabas to stumble then the crowd later turned on them, provoked by the bad crowd from the Iconium and Paul was stoned and left outside the city, they all were thinking he was dead.

I have been on many a mission trip and I can say that I have never been stoned or run out of town but Satan was still at work to hold people in bondage. I have seen Satan use government, demon possession, customs and traditions, whatever he can think up he will try.

I wrote previously in my blog about the Holy Spirit in Acts 1. Check out all the things he does for us, what a blessing for Paul and Barnabas that they had the strength that the Holy Spirit provides when we are working against Satan and his kingdom. We must never attempt to do God’s work without the power of the Holy Spirit.

Application

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I will rely on the Holy Spirit always.

Prayer

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Lord I pray that we never go out on duty for you without our power source.

God's Purpose Will Not Fail

Scripture

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Acts 11:19   On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

Acts 8:2-4   Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. 4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

Acts 12:1-3  It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also.

Observation

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Christ told the early church that they were going to get a power source in the Holy Spirit. He would give them power to be His witnesses and in fact he said that they “will be His witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” They just had no idea how that was going to be accomplished.

God used the persecution of the early church to spread the gospel to a regional level and nationally and beyond.

Philip went to the Samaritans, the people the Jews hated, and he was so powerful that a revival broke out and the church sent Peter and John to check things out.

Peter learned that the gospel is for everyone (chapter 10) while he was traveling around the country he is eventually thrown into prison. Even Paul became a believer and he was also persecuted.

God’s purposes will always stand despite human efforts to hinder His plan.

Application

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I will take your message to the ends of the earth. Give us wisdom in planning mission trips for next year.

Prayer

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Give us the grit to stand in the power that you gave us in the Holy Spirit to take your good news everywhere.

God Has Always Been Saving His People

Scripture

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Acts 6-7

Observation

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I have been in church since I was in diapers and over all these years I have never understood why in the world Stephen gave such a reply to a question that is so simple. Isn’t this a simple yes or no answer kind of question?

Then the High Priest asked him, "Are these accusations true?" Acts 7:1

But instead Stephen begins a lengthy speech and then we have Acts chapter 7. What’s the deal, why did Stephen give us Acts chapter 7?

God, the original prophet, spoke to Abram about what was going to happen to him and his descendants. God told him that he would become a great nation, that his descendants would be slaves for four hundred years and that God would punish that country that had held them captive (verse 2-7).

As the story unfolds we see a picture of the Messiah in Joseph, his brothers rejected him but later he saved them and the rest of his family during the famine when Egypt was the only place to get food (verse 9-14).

Then came Moses as yet another picture of the coming Messiah. Moses was to save his people from the four hundred years of slavery that God had predicted. At first he is rejected just like Joseph was, but later he became the savior, ruler and judge for God’s people (verse 30-40).

Then Stephen makes his point while completely ignoring the original question. God’s people had rejected Him over and over, just look at how poorly the people behaved toward God right after he showed Himself to be so awesome (verse 41-43). Now God’s people had rejected the true Savior and Messiah (verse 52).

Next Stephen goes on to confirm who Jesus is:

And he told them, "Look, I see the heavens opened and Jesus the Messiah standing beside God, at his right hand!" Acts 7:56

Application

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God has been in the saving business all this time, I should be more serious about the business of helping my friends and neighbors find the Messiah.

Prayer

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Lord, help me to see the importance of working for you in your most important work of saving man.

It's Only Logical

Scripture

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Acts 5:38-39  “So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!”

Observation

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The new church was growing rapidly, each time that Peter preached there were thousands more joining. The success of Peter and the rest of the apostles was really grateing on the High Priest and the Sadducees (verse 17, 24) they had started something that they did not know how to finish. They thought that it was all over when they sealed the tomb, and why not, He wasn't the first prophet that the church leaders had put to death.

With Jesus death something was different though, this time death had no lasting effect on this prophet, all the other prophets died and that was the end of it, but this time he was only gone for three days and then he came back for forty days and proved that he was not a ghost but that He had returned just as He said He would.

Peter and the apostles gave their testimony and God's plan to forgive us of our sins. Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins, he is our risen Savior to all who believe.

Are you in need of more proof? Listen to the logic of the Pharisee named Gamaliel, he said that if all this stuff about Jesus rising from the dead were a man made fairy tale then it would not last for very long. Do you think that everyone of the apostles would be willing to die for a fairy tale? Do you think that they would endure the beatings for a man made story that was a cover-up because they had to get Jesus out of the tomb in three days?

What are you willing to take a beating for, how many beating would you endure? What are you willing to die for? Probably not for a lie, probably not to falsely attempt to authenticate Jesus story. It is only logical to conclude that Jesus proved every one of His predictions, that He proved Himself and all His teaching through His death and resurrection. How else could they find joy in their suffering (verse 41)?

As the apostle Paul states in Romans 8 "what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later", the apostles had real hope despite all the suffering that they endured and we can have that same hope that "nothing shall seperate us from the love of God"

Application

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I will help others to come to the same conclusion about who Jesus is.

Prayer

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Lord I pray that the strongholds of Satan will be broken down in my workplace. I pray that I can show You to my coworkers and that their opinion of religion will not stand in their way.

What Is Your Motive

Scripture

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Acts 4:21-31 The Council then threatened them further and finally let them go because they didn't know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God for this wonderful miracle-- 22 the healing of a man who had been lame for forty years. 23 As soon as they were freed, Peter and John found the other disciples and told them what the Council had said.

24 Then all the believers united in this prayer:

"O Lord, Creator of heaven and earth and of the sea and everything in them--25,26 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor King David, your servant, saying, 'Why do the heathen rage against the Lord, and the foolish nations plan their little plots against Almighty God? The kings of the earth unite to fight against him and against the anointed Son of God!'

27 "That is what is happening here in this city today! For Herod the king, and Pontius Pilate the governor, and all the Romans--as well as the people of Israel--are united against Jesus, your anointed Son, your holy servant. 28 They won't stop at anything that you in your wise power will let them do. 29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and grant to your servants great boldness in their preaching, 30 and send your healing power, and may miracles and wonders be done by the name of your holy servant Jesus."

31 After this prayer, the building where they were meeting shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and boldly preached God's message.

Psalms 2:1-4  What fools the nations are to rage against the Lord! How strange that man should try to outwit God! 2 For a summit conference of the nations has been called to plot against the Lord and his Messiah, Christ the King. 3 "Come, let us break his chains," they say, "and free ourselves from all this slavery to God." 4 But God in heaven merely laughs! He is amused by all their puny plans.

Observation

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Peter and John have just been released from prison, so what are the charges? Um… lets see that would be for the hideous crime of healing. Yep, how tragic. God’s mercy and love were extended to a man lame for over forty years and now Peter and John are in prison overnight.

Amazing! The group of leaders that plotted against Jesus for the three years of His ministry are still at it, even though their previous plans had all failed. They made plans over and over again to get rid of Jesus then they finally do get rid of him but it only lasted three days and then Jesus is back and he is still a sore subject that causes “the heathen to rage” (Acts 4:25). Now they are still trying to fight against God, they are still devising their own plans and they are still fighting against the crowds that are convinced that Jesus was God’s son.

The Pharisees still had not checked their motives, but we can not condemn them, you and I know that in ministry it is hard to keep our own ambitions and ego out of the way. We have our sacred cows and we also have our needs for power, position and importance that can get in the way when we are doing good things for God. Any minister or layman (actually we are all ministers, or we should be) should be aware of the danger and trouble that comes from having our motives left unchecked. If we are not careful we can be more offensive to the church and for God’s kingdom than any good that we may have accomplished. Peter and John had to suffer because somebody else was fighting against God, do we cooperate or do we force our church leaders to suffer when we fight against them?

Application

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I will check my motives for every ministry that I participate in. Am I making plans that may seem good to me but they may not be God’s plans? Am I feeding my own ego? Any "success" that I may have in ministry must be tempered with humility.

Pray

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I pray Lord Jesus that I will be cautious in ministry to always work on your plans and not my own. I pray that I will not stir up trouble when I don’t get my way at church or in ministry opportunities that I participate in. Give me clear direction for our mission trip plans that we make for next year.

A Changed Mind

Scripture

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Acts 3:1-26

Observation

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Walking to Temple each day everybody saw this crippled guy that someone carried to the outside of the Temple gates to beg for money. I am guessing that a person with a deformity was probably not allowed to go inside the Temple and since he was lame from birth, then he has never been inside the building. Do any of you know, please comment?

We see this guy trying to get his or her physical need for food and clothing met but Peter and John go beyond this to the source of his problem. This man never expected to walk home from the Temple that day, he was always carried home, why would today be any different.

It is cool that Peter saw an opportunity (verse 12) to give a witness and he jumped on it, he made it clear to everyone why this man was walking around inside the temple today when he was always sitting outside begging.

The basic message that Peter gave the people was that you rejected Jesus before (verse 13-15) now change your mind (verse 17-19) and turn to Jesus, realize that he died according to God’s plan to save us from every wrong thing that we have done, said or thought. Just like that crowd we have rejected Jesus and at some point in life hopefully you have changed your mind about Jesus.

Peter said that Jesus fulfilled prophecy in his first coming and in His death. God told his people through the prophets that the Messiah would come and that he would die a dreadful death and rise again and it all happened just as the prophets said. The last thing that Peter told his audience that day in the temple was that Jesus will fulfill another prophecy in the future, He will return for those of us that have changed our minds about him (verse 19-26).

There is no better assurance that future prophecy will be fulfilled than to look at the past prophecy that was fulfilled. We can place our confidence in these words:

John 14:1-3  "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Application

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I will be bolder in jumping on an opportunity just as Peter did.

Prayer

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I pray Father that just like I blogged yesterday that I will be bold and confident in sharing the good news. I pray that my co-workers hearts will be softened to hear your message. I pray that they will let go of the classic excuse of the hypocrites in the church.

Need Some Help

Scripture

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Acts 1:8  But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to testify about me with great effect, to the people in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, about my death and resurrection."

2 Timothy 1:6-10  This being so, I want to remind you to stir into flame the strength and boldness that is in you, that entered into you when I laid my hands upon your head and blessed you. 7 For the Holy Spirit, God's gift does not want you to be afraid of people, but to be wise and strong, and to love them and enjoy being with them.

8 If you will stir up this inner power, you will never be afraid to tell others about our Lord or to let them know that I am your friend even though I am here in jail for Christ's sake. You will be ready to suffer with me for the Lord, for he will give you strength in suffering.

9 It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work not because we deserved it but because that was his plan long before the world began--to show his love and kindness to us through Christ. 10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ, who broke the power of death and showed us the way of everlasting life through trusting him.

Observation

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Jesus told us in Matthew to “go and make disciples in all the nations” and now just before he leaves his disciples to return to heaven he tells us the power source for the “going and making disciples” is the Holy Spirit. He gave us a job to do and every time God tells us to do something he provides a way for us to do it. God will never tell us to do something that we are not capable of doing and so Jesus told us that we would receive power from the Holy Spirit to do this job of telling the world about him. That is the power that transformed the disciples from fearful cowards to a mighty powerful witness willing to take a stand and tell the whole world.

I did a word search on Holy Spirit this morning in my Bible software and in the search I found out that the Holy Spirit does so many wonderful things for us. With this kind of help I should be able to do anything that God has asked me to do with bold confidence.

Paul tells Timothy that as we are fulfilling the great commission, we must remember that Christ saved us for the work of telling others and that my fear of what they will think, and what to say or how to say it did not come from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is here to give us power and boldness, wisdom and strength.

That doesn’t mean that there won’t be opposition, remember how much opposition that Jesus dealt with, up to the point of death. Nevertheless we will “suffer for doing good” (1 Peter 3:17) but we will have the strength to fulfill the work of “going and making disciples.”

Application

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I will rely on the Holy Spirit to give me the boldness and the words to say to those around me. I will remember how many awesome things the Holy Spirit does for me.

Prayer

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I pray that I will take the Acts 1:8 challenge everyday.

Where Is Jesus

Scripture

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Luke 24:9-12  But very early on Sunday morning they took the ointments to the tomb-- 2 and found that the huge stone covering the entrance had been rolled aside. 3 So they went in--but the Lord Jesus' body was gone. 4 They stood there puzzled, trying to think what could have happened to it. Luke 24:1-4 (Living)

9 and they rushed back to Jerusalem to tell his eleven disciples--and everyone else--what had happened. 10 (The women who went to the tomb were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James, and several others.) 11 But the story sounded like a fairy tale to the men--they didn't believe it. 12 However, Peter ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; and then he went back home again, wondering what had happened.

Luke 24:13-27  That same day, Sunday, two of Jesus' followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles out of Jerusalem. 14 As they walked along they were talking of Jesus' death, 15 when suddenly Jesus himself came along and joined them and began walking beside them. 16 But they didn't recognize him, for God kept them from it.

17 "You seem to be in a deep discussion about something," he said. "What are you so concerned about?" They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. 18 And one of them, Cleopas, replied, "You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn't heard about the terrible things that happened there last week." 19 "What things?" Jesus asked.

"The things that happened to Jesus, the Man from Nazareth," they said. "He was a Prophet who did incredible miracles and was a mighty Teacher, highly regarded by both God and man.20 But the chief priests and our religious leaders arrested him and handed him over to the Roman government to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. 21 We had thought he was the glorious Messiah and that he had come to rescue Israel.

"And now, besides all this--which happened three days ago--22,23 some women from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning and came back with an amazing report that his body was missing, and that they had seen some angels there who told them Jesus is alive! 24 Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, Jesus' body was gone, just as the women had said."

25 Then Jesus said to them, "You are such foolish, foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures! 26 Wasn't it clearly predicted by the prophets that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his time of glory?"

27 Then Jesus quoted them passage after passage from the writings of the prophets, beginning with the book of Genesis and going right on through the Scriptures, explaining what the passages meant and what they said about him.

Observation

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Where is Jesus? The tomb is empty so the next question has to be where is He? The women at the tomb asked that question. The eleven remaining disciples asked and I say that we must also ask that same question. Where is Jesus?

Jesus encountered two disciples on the road and they were asking the question. They were having a crisis of belief, they knew the law, and the prophets and the Psalms and what they all said about Jesus. They should have known what was going to happen next. God was telling his people for thousands of years what he was up to. But since they missed it Jesus started explaining the scriptures to them he actually proved that the law the prophets and the Psalms were correct so they would know that he had risen just as they had been told.

For forty days Jesus proved his resurrection (Acts 1:1-3) and we must examine these proofs and answer the question for ourselves. If he didn’t rise from that tomb then we have no hope for eternity and all the church stuff we do is completely meaningless. But thank God that he did rise and that he now sits at the right hand of God. (Acts 3:12-15)

Application

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I will praise God daily for His plan! That Jesus would die on the cross for our sins and then rise from the tomb to give me the hope that “I know all will be well with me in death, You will give me back my life and give me wonderful joy in your presence.”

Prayer

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Thank you Lord that you loved me so much that you would suffer and die a cruel death to pay for my sins and allow me access to you.

Go Against The Flow

Scripture

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Good crowd:
Luke 19:36-40  Then the crowds spread out their robes along the road ahead of him, and as they reached the place where the road started down from the Mount of Olives, the whole procession began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles Jesus had done.

38 "God has given us a King!" they exulted. "Long live the King! Let all heaven rejoice! Glory to God in the highest heavens!" 39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, "Sir, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!" 40 He replied, "If they keep quiet, the stones along the road will burst into cheers!"

47 After that he taught daily in the Temple, but the chief priests and other religious leaders and the business community were trying to find some way to get rid of him. 48 But they could think of nothing, for he was a hero to the people--they hung on every word he said. Luke 19:47-48 (Living)

Luke 21:37-38 Every day Jesus went to the Temple to teach, and the crowds began gathering early in the morning to hear him. And each evening he returned to spend the night on the Mount of Olives.

Luke 22:1-2  And now the Passover celebration was drawing near--the Jewish festival when only bread made without yeast was used. 2 The chief priests and other religious leaders were actively plotting Jesus' murder, trying to find a way to kill him without starting a riot--a possibility they greatly feared.

Bad crowd:
Luke 23:13-23  Then Pilate called together the chief priests and other Jewish leaders, along with the people, 14 and announced his verdict: "You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt against the Roman government. I have examined him thoroughly on this point and find him innocent.15 Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us--nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty. 16 I will therefore have him scourged with leaded thongs and release him."

17 18, But now a mighty roar rose from the crowd as with one voice they shouted. "Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!" 19 (Barabbas was in prison for starting an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.) 20 Pilate argued with them, for he wanted to release Jesus. 21 But they shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"

22 Once more, for the third time, he demanded, "Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. I will therefore scourge him and let him go." 23 But they shouted louder and louder for Jesus' death, and their voices prevailed.

Observation

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Jesus has been telling his disciples that he was going to Jerusalem to be killed and now as they approach Jerusalem they must be very confused because the crowds that had been fascinated and loved him was still coming out and singing and shouting praises to Him.

The Pharisees were afraid of the people’s reaction, they were always looking for a way to get rid of Him but they were afraid of the crowd’s reaction and the possibility of riots. Next up in this drama is Pilate but he sees a completely different crowd and just like the Pharisees were he also is afraid of the crowd for he could lose his power as ruler if he stood up for what is right (Mark 15:15).

The crowds were a problem through out the Old Testament think about the Israelites trying to cross the desert, Moses and Aaron put up with the unfaithful crowd. How about their efforts to take the Promised Land, only Joshua and Caleb were willing to stand against the crowd. The crowd was a problem for the prophets (Matthew 23:29-39). How about Rack, Shak and Benny when they stood up to King Nezzer when the rest of the nation obeyed his command to bow down and worship his idol (Daniel 3).

After Jesus died the crowd reversed again and “they went home in deep sorrow.” How the crowds can change and if you are attempting to follow the crowd you will face a crisis in what you believe when the tide changes and the crowd runs the other direction.

Application

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I will follow Christ instead of the crowd.

Prayer

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Lord help me to be faithful, to follow you even when it is not popular.

I Don't Want To Be Guilty Of Treason

Scripture

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Luke 22:1-6  Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, 2 and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. 3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. 5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 6 He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.

Luke 22:47-48  While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"

Luke 22:54-62  Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 55 But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56 A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, "This man was with him." 57 But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said.

58 A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." "Man, I am not!" Peter replied.

59 About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." 60 Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Observation

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Be-tray (bi tra’) v 1. To deliver or expose to an enemy by disloyalty. 2. To disappoint the hopes or expectations of. 3. To deceive or mislead.

How much money do you need to betray Jesus? What? I would never do what Judas did! Peter never thought that he would betray Jesus, but he did. Why do we like to make it sound nicer by saying that Peter denied Jesus but Judas betrayed him? We disappoint Him with our attitude, fears, jealousy, unforgiveness, anger the list goes on and on.

My lack of loyalty reminds me of a song by Kutless called Treason:

It all starts here with my disgrace I give you my life then I run in haste In this false life something needs to give Chorus Tell me a reason why this isn’t a treason Tell me, tell me I’m wrong I swear I’m back but then it turns out its only a season Tell me, tell me I’m wrong With my two lips I will praise your name Then I turn around and only curse and blame I give in, strength is thin, adding to my shame Chorus Your blood it covered all my sin You changed a traitor into kin In this false life something needs to give Chorus

Application

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I will stay in your word and apply what I read so that I can be more pleasing to you.

Prayer

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Lord I pray that you will increase my faith and trust in you, to follow you with the training that comes from spending each day with you.

Watch Out

Scripture

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Luke 21:34-36  "Watch out! Don't let my sudden coming catch you unawares; don't let me find you living in careless ease, carousing and drinking, and occupied with the problems of this life, like all the rest of the world. 36 Keep a constant watch. And pray that if possible you may arrive in my presence without having to experience these horrors."

Luke 12:35-40  "Be prepared--all dressed and ready-- 36 for your Lord's return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. 37 There will be great joy for those who are ready and waiting for his return. 39 "Everyone would be ready for him if they knew the exact hour of his return--just as they would be ready for a thief if they knew when he was coming. 40 So be ready all the time. For I, the Messiah, will come when least expected."

Observation

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Watch out! Be ready all the time. I remember when I was a kid and my parents were on the way home and I wasn’t ready for their return, I had to hurry up and get the house in order. How embarrassing it will be when Jesus comes for me and I have not been living to please him, you cannot clean up your heart fast enough. I should always remember Ephesians 4:17 – 5:21, Paul told us what a child of God should look like and told us to be careful how we live because the days are evil.

We should be living with urgency, not in “careless ease or occupied with the problems of this life.” Our way of life should be as a pilgrim that is heading to a sacred place, our minds should be set on our destination and being prepared for our arrival in his presence.

Rev 16:15   "Take note: I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are awaiting me, who keep their robes in readiness and will not need to walk naked and ashamed."

Application

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I will warn somebody of the danger ahead for those that do not know you.

Prayer

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Lord I pray that I will always be ready and that I will live with urgency and travel light through this world.

Who Was Jesus

Scripture

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Luke 20:41-44  Then he presented them with a question. "Why is it," he asked, "that Christ, the Messiah, is said to be a descendant of King David? 42,43 For David himself wrote in the book of Psalms: 'God said to my Lord, the Messiah, "Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies beneath your feet." ' 44 How can the Messiah be both David's son and David's God at the same time?"

Observation

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At the end of chapter 19 Jesus cleaned his house, he tossed out the merchants who had turned the temple into a mall. Some “important” people wanted to know what authority Jesus had to throw them out.

Who was Jesus? What authority did he have? How can we know? I assert that there is no better witness than those people that were blessed to meet Jesus face to face.

A long time back in my Bible study I started keeping a list in my Bible of all the instances in the Gospels where somebody declared who Jesus is. Over and over again by his disciples, the Roman guards at the cross, the Samaritans and many other people and also through demons we are told that Jesus is the Messiah, Son of God, Savior and the Lamb of God. Here is a partial list of testimonies of who Jesus is:

Matthew 3:17, 8:28-29, 14:32-33, 16:15-16, 26:63-64

Mark 1:1, 23-24, 34, 5:7, 15:39,

Luke 1:35, 2:11, 4:33-34, 4:41, 8:28, 9:20, 3:21-22, 9:34-35

John 1:34-36, 1:41-42,49, 4:39-42,53, 6:67-69, 9:35-38, 11:27, 16:29-30, 20:27-28, 20:30-31

How can we ignore “such a great cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1-2) Over and over again people and demons declare that Jesus is the Son of God, and who would know Jesus better than the demons, they knew their enemy when they saw Him.

We all have to decide for ourselves who Jesus is, but lets make sure that we look at the facts from when he was here on this earth. Too many people today decide their opinion without looking at the truths in scripture. Thankfully God preserved His word so that we can know the truth.

John 20:30-31  Jesus' disciples saw him do many other miracles besides the ones told about in this book, but these are recorded so that you will believe that he is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing in him you will have life.

Application

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I will look for the truth in his word everyday.

Prayer

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Father I pray that I will always search for truth and know you and know how I am supposed to live. Give me the truth in your word.

You Better Like This King

Maybe not this king.

Scripture

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Luke 19:11-27   While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.'

14 "But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.' 15 "He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.

16 "The first one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.' 17 "'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.' 18 "The second came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned five more.' 19 "His master answered, 'You take charge of five cities.'

20 "Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.' 22 "His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?'

24 "Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.' 25 "'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!' 26 "He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them--bring them here and kill them in front of me.'"

Observation

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No greater or nobler person will walk on this planet and yet he had his enemies, those that rebelled and refused to acknowledge him as king. He was sent away but before he left he gave us gifts and resources to be used for his kingdom and he told us to use these gifts until he returns. Before he left he also gave us the Holy Spirit to give us power to use our gifts (Acts 1:8).

He did go away and he has been crowned king despite the opposition and the fact that some people don’t acknowledge him as king of their lives. The Pharisees didn’t want this man to be their king after all he didn’t think highly of their goodness and "holiness." They wanted a king that wouldn’t make them change their mode of operation, they would say “we are good, why should we change, those bad sinners they are the ones that need to change.”

Well some of those bad sinners did change and they were using their gifts for the kingdom while the king was gone. The king returned and was pleased with their use of the gifts that he gave them, they were interested in the kingdom and helping it to prosper.

The last servant didn’t care about the kingdom he rebelled against the king’s orders to 'Put this money to work, until I come back.' He missed out on the blessings of being fruitful for the kingdom and he suffered the loss of his original gifts. But it gets even worse for this servant because he rejected the king, he is the king’s enemy and the king’s enemies will be killed.

Application

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I have accepted the gift of salvation by acknowledging Jesus as king. I must use my talents and abilities that he has given to me. My focus should be on his kingdom.

Prayer

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Father I pray that you will be pleased with my use of the abilities and resources that you have given me. I will rely on the Holy Spirit for the power to use them.

Where Is Your Heart?

Scripture

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15 One day some mothers brought their babies to him to touch and bless. But the disciples told them to go away.

16,17 Then Jesus called the children over to him and said to the disciples, "Let the little children come to me! Never send them away! For the Kingdom of God belongs to men who have hearts as trusting as these little children's. And anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith will never get within the Kingdom's gates."

18 Once a Jewish religious leader asked him this question: "Good sir, what shall I do to get to heaven?" 19 "Do you realize what you are saying when you call me 'good'?" Jesus asked him. "Only God is truly good, and no one else. 20 "But as to your question, you know what the Ten Commandments say--don't commit adultery, don't murder, don't steal, don't lie, honor your parents, and so on." 21 The man replied, "I've obeyed every one of these laws since I was a small child." 22 "There is still one thing you lack," Jesus said. "Sell all you have and give the money to the poor--it will become treasure for you in heaven--and come, follow me."

23 But when the man heard this he went sadly away, for he was very rich. 24 Jesus watched him go and then said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God." 26 Those who heard him say this exclaimed, "If it is that hard, how can anyone be saved?" 27 He replied, "God can do what men can't!"

28 And Peter said, "We have left our homes and followed you." 29 "Yes," Jesus replied, "and everyone who has done as you have, leaving home, wife, brothers, parents, or children for the sake of the Kingdom of God, 30 will be repaid many times over now, as well as receiving eternal life in the world to come."

31 Gathering the Twelve around him he told them, "As you know, we are going to Jerusalem. And when we get there, all the predictions of the ancient prophets concerning me will come true. 32 I will be handed over to the Gentiles to be mocked and treated shamefully and spat upon, 33 and lashed and killed. And the third day I will rise again." 34 But they didn't understand a thing he said. He seemed to be talking in riddles. Luke 18:15-34 (Living)

Observation

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Jesus teaches three times in this chapter about the requirements of the Kingdom of God:
· A trusting heart full of faith like a child has for his parents
· A heart with the correct attitude
· Jesus has to make the way available to us

It is amazing how much faith a child has for a parent, the child will do things and go places that they could never do alone. That’s how we should be about following God, wherever we are asked to go and whatever he ask us to do we should be able to do with Him by our side. Sometimes the parent doesn’t give the child any information about what or where but the child still believes.

It is time to go back to the lessons of Luke 12 again. A really good man comes to Jesus and wants a guarantee that he has been good enough to get into the Heaven. Well he had been pretty dog gone good but he had an attitude problem, just like almost every other good Pharisee. Jesus even gave the man a great deal “Sell all you have and give the money to the poor--it will become treasure for you in heaven” you still get to have treasure but first help these poor people and show me where your heart is. Remember what Jesus said “ Wherever your treasure is there your heart and thoughts will also be.”

None of this talk about getting into Heaven would be possible if it were not for Christ making it available to us through His suffering. No man was treated with so much contempt and scorn because the Prince of this world was making his final attack on our Messiah but it did him no good for in three days he rose from the grave, exactly like he said that he would do!

Application

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I will follow with a blind faith and do as you ask me to do.

Prayer

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I will do my best to trust you and follow wherever, even when you do not supply the answers about where we are going. Thank you for meeting my needs and allowing me to help meet other peoples needs from the riches you have given to me. Thank you for loving me and making the way for us to have a relationship.

One Month To Live

Scripture

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Luke 17:26-30  "When I return the world will be as indifferent to the things of God as the people were in Noah's day. 27 They ate and drank and married--everything just as usual right up to the day when Noah went into the ark and the Flood came and destroyed them all.

28 "And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot: people went about their daily business--eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building-- 29 until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and brimstone rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Yes, it will be 'business as usual' right up to the hour of my return.

Luke 21:34-35  "Watch out! Don't let my sudden coming catch you unawares; don't let me find you living in careless ease, carousing and drinking, and occupied with the problems of this life, like all the rest of the world." 

Observation

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We don’t know how many days that we have on this earth or if the Lord will return before we leave this world but either way we need to live beyond the ordinary. We need to live above the mediocre and “careless ease and preoccupied with the problems of life”.

I get discouraged when I see the apathy and numbness to God especially in the men of our churches. But it isn’t anything new to God, he has been treated that way since the beginning of time. I suppose that even Adam didn’t have the passion for God and was unconcerned when he compromised. The great men of the Bible lived with passion for God and were not afraid of what the world might do to them, the life of ease that we have breeds the sin of apathy that we must rise above. How would we live if we only had one month to live?

Business as usual is how we conduct our lives and it is how we do church. Our mediocre routines attempt to keep our lives simple and easy which is what we desire when we are “occupied with the problems of this life.”

Application

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I want to live my life above the ordinary and live above the problems of this life.

Prayer

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I pray that I will live above the ordinary as if it were my last day. I pray for the men of our church, that they will lead their families beyond the ordinary. Please give us a passion for you!

They Just Will Not Listen

Scripture

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Luke 16:14,19-31  The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, naturally scoffed at all this.

19 "There was a certain rich man," Jesus said, "who was splendidly clothed and lived each day in mirth and luxury. 20 One day Lazarus, a diseased beggar, was laid at his door. 21 As he lay there longing for scraps from the rich man's table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. 22 Finally the beggar died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham in the place of the righteous dead. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and his soul went into hell. There, in torment, he saw Lazarus in the far distance with Abraham.

24 " 'Father Abraham,' he shouted, 'have some pity! Send Lazarus over here if only to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in these flames.' 25 "But Abraham said to him, 'Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted and you are in anguish. 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us, and anyone wanting to come to you from here is stopped at its edge; and no one over there can cross to us.'

27 "Then the rich man said, 'O Father Abraham, then please send him to my father's home-- 28 for I have five brothers--to warn them about this place of torment lest they come here when they die.' 29 "But Abraham said, 'The Scriptures have warned them again and again. Your brothers can read them anytime they want to.' 30 "The rich man replied, 'No, Father Abraham, they won't bother to read them. But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will turn from their sins.' 31 "But Abraham said, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't listen even though someone rises from the dead. "'

Observation

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What an indictment against the Pharisees, here again is a rich man with the wrong attitude about his wealth; he represents the Pharisees with his cold heart and indifference to those that are suffering around him. The Pharisees should have understood the parallel between the rich man and themselves, but once again Jesus teaching offended them but they were not ready to change.

The Pharisees missed the Savior and would end up in Hell just like the rich man that saw Lazarus suffering just outside his door. In torment they will find out that there are not any second chances, as Abraham told the rich man “remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted and you are in anguish and besides, there is a great chasm separating us, and anyone wanting to come to you from here is stopped at its edge; and no one over there can cross to us.”

How awful that he knew what he had missed, he could see the other side to all the splendor of heaven and he didn’t want anybody else to experience the same fate. The rich man begged for his brothers to be given another warning, but Abraham said it was useless because they still would not believe even if someone came back from the dead.

And that fact proved to be true when Jesus did come back from the dead and still the Pharisees did not believe. They had all the facts available to them, the law the prophets and the resurrection from the very person that said that he would arise but they still did not believe it.

Application

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I will not forget that the whole Bible points to Christ and what he saved us from. I will tell others and warn them.

Prayer

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Father I confess that I am not as fearless in sharing your word as I wish to be.

God's Lost And Found

Scripture

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Luke 15:23-24, 31-32  We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has returned to life. He was lost and is found.' So the party began.

31 " 'Look, dear son,' his father said to him, 'you and I are very close, and everything I have is yours. 32 But it is right to celebrate. For he is your brother; and he was dead and has come back to life! He was lost and is found!' "

Observation

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Everybody loves to find something valuable, God finds great value in you and I and when we come to him with humility he is ready to forgive us and take us back into fellowship with him. He is ready to celebrate when we return because we are his most valuable creation.

Just look at how much he loves us!
1 John 3:1  How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

Just look at all the things that he does for us!
Psalms 103:1-5,8-13  I bless the holy name of God with all my heart. 2 Yes, I will bless the Lord and not forget the glorious things he does for me.

3 He forgives all my sins. He heals me. 4 He ransoms me from hell. He surrounds me with loving-kindness and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things! My youth is renewed like the eagles! 8 He is merciful and tender toward those who don't deserve it; he is slow to get angry and full of kindness and love. 9 He never bears a grudge, nor remains angry forever. 

10 He has not punished us, as we deserve for all our sins, 11 for his mercy toward those who fear and honor him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west. 13 He is like a father to us, tender and sympathetic to those who reverence him. 

Application

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I will remember how much love that you have for me and all the many things that you do for me.

Prayer

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Help me to always see your love and how well you treat me, even when life does not seem fair.

Is The Bride Ready

Scripture

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Luke 14:12-24  Then he turned to his host. "When you put on a dinner," he said, "don't invite friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors! For they will return the invitation. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the godly, God will reward you for inviting those who can't repay you." 15 Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, "What a privilege it would be to get into the Kingdom of God!"

16 Jesus replied with this illustration: "A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When all was ready, he sent his servant around to notify the guests that it was time for them to arrive. 18 But they all began making excuses. One said he had just bought a field and wanted to inspect it, and asked to be excused. 19 Another said he had just bought five pair of oxen and wanted to try them out. 20 Another had just been married and for that reason couldn't come.

21 "The servant returned and reported to his master what they had said. His master was angry and told him to go quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and to invite the beggars, crippled, lame, and blind. 22 But even then, there was still room.

23 " 'Well, then,' said his master, 'go out into the country lanes and out behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. 24 For none of those I invited first will get even the smallest taste of what I had prepared for them.' "

Observation

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At the beginning of this chapter it tells us that it is the Sabbath day and Jesus is at the house of a prominent Pharisee where he has just finished healing a man. Jesus is still at the dinner when he turns to the host and tells him that he shouldn’t invite those that have food but he should instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. With a meal your rich friends will reward you but God is willing to offer you an eternal reward (verse 14).

What a privilege it would be to get into the kingdom of God! Many invitations are sent out but there are not many that are prepared however God will fill His table with guest for His feast that he has prepared.

6 Then I heard again what sounded like the shouting of a huge crowd, or like the waves of a hundred oceans crashing on the shore, or like the mighty rolling of great thunder, "Praise the Lord. For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and honor him; for the time has come for the wedding banquet of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. 8 She is permitted to wear the cleanest and whitest and finest of linens." (Fine linen represents the good deeds done by the people of God.)

9 And the angel dictated this sentence to me: "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb." And he added, "God himself has stated this." Rev 19:6-9 (Living)

Jesus bride has prepared herself and she is permitted to wear the cleanest and whitest and finest of linens. The fine linen represents the good deeds that we have done; this is how we prepare the bride for the groom.

Application

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I will seek out ways to do good deeds everyday. I will be prepared for the Lord’s return by doing away with the improper concerns of this world.

Prayer

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Jesus I want to be more concerned for your eternal kingdom than in the temporary, help me to show love to others that need you. I am ready for your return!

Casual Living

Scripture

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Luke 13:22-30  Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" He said to them,24 "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' 26 "Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' 27 "But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'

28 "There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last."

Observations

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Jesus is our door to heaven and the only door to heaven; we must enter through him and not just by association with him but in a sincere one on one relationship.

Some know about him and come around to religious stuff now and then, you know hang out with Jesus like the crowds that packed in around him but that is not going to get us through the narrow door to be a part of the feasting in heaven.

In Luke 12 we talked about making the kingdom our main concern in this life in the way that we use our resources, now we see that the only way into the kingdom is by having an intimate relationship with Him. What better way to prove that you have an intimate relationship with him than to use our time, talent and treasures for his kingdom?

Luke 12:37  There will be great joy for those who are ready and waiting for his return.

Application

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I will have an intimate relationship with Jesus through a daily quiet time and memorizing scripture.

Prayer

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Father I am grateful that you desire a relationship with me, I will take the time each morning to study, meditate and memorize your word.

What God Thinks About Your Stuff

Scripture

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Luke 12:13 – 34

Observation

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The acquisition of earthly treasure is a desire we all have from childhood, it is a desire that we must learn to suppress. I talked about the lack of respect for Jesus that the crowd had back in Luke 7 but this is unreal, a man in the crowd tries to use Jesus for financial gain. Well maybe that isn’t so unreal seeing how prevalent that thinking has become through the centuries.

The give me more attitude that this guy was living by caused him to have a grudge against his older brother. Jesus told him not to be jealous because having all the toys and money isn’t what matters:

Luke 12:15, 23 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

23 For life consists of far more than food and clothes.

These things seem pretty important to us, without them we are pretty unhappy.

Man is always tempted with wanting more, but the writer of Hebrews says that we should be content with what we have because we have something better than money, God is always going to be there for us.


Then Jesus tells us about the man who has an abundance and what he should do with it.

Luke 12:21  "Yes, every man is a fool who gets rich on earth but not in heaven."

How do I get rich in heaven? What should my abundance be used for?

Luke 12:33  Sell what you have and give to those in need. This will fatten your purses in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no rips or holes in them. Your treasures there will never disappear; no thief can steal them; no moth can destroy them.

Fatten your purses in heaven because this life and its riches are temporary,

Luke 12:19-20  And I'll sit back and say to myself, "Friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Wine, women, and song for you" '! 20 "But God said to him, 'Fool! Tonight you die. Then who will get it all?'

This is an opportunity for Jesus to show us the practical application for the message of love that he has been teaching. No better way to show love than with a gift, that is how Christ showed us his love.

1 Peter 1:4  And God has reserved for his children the priceless gift of eternal life; it is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

Just like we saw in verse 33, the purses of heaven have no rips or holes in them.

Everybody likes a gift, but to the person that has unmet needs financially or physically your gift is a demonstration of Christ love and an opportunity to give a witness to how his love has affected you.


Luke 12:31   He will always give you all you need from day to day if you will make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

It matters what we do with all of this stuff because the way we use our money and our stuff affects the kingdom of God. If our primary concern is the kingdom of God, then our attitude towards what we have been blessed with on this earth will change. We cannot look at any of these things the same as the rest of the world; my money, my stuff, my time, my vacations will all be used to build the kingdom of God. When the kingdom of God is our primary concern then we will not be lacking in our day to day needs. You may be thinking vacations? Why not use them for a mission trip.

Application

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I will use my resources of time, talent and treasure for the kingdom of God. I have been blessed with resources that I must use to show God’s love to others.

Prayer

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God I give to you my time, my vacations, my money, my stuff and my talents for you to use.

God Has A Mirror

Scripture

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Luke 11:28 (Living) He replied, "Yes, but even more blessed are all who hear the Word of God and put it into practice."

James 1:19-25 (NIV) Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.

Psalms 119:1-6 (Living) Happy are all that perfectly follow the laws of God. 2 Happy are all that search for God and always do his will, 3 rejecting compromise with evil and walking only in his paths. 4 You have given us your laws to obey-- 5 oh, how I want to follow them consistently. 6 Then I will not be disgraced, for I will have a clean record.

Observations

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There is a great blessing for us to acquire if we hear the word of God and do it, but there isn’t any benefit to hearing God’s word and ignoring it. The word shows us what we are like and who we should be, if we ignore what the mirror of God’s word shows us about ourselves then we don’t have the blessing of God in what we do.

In my study of Luke 6 I asked, “who is your teacher” because Jesus said, “we will be like our teacher.” Is the word of God my teacher or am I listening to somebody else? I remember a situation when I have had Christian friends with good intent give me advice that was not biblical and if I had listened to it I would have hurt my relationship with God. I must not compromise but work toward following God consistently.

Application

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I will search for true happiness by using the mirror of God’s word to show me where I need to change. I will use his mirror daily.

Prayer

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Lord I desire to study your word daily and to be real with you and how you see me in the mirror.

Passion For God

Scripture

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Luke 10:25-42 (Living)  One day an expert on Moses' laws came to test Jesus' orthodoxy by asking him this question: "Teacher, what does a man need to do to live forever in heaven?" 26 Jesus replied, "What does Moses' law say about it?"

27 "It says," he replied, "that you must 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 you must love your neighbor just as much as you love yourself." 28 "Right!" Jesus told him. "Do this and you shall live!" 29 The man wanted to justify his lack of love for some kinds of people, so he asked, "Which neighbors?"

30 Jesus replied with an illustration: "A Jew going on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes and money, and beat him up and left him lying half-dead beside the road. 31 "By chance a Jewish priest came along; and when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Jewish Temple-assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but then went on.

33 "But a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw him, he felt deep pity. 34 Kneeling beside him the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his donkey and walked along beside him till they came to an inn, where he nursed him through the night. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two twenty-dollar bills and told him to take care of the man. 'If his bill runs higher than that,' he said, 'I'll pay the difference the next time I am here.'

36 "Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the bandits' victim?" 37 The man replied, "The one who showed him some pity." Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same."

Observations

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Another test for Jesus we all hated a pop quiz when we were in school, Jesus was getting a quiz everyday. The main theme of this and most all of the quizzes was “The Law vs. Love”, well the law says that I must love but aren’t there some people that I don’t have to love? There must be some fine print, right?

First we have to “love your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.” That is a lot of passion for God, I don’t see that much passion in my life or anybody else around me for God. What would that look like in our church? Why are we just sitting in the pews breathing and nothing else? Why do we not sing with enthusiasm? Why do we walk away saying “that was a nice service?” Why don’t we serve God outside of the four walls of the church? Where is the passion?

The God of the whole big universe loves you and I and suffered to pay our sin debt so that we can have a relationship with Him! How can we dare sit in the pews and grumble about church and not be humbled by this fact? How can we dare not love, live and serve him with passion? As David said “My zeal for God and his work burns hot within me.” Psalms 69:9 (Living)

When we get our love for God straight then we can easily demonstrate love to others as the Samaritan did.

Application

---

I need to have more love for God, to love him intensely and have a heart of love and concern for all people and show them Christ love with random acts of kindness.

Prayer

---

I love you Lord, increase my love for you to be with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my strength, and with my entire mind. I pray that I will always remember the undeserved love that you gave to me and help me to “love your neighbor just as much as you love yourself.”

How To Measure Greatness

SCRIPTURE

23 Then he said to all, "Anyone who wants to follow me must put aside his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross with him every day and keep close to me! 24 Whoever loses his life for my sake will save it, but whoever insists on keeping his life will lose it; 25 and what profit is there in gaining the whole world when it means forfeiting one's self? 26 "When I, the Messiah come in my glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels, I will be ashamed then of all who are ashamed of me and of my words now.”
Luke 9:23-26 (Living)

46 Now came an argument among them as to which of them would be greatest in the coming Kingdom! 47 But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he stood a little child beside him 48 and said to them, "Anyone who takes care of a little child like this is caring for me! And whoever cares for me is caring for God who sent me. Your care for others is the measure of your greatness." 49 His disciple John came to him and said, "Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons. And we told him not to. After all, he isn't in our group." 50 But Jesus said, "You shouldn't have done that! For anyone who is not against you is for you."
Luke 9:46-50 (Living)

For further study: Galatians 5:16 – 6:18, Ephesians 4 - 6

OBSERVATIONS

It is easy to get in the worldly frame of mind and seek to please ourselves with the conveniences and toys that are available in this rich country we live in. It is difficult to carry all those things around and still have the strength to carry our cross as well. Anyone would say that the cross is more important to carry but it is easy to be tempted toward our own pleasure and gain, but what gain is it to obtain this whole temporary world and then lose it all and also lose the eternal?

Self denial is foreign to our human nature yet it is taught by Christ and it is in all of Paul’s writings. The disciples were having a difficult time with the concept and argued who would have the most status in Christ kingdom. He summed it up by stating: “Your care for others is the measure of your greatness."
They still didn’t get it and became jealous that someone outside of their group was doing great things for God. It’s not about me its about God first and then others.

APPLICATION

I need to help others even when it doesn’t feel good,

PRAYER

Lord I pray that I will deny myself of luxury and ease and help others physically by serving them, financially and by showing them Jesus.

Give Up Control

Scripture

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Luke 8:22 – 56  One day about that time, as he and his disciples were out in a boat, he suggested that they cross to the other side of the lake. 23 On the way across he lay down for a nap, and while he was sleeping the wind began to rise. A fierce storm developed that threatened to swamp them, and they were in real danger.

24 They rushed over and woke him up. "Master, Master, we are sinking!" they screamed. So he spoke to the storm: "Quiet down," he said, and the wind and waves subsided and all was calm!25 Then he asked them, "Where is your faith?" And they were filled with awe and fear of him and said to one another, "Who is this man, that even the winds and waves obey him?"


Isaiah 45:9-11,15,24 (Living)  9 Woe to the man who fights with his Creator. Does the pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with him who forms it, saying, "Stop, you're doing it wrong!" or the pot exclaim, "How clumsy can you be!"? 10 Woe to the baby just being born who squalls to his father and mother, "Why have you produced me? Can't you do anything right at all?"

11 Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, Israel's Creator, says: What right have you to question what I do? Who are you to command me concerning the work of my hands?

15 Truly, O God of Israel, Savior, you work in strange, mysterious ways.

24 "In Jehovah is all my righteousness and strength," the people shall declare. And all who were angry with him shall come to him and be ashamed.

Observations

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In the middle of all the chaos and suffering it is difficult to always remember that we know who is in charge of everything. Jesus reveals that he is in control of the natural world, the supernatural world and even authority over life and death.
It is a challenge to let go of our plans and be constantly looking for God’s plan. And who are we to complain and what good comes from getting angry that his plan doesn’t look like what we wanted.

Application

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I have to remember that Rick doesn’t know best, but if I am diligent in prayer and Bible study then God will reveal his will for my life. When it doesn’t make sense I just need to remember “This plan of mine is not what you would work out, neither are my thoughts the same as yours! For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than yours, and my thoughts than yours.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (Living)

Prayer

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Jesus may I remember who you are and the power that you can have in my life if I will allow you to take control. Let everything that I do in my personal life and in ministry be the plan that you have made for me to accomplish.

Are You Worthy

Scripture

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Luke 7:1-10 (Living)

1 When Jesus had finished his sermon he went back into the city of Capernaum. 2 Just at that time the highly prized slave of a Roman army captain was sick and near death. 3 When the captain heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. 4 So they began pleading earnestly with Jesus to come with them and help the man. They told him what a wonderful person the captain was.
"If anyone deserves your help, it is he," they said,5 "for he loves the Jews and even paid personally to build us a synagogue!"

6-8 Jesus went with them; but just before arriving at the house, the captain sent some friends to say, "Sir, don't inconvenience yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of any such honor or even to come and meet you. Just speak a word from where you are, and my servant boy will be healed! I know, because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my men. I only need to say 'Go!' and they go; or 'Come!' and they come; and to my slave, 'Do this or that,' and he does it. So just say, 'Be healed!' and my servant will be well again!"

9 Jesus was amazed. Turning to the crowd he said, "Never among all the Jews in Israel have I met a man with faith like this." 10 And when the captain's friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.

Observations

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The Captain has a sick servant that was very important to him, he has heard about Jesus and sends some Jewish elders to ask Jesus to come and heal his slave. The crowd told Jesus what a good man the captain is and that he deserves Jesus help. The captain probably had a nice home, servants, power and good character but later he sends messengers to Jesus and tells him that he is not worthy to have Jesus come to his home.

The crowds that always followed Jesus did not demonstrate the faith or the respect for Jesus that the captain had. He knew his status next to Jesus was very low no matter how rich, powerful or popular he was.

Application

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I have to remember that I am just filthy rags but God still chooses to love and care for me.

Prayer

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Keep me humble Lord cause I don't deserve to have you care for me.