Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

Todaywe are continuing to look at Luke 23. In this chapter, we read about the trial,the crucifixion, and the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus loves us so muchthat He gave His life on the cross of Calvary. In this chapter, we see mendoing their worst and at the same time, we see God giving His best. I rememberthat verse in Romans 5:20, “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”.In the darkness of that hour, in the darkness of sin all around on planetearth, and especially there in Jerusalem as men are crucifying the Lord JesusChrist, the grace of God is abounding because God is pouring out His lovethrough the death of His Son on the cross of Calvary.  Jesusdidn't just happen to die. In John 10:17-18, Jesus said, “Therefore MyFather loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No onetakes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, andI have power to take it again. This command I have received from MyFather."  Acts 2:23 affirms thatthe crucifixion of Christ was by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge ofGod. Jesus was the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world (1Peter 1:20, Revelation 13:8).  Aswe look at the first five verses of this chapter, we see Jesus coming on trialbefore Pilate. He has already faced three trials with the Jews during thenight. Now, somewhere between 6:00am in the morning and 9:00am, when Jesus wascrucified, this trial before Pilate takes place on Friday morning. PontiusPilate is an interesting person. This is the first encounter Jesus has withsomeone in this chapter as far as the trial and His death on the cross areconcerned. Pilate was the governor of Judea from AD 26 to AD 36, after which hewas recalled to Rome and passed out of Roman history. Pilate was hated by theJews, and it appears he hated them as well. When Jesus is hung on the cross,Pilate has a sign put over His head: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”He did this to provoke the Jews, who denied that Jesus was their King.  Jesusis taken inside the Praetorium to be tried before Pilate. The Jews are outsidein the courtyard because they cannot enter without defiling themselves for thePassover (John 18:28). Jesus is in this room, and Pilate interrogates Himindividually, personally. In Matthew 27:18-19, it says Pilate knew that theyhad handed Him over because of envy. In his handling of the trial of Jesus, thegovernor proved to be indecisive. The Gospel of John records seven differentmoves that Pilate made as he went out to meet the people and then went in toquestion Jesus (John 18:29, 33, 38; 19:1, 4, 9, 13). He kept looking for aloophole, but he found none. Pilate has gone down in history as the man whotried Jesus Christ, three times declared Him not guilty, and yet crucified Himjust the same. Itwas obvious Pilate understood some of the situation with Jesus and the Jews,knowing it was because of their hatred for Him, not because He had broken anyRoman laws that would demand execution. While Pilate was sitting on thejudgment seat, his wife also sent a message to him, saying, “Have nothing todo with that just Man, for I've suffered many things today in a dream becauseof Him” (Matthew 27:19).  Pilateis convinced He's not guilty and proclaims this at least three times in thegospel accounts. But the Jews are determined to have Him crucified. In the end,Pilate makes no decision, saying, “I wipe my hands of the guilt of this justMan.” My friend, indecision is the worst decision; it is the fatal choice.Jesus says, “You're either with Me or you're against Me.”  Wemust decide for Jesus even today—whether we'll accept Him as our Savior or denyHim as the Son of God and reject Him as our Savior. What is your choice? Godbless!

Todaywe are moving on to a new chapter, Luke 23. This chapter tells us about thetrial of Jesus and His crucifixion and death on the cross. We believe this isone of the great chapters of the Bible, along with the other Gospel accounts ofJesus giving His life on the cross for you and me. This is the climax of humanhistory where God Himself literally goes to a cross and pays the payment forour sins. Several things stand out as we look at this chapter.  Tounderstand the setting, let's remember Jesus has been up all night long. OnThursday, Jesus prepared for the Passover meal with the disciples. Thatevening, they observed and ate the Passover meal in the Upper Room. In John 13through John 17, Jesus is talking to His disciples, preparing them with somelast words, giving them the comfort of the Holy Spirit who will come after Hehas ascended to heaven. So many things are taking place. Judas goes out intothe night to get the temple guard to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Thenafter Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper, they sing a hymn.  Jesusgoes deeper into the Garden, and there He prays those three prayers: "NotMy will but Thine be done." He says, "Take this cup from Me."That cup, we believe, represented the sins of all humanity, and Jesus wouldbecome sin for us. In the middle of the night, Judas shows up at the gardenwith a guard from the temple and arrests Jesus. They take Him to Annas's house,then to Caiaphas's house, and finally, as the sun rises and Peter has deniedthe Lord three times, they take Jesus to the Sanhedrin, where He is triedunfairly for the third time by the Jews.  Nowhere in Luke 23, we read that in the early morning hours, after the Sanhedrincondemns Him, they take Him to Pilate. We know that Jesus was crucified at thethird hour, which would have been 9:00 in the morning. At the sixth hour of Hiscrucifixion, three hours into the cross, the sun refused to shine. It wentdark. For the next three hours, until 3:00 in the afternoon, the sun did notshine. We're convinced that during those hours, Jesus paid the full payment forour sins. Over all six hours, Jesus is paying the price on the cross. We'lltalk about the seven sayings of Christ later, but here we see Jesus paying thefull price for our sin, being the propitiation for them, satisfying the wrathof God against the sins of humanity.  Jesusfulfilled the law as the innocent Lamb of God and fully paid for our sins,declaring in His last words on the cross, "It is finished." All thisbegins at 9:00 in the morning when Jesus is crucified. What we read now in Lukechapter 23, as He goes before Pilate for three different trials, happenssomewhere between the early morning hours of the Sanhedrin trying Him and Hiscrucifixion at 9am.  Canyou imagine how physically, emotionally, and mentally worn-out Jesus must havebeen during this time?  Oh,what a Savior! When we study this chapter, we will see both the evilness of menand the goodness of God. I can't help but think about that tree in the Gardenof Eden, called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God forbadeAdam and Eve to eat from. When they ate of it, they brought sin into the world.Now we are reminded of that tree again because Jesus will die and be hung on atree—a tree that represents the knowledge of good and evil.  Therewe see the great love of God, the goodness of God, the mercy of God, thewonderful sacrifice of God at that cross. At the same time, we see evil mencrucifying the most innocent, precious, sinless, blameless, stainless Son ofGod on that cross. Oh, what a scene. As we look at Luke chapter 23, I trustyou'll read it through several times and take into your heart all that Jesusdid for you and me. God bless!

Today I want to focus on how Jesus suffered and how He faced that suffering andwhat we can learn from His example. Peter 2:19-24 tells us: For to this you were called, because Christalso suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:  "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceitfound in His mouth"; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return;when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judgesrighteously; Thisshould teach us that Jesus has given us an example and that we should follow inHis steps concerning His suffering. When He was reviled, He reviled not again.He did not open His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. How can wedeal with suffering? I think first we must understand that suffering is a factof life. There is no way to avoid suffering in this world. It's all a part ofthe original sin curse. The curse that came upon Adam and all the fallencreatures, you and I. And we are going to face in this world tribulation andsuffering. It doesn't matter whether we're a believer or not a believer.Suffering is a fact of life. It's going to be there.  Buthow can we face it? How can we deal with it? It comes in so many differentforms: physically, mentally, emotionally, with all the abuse today that goes onin our families, in our world, it's there. So, how do we deal with it? What canwe learn from Jesus. How did Jesus endure His suffering? Here you see them accusingHim. They're mocking Him. They're striking Him, blindfolded Him, and justtotally knocking Him around and speaking blasphemous things against Him, itsays. And then they say, "If You're the Christ, tell us." But He saidto them, "If I tell you, you won't believe." And He said, "Also,if I ask you, you'll by no means answer Me or let Me go."  Andthen Jesus makes this statement here: “Hereafter the Son of Man will sit onthe right hand of the power of God.". This statement reveals how Jesusfaced His suffering. Hebrews 12:1-3 tells us that “we are to look untoJesus, the author, the finisher of our faith. Who for the joy that was setbefore Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at theright hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such hostility fromsinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.”  Inthe midst of our suffering we look to Jesus, as He's going through thissuffering, going through this rejection, going through this physical pain atthis point, what does He do? He looks to the time He'll receive the glory ofthe Father's throne. He'll be seated next to Him. And for the joy of sittingnext to the Father and seeing the fruit of His suffering in the salvation ofmillions and millions and millions of redeemed souls, He endures the suffering.He faces it. He goes through it. He accepts it.  Nowmy friend, that's how we do it. We look forward. The Bible says in Romans 8:18,“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to becompared to the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Peter later wouldwrite about it in 1 Peter 5:9-11: “Resist him (the devil), steadfast in thefaith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood inthe world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory byChrist Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen,and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Yes,it is after our suffering, that we are prepared for the glory of God. We lookpast the suffering to the time there will be no more suffering. Oh, what a hopewe have because of Jesus Christ. And we'll be seated with Him in heavenlyplaces. I trust these thoughts will encourage you as you think about our Saviorand the example He set for us. Godbless!

Welcometo Pastor's Chat today. It's hard to smile as we begin this chat, thinkingabout what took place this past Friday in Texas with the death of so manychildren and others as those devastating floods hit that state. First, let mejust say I was raised in Texas. I was born in Dallas and lived my first tenyears of life in Texas. All my cousins, aunts, and uncles on both my mother'sand father's sides of the family, which were large families, dozens and dozensof cousins, aunts, and uncles, still live in Texas. It's a dear state. It's awonderful place, and our hearts go out to those who have lost these precious,precious children and other loved ones that have died in this flood. Now,I know we all ask that question: Why would a loving God allow anything likethis to take place? The devil gets on our shoulder and gives us the wronganswers to that question and tells us God doesn't love us. God doesn't care.But that's the furthest thing from the truth. There are so many things wecannot understand. I can't understand when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, andafter He and His parents fled to Egypt, Herod the Great went to the same areaand killed all the male children up to the age of two years old, trying hisbest to make sure he killed the next potential king of Israel. It says thatRachel wailed; all the parents there, great wailing took place as this despotkilled all these children (Matthew 2:16-18). I don't understand that this isallowed to take place and be associated with the birth of Jesus Christ comingto earth to save us from our sins, to give us eternal life.  AsI sat in church on Sunday and thought about what has happened this weekend, Ijust wanted to cry. It affects us. I have four granddaughters who have beenwith us the last several days, and they're precious girls. I can't imaginelosing one of them. And yet, with this tragedy in Texas, so many have beenlost, and we wonder why this would happen. Well, let me just answer thequestion by saying we might not understand why. We might not understand why Godwould allow it, but I can tell you this: God has proven His love to us. For Godso loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Romans 5:8 reminds us ofthis: “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for uswhile we were still sinners.” Thepassage before us today shows us what love God has given us through His Son,Jesus Christ. "Now the men who heldJesus mocked Him and beat Him. And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him onthe face and asked Him, saying, "Prophesy, who is the one who struckyou?" You can imagine this. Here's the Son of God. Here's the perfect Lambof God. Here is a man who never sinned, neither was there any guile in Hismouth. One who loved the people, cared for the children, healed the sick, raisedthe dead, gave sight to the blind, fed the hungry. Someone who laid down Hislife, came from the glories of heaven, became a human being, lived as aservant, washed His disciples' feet, and they're doing this to Him. They'remocking Him and saying, if you're the Son of God, you should know what my nameis. They mocked Him asking “who struck you”, and many other things that wedon't even know about.  Thenthey all said, "Are you then the Son of God?" So He said to them,"You rightly say that I am." Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. So whenyou hear these cults and others tell you Jesus never claimed to be the Son ofGod, they must be overlooking these verses.Jesusis the Son of God. God loves us. Christ died for us. He went through tremendoussuffering because of His love for us. Don't ever question that. Yes, we canquestion why things happen we might not understand, but we can believe and beassured that God loves us today (John 3:16).  Let'sbelieve this and let's be praying for these families that are going throughthis terrible tragedy in Texas. Godbless!

Thequestion I have today is, what will it take for the Lord to bring you torepentance, to call you back to Himself, for you to recognize your failure justas Peter did? Well, God used a rooster to get Peter's attention after he haddenied the Lord three times. You might remember in the Old Testament, God useda donkey to talk to Balaam to get his attention and remind him he was going inthe wrong direction. What will the Lord use to get your attention to say,"Hey, you're headed in the wrong direction. You need to listen to Me andremember My word." Well, that's what we find here in these last verses 54-62. AtPeter's third denial he used an oath and said, "I don't know the Man! Idon't know what you are talking about!" It was then that the roostercrowed for the second time and the Lord's prediction was fulfilled (Mark14:30). At that moment, Jesus, being led away to the next trial, turned andlooked at Peter; and His look broke Peter's heart. While the bystanders werewatching Jesus, Peter slipped out and went off and wept bitterly. It is toPeter's credit that all the Lord had to do was look at him to bring him to theplace of repentance. Forone rooster to crow at the right time while the other birds in the cityremained silent was certainly a miracle. But the crowing of the rooster wasmuch more than a miracle that fulfilled our Lord's words; it was also a specialmessage to Peter, a message that helped to restore him to fellowship again.What encouragements did the crowing of the rooster give to the Apostle Peter? First,it was an assurance to him that Jesus Christ was still in control of thingseven though He was a prisoner, bound and seemingly helpless before His captors.Peter could recall witnessing his Lord's authority over the fish, the winds,and the waves, and even over disease and death. No matter how dark the hour wasfor Peter, Jesus was still in control! This is good for us to remember too, especiallywhen we have fallen so far away from the Lord back into the world, Jesus isstill on His throne and has total control of everything that concerns our lifeand future. Second,the crowing of the rooster assured Peter that he could be forgiven. Peter hadnot been paying close attention to the Word of God. He had argued with it,disobeyed it, and even run ahead of it, but now he "remembered the wordof the Lord" (Luke 22:61), and this brought him hope. Why? Becausewith the word of warning was also a promise of restoration! Peter would beconverted and strengthen his brethren.  (Luke 22:31-32). We should remember that “theLord ever lives to make intercession for us” (Hebrews 7:25). We also shouldbe encouraged with 1 John 2:1. Finally,the miracle of the rooster told Peter that a new day was dawning, for afterall, that is what the rooster's call means each day. It was not a new day forJudas or for the enemies of the Lord, but it was a new day for Peter as herepented and wept bitterly. "A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thouwilt not despise" (Ps. 51:17). On Resurrection morning, the angel senta special message to encourage Peter (Mark 16:7), and the Lord Himself appearedto Peter that day and restored him to fellowship (Luke 24:34). Eachone of us, at one time or another, will fail the Lord and then hear (in one wayor another) "the crowing of the rooster." Satan will tell usthat we are finished, that our future has been destroyed, but that is not God'smessage to us. It was certainly not the end for Peter! His restoration was socomplete that on the Day of Pentecost he was able to say to the Jews, "Butyou denied the Holy One and the Just!" (Acts 3:14) Peter did not have1 John 1:9 to read, but he did experience it in his own heart. So the question,what will it take to get your attention? The rooster crowed and Peterremembered the word of the Lord. Will you? Godbless!

Todaywe're looking at Luke chapter 22:54-62. Here we see Peter's steps to failure. Wecan look at what he did and how he got to where he would deny the Lord and evencurse and swear. And then we can apply these things to our lives and learn howwe can stand strong in the face of temptation by looking at his steps tofailure. Remember, a couple days ago we said Peter's first step was pride.Peter had just said, "Though all these others fail you and though theystumble and though they deny you and run from you, not me. I'll die withyou." What pride to say that in front of the other disciples? Can youimagine how they must have felt when Peter said that as he compared himself tothem?  Secondly,we see that Peter in the garden failing to heed the warning of Jesus to “watchand pray”. Instead of watching and praying, Peter was sleeping. When we getpride in our heart, we don't think we need to pray like we should. We can skipprayer. We can skip Bible reading. We can skip church. We can choose otherthings over those things that keep us close to the heart of God in our worship.And so the second thing is he did not watch and pray. He was sleeping. That'sthe problem with America today. Too many Christians are asleep at the wheel.They're asleep. They're not committed to doing those things that keep themclose to the heart of God.  Thethird thing we see is Peter has now developed a wrong attitude. He decided toattack the mob with a sword when they grabbed Jesus. He tried to fight thespiritual battle in the flesh. And he had the wrong weapon. My friend, ourweapons are not carnal, but they're mighty through God to the pulling down ofstrongholds. Yes, if you fail to pray, it won't be long till you have a wrongattitude. Remember Jesus had just said in the Upper Room a few hours earlier, “Thatwithout Me you can do nothing. Abide in Me and let My words abide in you. Youcan ask what you will and it'll be done unto you.” But of course Peterforgot about that.  Pleaseread the above verses again (vv. 54-62). The fourth thing we see is that Peterfollowed at a distance. That's the fourth thing we see is that “Peterfollowed at a distance” (v.54). When you have pride in your heart, whenyou fail to watch and pray, and when you have a wrong attitude, it won't belong till you follow Jesus at a distance. from afar.  Thefifth thing we see is Peter sitting by the fire of the enemy (vv. 55-56). He'swarming himself at the enemy's fire. It's interesting how as we go down thesesteps away from the Lord, and begin to follow Him at a distance, that we then expectthe world to give us the comfort we need and the protection we need. And he'swarming himself at the enemy's fire. We try to use the things of the world tofind comfort and warmth in our heart and satisfaction, but that's the wrongplace to look.  Nexta little servant girl confronts and accuses Peter and he responds “Woman Ido not know Him.” Then a man accuses Peter of being with Jesus with Him, butPeter said, "Man, I am not." Then after an hour had passed,another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was withHim, for he is a Galilean." But Peter said, "Man, I do not knowwhat you're saying."  Let'slook at this closely in our own lives and make sure that we're not following ata distance, warming ourselves at the enemy's fire, have pride in our hearts,depending on the wrong weapons. Matthew's Gospel tells us that Peter then beganto curse and swear (Matthew 26:74). Peter goes back to his old ways. And that'sexactly what happens when we get away from God. We begin to sound like and looklike the world.  Maythe Lord help us and save us from these steps of failure.  Godbless.

Happy Fourth of July. I pray today that you'll have theopportunity to celebrate America with millions of other people. We have been soblessed to be able to live in the greatest nation in the course of humanhistory besides the nation of Israel. An America that was founded on Bibleprinciples. An America that believed, as it was being founded by ourforefathers, that we were created by God.  InGod we trust is still on our coins and on our dollar bills and other bills. Myfriend, we are blessed and yet we live in a time when America is sick. We mighteven say, “America is terminally ill.”  TodayI just wanted to take the opportunity to say a few things about America and ourresponse as believers and what it should be as we pray for our country. Today, it'shard to pray, “God bless America”. You can't pray blessings on a country or anation that has wandered away from God and has taken God out of our schools andout of our media and out of our social life and out of our politics.  Itappears that we decided that we would exchange God for the things of thisworld, for material gain, for money, for prosperity, for success, for business,for bigness and all those things. My friend, God will not be set on a shelf. Iwant to remind us what the Scripture says in several verses: Psalm 33:11, "Blessedis the nation whose God is Jehovah, Yahweh." And Jehovah is none otherthan the Lord Jesus Christ. Knowing Him, having a relationship with Him. Morethan anything else America needs God.  ThroughJesus Christ, we can know God, experience God, worship God, and put God firstin our lives. We need God. Blessed is that nation. The Bible says in Psalm9:17, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations thatforget God."  Thereligion of America today seems to be humanism. The worship of man, the worshipof man being a better person, doing good things and even having prosperity andbeing taken. It's all focused on man and finding the answers to our problems inscience and psychology. But when we begin to focus back on God, wonderfulthings can happen in our land and in our country. In Proverbs 14:34 we are toldthat: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people”. Whenwe are doing right things according to the word of God, living by the truth ofGod's principles and His precepts, the Ten Commandments, God, it says He exaltsthe nation. But when we allow sin, that's the transgression of God's word,transgression of God's law. It is a reproach to any people.  Acouple things I want to close with as we think about what can we do. In Psalm11:3, it says, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can therighteous do?" You know, I used to think and read that verse and say,"Wow, we've destroyed the foundations of our country. What can we do? Shouldwe just throw up our hands and quit?" No, my friend, in the last coupleyears the Lord put in my mind and heart we can do something! What can therighteous do? Well, there's another answer.  Wecan pray. We can seek the face of God. We can call on His name. We can turnback to Him. We can pray for America to have a revival, for America to repent, forAmerica to come back to God. That's what we can pray. That's what the righteouscan do when the foundations are destroyed. We can turn back to God. Ephesians5:16 tells us to be "Redeeming the time." “Be wise. Don'tbe unwise, but redeeming the time because the days are evil”. And thatmeans we buy up the opportunities more than ever before.  Wehave great opportunities to help people, to love people, to care for people, toshare the gospel of Jesus Christ. And this is that day to buy up thoseopportunities. People are broken because of sin. And only Jesus can fix them. Today,let's pray for America.We can pray and we can live righteous, holy livesourselves. And may God answer our prayer and bring this country back toHimself.  

Today we're continuing in Luke 22:54-62. In verse 54 it says,"Having arrested Him, they led Him, Jesus, and brought Him into thehigh priest's house, but Peter followed at a distance." So, we'regoing to look at this passage of Scripture over the next several days and talkabout how Peter fell into the temptation of denying the Lord at a time whenJesus crucially needed him to stand up for Him. And we're going to find out whywe, you and I, so often with all the determination of our heart to stand up forJesus, to love Him, to live for Him, yet we still fail. And we're going to seethese steps that led to Peter's failure as we look at this passage ofScripture.  Firstan overview of the next events. Jesus has been arrested in the garden. AfterHis arrest over the next several hours, Jesus actually endured six differenttrials before He was condemned to be crucified: three before the Jews and threebefore the Roman authorities. First, He was taken to Annas, the former highpriest who was an influential man in the nation and who still retained hisformer title (John 18:12-13). Then Annas sent Him to Caiaphas, who was hisson-in-law and the official high priest (Matthew 26:57). Finally, at daybreakon Friday morning, He was tried before the Sanhedrin and found guilty (Luke22:66-71).  TheJews didn't have the right for capital punishment (John 18:31-32). So they thentook Jesus to the Roman authorities to get Him crucified. First, they took Himto Pilate (Luke 23:1-4), who tried to avoid a decision by sending Him to Herod(Luke 23:6-12). Herod sent Him back to Pilate (Luke 23:13-25). When Pilate sawthat he could not escape making a decision, he gave the Sanhedrin what theyasked for and condemned Jesus to die on a Roman cross. Now,it was during the second Jewish trial, the one before Caiaphas, that Peter inthe courtyard denied the Lord three times. So how did it happen? Where did itbegin? How did Peter come to a place where after he had boastfully said,"I will die with You. Though everyone else fails, I won't fail. I'llfollow You even to death. I will not stumble"? (Matthew 26:33). First, letme just tell you, the first step for you and me to go in the wrong directionwith the Lord is to get a heart of pride. Can you imagine Peter amongst the elevenother disciples at this time, making the statement that though all these otherguys around here forsake You and leave You and stumble, I will not stumble?  Myfriend, the first step to falling into temptation and to following the worldand leaving the Lord is pride. The Bible says, "Let a man take heed whenhe thinks he stands, lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12). Pride enters ourheart. We think we're stronger than we are. We think we can do it ourselves,and we then we start comparing ourselves to others and think we're better thanthem. That is a terrible condition to get in. It all started with pride. So, wesee Peter's first step of pride.  Secondly,Peter didn't take the word of Jesus seriously when He said, "Watch andpray." Peter failed to pray. He failed to watch. The hour oftemptation would come and Jesus had warned him that, "The spirit iswilling, but the flesh is weak." The spirit will say, "Oh, I'llnever leave church. I'll never quit reading my Bible. I'll always be the bestChristian ever. I know all these other people, they're not disciplined like Iam. They don't have the commitment and surrender I have to Jesus."  Whenwe have this attitude, we are headed for big failure. Jesus says, "Watchand pray." But instead of watching and praying, we find in theScripture here that Peter was sleeping. Three times the Lord came and woke himup. Yet He continued to sleep. We tend to sometimes forget we can't make itwithout the Lord helping us.  Tomorrowwe will continue to look at the other steps that led to Peter's stumbling anddenying Jesus. May the Lord help us to keep our eyes focused on Jesus all thetime.

Jesushas been praying with His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane when Judasshows up with a “multitude” of the temple guards to arrest Jesus. To get thefull picture of this event, I highly recommend that you read all four Gospelaccounts. John tells us that Jesus “went forth” to meet Judas and those withhim and asked, “Whom are you seeking?” They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth” andJesus said, “I am He”. At those words, God released the radiance of His glory,and it literally knocked Judas and all the mob to the ground (John 18:1-12).  Matthewtells us that this is when Judas gets up and greets Jesus saying, “Hail Master”and then kisses Jesus. Jesus calls him “Friend” and the officers came and “laidhands on Jesus and took Him” (Matthew 26:47-56).Itwas then that the disciples remembered (and misunderstood) His words about thesword (Luke 22:35-38), so they asked Him if now was the time to make use oftheir two swords. Without waiting for the answer, Peter rushed ahead andattacked a man who turned out to be Malchus, a servant to the high priest (John18:10, 26-27). Whydid Peter do this? For one thing, he had to back up the boastful words he hadspoken in the Upper Room (Luke 22:33) and again on the way to the Garden (Matt.26:30-35). Someone rightly said, “Peter had been sleeping when he should havebeen praying, talking when he should have been listening, and boasting when heshould have been fearing. Now he was fighting when he should have beensurrendering!” Petermade a number of serious mistakes when he attacked Malchus with his sword. Tobegin with, Peter was fighting the wrong enemy with the wrong weapon. We mustalways remember that our enemies are not flesh and blood, and they cannot bedefeated with ordinary weapons (2 Cor. 10:3-6; Eph. 6:10-18). In His wildernesstemptations, Jesus defeated Satan with the Word of God (Matt. 4:1-11), and thatis the weapon we must use (Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12). Peteralso revealed the wrong attitude and trusted the wrong energy. While Jesus wassurrendering, Peter was busy declaring war! This reveals that he was dependingon "the arm of flesh." His whole approach to the situation was not atall Christlike (John 18:36) and stands as a good warning to us today. The lostworld may act this way, but it is not the way God's servants should act (Matthew12:19; 2 Timothy 2:24). Jesus had taught His disciples and us that: “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you,and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may besons of your Father in heaven…” (Matthew 5:38-45). Itis just like Jesus to act in grace when others are acting in malice (Psalms103:10). He showed grace to Peter by rebuking his presumptuous sin andrepairing the damage he had done. He showed grace to Malchus, a lowly slave, byhealing his ear, and He showed grace to the whole world by willingly yieldingHimself to the mob and going to Calvary. He did not come to judge but to save(Luke 19:10).  John 3:16-17 reminds us: “For God did notsend His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world throughHim might be saved.” OurLord's last miracle before the cross was not a big flashy thing that attractedattention. It is likely that very few of the men who were there that night evenknew what Peter and Jesus had done. Jesus could have summoned twelve legions ofangels (Matthew 26:53), one legion (6,000 soldiers) for each of the elevendisciples and one for Himself, but He did not. Instead of performing somespectacular feat, He lovingly healed the ear of an obscure slave and thenpresented His hands to be bound. Eachof us must decide whether we will go through life pretending, like Judas; orfighting, like Peter; or yielding to God's perfect will, like Jesus. Today, willit be the kiss of betrayal, the sword of the flesh, or the cup of surrender tothe will of God?Godbless!

Welcometo Pastor's Chat. Today we continue to look at Luke chapter 22. At this point,we're with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He's been praying with three ofHis disciples—Peter, James, and John. They've been sleeping while He's beenpraying. Interestingly,one version says that Jesus said, “Then cometh he to his disciples, andsaith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand,and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us begoing: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.” (Matthew 26:45-46, KJV). I always wondered why Jesus would say,"Sleep on now, rise, let us be going." One of my devotionals pointedout that Jesus is saying, "Okay, wake up. Let it rest. You've beensleeping when you should have been praying. You can't reverse that. You shouldhave been seeking the face of God, watching for the temptation that was goingto come. Now it's too late to do that, so leave it behind you. Rise up, let'sbe going."  Wehave many failures in our lives. We need to let them sleep on, forgetting thethings which are behind and reaching for those things which are before. WhileHe was still speaking to the disciples and encouraging them to get up, Luketells us, "Behold, a multitude, and he who was called Judas, one of thetwelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him." But Jesussaid to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  I'veentitled this devotional "Betrayed with a Kiss." It makes me thinkabout the fact that here is Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Psalms 41:9,tells us that the Psalmist is referring to Jesus when He says, "My ownfamiliar friend who ate bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me."So here is Jesus, a friend of Judas. In fact, one of the Gospels tells us thatHe actually called him friend when he came to betray Him (Matthew 26:57). Jesushas given Judas every opportunity to repent. Yet Judas, with a deceitful heart,with a hypocritical kiss—a sign of affection, love, and respect, which was howa student would greet their rabbi to show honor—comes and betrays Him.  TheGospel of Matthew tells us that Judas had told the group of soldiers and thechief priest, that he would give them a sign saying, “Whomsoever I shall kiss,the same is he, hold him fast" (Matthew 26:48).  He planned on betraying Jesus with a kiss. Howhypocritical is that? He would look like the friend and disciple of Jesus. "Faithfulare the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful"(Proverbs 27:6). Jesussays, "Are you going to betray Me with a kiss?" Don't youthink the Lord says that to you and me today in many ways? We go to church,sing the songs, lift up our hands, praise the Lord, worship with otherbelievers, and maybe even go to the altar and pray. But then we leave thechurch and live for self, the world, or the devil. We are betraying the Lordwith a kiss.  WhenJudas went and asked the chief priest, "How can I betray Jesus?" theyoffered thirty pieces of silver. It was as if he sold his soul to the devil. Weknow that at the supper with Jesus, Satan entered into him. He sold his soul tothe devil. When we make a choice to exchange Jesus for the world, you becomeservants to whom you yield yourselves to obey (Romans 6:16). Jesus on anearlier occasion had said, “This people draw nigh to me with their mouths,and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Matthew15:8).  So,my friend, we don't want to be in the position of a Judas. Make sure that ourkiss for Jesus is truly genuine from our hearts, honoring Him. Let's cling toJesus, just as Ruth did to Naomi. Orpah kissed her and went the other way, backto her gods in Moab, but Ruth clung to Naomi (Ruth 1:14-18). May we cling toJesus today and show Him our love with our life every moment of every day.  Isyour heart close to Jesus today or is it far away?Godbless!

The Garden of Gethsemane is a beautiful, awe-inspiringplace, a place of holy ground, we believe. There, our tour group will gatheraround an old olive tree that I'm sure does not date back to the time of Christ2,000 years ago. The Romans probably destroyed the Garden when they destroyedJerusalem in AD 70 when Titus invaded the city and no doubt destroyed all thetrees around it. But this tree could have grown from the roots of the treesthat were in the garden when Jesus was there.  Todaythe Garden of Gethsemane is next to the Church of the Nations. It is still avery special and holy place. We might not be able to go to Jerusalem today and physicallyenter the Garden of Gethsemane, but by going into the Word of God and lookingat these scriptures that we're studying now we can still experience the realityof a loving and courageous Savior and enjoy His presence wherever we are. Aswe've gone through this passage, and also read the other Gospel accounts ofthis scene, so many things stand out that grab my attention, but one that's standsout is from Dr. Luke. Remember, Luke was a physician writing the Gospel ofLuke. His is the only gospel that mentions an angel strengthening the Lord, buthe's also the only gospel that mentions what we read in verse 44, "Andbeing in agony, Jesus prayed more earnestly."  I'mbelieving this is probably the third time that Jesus, after being strengthenedby the angel, goes back to that place, that rock where He's praying, kneelingbefore the Father, and He's praying more earnestly in great agony. Then Lukepoints out, "Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling tothe ground." When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, God put a curseon the ground and told him, By the sweat of your brow, you will have to work theground to bear any fruit, to eat (Genesis 3:17-19). Now Jesus, the second Adam,is in the garden, and He is submitting to the will of God, where the first Adamwas disobedient and brought sin and death into the world. Jesus is obedient,and He's bringing life and the Holy Spirit into the world. So, what we see herein verse 44 is this mention of sweat and blood falling to the ground fromJesus.  Sometell us that there's a rare physical phenomenon known as hematidrosis, undergreat emotional distress, tiny blood vessels can rupture in the sweat glandsand produce a mixture of blood and sweat. We're not sure exactly if this issymbolically written here or if it's literal. I tend to believe it was literalbecause the blood of Jesus testifies to who He is, and the blood of Jesus hadto be shed. There's a verse in Hebrews 9:14, that says, "How much moreshall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himselfwithout spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve theliving God."  Theblood of bulls and goats could only cover sin temporarily in the Old Testamentas a sacrifice, showing that we're looking forward to the sacrifice of JesusChrist. Hebrews says that through the eternal Spirit, and by His Spirit, oh myfriend, you and I need to grasp the meaning of the Holy Spirit being a part ofJesus giving Himself, yielding Himself and shedding His blood. If we are tolive a life that honors God, we need the anointing, the moving, the fullness,and the filling of the Holy Spirit upon us to do what we need to do every day.  Weeither live after the flesh or we live after the Spirit (Romans 8:1-11;Galatians 6:8). The flesh is weak, the Spirit is willing. God's Holy Spiritempowers our spirit to do the will of God. Jesus, through the eternal Spirit,gave and shed His blood that you and I might be cleansed by His blood.  We need to have cleansing of sin every day (1John 1:7-9). I trust you'll trust Him for that today.  Theseare wonderful lessons from the mysteries of Gethsemane. I trust you'll applythem to your life today.

Today,we're continuing to look at the mysteries of Gethsemane in Luke 22:40-46. Jesus is preparing for that hour, the hour that He willlay down His life on the cross for the sins of the world. Literally, when Satandoes everything he can to keep Him from the cross. But what the devil means for badand evil, the Bible tells us, God often means for good.   The first Adam, who should never have sinned, sinned andbrought sin into the world. But the second Adam, Jesus Christ, as 1 Corinthianschapter 15 tells us, is the only One who is able to take away the sins of theworld, as John chapter 1 states. HereJesus is in the garden, and this passage, unique to Luke's gospel, says that anangel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. Jesus is praying,He's facing a tremendous trial—mentally, emotionally, physically,spiritually—it's overwhelming. Yet Jesus, the Son of God, has an angel helpHim, strengthen Him. I can't help but meditate and think about this but admit Idon't understand it totally. Jesus was all God; yet at the same time, He wasall human, and His humanity needed strengthening as He faced the cross, thecruelties, and the slander. He came to His own, but His own received Him not.He was rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He said alreadythat He was overwhelmed with sorrow.  Tomorrowwe are going to talk about the prayer where He prays and then the sweat and theblood seem to flow from Him. But today, Jesus is there at the cross, goingthrough this ordeal of great sorrow. He's pouring out His soul to the Father, "NotMy will, but Thy will be done. Take this cup from Me." He's facingthat trial, that temptation that we face as human beings to do our will, to dowhat we want to do. But Jesus was committed to the will of God. He always wascommitted. "I came to do Thy will, O My Father." I love how even thisprayer begins with "Father." Jesus often referred to God asFather, and you find that one of the most popular words in the gospel of Johnis "Father." Interestingly,as a side note, John doesn't mention this prayer in the garden of Gethsemane.He mentions the high priestly prayer on the way to the garden somewhere. MaybeJohn chapter 17 is a prayer that Jesus prayed in the garden, but John doesn'ttell us that because after that prayer, it says they left the upper room andwent to the garden nearby, in John 18, and then he goes directly into Judascoming to betray Jesus.  Luketells us that Jesus has an angel come and strengthen Him in the gardenof Gethsemane. Jesus needed that strengthening, and you and I need to bestrengthened. God has many different ways to do this. We need the strength ofother Christians praying for us. We need the strength, comfort, andencouragement of fellowship with other Christians in the church. We definitelydo. But there are times that no one can help us but God Himself, and God cansend ministering spirits, angels, that will take us through that trial, thathard suffering, whatever it is.  I'llnever forget a time when I was in the depths of despair in my life, and I knowthat night I was strengthened by an angel. I don't want to go into the detailsof that, but it was definitely an angel who spoke to me, encouraged me, and Iknew that I heard him say that there were more with me than there were againstme. That's what he told me, and I'm telling you, my friend, God will strengthenyou, and if He needs to do it miraculously with an angel, He will.  That'show He did it with Jesus, and I'm thinking if Jesus needed it, I need it too attimes. I've learned by experience that whenever I am obedient to the will ofthe Father and yield my life to Him and the Holy Spirit, in some wonderful andmiraculous way at the moment I receive His energy and grace for the challengeI'm facing!    Itrust you will continue to meditate on these things and be in awe of your greatGod and Savior Jesus Christ and Father in heaven.

Today,we're continuing to meditate and look atthe scene of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane with His disciples. Remember, Heleft eight of them somewhere—we're not sure where—but took three of them,Peter, James, and John, a little further. Then immediately He told them inverse 40, “Pray that you enter not into temptation.” Now Matthew'sGospel tells us that He also said to them at that time, “Stay here and watchwith Me.” And then He went a little further and fell on His face andprayed.  Weknow that Jesus, when He prayed the first time, said, “Not My will, but Thywill be done,” to the Father, He came back and found the disciples sleeping.Jesus is praying and He asked them to pray. He needs the comfort and assurancethat the disciples are there with Him during His time of trial—His time oflaying down His life, of accepting the cup of sins of the entire humanity. Heneeds that support in prayer. If Jesus needed support in prayer, how much moredo we need support in prayer? Now,these three disciples, instead of praying, all fall asleep. Luke also tells us inverse 45, that He came after He prayed the last time and found them sleepingfrom sorrow. They're overwhelmed with sorrow. Jesus, as He shared the cup ofthe Lord's Supper with them had been telling them, “I'm going to die. This isMy flesh, this is My blood,” and reminded them that the Lamb had to die, and thatHe was the Lamb who was going to die. They're overwhelmed with sorrow. Theyexpected Him to set up His Kingdom, and He's talking about dying. That's why Jesustold them in John 14:1, “Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God,believe also in Me.” Jesus saw the trouble in their hearts, the sorrowthat's overwhelming them. But now, instead of praying, they're sleeping becauseof sorrow.  Twoof the Gospels tells us that their eyes were heavy with sleep (Matthew 26:43;Mark 14:40). They were also overwhelmed with just physical tiredness. Andthat's a bad place for us to get into—where we're emotionally, physically,mentally, and spiritually worn out to the point that we cannot pray. The secondtime when He came and found them sleeping, He said to them, “Watch andpray.” In Matthew 26:41, we read that Jesus also said, “that you enternot into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” RememberPeter's declaration just minutes earlier? “If I have to die with You, I willnot deny You.” (Matthew 26:35). Okay—the spirit is willing. Especially whenwe go to church on Sunday morning and hear the message or the Sunday schoollesson, and we get around God's people, we feel strengthened. We feel strong.And we leave saying, “Man, I'm going to serve Jesus this week. I'm going tolive for Him. I'm not going to go back to those old habits and sins that takeme away from Him, keep me from praying, and keep me from getting up andspending time in the Word with the Lord in the morning.” Andyet, as willing as the spirit is on Sunday, Monday morning comes, and the fleshis weak. Or when the trial and the time of temptation comes—my friend, theflesh is weak. It's weaker than we ever imagined. Peter didn't know himself aswell as he thought he did. And neither do we.  Fromthis experience, Peter later writes in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant;your adversary the devil goes about like a roaring lion.” I'm convinced thedevil was out to kill Jesus there in the Garden of Gethsemane—to keep Him fromthe cross. I mean, the bastions of hell surrounded Jesus as He goes to thecross (Psalm 22:12-13). But Jesus is prepared, He prays three times. He praysand yields in obedience to the will of the Father. The disciples? What are theydoing? Sleeping.So,when the moment of temptation comes, what happens with Peter and the disciples?They all forsake Him and flee. Jesus stands strong, yields Himself as a Lambgoing to the slaughter, and goes with the soldiers to be crucified.

Jesus kneels to pray, saying, "Father, if it is Yourwill, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, bedone."  Thenan angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, Heprayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood fallingdown to the ground. When He rose up from prayer and had come to His disciples,He found them sleeping from sorrow. Then He said to them, "Why do yousleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation." Twice He tells themto pray that they avoid falling into temptation and listening to the lies ofSatan and doing what he wants rather than what God would want. Matthewtells us that He took these three men with Him into the garden. He said tothem, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here andwatch with Me." Matthew's gospel provides more detail about whathappened as Jesus was with these disciples in this time of prayer in the gardenbefore He was arrested by the crowd that came with Judas.  “Hewent a little further and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "O MyFather, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, notas I will, but as You will." Then He came to the disciples and found themsleeping and said to Peter, "What, could you not watch with Me one hour?Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing,but the flesh is weak." Again, a second time, He went away and prayed,saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless Idrink it, Your will be done." He came and found them asleep again, fortheir eyes were heavy. So He left them and went away again and prayed the thirdtime, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them,"Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and theSon of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going.See, My betrayer is at hand." (Matthew 26:36-46) Thisis a powerful passage of Scripture, reminding us of Jesus as He would drink “thiscup” in Gethsemane. The question for many has been: what does this cuprepresent? In my mind, this cup represents the cup of the sins of the world. “Thiscup” represented Jesus receiving and taking sin upon Himself. The Biblesays in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For God made Jesus to be sin for us, whoknew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."  Inother words, Jesus was at this hour where He would literally take upon Himself thesin of all the world. He became that sin. The sinless Son of God, the pure Sonof God, the holy Son of God, was now going to take the sin of the world. Wecan't even fathom what and all of this means, but Jesus took that sin. Hebecame that sin, and of course, His holy divine nature would say, "Please,I can't even begin to comprehend taking this sin."  Yet,Jesus never said, "Take away the cross and it's suffering." No, Heknew He came for this hour. This was the hour that He would pay the price forthe sins of the world. We see this is the cup of suffering spiritually,emotionally, and physically. “This cup” of sin that Jesus says,"Take from Me, but not My will." In other words, He learned obediencethrough suffering as the Scripture says in Hebrews. Philippians 2:8 says, “Andbeing found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient tothe point of death, even the death of the cross.  Jesuswas obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Why? Because Hehumbled Himself. He laid aside His divine powers. The angel came andstrengthened Him. These are powerful passages reminding us what Jesus did foryou and me.  Itrust you'll take them into your heart and live a life of thankfulness,gratefulness, and service to Him as you meditate and think about “thiscup” and what Jesus did for you. Godbless!

When Jesus gets to the garden, He takes three of the inner circledisciples—Peter, James, and John—and goes a little further. Jesusleft eight of the other disciples somewhere else in the garden, and He takesthese three a little further. What's interesting is that this is the third timethat Jesus has shared a special occasion with these three men. The first waswhen Jesus raised Jairus's daughter from the dead in Luke 8:41-56. The secondis when Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration and was transfigured beforethem in Luke 9:28-36. Youunderstand that even on this third occasion in the garden, there's somethingconnected spiritually with all three of these occasions, and that is death.Jesus raised Jairus's daughter from the dead when James, John, and Peter werein the room with Him on that occasion. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, a great Biblepreacher, a British expositor, pointed out that each of these occasions hadsomething to do with death. In Jairus's house, Jesus proved Himself to bevictorious over death. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus was glorifiedthrough death. There, He, Moses, and Elijah were talking about His decease, Hisdeath in Jerusalem, and, of course, His resurrection. Now here in the garden,Jesus is surrendering His life to death. Youremember also that James was the first apostle to die in Acts 12:1-2. John wasthe last to die, probably on the Isle of Patmos or maybe after He got out ofexile and came back to Ephesus. Peter experienced great persecution andeventually was crucified, they tell us, upside down in Rome. These threelessons were no doubt practical for them as they themselves prepared for deathand faced death as they did later. Sowe see Jesus is with these three disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. I wouldreally encourage you to read Matthew 26:36-46. Matthew's gospel, on thisoccasion in verse 37, tells us that He took with Him Peter and the two sons ofZebedee and began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. He said to them,"My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch withMe." Then it says He went a little further. Here in chapter 22 of Luke'sgospel, in verse 41, He withdrew from them about a stone's throw. Ifyou think about that, a stone's throw was basically saying as far as it wouldtake to throw a stone. When the Jewish people were about to kill someone,Jewish execution always took place with a stoning. Luke giving us the distance,“a stone's throw”, was his way of telling us that Jesus was preparing for thatstone's throw, but it wouldn't be a stone's throw; it would be a crucifixionbecause Old Testament scripture prophesied that Jesus would be crucified. Hewould be hung on a cross; He would die in a cruel way; His blood would be shedthat way. SoJesus went about a stone's throw and He knelt down and prayed. Very interesting,Jesus had said to the disciples, "Watch and pray. I need your help; I needyour support during this hour. Watch and pray; be alert; be on the watch. Satanis out to destroy you; Satan is out to hinder us and keep us even from going tothe cross."  Jesusbegan to be very sorrowful. So Jesus asked them to watch and pray. In Matthew'sgospel, He actually did this two times, came back the third time, and said, "ThenHe came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping andresting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed intothe hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand."(Matthew 26:45-46) Soyou see this whole picture unfolds, Jesus is in Gethsemane, pouring out His heartin prayer. Tomorrow we'll talk about what He prayed concerning that cup, thatcup that He prayed, "Take this cup away from Me, nevertheless not My will,but Yours, be done." Today,I trust that instead of being asleep spiritually we are alert, watching andpraying during our trial of temptation! God bless!

On Thursday evening that we're looking at here in Luke chapter 22,Jesus has the Passover meal with His disciples, and there He institutes theLord's Supper. Somewhere between the Passover meal and the institution of the Lord'sSupper, Judas leaves to go gather the soldiers that will arrest Jesus. It is aroundthis same time, Jesus told Peter, "You're going to betray Me threetimes." Now, it is at that point, John 18:1 says, “When Jesus hadspoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, wherethere was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.” In Matthew 26:36, Matthewgives us the name of the garden. “Then Jesus came withthem to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit herewhile I go and pray over there." That'swhat we're looking at in verse 39 of Luke 22: “Coming out, Jesus went to theMount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him”.No doubt, Judas knew that He was going to this place each evening, and that'swhy he went there with the Roman soldiers to arrest Jesus after he had betrayedHim. Youmight ask why is this garden such a significant place for the story of Christ betrayal,arrest and crucifixion? Why did Jesus go to this garden, and why does thisgarden become a place that we need to know about? I think there are so manywonderful things we can learn from this. We must remember that the history ofmankind began in a garden; that's where God created Adam and placed him in agarden in Genesis 2:7-25. Read through that passage and circle the word"in the garden" or "the garden". It'sin the garden of Eden in Genesis chapter 3 that sin enters the world. There yousee Adam and Eve disobeying and rebelling against known will of God and eatingof the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and sin enters theworld. But we also know here we have the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, the Son ofGod, who is the second Adam, according to 1 Corinthians 15:45-47. The firstAdam was disobedient and ate of the fruit that was forbidden, and sin comesinto the human race. It was the second man, Jesus Christ, who submitted to thewill of God. He became obedient even unto the death of the cross, and there inthe garden of Gethsemane, He accepts the cup, the cup of our sins, the cup ofsufferings, and He is willing to go to the cross and die for us and give useternal life. The first Adam brought death in a garden, but the second Adam,Jesus Christ, is the one who brings us life as He submitted to the will of theFather. Howinteresting is that, that it all begins and ends in the garden? Maybe John hadin mind, when he said that Jesus crossed the brook Kidron, he was thinkingabout David in 2 Samuel chapter 15, when Absalom rebelled against him, andDavid loses his throne and leaves Jerusalem with a small remnant of followersand goes across the brook Kidron, fleeing from his son Absalom. Here we seeJesus Christ, the King of the Jews, literally the King of heaven, the King ofeternity; He is rejected, and He leaves Jerusalem and goes across the samebrook Kidron, which means “murky, dark. and enters the garden of Gethsemane. Theword Gethsemane means “olive press”, where the olives would be pressed, and outof it would come the oil that would be used for healing and cooking and for somany different things. In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus Christ drank the cupof our sins; He was pressed; His life was pressed out of Him there in prayer asHe prayed, and willingly laid down His life for usWhatan interesting passage. I trust you'll meditate on these words, and you'll evenmore than ever love your Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave His life for you. Godbless!

Today,we will go back to Luke 22:17-20. It was when the Passover meal was drawing toa close (Matthew 26:25; Luke 22:20) that Jesus instituted the ordinance thatthe church calls "The Communion" (1 Cor. 10:16), or "The Lord'sSupper" (1 Cor. 11:20), or "The Eucharist," from the Greek wordwhich means "to give thanks." ThePassover feast opened with a prayer of thanksgiving, followed by the drinkingof the first of four cups of wine. We believe that this wine was diluted withwater and was not intoxicating. Next they ate the bitter herbs and sang Psalms113-114. Then they drank the second cup of wine and began eating the lamb andthe unleavened bread. After drinking the third cup of wine, they sang Psalms115-118; and then the fourth cup was passed among them. It is likely thatbetween the third and fourth cups of wine, Jesus instituted the Supper. Paulgave the order of the Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. First, Jesus broke apiece from the unleavened loaf, gave thanks, and shared it with the disciples,saying that it represented His body which was given for them. He then gavethanks for the cup and shared it, saying that it represented His blood. It wasa simple observance that used the basic elements of a humble Jewish meal. Jesussanctified the simple things of life and used them to convey profound spiritualtruths. Jesusstated one of the purposes for the Supper: "in remembrance of Me" (v.19: also see 1 Cor. 11:24-25). It is a memorial feast to remind the believerthat Jesus Christ gave His body and blood for the redemption of the world.There is no suggestion in the accounts of the Supper that anything"miraculous" took place when Jesus blessed the bread and the cup. Thebread remained bread and the wine remained wine, and the physical act ofreceiving the elements did not do anything special to the eleven disciples.When we partake, we identify ourselves with His body and blood (1 Cor. 10:16),but there is no suggestion here that we receive His body and blood. Asecond purpose for the supper is the proclaiming of His death until He returns(1 Cor. 11:26). The Supper encourages us to look back with love and adorationto what He did for us on the cross and to look forward with hope andanticipation to His coming again. Since we must be careful not to come to theLord's table with known sin in our lives, the Supper should also be an occasionfor looking within, examining our hearts, and confessing our sins (1 Cor.11:27-32). Athird blessing from the Supper is the reminder of the unity of the church: weare "one loaf" (1 Cor. 10:17). It is "The Lord's Supper"and is not the exclusive property of any Christian denomination. Whenever weshare in the Supper, we are identifying with Christians everywhere and arereminded of our obligation to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond ofpeace" (Eph. 4:3). Forus to receive a spiritual blessing from the Supper, it takes more than merephysical participation. We must also be able to "discern the body" (1Cor. 11:29), that is, see the spiritual truths that are inherent in the breadand the cup. This spiritual discernment comes through the Spirit using theWord. The Holy Spirit makes all of this real to us as we wait before the Lordat the table. Followingthe instituting of the Supper in the Upper Room, Jesus taught His disciplesmany of the basic truths they desperately needed to know in order to haveeffective ministries in a hostile world (John 14-16). He prayed for Hisdisciples (John 17); then they sang a hymn and departed from the Upper Room forthe Garden of Gethsemane. Judas knew they would go there and he would have thearresting officers all prepared. Asyou review this passage, you cannot help but be impressed with the calmness andcourage of the Savior. It is He who is in control, not Satan or Judas or theSanhedrin. It is He who encourages the Apostles! And He is able even to sing ahymn before He goes out to die on a cross!  

Welcometo Pastor's Chat. Today, we're continuing in Luke chapter 22, looking at verses35 through 38. Jesus is with the disciples in the upper room, or in the processof leaving for the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas has already gone to gather Romansoldiers to arrest Jesus and take Him to trial. It's Thursday evening, but inthe Jewish calendar, it's Friday, and Jesus knows He will be crucified. He ispreparing His disciples for this time, having already warned them ofpersecution and tribulation in John chapter 16, saying, “Don't let your heartbe troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. I'm going away, but I'llcome again, and I'm sending the Holy Spirit.” These things were said in theupper room, as recorded in John's Gospel. Now,Jesus is preparing His disciples for spiritual warfare in a new dispensation.After telling Peter in verses 31-34, “…Satan has asked for you, that he maysift you as wheat…. And before the rooster crows you  will deny three times that you know Me”, Jesusnow says in verse 35, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, andsandals, did you lack anything?” They replied, “Nothing.” He's referring towhen He sent the twelve to preach the gospel of the kingdom to the lost sheepof Israel, proclaiming, “The King is here; Jesus the Messiah is here—receiveHim, trust Him, believe Him.” They lacked nothing because God miraculouslyprovided as they preached throughout Israel. ThenHe says, “But now,” signaling a shift to a new time. He's going away, andthey'll be left to take the gospel of grace to the world, not just to Israelbut to the Gentiles. “He who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise aknapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. For Isay to you that this which is written must be accomplished in Me: ‘And He wasnumbered with the transgressors.' For the things concerning Me have an end.”  Jesusis quoting Isaiah 53:12, saying, “I'm numbered with the transgressors. I'mgoing to the cross to pay the price for the sins of the world. Somethingdifferent is coming—I'll be resurrected and leave, but you'll take this gospelto the world.” All things concerning Him will be accomplished; on the cross,His final words, “It is finished,” marked the completion of Hissubstitutionary, atoning work. Jesus is signaling the end of the dispensation ofOld Covenant as He fulfill all the prophesies and the demands of the Law bybecoming the final sacrifice for the sins of the world. He is about to finishthe Old and bring in the New! The disciples, still not grasping His meaning,say, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” Jesus responds, “It is enough,” notmeaning that two swords are sufficient to fight the Roman soldiers inGethsemane, but rather, He was saying, “We're done talking—you'll understandlater.” It was only, after 40 days of studying the Word, and spending time withthe Lord between the resurrection and His Ascension, and 10 more days in  prayers in the Upper Room, and after the HolySpirit came upon them on Pentecost, did they begin to comprehend what Jesus wastalking about.  What Jesus is basically saying to them was,“Set aside the message of the gospel of the kingdom for another time. Now youwill go forth with the sword of the Spirit. You cannot fight this battle in theflesh—it must be through the power of prayer and the Word of God, with the HolySpirit working in and through you.” Whata powerful passage. Remember how Paul said it in 2 Corinthians 10:4, “Forthe weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling downstrongholds.”  And in Philippians3:1-11, Paul proclaimed that he had no confidence in the flesh but in the resurrectionpower of Jesus Christ! Today,let's make sure that we are serving Jesus in the Spirit, not in the flesh. Godbless!

Welcometo Pastor's Chat. Today, we're continuing in Luke chapter 22. The Lord has beenin the upper room with His disciples, sharing the Passover supper. As we'll seetomorrow, He also instituted the Lord's Supper for future generations like youand me. Now, the Lord is leaving the upper room with His disciples and headingto Gethsemane. Judas has already left, as Jesus had just told the disciplesthat one of them would betray Him. Now, the Lord speaks to Peter in verses 31-34. Itis interesting that this word of warning followed the dispute over who was thegreatest! Imagine how the disciples must have felt when they heard that notonly would one of their number betray Him, but that their spokesman and leaderwould publicly deny Him! If a strong man like Peter was going to fail the Lord,what hope was there for the rest of them? Theword you in Luke 22:31 is plural; Satan asked to have all the disciples so hemight sift them like wheat. These men had been with Jesus in His trials (Luke22:28), and He would not forsake them in their trials. This was both a warningand an encouragement to Peter and the other men, and our Lord's prayers wereanswered. Peter's courage failed but not his faith; he was restored tofellowship with Christ and was greatly used to strengthen God's people. Jesusnot only reveals that Judas will betray Him, but He also tells Peter that hewill deny Him. This is a significant passage of Scripture. Here is Peter, thespokesman for the disciples, the strong leader, as seen throughout the Gospelsand the early chapters of Acts, boldly proclaimed his faith, saying that evenif everyone else denies Jesus, he would not.  Severalkey points emerge here. First, Jesus said, "I have prayed foryou," noting that Satan sought permission to sift all the disciples aswheat, to cause them to fail. Satan is after every one of us, wanting us to beineffective as leaders and to deny knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. He would tossus like wheat to be blown away with the chaff, rendering us ineffective in ourwitness, though not losing our salvation. Peterresponds with confidence, saying, "Though all others forsake You, Iwon't—I'll die with You." But Peter didn't know himself as well as hethought. The book of Jeremiah tells us “the heart is deceitful above allthings and desperately wicked; who can know it”? (Jeremiah 17:9). Jesusdidn't pray that Peter would not fail but that his faith would not fail. Satantempts us at our strongest points. Peter's strength was his courage, yet helost it, though he did not lose his faith because the Lord prayed for him.Jesus told him, "When you have turned around, strengthen yourbrethren." Peter'sbold statement reveals his pride and self-confidence, implying he understoodwhy others might forsake Jesus but believed he never would. Yet, as the Lordpredicted, Peter not only forsook Him but denied Him three times. It all beganwith Peter's pride and overconfidence in himself. Again, Peter didn't knowhimself as well as he thought. Satan wants us to fail and often tempts us atour strongest points. Abraham's strength was his faith, yet he faltered, goingto Egypt and lying about his wife, Sarah. Moses, the meekest man on earth, losthis temper with rebellious Israel and forfeited his entry into the Holy Land. Wemust be careful, but remember that Satan cannot tempt us without permission, asseen with Job. We need to remember that our Lord is praying for us, and He willsee us through. And when we turn back from our failure, we have the opportunityto strengthen our brethren, just as Peter did. The main way we can “strengthen ourfellow believers”, is to pray for them like the Lord. And not pray they won'tfail, or not have trouble or persecution, but pray that their faith will not failwhen they falter and stumble.  Godbless!

Today,we're looking at Luke chapter 22:24-30. Jesus has just revealed that Judas isHis betrayer, who went out to gather men to arrest Him and take Him to the highpriest to be crucified. Now, Jesus is still at the table with His disciples,and an astonishing thing happens next. In verse 24, a dispute arises among themabout which of them should be considered the greatest. Thiswas not the first time the disciples had committed this sin (Matt. 20:20-28;Mark 9:33-37; Luke 9:46-48), but in the light of what their Lord had said anddone that evening, this latest exhibition was inexcusable. Perhaps the argumentgrew out of their speculating over who would betray Him, or there may have beensome jealousy over the way they had been seated at the table. When you areinterested in promoting yourself, it doesn't take much to start an argument. It'sremarkable that after Jesus washed their feet, shared the Passover, andannounced His betrayal, the disciples are arguing over who will be the greatestin the kingdom. It still hasn't dawned on them, despite Jesus telling themseveral times—back in Luke chapter 9—that He would be crucified. Their disputebegan even then, on the way to Jerusalem, about who would be the greatest. Ican imagine, with Judas among them, they were all thinking, "I'll besitting next to Jesus in His kingdom, ruling over others." They weretrying to position themselves above one another as disciples of Christ. It'ssad that this happens even in our churches today. As Jesus heard themdisputing, He taught them a lesson: "We're not to be like the Gentiles. Inthe Roman Empire, people promote themselves, legally or illegally, doinganything to gain places of honor, power, and authority." It almost soundslike today—people lie, cheat, steal, and act corruptly to get to the top, evenin the corporate world. Jesus said, "That might be the way of theGentiles, who are called benefactors and given titles of honor, striving to berecognized, to be somebody, to be famous. Yet when they get there, they findit's not what it seems." Jesuscontinued, "It's not going to be that way among My people. I'm theexample—I'm the one who serves." He pointed out that those who sit at thetable are honored, part of the authority, but He had just washed their feet,serving them. "That's how it's to be among you," He said. "In Mykingdom, the greatest is the one who serves."  OswaldChambers put it beautifully, saying we are to be doormats for people. Nobodylikes someone rubbing the dirt off their feet onto you, but Jesus said that'swhat we're to be. I've always thought, if someone rubs their dirt off on me,hopefully they're cleaner now, and thank God I have the opportunity to serve.It's not always easy to have that attitude, but we look to Jesus as ourexample. In His “Sermon on the Mount of Beatitudes” in Matthew 5:44, Jesus taughtus what our response should be to those who step on us: “But I say to you,love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you,and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you”.  Jesusclosed this lesson on servanthood by reminding them of their future reward inthe kingdom (Luke 22:28-30). In spite of their weaknesses and failures, thedisciples had stood by Jesus during His earthly ministry, and God would honorthem for their faithfulness. We should not mind being servants today, for weshall sit on thrones in the future kingdom! For that matter, our faithfulservice today is preparing us for the rewards we shall receive. Jesus has setthe example: first the cross, then the crown. Wehave something to look forward to, but for now, we are servants—doormats forJesus. I trust you'll be one for someone today as you serve them.  Godbless!

Today,we're continuing to look at Luke 22. We are now in the upper room on Thursdayevening with our Lord Jesus Christ and His twelve disciples. In verses 14–16, theyhave sat down at the table to eat the Passover meal with Jesus the night beforeHe will be crucified. According to John's Gospel (John 13), Jesus had risenfrom the table and washed all the disciple's feet which would have includedJudas before they went through the eating of the Jewish Passover. It is afterthis that Jesus reveals the disciple who has already betrayed Him and made adeal with the chief priest (Matthew 26:14).  Ona number of occasions Jesus had already hinted to His disciples that one oftheir number was not truly with Him (John 6:66-71), but now He openly spokeabout a traitor in their midst. However, He did not do this just for the sakeof the disciples, but more for the sake of Judas. Jesus had kissed Judas andwashed his feet, and now He was giving Judas another opportunity to repent. Itis most significant that Jesus did not openly identify Judas as the traitor butin a sense had protected him until the very end. Aquestion we all ask is that if Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him, why didHe choose him in the first place? And, if somebody had to betray the Lord, whycondemn Judas? After all, he simply did God's will and fulfilled the OldTestament prophecy in Psalms 41:9; 55:12-14; 69:25; 109:8; Acts 1:15-20. Youmight remember that before Jesus chose His 12 Apostles, He spent a whole nightin prayer (Luke 6:12-16), so we must believe that it was the Father's will thatJudas be among them (John 8:29). But the selection of Judas did not seal hisfate; rather, it gave him opportunity to watch the Lord Jesus closely, believe,and be saved. God in His sovereignty had determined that His Son would bebetrayed by a friend, but divine foreknowledge does not destroy humanresponsibility or accountability. Judas made each decision freely and would bejudged accordingly, even though he still fulfilled the decree of God (Acts2:23). Thefact that the disciples were puzzled by this strange announcement reveals thatthey did not know Judas' true character, their own hearts, or the prophecies inthe Psalms. It appears that they all ask the question after Jesus made thisannouncement, “Is it I?” (Matthew 26:22-25). Nor did they remember the Lord'sstatements that He would be betrayed into the hands of the enemy (Matthew17:22; 20:18). If Peter had fully understood what was happening, he might haveused his sword on Judas! Thereis much about Judas that remains a mystery to us, and we must not speculate toomuch. Judas is certainly a witness to the sinlessness of Jesus Christ, for ifanybody could have given witness against Him, it was Judas. However, theauthorities had to find false witnesses in order to build their case againstJesus. Remember when Judas went back to the chief priest and gave them back theirmoney admitted that he had "betrayed innocent blood" (Matthew27:4). Itis at this point that Judas left the Upper Room to go to the religious leadersand get ready for the arrest of Jesus in the Garden. Judas went out "andit was night" (John 13:30), for he was obeying the prince of darkness(Luke 22:53). Jesus had said, “Woe to that man by whom He is betrayed”.  That man was Judas, and for him it was night,and is still night, and always will be night! Wemust also remember that Satan can still appear as an angel of light, and like Judas,sit in our church, stand in the pulpit, serve on the leadership team, and deceiveeveryone as he destroys the church. Paul warned the church about these peoplein 2 Corinthians 11:13-15.  Oneday Jesus will expose these people for who they really are! In the meantime, weshould be aware!  Godbless!

Lukedoesn't go into detail about the different aspects of the Passover lamb beingeaten, or the different cups that they drink representing certain aspects ofthe Exodus and redemption, but we know several things took place at this time.The Gospel of John tells us in John 13, before the feast of the Passover, whenJesus knew that His hour had come—remember, in verse 14 of Luke 22, alsomentions when the hour had come—"Jesus knew that this hour had comethat He should depart from this world to the Father. Having loved His own, Heloved them to the end” (John 13:1). This was an expression of the love ofthe Lord Jesus Christ to the twelve disciples, who had left all to follow Him.But who still can't seem to get along with each other, and still had so much tolearn. Jesusis going to teach them a lesson about love, humility, and forgiveness. John 13:2-10goes on to say; “Supper being ended, the devil having already put it intothe heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing thatthe Father had given all things into His hands and that He had come from Godand was going to God, rose from the supper, laid aside His garments, took atowel, and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and beganto wash the disciples' feet and wipe them with the towel with which He wasgirded. He came to Simon Peter, and Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washingmy feet?” Jesus answered, “What I'm doing you do not understand now, but you'llknow after this.” Peter said, “You're never going to wash my feet.” Jesusreplied, “If I don't wash you, you have no part with Me.” Peter responded,“Well then, wash me all over.” Jesus said, “You don't need to be washed allover; only your feet are dirty, and you're clean, but not all of you.”  Jesuslater said to the disciples, “I've given you an example that you should do asI've done to you. Blessed are you if you do these things” (John 13:17). Whatwas the Lord teaching them? The Lord was teaching them the power of love,humility, and forgiveness. Jesus knew He was going to a cross, and no matterhow these disciples acted, deny Him, fail Him, or go the wrong way, He would lovethem to the end. They were going to find cleansing and forgiveness of their dailysins through His blood. And as He forgave them, they were to forgive oneanother.  Thisis very important. Jesus didn't mean that we are supposed to have a ceremony inour churches or go home and literally wash each other's feet, wash theneighbors' feet, or other believers' feet. He's speaking of the fact that ourfeet get dirty as we walk through this world. How do they get dirty? Thingshappen with people. People say and do things that offend and hurt us. We sayand do things that hurt others. And daily and we need to ask for forgivenessand give forgiveness. Ibelieve that this is what Jesus is teaching: to get rid of our pride, be humbleand love and forgive others the way we want Him to love and forgive us. At thispoint in the supper, Jesus could have displayed His glory and could have askedthe disciples to fall at His feet and worship Him, but He didn't. He took offHis garment, put on a servant's garment, washed their feet, and said, “NowI've taught you a lesson. You don't understand it now, but you'll understand itlater” (John 13:7). Later, when Jesus went to the cross and they heard Himsay, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” they knewit was about forgiveness.  Godforgives them through Christ, and they were to love and forgive one another. Andas we do that, we keep our feet clean, and honor and glorify the Lord as we loveand forgive those who hurt us. In doing this we display Jesus' love, humility,and forgiveness to the world that desperately needs it! Itrust as you look at this upper room experience, it will transform your life asyou do what Jesus has taught us by His own example. Godbless!

Today,we're focusing on verses 14–16, which say, "When the hour had come, He,Jesus, sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, 'Withfervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.For I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in thekingdom of God.'" Most Bible scholars believe that the following verses17–20, which describe the institution of the Lord's Supper, take place at theend of the supper, so we'll come back to those verses. Toget the full glimpse of what is taking place we remember that that it is Thursdayevening, which would have been the Jewish Friday, because sundown begins thenext day for the Jewish people. We also believe these events took place in theupper room in the city of Jerusalem. Whenever I have visited Israel we always goto this location I Jerusalem, not the same building, but an upper room where wetake the Lord's Supper with our tour group. Webelieve that's what takes place in verses 17–20. But before Jesus institutedthe Lord's Supper, the Lord has the Jewish Passover supper with His disciples. Rememberthat Jesus sent Peter and John ahead to prepare for this supper. The lamb hasbeen slaughtered and roasted. Some tell us that the lamb was roasted with apomegranate stick stuck through the middle and another crossway through thelamb, then roasted over the fire for the Passover meal—a picture of the crossof Christ, suffering on a cross, crucified for our sins and your sins. Inverse 14, it says, "When the hour had come," and we've talkedabout the hour that Jesus knew would be on that day, an hour that He would goto a cross and suffer. During this time, the Passover supper takes place inthis upper room. If you want to read the details of what was said in the upperroom, go to John chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, and possibly even chapter 17, whereJesus prays His High Priestly Prayer. We know that prayer could have takenplace in the upper room or on the way to Gethsemane when He left, because John18:1 says, “When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciplesover the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciplesentered.” Somethingelse to notice in John chapter 13: the first thing Jesus did when they enteredthe room, as the host of the Passover dinner, was kiss each of the disciples,which means He would have kissed Judas, whom He knew would betray Him. Somebelieve Judas sat on His left and John on His right, as described in John12:23. In the upper room, Jesus washes the disciples' feet giving them anexample of humility. Which apparently the disciples didn't learn from it. Becauselater, after the Passover meal, the disciples argue over who's going to begreatest in the kingdom (Luke 22:24-30).  InJohn 14, Jesus tells the disciples not to let their hearts be troubled and givesthem the promise of heaven, the promise that He will come again, and thepromise of the Holy Spirit. In John 15, Jesus gives the message of abiding inHim—He is the vine, and we are the branches. In John 16, He goes into detailabout the Holy Spirit, the Comforter who will come and be with them. Jesusknows the hour has come and says, “I will no longer eat of it until it isfulfilled in the kingdom of God."(v.16). Jesus no doubt said this because He knew this Passover time would fulfillall the Old Testament scriptures of the Passover Lamb. Jesus, that PassoverLamb, is the last Passover. In verses 17–20, we see the institution of theLord's Supper, which is now left for us, the church. Theseare very interesting scriptures. I trust you will get a glimpse into thesuffering of our Lord and understand what He did for you and me in a specialand unique way. Godbless!

Today, we're looking at Luke chapter 22. This chapterdescribes the events that took place on Thursday of Passion Week. Remember, onThursday evening, when the sun went down, it was actually the beginning of theJewish day, Friday. This is the day the Passover lamb would be killed. Twothings stand out in this passage to me that I've noticed over the years, and hascaught my attention. I'd love to share it with you today. In verse 7, it says, "Thencame the day of unleavened bread when the Passover must be killed."Now, remember, from the beginning of time, Jesus Christ is the Lamb that wasslain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). God's plan was that oneday His Son would take our place on an old rugged cross in Jerusalem. Yearsago, I had my attention drawn to the passage in Job 1 that tells us ithappened on a day when Satan appeared before God and accused the brethren.God said, "What about my servant Job?" Satan got God's permission totake Job's wealth and to cause his ten children to be killed in a wind storm(Job 1:6-22). In Job 2, it begins again, "Now there was a day” whenSatan got permission to take away Job's health. Job went on to say, "NakedI came into the world, and naked I'll leave the world. Though the Lord slay me,yet will I trust Him." My friend, this all happened on a day. Everythinghappens on a day. It happened on a day when you were born. You were born in aweek, but it happened on a day. It happened on a day when we trust Jesus Christas our personal Lord and Savior. The day Luke 22:7 is speaking of, is a daythat all eternity looks forward to and looks back to—the day when the Passover,Jesus Christ, the precious Son of God, the Lamb of God, would die on a cross, beingcrucified for our sins. Alsointeresting, in Luke 22:14, it says, "When the hour had come."Not only was it a day, Friday, when Jesus would be killed as our Passover Lamband crucified on a cross, laying down His life voluntarily for you and me, butthere was the hour when this would take place—an exact time that God hadplanned from eternity past.  Didyou ever notice how John points out that up to this hour, Jesus could not beharmed or killed. It says in John 7:30, "No one laid a hand on Himbecause His hour had not yet come." In John 8:20, again, itsays they did not lay a hand on Him; they would have liked to stone Him in thatchapter, but “His hour had not come”. Buy then, in John 12:28,just as Jesus goes into the upper room with His disciples, the Scripture says,"The hour has come that the Son of Man should beglorified." Jesus knew when that hour had come. Herein Luke 22:14, when the hour had come, He sat down with the twelve apostles andsaid to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passoverwith you before I suffer. For I say to you, I'll no longer eat of it until itis fulfilled in the kingdom of God." Jesus knew when His hour hadcome. In John chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17, it describes what happened inthat hour in the upper room with His disciples and the hour that He would go tothat cross and die in our place for our sins. In John 17:1, in His HighPriestly prayer, Jesus said, "Father, the hour has come." Oh,my friend, Jesus knew the exact time that He would die and be glorified for oursins in our place.Today, you can trust Jesus totake away your sins. Today is the day of salvation. “Behold, now isthe accepted time” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2), the hour for you and me to makethat decision to live our lives for Jesus Christ. I trust you'll do that today.Everything happens in a day and in an hour. Ilove these Scriptures: “The day of Passover came, the hour hadcome”, and Jesus gave His life and was glorified!  Godbless!

Today,as we look at Luke chapter 22, we need to remember the setting behind thischapter, focusing on what was happening in Jerusalem during the week ofPassover, what we call Passion Week. Therewas tremendous excitement this week in Jerusalem as the Passover was takingplace. Over 100,000, perhaps 300,000 or more, Jewish pilgrims had come to thecity. They had been looking for the Messiah for centuries and were expectingthat Jesus, who performed miracles and proclaimed Himself to be the Messiah,might be the one. John the Baptist had proclaimed that He was the Messiah, andmany had repented and followed John. After John the Baptist was killed, Jesuscontinued His ministry of teaching the people, proclaiming the message of theKingdom, healing people and doing miracles, for a total period of three and ahalf years. Jesus Christ was now back in Jerusalem during this week forPassover Week knowing He would be sacrificed as the Lamb of God to take awayour sins. TheJews were excited, but the Romans were scared and worried, thinking this mightbe a time for an uprising. This is likely why Pilate and Herod were both inJerusalem, though Herod would normally be at Caesarea in his palace, and Pilatewould be relaxing in Tiberias. As Roman rulers over Jerusalem and the Jews atthe time, they were present, knowing there could be a riot or uprising. Theywere responsible to Rome to keep peace in the land. As you can imagine, it wasa very electric time. Inthe first six verses, Judas went to the chief priest, elders, scribes,Pharisees, and religious leaders, making a deal to betray Jesus secretly. Theywere afraid that an open betrayal would cause issues with the people, and theyknew the Romans needed to be involved to make it appear as though the Romans,not the religious leaders, were responsible for putting Christ to death. Thereligious leaders were already struggling with their integrity andaccountability, especially since Jesus had publicly called them hypocrites. “Thencame the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb must be killed” (v 7). We believe this day wasThursday, as the Jewish day begins in the evening. (The evening of this daywould have been considered Friday, the day the Passover Lamb would be killed,and the same day Jesus would be crucified.) Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Goand prepare the Passover for us that we may eat." Jesus already knewwho Judas was. He knew from the beginning that Judas was a thief and wouldbetray Him. Jesus knew Judas had already gone to the chief priest and betrayedHim, and He knew a plot was underway to have Him crucified. He knew becausethat's why He came to Jerusalem; He knew what awaited Him there. So,He sent Peter and John secretly, because if Judas knew, he might have hadpeople come to arrest Jesus in the upper room. Only Peter and John knew theplan. When they asked Him where to prepare, He said, "Behold, whenyou've entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water;follow him into the house where he enters." This was unusual becausemen typically didn't carry pitchers of water; women did. Seeing a man with apitcher would stand out, signaling, "That's the guy." He must havebeen a believer. They were to say to the master of the house, "TheTeacher says to you, 'Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover withMy disciples?'" This man, likely a believer already preparing for thePassover, would show them a large, furnished upper room. They went and found itjust as He had said and prepared the Passover. Peterand John purchased the Passover lamb, took it to the chief priests, had itsacrificed and roasted, and waited in the upper room on Thursday evening forJesus and the rest of the disciples to come. Jesus knew what was going on, yetHe still gave His life as a ransom for you and me. Oh, what a Savior! What aSavior!Godbless!

Todaywe're looking at Luke chapter 22. We believe this chapter describes the eventsthat took place on Thursday of Passover Week and what we also call PassionWeek. This is the day that Jesus would prepare for the Passover with Hisdisciples because He knew He was the Passover Lamb. Remember the story of theExodus when the Passover lamb was killed, the blood was sprinkled on thedoorpost and lintel, and the firstborn would be spared. The death angel would “passover” that house because the blood had been applied. Whata beautiful picture when Jesus shows up three and a half years earlier and Johnthe Baptist said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of theworld." The next day John sees Jesus coming again and simply says, "Beholdthe Lamb of God." (John 1:29-35). Today I pray that you and I willbehold Jesus, the Passover Lamb of God, submissive and obedient to His Father andis led as a lamb to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7 - “He was oppressed and Hewas afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to theslaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not Hismouth”). And Who takes away our sin, gives us forgiveness, heals us, andgrants us eternal life.  ThenI pray that you will behold Jesus, the Passover Lamb of God, in His beauty,courage, strength, death, burial, and resurrection. What a beautiful picture wehave of Jesus in His great love for us, fulfilling John 3:16: "For God soloved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Himwould not perish but have everlasting life." My friend, that word"whosoever" includes you and me.  I'mconvinced Jesus Christ and God love every person on planet Earth with aneternal love, and He sent His only Son so that “whosoever—anyone”—can be saved.No one is predestined to be saved or lost; we are all called to salvation. Thedifference is we must choose whether we will believe in Jesus as the Son ofGod, the Lamb of God who alone can take away our sin. When we repent, believeand receive Jesus as our only hope, we discover we are the chosen ones who believed,chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, according to Ephesianschapter 1. We have an eternal choice that everyone has: to trust Christ orreject Him. He is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Jesusknows all this. He knows why He came into the world—"not to condemn theworld but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-21). We knowmen love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. ThePharisees, scribes, and chief priests rejected Christ because of hypocrisy, andas Pilate points out, because of envy and jealousy. They loved the darkness of theirreligion and sin. And Jesus was infringing on their religious business. Jesusalways challenges religion and religious business. He came to seek and savethat which was lost. Today, trust Him. Duringthis time of Passover, some 100,000 to 300,000 Jewish pilgrims would flood intoJerusalem. Historian Josephus said 250,000 lambs would be slaughtered for apopulation of 500,000 to a million Jewish people. On this Thursday, Jesus ispreparing for the Passover while the scribes, Pharisees, and chief priests areplotting to kill Him. Judas, filled with Satan's animosity and hatred forChrist and God, is led to betray Jesus. This is all taking place as Jesusprepares to be that Passover Lamb. We see the preparation for the supper takeplace in verses 7 through 13 as they prepare for this special commemorative meal!Today,let us remember to get rid of the leaven of sin and bitterness in our heartsand come cleanly to the feast of the Passover with our hearts open, rememberingthe death of Jesus Christ till He comes.Godbless!

Webelieve the events in this chapter take place on Thursday of Passion Week, theweek that Jesus Christ will be crucified. Thiswas the time of Passover. There were three major feasts on the Jewish calendar:Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. All Jewish men were expected to go toJerusalem each year to celebrate these, as stated in Deuteronomy 16:16. ThePassover commemorated the time when the people of Israel left Egypt, when thelamb was killed, and the firstborn could live when the blood was sprinkled onthe doorpost and lintel. God had ordained that every year the people of Israelwere to commemorate and celebrate this time of deliverance out of Egypt. Duringthis time, the leaven was taken out of the houses, and the houses were cleansedfor Passover and the Passover meal. This meal will take place on Thursday withJesus and His disciples, and then He'll be crucified on Friday. TheFeast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover, as noted inverse one of chapter 22. In verse two, the chief priests and scribes sought howthey might kill Him, for they feared the people. The very people who shouldhave accepted Christ and acknowledged Him, understanding the Scriptures andthat He was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah,were full of hypocrisy. Remember that Jesus warned His disciples of the leavenof the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Their hypocrisy is revealed: theycleansed the leaven in their houses but not the leaven in their hearts. TheBible says in John 8:44 that the devil is a murderer from the beginning, didnot abide in the truth, and there is no truth in him. My friend, these peoplewere motivated by satanic powers to do what they did. Inverse three, “Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered amongthe twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests andcaptains about how he might betray Jesus to them. " The Pharisees, scribes, and chiefpriests were delighted when Judas was going to do it secretly, and they gavehim money. Judaswas motivated and energized by Satan (John 13:2, 27), for he never was a truebeliever in Jesus Christ. His sins had never been cleansed by the Lord (John13:10-11), and he had never believed and received eternal life (John 6:64-71). Yetnone of the other Apostles had the least suspicion that Judas was a traitor. Wehave every reason to believe that Judas had been given the same authority asthe other men and that he had preached the same message and performed the samemiracles. It shows how close a person can come to God's kingdom and still belost (Matt. 7:21-29). Whydid Judas betray the Lord Jesus? We know that he was a thief (John 12:4-6) andthat money played a part in his terrible deed. But thirty pieces of silver wasnot a large payment for such a great crime, and there had to be something moreinvolved. It is possible that Judas saw in Jesus the salvation of the Jewishnation and, therefore, he followed Him because he hoped to hold an office inthe kingdom. Keep in mind that the Twelve often argued over who was thegreatest in the kingdom, and Judas, the treasurer, surely participated in thoseimportant discussions. WhenJudas understood that Jesus would not establish the kingdom but rather wouldsurrender to the authorities, he turned against Him in bitter retaliation. The"leaven" in his life grew quietly and secretly until it produced"malice and wickedness" (1 Cor. 5:6-8). When you cooperate withSatan, you pay dearly, and Judas ended up destroying himself (Matt. 27:3-5).Satan is a liar and a murderer (John 8:44), and he reproduced himself perfectlyin Judas. Today,we need to beware of the leaven, the unconfessed secret sins and the proud anddeceitful motivations that lie hidden in our hearts. Only the blood of Jesuscan cleanse us as we confess our sins ask forgiveness (1 John 1:7-10).Godbless!

This is the chapter that has Jesus'Mount Olivet discourse, His prophetic message of the end times that He gives toHis disciples. As wefinish the chapter, He gives some admonitions and has a wonderful closing tothis chapter, showing how Jesus continues at the temple to teach. Jesus,as He told about the things that will be happening in the tribulation period,mentioned that there will be false messiahs, false prophets and teachers, butdon't be deceived. There will be wars and commotions, but don't be terrified orfearful.  There will be great persecutionbut don't be worried, this will be your opportunity to give a great witness andtestimony of His love, grace, and salvation. And, He will give you the words tospeak.  Isn'tit interesting that even right now, as we went to bed last night, we heard newsthat Israel is attacking Iran and bombing their nuclear capabilities? So, thereare wars, as Jesus said there would be. We believe all these things intensifyjust before the tribulation period begins.  The message, even though it's to the Jewish people in the tribulation period, is amessage for us today. Listen, the time is drawing near, and we're not to becaught up with carousing, drunkenness, and the cares of this life. The cares ofthis life are legitimate things that we would do, like making a living,working, taking care of our food, housing, children, and so forth. But Jesus said,as it was in the days of Noah, as it was in the days of Lot. life will be goingon as usual for most people ignoring the Gospel message and the warnings ofcoming judgment.  But, my friend, thetime of the end is drawing near, and that Day should not catch us unaware. Wehave so many warnings. So,what do we do? Do we fear, worry, or be terrified? No, we look up, we listenfor the trumpet, and we believe with all our hearts that Jesus will take careof us. We do what Ephesians 5:16 says: "Redeeming the time, because thedays are evil." The world's a mess, there's anarchy in our streets,there's violence, chaos, corruption, wickedness, and evil everywhere; and it'snot getting any better. We need to remember that the Bible tells us it's notgoing to get better. It's going to get worse before the end comes. Instead ofthrowing up our hands, quitting, and throwing in the towel, saying, "Well,what can we do”? So, we are to redeem the time. That means we buy up theopportunities. Welive in a broken world; people are more empty than ever before. Severalgenerations are terribly biblically illiterate and have no clue what the Biblesays or who God is. But that means there's an empty void in their lives, andthey know something is missing. That's our opportunity to tell them there'sonly one answer to their need, and that's Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter whatreligion they are—Hindus, Muslims, Christians, religious as can be—it doesn'tmatter. What we all need is Jesus Christ. Jesuscontinued to teach in the temple, and at night, He'd go stay on the Mount ofOlives. He'd come back in the morning, and this is Passion Week. Jesus isgetting ready to go to the cross, but what is He doing? He's teaching thepeople. That's what we're supposed to be doing until the end comes—tellingpeople about the wonderful Word of God and the message of the gospel thatthere's hope in Jesus Christ. So, let's make sure we're doing that.  Aswe finish this chapter, I couldn't help but think about what Paul wrote in Romans13:11-14; “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awakeout of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. Thenight is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works ofdarkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in theday, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strifeand envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for theflesh, to fulfill its lusts.”

Today, we will be focusing on verses 29-38. Jesus finishes thisprophetic discourse with a parable about the “fig tree, and all the trees”.  First,let's summarize what we've learned. This message primarily applies to theJewish nation, and deals with the events that will take place in the Seven-YearTribulation, but it has many practical applications for each believer today aswe near the end of the age. The church age has been ongoing for 2,000 yearssince Jesus ascension into heaven and the Day of Pentecost.  Myunderstanding of prophecy and this passage, though Bible scholars may offerdifferent viewpoints, is that the next event on God's agenda is the rapture ofthe church. Jesus comes in the air for His bride, as described in 1Thessalonians 4:13-18, and 1 Corinthians 15. Also, in Revelation 2 and 3, Jesushas John write the seven letters to the seven churches in Asia, which appear topicture the characteristics of the different periods of the church age.  Thenin Revelation 4, John hears a voice like the sound of a trumpet say, "Comeup here," which we believe pictures the catching away, the rapture, ofthe church. Then, the seven-year tribulation begins when the Antichrist signs apeace treaty with Israel, as mentioned in Daniel 9, marking the start of Daniel's70th week, which is also called the time of Jacob's trouble in the OldTestament. Onlybelievers are raptured to heaven, leaving no believers on earth immediatelyafter. Both believing Gentiles and Jews will be raptured. The Seven-Year Tribulationbegins with no believers anywhere on planet earth. However, Jesus sends His twowitnesses to preach the gospel (Revelation 11), and 144,000 Jews—12,000 fromeach tribe—are sealed (Revelation 7), respond to their message and get savedand they begin proclaiming the gospel throughout the rest of the Tribulation.Millions upon millions of people will be saved during the Tribulation. But ifthey don't take the “mark of the beast” they won't be able to buy or sell andwill be hunted down like animals and be killed. (Revelation 13:16-18).  Ipersonally believe that this passage in Luke 21:29-38 applies primarily to the believersin that period. In Scripture, the fig tree usually represents Israel (Hosea9:10), and here Jesus indicates that it comes back to life. Some studentsinterpret this parable to mean that the emergence of the State of Israel on May15, 1948 was the "sign" that the Lord would soon return. Surely it isa significant thing that Israel is now a free nation after so many centuries ofpolitical bondage. But Luke added "and all the trees" (Luke 21:29),suggesting that more than one nation is involved. Perhaps Jesus was saying thatthe rise of nationalism around the world is the thing to watch. In recent yearswe have certainly seen the growth of nationalism and the emerging of newnations, and this may be a "sign" that the coming of the Lord isnear. However,the basic idea here is that of knowing what is going on. As the budding of thetrees indicates that summer is near, so the occurring of these signs indicatesthat the Lord's return is near (see Luke 12:54-57 for a similar passage). Theimportant thing is that the believer knows that God is keeping His promises andthat His Word will not fail (Josh. 23:14).The term "this generation"may refer to the nation or race of Israel, which Satan has always sought todestroy. The Jews are the greatest witness that the Bible is God's Word, thatJesus is the Messiah, and that God keeps His promises. Duringthe tribulation, especially the last three and a half years, Jesus is encouragingall believers both Jews and Gentiles that they should keep looking up and avoidthe temptations of the world (vv. 33-36). Jesus is coming with great power toset up His kingdom.  Heavenand earth will pass away, but His Word will not (v 33). Trust this, and don'tget confused trying to figure it all out. Just keep looking up, as Jesus iscoming soon.

Today,we will be looking at Luke 21:25-28. In this passage, Jesus continues to giveHis great prophetic message concerning future events to His disciples from theMount of Olives as they overlook the city of Jerusalem. He's answering theirquestion: what will the signs be of the end of the age, and when will thathappen? Here, Jesus describes what we've already discussed as the greattribulation period, the seven years between the time of the church age, therapture of the church, and the millennial reign of Jesus Christ on earth.  Inverses 8-19, Jesus described some of the things that will happen in theseven-year tribulation. There will be great deception, great chaosinternationally with wars and rumors of wars, great earthquakes in variousplaces, along with famines and pestilences, and great persecution of the Jewsand Christians alike. In verses 20-24, Jesus describes the destruction of Jerusalemand the temple. Luke's account refers not to a distant event to occur duringthe Tribulation, but to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus and the Romanarmy in 70 A.D., just forty years from that time that Jesus is explaining theseevents to His disciples (see Luke 19:41-44).  Nowin verses 25-28, Jesus is revealing what will happen in the last three and halfyears of the Tribulation jus before He returns. Revelation 15-19 also describein great detail the frightening judgment signs that God will send on the earthduring the last half of the "time of Jacob's trouble" (Jeremiah30:7). When these things occur, it will be evidence that the Lord's coming isdrawing near. The image of "waves roaring" describes nations risingand falling like waves in a storm (Psalms 46:1-6; Revelation 17:15). It will bean awesome time, and the population of the earth will tremble with fear, butmen will not repent of their sins and turn to God by faith (Revelation 9:20-21;16:9-11). Matthew24:29 informs us that the sun and moon will be darkened and the stars will fall(Isaiah 13:10; 34:4; Joel 2:10, 31; 3:15). Matthew 24:30 states that "thesign of the Son of man" will appear in' heaven. We do not know what this"sign" is, but it will produce fear among the nations of the earth.However, then Jesus Christ will appear, and every eye will see Him (Revelation1:7). The nation of Israel will at last recognize their Messiah, repent,believe, and be saved (Zechariah 12:10-14; and see Mark 14:61-62). Theseawesome signs will bring terror to the lost people of the world, but hope tothose who have trusted the Lord during the Tribulation period (Revelation 7),for these believers know that the Lord's coming will be soon. Believers todaylook for the Savior, not signs. However, as we see "coming events castingtheir shadows," we believe that the Lord's return is near. Christ'sappearing will be sudden, glorious, and with great power (Luke 21:27). Theimage here is taken from Daniel 7:13-14, a messianic passage that must havebeen familiar to the disciples.  Thereare those who ignore and even ridicule the doctrine of the return of Christ.After all, the church has been waiting for the Lord for 2,000 years, and He hasnot returned yet! Peter answered that accusation in 2 Peter 3. He pointed outthat God keeps His promises whether we believe them or not, and that Godmeasures time differently from the way men measure it. Furthermore, the reasonHe waits is so that unsaved sinners may repent, be saved, and be ready whenJesus comes. While His seeming delay is a trial to the church, it is anopportunity for the lost. Havinganswered the disciples' questions concerning “the end of the age”, the Lordthen "applied" the message to their hearts by giving them this closingadmonition in verse 28: “Now when these things begin to happen, look up andlift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." Today,we should also be waiting, watching, and working! Jesus is coming again!

Today,we will be looking at Luke 21:20-24. In this passage, Jesus gives His greatprophecy concerning future events to His disciples from the Mount of Olives asthey overlook the city of Jerusalem. He's answering their question: what willthe signs be of the end of the age, and when will that happen? Here, Jesusdescribes what we've already discussed as the great tribulation period, theseven years between the time of the church age, the rapture of the church, andthe millennial reign of Jesus Christ on earth.  Nowin verses 20-24, Jesus describes the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Thispassage is peculiar to Luke; there is no parallel description found in Matthewor Mark, in spite of the similar language in Matthew 24:16-21 and Mark13:14-17. However, it is clear that both Matthew and Mark were referring toevents in the middle of the Tribulation when "the abomination ofdesolation" would be set up in the Jewish temple and the Antichrist (theworld ruler) would begin to persecute Israel (Dan. 9:24-27; Rev. 13). That iswhere Jesus warned the Jewish people, to flee and go into hiding, for"great tribulation" was about to fall. Luke'saccount here in verses 20-24 refers not to a distant event to occur during theTribulation but to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus and the Roman army in 70A.D., just forty years from that time that Jesus is explaining these events toHis disciples (see Luke 19:41-44). This terrible event was in many respects a"dress rehearsal" for what will happen when Satan vents his anger onIsrael and the believing Gentiles during the last half of the Tribulation (Rev.12:7-17).  Whenthis event in verses 20-24 historically took place in 70 A.D., the Jewishhistorian Josephus claimed that nearly a million people were killed by theRomans, and over 100,000 taken captive, when Titus captured the city. And theJewish people and nation was scattered throughout the world. Butthis was not the first time Jerusalem would be "trampled by theGentiles," for the Babylonians had destroyed the city in 586 B.C. andtaken the people captive to Babylon. This is basically when, what is called "thetimes of the Gentiles" began. The Jewish people went back into their homelandin 1948 at the end of War World 2, and in 1967 recaptured and occupiedJerusalem in the Six Day War.  Butwe believe that this significant time period of the Gentiles did not end then. Becausein the middle of the Tribulation the Antichrist will break his peace treatywith Israel and again take over Jerusalem after he kills to two witnesses in Revelation11. In God's plan, the “times of the Gentiles” will end when Jesus Christreturns to the earth, destroys all Gentile power, and sets up His own righteouskingdom (Daniel 2:34-36, 44-45; Revelation 19).  TheApostle Paul also spoke of this time of the Gentiles ending in Romans 11:25-27.He called it the “fulness of the Gentiles”, speaking of the time at the end ofthe Tribulation when Jesus comes again and there is a national spiritual salvationfor the Jewish people.  Todaywe need to remember that believers are looking for their Lord's return shouldnot apply Luke 21:20-24 to their own situation. Jesus was talking aboutJerusalem in 70 A.D.. In Matthew 24:15-28 and Mark 13:14-23, He was speakingabout Israel's situation at the middle of the Tribulation. Since our Lord'scoming for the church will take place "in the twinkling of an eye" (1Cor. 15:52), no one will have time to go back home for a coat; nor will we haveto worry about traveling on the Sabbath or caring for nursing babies. Myfriend, we are getting closer every day to the return of Jesus Christ! Makesure you are ready!

Today,we will continue looking at Luke 21:8-19. In this passage, Jesus gives Hisgreat prophecy concerning future events to His disciples from the Mount ofOlives as they overlook the city of Jerusalem. He's answering their question:what will the signs be of the end of the age, and when will that happen? Here,Jesus describes what we've already discussed as the great tribulation period,the seven years between the time of the church age, the rapture of the church,and the millennial reign of Jesus Christ on earth.  Remember,this is primarily a Jewish prophecy for the Jewish nation, but there areapplications we can make for the church today. As we see these events and signsintensify, it simply means it's getting closer. In the book of 2 Timothy 3:1-5,it says as you see these things approaching, in the last days perilous timeswill come, men will be lovers of themselves, blasphemers, lovers of pleasure.And so, there are indications that we're getting close to the end of the age.  Wealso need to remember that the second coming of Christ happens in two stages:the first stage is when He comes back in the air to rapture the church (1 Thessalonians4:13-18), and the second stage is when He sets His feet down on the Mount ofOlives and establishes His kingdom (Zechariah 14:4-5). Before that is aseven-year tribulation, described here in Luke 21:8-19. Jesussays during that age, "Take heed that you do not be deceived, for manywill come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and the time has drawn near.Therefore, do not go after them." False teachers, false prophets, andfalse messiahs will come and claim to be Jesus or the Messiah. Even now, inplaces like Israel, there are signs on the back of buses and billboardsclaiming the Messiah is almost here, pointing to a rabbi who they believe willbe that Messiah.  Inverse 9, Jesus says, "When you hear of wars and commotions, don't beterrified, for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not comeimmediately." Wars and chaos will happen and are already happening,but they will intensify in the first part of the tribulation period. This iswhy the Antichrist, the man of peace, will be able to bring peace amid theseevents. Jesus continues, "Nation will rise against nation, kingdomagainst kingdom." There will be international chaos, but in verse 11,He adds, "There will be great earthquakes in various places, famines,and pestilences, and there will be fearful sights and great signs fromheaven." Not only will things take place on earth with pestilences andearthquakes during the tribulation, as described in the book of Revelation, butthere will also be signs in heaven, indicating that the seven years of tribulationare nearing their end. Inverse 12, Jesus says, there will be tremendous persecution during this time. Jesusspeaks of the abomination of desolation, when the Antichrist breaks his peacetreaty with Israel and persecutes them. He tells them they will have to flee tothe mountains, but He assures them they will be given words to speak as theyare brought before courts, the Antichrist, and the rulers he sets up. This willbe an occasion to be a great witness. I believe thousands and millions ofpeople will come to know Jesus Christ during the tribulation period, thoughthey will be persecuted for their faith. Thisis Jesus' description of what it will be like in the tribulation period,especially for the Jewish nation. God bless you as you think on these things,and remember the application for us today: God gives us the words to speak whenwe are persecuted in this age, through the Holy Spirit giving us the thoughtsof God through His Word.

We'recontinuing in Luke chapter 21, looking at verses 8-19. Jesus has been asked byhis disciples, as they're sitting on the Mount of Olives overlooking thebeautiful city of Jerusalem and the great temple that Herod built. They askedbecause Jesus just said, "There will not be one stone left upon another ofthis temple that shall not be thrown down." In verse 7, they said,"Wow, when is that going to happen? When will these things begin to happenthat you're talking about, and what will be the end of the age?" Ineed to remind you, as we look at this passage of Scripture, Jesus is speakingto a Jewish group of people, His disciples, prophesying about the Jewishnation's future. We need to understand that Scripture has only oneinterpretation but many applications. There are things in this passage thatyou and I can apply to the church age. I was sharing yesterday with myson-in-law, Chris, in Roanoke, Virginia, and as you can see in the video chat,we're back in Sneads Ferry. I have a makeshift studio because we have companyhere with our grandchildren—about six or seven grandchildren with us for a fewdays. It's a makeshift studio here in my dining room, and I hope you can adjustto it as I'm trying to. Aswe said yesterday to our son-in-law, there are three agendas that God seems tohave in Scripture for three different groups of people. First, there's theJewish nation, and God has a specific agenda for them, their purpose, and theirfuture. Then there are the Gentile nations, which include you and me—anybodythat's not a Jew—and these are the nations that make up the different peoplegroups of the world. Then, of course, in this age, beginning at Pentecost, wehave the Church, the body of Jesus Christ. God has an agenda for the church.  It'sreally important, as you look at Scripture, that you make the proper interpretationand applications concerning each of these groups. The Church is made up of bothJews and Gentiles, and we become a part of that group, even though, at the sametime, God's agenda for the Jewish nation will be fulfilled. Webelieve the next thing on God's agenda is the rapture, the catching up of thechurch, as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians chapter 15:50-58,and other passages of Scripture. We are caught up to heaven before thetribulation begins. Shortly after the rapture, when the Antichrist signs apeace treaty with Israel, the seven-year tribulation begins to take place.That's the seven years prophesied in Daniel's 70th week. We see that justaround the corner too. Whenthe Bible speaks of the second coming of Christ, it's speaking of His coming atthe end of the tribulation in great power and glory, bringing us, His church,his bride, His saints, with Him. He throws the devil into the abyss for athousand years and the Antichrist and the false prophet into the fiery pit, thelake of fire, as the Bible says. Then we rule and reign with Christ for athousand years on the earth (Revelation 19-20). That'sGod's agenda for both the Jewish nation and the tribulation period, preparingthem for the end of that period when they will see Him whom they have piercedand receive him, as prophesied in Zechariah 12:10 and Revelation 1:7. Jesus isspeaking here in this passage of Luke 21, particularly about the tribulationperiod, the agenda for the Jews, the time of Jacob's trouble, as we see in OldTestament and New Testament scripture.  Asyou read this passage, remember one interpretation, mainly for the Jewishnation, but many applications for us because, before Jesus comes again at Hissecond coming, seven years earlier, He comes for His church.  Myfriend, we need to be looking up because these things are beginning to happen.Jesus is coming again. He said, "If I go away, I will come again" (John14:3).  And Jesus always keeps Hispromises.

8 And He said:"Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name,saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go afterthem. 9 But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified;for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not comeimmediately." Todaywe're looking at Luke chapter 21. Jesus has been asked by His disciples inverse 7, "When will these things be, and what will the sign be when thesethings are about to take place?" In Matthew 24:3, they also asked,"When will be the end of the age?" As they were looking over at thetemple, Jesus had said, "This temple will be destroyed. Not one stone willbe left upon another." This took place in 70 AD, when Titus, the Romangeneral, moved into Jerusalem, slaughtered the Jews, tore down the temple, andscattered them. Only in 1948 did the Jews return to the land of Palestine. Jesuscontinues to answer their question, but we must remember that the signs andevents He talks about here in Luke 21, Mark 13, and Matthew 24-25, are notprimarily about the rapture but the return of Christ seven years after therapture. Most of these signs and events relate to the events that take place inthe Tribulation that we read about in the book of Revelation, starting inchapter 6.  Therewe find out that the Tribulation is divided into three parts: the first threeand a half years, the middle of the Tribulation (read about that in Danielchapters 9 and 10), and the last half of the Tribulation, which Jesus calledthe Great Tribulation in Matthew 24:21; “For then there will be Great Tribulation,such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, norever shall be”. Which also last three and a half years, a total of sevenyears. These signs point to His return when He comes in great glory, judges theearth, and sets up His millennial kingdom. Too many of us are looking for signswhen we should be looking up for the Savior, living for Him, and reachingothers. InLuke 21:8-19, Jesus gives three main messages in response to the disciples'questions. In verse 8, He said, "Take heed that you do not bedeceived, for many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The timehas drawn near.' Therefore, do not go after them. When you hear of wars andcommotions, do not be terrified, for these things must first come topass, but the end will not come immediately." Two key points here: donot be deceived, and do not be terrified.  Mostof us are very interested in end-time events, and as these signs intensify, itindicates the end of the tribulation is near. Since the rapture happens seven yearsbefore then, Jesus says, "Lift up your head; your redemption drawsnigh." We need to be living, working, and serving, not deceived, becausethere have always been false Christs, persecution, and wars. Inverses 12-13, Jesus also talks about persecution. In verse 14, He says, "Thereforesettle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you willanswer." Jesus is encouraging those who are true believers during thistime that as they see these things happen, “don't be deceived, terrified,afraid, or fearful, but also don't worry”. I love what He says: "Not ahair on your head will be lost." This doesn't mean people won't die.In the tribulation, believers may die by the hundreds of thousands, perhapsmillions, under the persecution of the Antichrist.  But,my friend, when you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you donot die—you simply change places. He takes care of you, and not a hair of yourhead will perish. In your patience, possess your souls.Weall need this message today! Don't be deceived, terrified, or worried. Keeplooking up; Jesus is coming soon, and we look forward to that day.

Luke 20 ends with Jesusgiving a scathing rebuke to the Pharisees, scribes, Sadducees, elders, andleaders of Israel about their religious hypocrisy. Matthew 23 gives thismessage of “Woes” that Jesus pronounced upon them in greater detail. Now inLuke 21, Jesus notices the poor widow giving her offering of two mites andcompares her sacrificial heart to their greedy and selfish ones. Compared tothe gifts of the rich men, her two copper coins seemed insignificant, but Jesussaid that she gave more than all the others combined.  Now it was thedisciples' turn to ask the questions! Their attention was on the temple infront of them which was a beautiful structure, embellished with many costlydecorations that a poor widow could never give, and the disciples mentionedthis to Jesus. But our Lord was not impressed, and He responds by telling themthat the day would come when the beautiful Jewish temple would be demolished(Luke 21:5-6). Remember Jesus had already announced that the city would bedestroyed in Luke 19:41-44, but now He specifically mentioned the destructionof the temple. Jesus left the templeand went to the Mount of Olives, and it was there that Peter, James, John, and Andrew(Mark 13:3) asked Him three questions: (1) When would the temple be destroyed?(2) What would be the sign of His coming? (3) What would be the sign of the endof the age? (see Mark 13:3-4; Matt. 24:3) The disciples thought that thesethree events would occur at the same time, but Jesus explained thingsdifferently. Actually, the temple would be destroyed first, and then therewould be a long period of time before He would return and establish His kingdomon earth (see Luke 19:11-27). Our Lord's replycomprises what we call "The Mt. Olivet Discourse," the greatestprophetic sermon He ever preached. It is recorded in greater detail in Matthew24-25 and Mark 13, and you will want to compare the three passages. Weespecially need to remember that since Luke wrote with the Gentile reader inmind, he omitted some of the strong Jewish elements of the sermon whileretaining the essential truths that we must consider and apply. We also need to keep inmind that this was a message given to Jews by a Jew about the future of theJewish nation. Though there are definite applications to God's people today,the emphasis is on Jerusalem, the Jews, and the temple. Our Lord was notdiscussing His coming for the church, for that can occur at any time and nosigns need precede it (1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Webelieve in the “imminent return of Jesus” when we are speaking of the “raptureof the church”.  We read in 1 Corinthians1:22 that: "…the Jews require a sign"; while the church looks for a Savior.In Philippians 3:20-21 we read: “For our citizenship is in heaven, fromwhich we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who willtransform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body,according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things toHimself.” This “Mt. OlivetDiscourse” focuses on a period in God's program called "theTribulation" when God will pour out His wrath on the nations of the world.Many Bible students believe that the Tribulation will begin after the Lordcomes in the air and takes His church to heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11). Timewise, the seven-year tribulation actually begins when the Anti-christ makes hispeace treaty with Israel (Daniel 9:24-27). It will climax with the return ofJesus Christ to the earth, at which time He will defeat His foes and establishHis kingdom (Rev. 19:1-20:6). As we study Luke 21over the next few days, we will find that Jesus answered the disciples'questions by discussing four topics relating to the future of the nation ofIsrael. Today, as believers weshould be looking up and at the same time doing all we can to prepare othersfor the Lord's return!

Today, we're looking at Luke chapter 21, but we need toremember how chapter 20 ends. Jesus had just asked the Pharisees and scribesabout who is the son of David in Psalm 110, and they refused to answer becausethey would have had to acknowledge that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is indeedthe son of David. The people had already recognized that. Then he gave ascathing rebuke to the disciples in front of these Pharisees, scribes,Sadducees, elders, and leaders of Israel about their religious hypocrisy. Hefinished chapter 20 by saying, "Beware of the scribes who desire to goaround in long robes, love the greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats inthe synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses andfor a pretense make long prayers. These will receive the greatercondemnation." Thenchapter 21 starts. As he makes this statement about the scribes and Phariseesbeing devourers of widows' tables, he looks up and sees the rich putting theirgifts into the treasury. Here are the elite, the people with money who ownvineyards, orchards, and businesses, sometimes even the tax collectors, tryingto be religious now, putting their money and gifts into the treasury. At thesame time, Jesus saw a certain poor widow putting in two mites, hardly anythingat all, a couple of pennies. He said, "Truly I say to you, this poorwidow has put in more than all, for all these out of their abundance have putin their offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all thelivelihood that she had." Jesus is making the statement that sheoutgave them all because God is not looking at the portion, how much we give,but the proportion, not only how much we give but how much we keep forourselves. He'salso teaching that everything is the Lord's. The earth is the Lord's and thefullness thereof. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the wealth in everymine, and we are his stewards of his resources that he has given us. He givesus the breath we breathe. The book of Deuteronomy says it is God who gives uspower to get wealth. In the book of Malachi, the last book of the OldTestament, there's a stinging rebuke of the people of God who were back in theland, yet they were bringing offerings that were not the kind God wantedbecause they were just practicing outward religion while inwardly robbing God.He says, "You have robbed God." They respond, "Well, where havewe robbed you?" In Malachi 3:7-12, God says, "You've robbed me inyour tithes and in your offerings." Again, he's teaching that he owns itall, and your offerings are beyond the tenth, the tithe, that you give off thetop as an act of worship to remind yourself, as the Old Testament teaches, thatGod gave you everything you have, and the least you can give is a tenth back tohim. Somepeople say, "Well, the tithe is under the law, we're under grace, we don'thave to tithe." But I remind you that Abraham paid tithes before the lawwas given, and Jacob said, "I'll give you a tenth," before the lawwas given. Tithing is a spiritual principle in the scripture that teaches us weare worshiping God when we recognize and set aside the first fruits at thebeginning of every week of all that God has given us the previous week, showinghim that we honor him.  Jesussaid of this widow, "She gave more than them all because they gave out oftheir abundance, but she gave all her living." God doesn't want just apart of our lives; he wants 100% of our lives. Men see what is given, but Godsees what is left, and by that He measures the gift and the condition of ourhearts. Winston Churchill said, "We make a living by what we get, but wemake a life by what we give." He may have learned that from Jesus (Luke6:38) or perhaps from Paul in 2 Corinthians 8:1-15.  Let'sstart off chapter 21 of Luke by knowing God is the Lord, it's all his, andlet's keep him first in every area of our life.  Godbless.

I think it is interesting that thischapter begins with a question by the priests, the scribes, and the elders.They asked Jesus by what authority did He cleanse the Temple and was teachingthe people. Then the chapter ends in these last verses with Jesus asking them aquestion.  Whilethe priests, scribes, and elders were still gathered together, Jesus asked thema final question: "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son isHe?" (Matt. 22:41-42, NKJV) This is the key question for everygeneration and each individual, for our salvation and eternal destiny aredependent on what we think about Christ and how we answer this question. (1John 2:21-25; 4:1-6; 5:1). Ofcourse, these religious leaders knew the expected reply: The Christ, theMessiah is "The Son of David." They based this on such verses as 2Samuel 7:13-14; Isaiah 11:1; and Jeremiah 23:5. God had ordained that theMessiah should come from the family of David and be born in David's city,Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).  Jesusthen referred them to Psalm 110, which is quoted in the New Testament more thanany other psalm. The Jewish religious leaders in that day identified Psalm 110as a prophetic psalm and said that David was speaking of the Messiah. But ifthe Messiah is David's Lord, how can He be David's son? The only explanation isthat Messiah must be both God and man. As eternal God, Messiah is David's Lord,but as man, He is David's son (Romans 1:3; 9:4-5; Acts 2:32-36; 13:22-23). OnPalm Sunday, the multitudes had acclaimed Jesus as the Son of David, and He hadnot rebuked them (Matt. 21:9; Mark 11:10). By applying Psalm 110:1 to Himself,Jesus claimed to be Israel's promised Messiah, the Son of God. Then why did thePharisees not believe in Him? Because their minds were made up, their heartswere hardened, and their eyes were blind (John 12:37-50). They did not have thecourage to confess the truth, and they persecuted those who did affirm faith inJesus Christ. And it was out of envy and jealousy that they delivered Jesus upto Pilate to be crucified (Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10). Christ's questionsilenced His enemies (Matthew 22:46) and ended their public challenges, butthey would not admit defeat. Inthe last verses, 45-47, Jesus warned the people about the hypocrisy anddishonesty of the scribes and Pharisees (see Matthew 23). Men see the outside,but God sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7; Hebrews 4:12). These religious leadersdid not desire personal holiness; they wanted public recognition. Therefore,they wore special garments, expected special titles and greetings, and lookedfor special seats at public gatherings. Thereis a double tragedy here. First of all, their deliberate hypocrisy was only acover-up that enabled them to fool people and exploit them. Of all rackets,religious rackets are the worst. The religious leaders had turned the temple ofGod into a den of thieves and religious devotion into playacting. The generalpublic actually thought that their leaders were godly men, when in reality theywere defiling and destroying souls (Matt. 23:13-36). Thesecond tragedy is that they rejected their own Messiah and voted to crucifyHim. They led the nation into ruin because they would not admit their sins andconfess Jesus Christ. Keep in mind that these men were "experts" inthe Bible, yet they did not apply its truths to their own lives. Their religionwas a matter of external observance, not internal transformation. How sad it isthat we see so much the same in many of our churches and religious institutionstoday. Atthis point, according to Matthew (Matthew 23:37-39), Jesus once again uttered alamentation over the blind unbelief of the nation and their unwillingness totrust in Him. He had given them many opportunities, but they had wasted them.Now it was too late.  Andone day it will be too late for us if we don't repent!

The Sadducees, a group ofJewish leaders who do not believe in angels, resurrection, or spirits pose a hypothetical question about a man who marries a woman and dies, andaccording to the law of Moses, his brother must marry her. Seven brothers endup marrying this woman, all die without children, and the Sadducees ask, inheaven, if there is a resurrection, which one of these men will she be marriedto? They think they have Jesus in a dilemma, but He answers them. InMatthew 22:29, Matthew records Jesus immediate response to their question. Jesussaid, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power ofGod." Jesus points out their ignorance of the Scriptures and the power ofGod. They only recognize the first five books of Moses, while Jesusacknowledges all 39 books of the Old Testament in the Septuagint (the Greek translationof the Old Testament available in the time of Jesus). Yet even from the Law ofMoses, Jesus affirms there is a resurrection.  Asa young pastor, I sometimes preached at funerals, stood by the casket, andsaid, "This is just a body." I wish I could go back and tell thosedear people I was wrong. God created us individually, uniquely, with a body wewill live in for eternity. Your spirit, soul, and body are eternal in a sense.According to Scripture, such as Job 14:14; 19:25-27; Psalms 16:9-10; 17:15; Isaiah26:19; Ezekiel 37; and Daniel 12:2, the bodies of both the lost and the savedwill be resurrected one day. These bodies will either go to heaven or to aneternal lake of fire, where they will be tormented day and night forever. Jesusand the Bible teach this truth. My friend, Jesus believed that God has thepower to raise us from the dead. Inheaven, we will have glorified bodies, with no need for procreation. Regardingthe Sadducees' question about the seven brothers, I've always thought after thethird or fourth brother, I'd say, "I'm not marrying her; I'm not takingthe chance of dying like the rest!" When we question Scripture and try tofigure it out logically, we miss the point and like the Sadducees we will misinterpretand wrongly apply the Scripture to our lives. ButJesus went beyond logic and referred them to the Word of God, particularly whathappened to Moses as recorded in Exodus 3. There God identified Himself withAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and thus affirmed that these three patriarchs werevery much alive. But if they were alive, then they were "out of thebody," for they had died (James 2:26). There must be a real world ofspirit beings or Moses would not have written these words. (By the way, Mosesalso affirmed the existence of angels: Genesis 19:1, 15; 28:12; 32:1.) ButJesus is also basically saying that Exodus 3:6, 15-16 teaches not only thetruth of life after death but also the reality of the resurrection. In whatway? Not by direct statement but by inference. God is the God of the wholeperson—spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23), because He created thewhole person. He does not simply "save our souls" and ignore the restof our being. Inherent in the very nature of God's creative act is His concernfor the total person. Hence, He will not keep us disembodied spirits foreverbut will give us glorious bodies to match our heavenly perfection.  ForGod's covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be fulfilled, they willneed resurrected bodies to rule and reign with Him in the millennial reign ofJesus Christ. We have something to look forward to. God knows our future. Ilove what Job says in Job chapter 19, verses 25-26: "For I know that myRedeemer lives, and He shall stand on the earth. And after my skin isdestroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God."  Godis not the God of the dead, but of the living and He made us whole—soul,spirit, and body—and He knows how to take care of all of them. Godbless!

InLuke 20, the Jewish priests, elders, scribes, and the Herodians confront Jesuswith different questions or situations seeking to find a reason to have Himkilled (v.19). They have questioned Him about His authority and Jesus respondswith a question for them about the authority of John the Baptist and also aparable (vv. 1-19). The spies, sent by the Pharisees and the Herodians (Mark12:13), question Him about paying taxes to Caesar and Jesus shuts them downwith His answer (vv. 20-26).   Inverses 27-40, we find next in line were the Sadducees with a hypotheticalquestion based on the Jewish law of "levirate marriage". You willfind where they get this teaching from in Genesis 38 and Deuteronomy 25:5-10.The word levirate comes from the Latin levir, which means "a husband'sbrother." The Sadducees accepted as Scripture only the Five Books of Moses.Also in Acts 23:8 we are told they did not believe in angels, spirits, or theresurrection of the dead. They claimed that Moses did not write about any ofthese doctrines.  Itis interesting to also note that the priestly party in Israel during the timeof Jesus was mostly composed of Sadducees, which explains why the priestsopposed the Apostles' preaching of the Resurrection (Acts 4:1-2) and why theywanted to kill Lazarus, who was raised from the dead (John 12:10-11). Jesuspointed out that His opponents were wrong and that their question revealedassumptions that limited God's power and denied God's Word. Resurrection is notreconstruction; it is the miraculous granting of a new body that has continuitywith the old body. Paul compared our present body to a planted seed and thefuture resurrection body to the glorious flower and fruit (1 Cor. 15:35-50).Our Lord's resurrection body was the same as before His death and yetdifferent! Remember after Jesus' resurrection His disciples recognized Him andeven felt Him; He could eat food and yet He could also walk through closeddoors, change His appearance, and vanish suddenly.  Thefuture life with God is not a mere continuation of the present life only on"a higher scale." We will maintain our identities and know each other(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), but there will be no more death-hence, no need formarriage and procreation. Christians do not become angels.  Inheaven we will share the image of Jesus Christ and be much higher than theangels (1 John 3:2). Angels appear in Scripture as men, but they are spiritbeings without sexuality. It is in this regard that we will be like them; therewill be no need for marriage or childbearing in heaven. Isnot God powerful enough to raise the dead and give them new bodies suited totheir new environment? If today He can give different bodies to the variousthings in creation, why can He not give people new bodies at the resurrection? (1Corinthians 15:35-44). In their attempt to be "rational," theSadducees denied the very power of God! Paulunveils the mystery of when and what takes place concerning the believer'sresurrection body in both 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:47-58. Ibelieve that Jesus is coming back soon and “in a moment, in the twinkling of aneye” the living believers will experience a great change! Our perishable bodywill put on the imperishable, and our mortal body will put on immortality.  Hallelujah!!!What a day that will be! Are you prepared for that great day! It could betoday!

InLuke 20:20-26 the Jewish priests, elders, scribes, and the Herodians continueto confront Jesus seeking to find a reason to have Him killed (v.19). On thisparticular occasion, Jesus knew that the men who questioned Him were spies sentby the Pharisees and the Herodians according to Mark 12:13, but He patientlylistened and replied.  Thesetwo groups were usually fighting each other, but now they had a common enemy,and this brought them together. They wanted to discuss taxes and Romanauthority, hoping to provoke Jesus into offending either the Jews or the Romans.If Jesus said, “pay the Roman tax,” they knew that He would offend and angerthe Jews who hated the Romans ruling over them. If Jesus said, “don't pay the Romantax,” He would be considered an insurrectionist by the Roman rulers and couldbe put to death. But Jesus lifted the discussion to a much higher level andforced the spies to think about the relationship between the kingdom of God andthe kingdoms of men. TheBible teaches that governmental authority is instituted by God and must berespected (Prov. 8:15; Dan. 2:21, 37-38; Rom. 13; 1 Peter 2:11-17). Yes, ourcitizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), and we are strangers and pilgrims onearth, but that does not mean we should ignore our earthly responsibilities.Human government is essential to a safe and orderly society, for man is asinner and must be kept under control.  Whenyou read the book of Judges you find what it is like when there is no authorityover the people. Because there was no king in Israel, “every man did what wasright in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). The land was filled with anarchy,violence, murder, stealing, confusion, and chaos! God knows we need human governmentfor peace and order. Inverses 20-26, Jesus was not suggesting that we divide our loyalties between Godand government. Since "the powers that be are ordained of God" (Rom.13:1), we live as good citizens when we obey the authorities for the Lord'ssake. When obedience to God conflicts with obedience to man, then we must putGod first (Acts 4:19-20; 5:29), but we must do it in a manner that is honorableand loving. Even if we cannot respect the people in office, we must respect theoffice.  Thecounsel that Jeremiah gave to the Jewish exiles in Babylon is a good one forGod's "strangers and pilgrims" to follow today. “And seek thepeace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and prayto the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace.” (Jeremiah 29:7) Todaywe are instructed in 1 Timothy 2:1-4, “Therefore I exhort first of all thatsupplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for allmen, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet andpeaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptablein the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come tothe knowledge of the truth.” Caesar'simage and name were on the coins, so it was basically his currency. To pay thepoll tax meant simply to give Caesar back that which belonged to him. God'simage is stamped on us; therefore, He has the right to command our lives ascitizens in His kingdom. We should seek to be such good citizens that God willbe glorified and the unsaved will be attracted to the Gospel and want to becomeChristians (1 Peter 2:9-12; 3:8-17).  Itis unfortunate that some Christians have the mistaken idea that the moreobnoxious they are as citizens, the more they please God and witness forChrist. We must never violate our conscience, but we should seek to bepeacemakers and not troublemakers. Daniel is an example to follow (Dan. 1). God bless!

Theseverses 17-19, continue the confrontation that Jesus has on Tuesday of PassionWeek with the scribes, the priests, and the elders, just days before He iscrucified. Jesus has just finished telling a parable to the people that thesereligious leaders were also carefully listening to. It was the story of the ownerof a vineyard who finally sent his beloved son to receive the fruit, but he isrejected and killed by the vinedressers. They realize Jesus is claiming to bethe son in the story who is being rejected and killed.  NowJesus turns back from the crowd to these leaders of the Jews and speaks directlyto them and quoted Psalm 118:22. The rulers knew that this was a messianicpsalm, and they had heard some verse from this same psalm shouted by the crowdwhen Jesus rode into the city (compare Luke 19:38 with Ps. 118:26). By applyingthis verse to Himself, Jesus was clearly claiming to be the Messiah. The"builders who rejected the stone”, were of course, were the Jewishreligious leaders (Acts 4:11). Inthe Old Testament, the "stone" is a familiar symbol of God and of thepromised Messiah (see Gen. 49:24; Ex. 17:6; 33:22; Deut. 32:4, 15, 30-31; Isa.8:14; 28:16; 1 Cor. 10:4). Because the Jews did not believe, they stumbled overHim and were judged. Those who trust Jesus Christ find Him to be the foundationstone and the chief cornerstone of the church (1 Cor. 3:11; Eph. 2:20). ButJesus is also referring to Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45. This is where Daniel is interpretingthe dream of King Nebuchadnezzar where the Messiah is pictured as a"smiting stone" that crushes all that gets in its way. He was warningthe Sanhedrin that they would only destroy themselves if they condemned Him. Weneed to realized that this same principle applies today, and unbelievers shouldcarefully heed His warning. Youmight think about it this way. When the rulers rejected John the Baptist, theysinned against the Father who sent Him. When they crucified Jesus, they sinnedagainst the Son. Jesus had told them that they could sin against Him and stillbe forgiven, but when they sinned against the Holy Spirit, there could be noforgiveness (Matt. 12:24-37). Why? Because that was the end of God's witness tothe nation.  Thisis the so-called "unpardonable sin," and it was committed by theJewish leaders when they finally rejected the witness of the Spirit of Godthrough the Apostles. The evidence of their rejection was the stoning ofStephen (Acts 7:51-60). Then the Gospel went from the Jews to the Samaritans(Acts 8) and then to the Gentiles (Acts 10). Even today the Jewish people havea double veil over their eyes that keeps them from acknowledging that Jesus istheir promised Messiah (2 Corinthians 3:7-18).  Inthis parable of the vineyard and vinedressers who rejected the servants of theowner and kill his son, Jesus illustrated the insidious nature of sin: the morewe sin, the worse it becomes. The tenants started off beating some of theservants and wounding others, but they ended up becoming murderers! The Jewishleaders permitted John the Baptist to be killed, they asked for Jesus to becrucified, and then they themselves stoned Stephen. They sinned against theFather and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and that was the end of God's witnessto them. Itis a serious thing to reject the message of God and the messengers of God (seeJohn 12:35-43) Remember the warning we read in Hebrews 2:1-4; “For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and everytransgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape ifwe neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by theLord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,  Today,if the Holy Spirit is dealing with you heart about salvation or some sin inyour life, respond in humility and repentance, trusting and receiving theforgiveness that only Jesus can give you!

The priests, scribes,and elders have been listening to this. And when you read John 11:47–54, it isobvious that Jesus knew what these religious leaders were thinking. When hetells this parable, they know he's speaking of the vineyard, which is Israel. God,in the Old Testament, had sent prophets to call the nation to repentance. Read Jeremiah7:25–26, where Jeremiah said the Father, who has this vineyard sent prophets toask you to repent, to turn back, but because you have not repented, judgment iscoming.  Also, in Nehemiah 9:26,Nehemiah, after the captivity in Babylon, in one of the longest recordedprayers in the Bible, prays a public prayer before the remnant that returned toJerusalem. In this prayer he mentions how that God sent prophets, teachers, andpeople calling the people to repentance, but they rejected and killed them.  In John chapter 11:47-53,we read: “Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council andsaid, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Himalone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come andtake away both our place and nation." And one of them, Caiaphas, beinghigh priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do youconsider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people,and not that the whole nation should perish." Now this he did not say onhis own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesuswould die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He wouldgather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. Then,from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.” Jesus knows what thesereligious leaders are thinking when He shares this parable. They know He issaying that He is the Son that the owner of the vineyard sent to claim His vineyardand they are rejecting him. Jesus is proclaiming that judgment will surely fallupon them, and that's why they said, “Certainly not.” Jesus, the Messiah, isthere, presenting himself openly, and religious leaders know that if the peoplereceive Christ and accept Him as the Messiah, it is all over for their religioushypocrisy, and that's what they fear. Already, when John the Baptist baptizedJesus, and the Spirit came upon Jesus, and people saw this. They also heard thevoice from heaven say, “This is my beloved Son.” Now, when here Jesus inthis parable said, “He sent his beloved son,” they knew He was speakingof Himself. And these scribes, lawyers, priests, and elders knew that He wasspeaking of them rejecting him as the Messiah. And that God's judgment wouldcome upon them and the “vineyard” would be given to others. What a powerfulparable. My friend, it is a costly mistake to reject Jesus as your only hopefor salvation. He is your only Way to avoid the judgment to come. Don't be likethese religious Pharisees, hypocrites. Trust Jesus, focus on him, and live forhim every day.

InLuke 20 we are looking at what happen in Passion Week, the Jewish Passover.  At this point in this chapter, we're onTuesday. where Jesus is confronted by the chief priests, elders, and scribes.They ask Him the question: "By what authority are you doing thesethings?"  Whatauthority did He have to cleanse the temple, and what authority did He have tobe teaching? Who made Him a rabbi? Where did He get his credentials? Whatseminary did He go to? Of course, Jesus didn't go to any seminary, and basicallythey are rejecting Him. They're threatened by Him. He's disrupting their religiousand political power. And their profits, as they have been in charge of the merchantsselling things in the temple area called the Gentiles' Court. They should haveknown who Jesus was! So,when Jesus is asked, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gaveyou this authority?” He has already told them on many occasions that Hisauthority came from the Father. But He answered and said to them, “I will alsoask you one thing, and answer me: The baptism of John, was it from heaven orfrom men?” In other words, who gave John the Baptist the authority to bebaptizing people and calling them to repent of their sins? They got in a littlehuddle and reasoned among themselves, put their heads together, and said, “Now,how are we going to answer him?” They said amongst themselves, “If we say fromheaven, he will say, ‘Then why didn't you believe him?' But if we say from men,all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”So, they answered that they did not know where it was from. Jesus said to them,“Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” Amazingly,Jesus turns the tables on them. By answering them with a question, by giving aparable (vv. 9-16), and then offering a prophecy (vv. 17-18), He reveals thesins of the nation of Israel. Their main sin right now is that they arerejecting their own Messiah. Jesus takes them back to John the Baptist for tworeasons. First, John had pointed to Jesus and introduced Him to the nation, sotheir rejection of John was actually a rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Theyshould have recognized who Jesus was based on the message and presentation ofJohn that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Second,it is a spiritual principle that if we disobey truth we already know, Godcannot reveal new truth to us (see John 7:14-17). Why answer their questionwhen they had refused to submit to John's message? Remembersomething else and this is so important. We go back to the Old Testament toExodus 12, where the Passover lamb had to be set aside for ten days to ensureit was without spot and without blemish. It had to be thoroughly checked beforeit was slaughtered for the sacrifice, for the blood to be applied to thedoorpost and lintel. Picture Jesus as that Lamb of God who has come to takeaway the sin of the world. Jesus is now being examined by these people duringthese three days of Passover week. He's being questioned: “Who are you? Wheredo you get your authority?” This fits so well because Jesus is now going to berejected, slaughtered, and crucified because he is going to take away the sinof the world. Nowit was the religious leaders who were in the dilemma! No matter what answerthey gave, they were in trouble, so they decided to "play dumb" andnot answer at all. They were deceitful in asking the question and dishonest inthe way they avoided answering it. Even if Jesus had given them an answer,their hearts were not prepared to receive it. If they had disobeyed God'smessage given by John the Baptist (Luke 7:24-30), they would disobey themessage given by God's Son.  Theyshould have already known who Jesus was and received His message! And so shouldwe!

Aswe come to this chapter, we need to remember several things. It's Passoverweek. Jesus has finished almost three and a half years of ministry, healing thesick, raising the dead, giving sight to the blind, feeding the hungry,preaching to the multitudes, teaching His disciples, confronting the Pharisees,scribes, and hypocrites. All this has taken place now for three and a halfyears.  Jesus has publiclyrevealed Himself as the Messiah. He's come into Jerusalem on Sunday of Passoverweek. He is the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sin of the world. Thecrowd, the multitudes, believed and trusted that He was the Messiah to deliverthem from the Romans. When the Pharisees asked Jesus to rebuke them, Jesussaid, "Even these stones would cry out if they didn't recognize who Iwas." He had publicly revealed Himself. Yet, there was a group whorejected Him, and they were the spiritual and political leaders of the Jewish nation. On Sunday, Jesus ridesinto Jerusalem. On Monday, Jesus cleanses the temple. Now on Tuesday, Jesus isconfronted by the scribes, the high priest, the lawyers, (that's who thescribes are), and the elders. Three groups of people, representing thereligious and political leaders of the day for the Jews, confront Jesus. Verse 1, “Now ithappened on one of those days”. We believe the day was Tuesday specificallyin this passage, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel.Jesus has come back on Tuesday of Passover week. He is teaching and preaching.He's loving the people, teaching them the gospel. “The kingdom of heaven is athand; the King is here”. He is telling them wonderful things about who God is,who the Savior is, and how salvation and peace can come through trust andbelieving in Him.  He is preaching thegospel about Himself. Isn't that amazing? Because the Gospel is all aboutJesus.So, Jesus is preachingand teaching the Gospel, and that's when the chief priests, the scribes, andthe elders confronted Him. These people are incensed. The fact that Jesus ispreaching and teaching and the crowd has received Him, brings them to the pointthat they have to do something about Him. It says “they confronted Him”,means they came upon Him suddenly. They hope to catch Jesus with a questionthat will humiliate Him, and expose Hm to be against the leadership of theRomans politically. Then He could be crucified, stoned, or killed.  They'd already tried tostone Him on several occasions. Now they're going to use the tactic of getting Himto break one of the laws of the land so that the Romans will put Him to death.Of course, that fulfills the Old Testament scripture about how Jesus would die,not by stoning but by crucifixion. Read Psalms 22, and Isaiah 53. Theyconfronted Him and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authorityare you doing these things, or who is he who gave you this authority?" The priests had theirauthority from the law of Moses; they got their authority because the Leviticaltribe had been set apart to be the priests of the people, and the high priestcame from that tribe also. The scribes, these were the lawyers who had beentaught by the rabbis. They understood the law, they interpreted the law. So,the lawyers had their authority from the rabbis. The elders, these were theleaders of the different clans, the different tribes. They'd been chosen fortheir wisdom, leadership, and ability to lead. Probably on Monday night, thesethree groups of leaders have gotten together determined how they would confrontJesus on Tuesday. But Jesus is ready forthem. When they ask, "Where did you get your authority?" they'resaying, "We have authority, but who are you? Where does your authoritycome from?"  We can't wait to talkabout the answer the gave them and how He turned the table on them over thenext few days.  

Weneed to remember that this what we call Passion Week. Jesus rides intoJerusalem on Sunday morning, and the people cheer Him, celebrate Him, andbelieve that possibly He is the Messiah who has come to rescue them from theRomans. Jesus sees the city and weeps because He knows they will truly rejectHim. Then He goes into the temple according Mark 11:11, “And Jesus went intoJerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, asthe hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.” Didyou notice that it says that after Jesus rode into Jerusalem, He went into thetemple, and when He had looked upon all these things, as the hour was alreadylate, He went out to Bethany with the twelve. Also in Mark 11:12, we are told, “Thenext day, they went out from Bethany, and He was hungry.” So, on Sunday,He's in Jerusalem, they're cheering Him, He weeps, makes His proclamation aboutthings to come, and then goes to Bethany, where He spends the night. The nextmorning, He goes back to Jerusalem, and that's when He goes to the temple, asyou see here. So we conclude that the event that takes place where Jesus iscleansing the temple for the second time is on Monday of Passion Week. WhenJesus comes to the temple on Monday morning, He must have gone first into theCourt of the Gentiles, the only place where pagan Gentiles are welcome to comeinto the temple area, which is outside the main temple area. This is the placewhere the Jews are supposed to be doing evangelism, witnessing to theseGentiles, and telling them that God is the one and true God and can only be knownby faith. But instead, the chief priests, priests, and many of the Levites haveturned it into a den of thieves. They've turned it into a place where they'reselling goods and sacrifices to people who have come from other lands.  Thesepilgrims didn't bring their animals, like pigeons, goats, and sheep for theirsacrifices with them. So, they would have to buy these sacrifices. The chiefpriests and the religious leaders allowed the merchants to set up their littlestores in this area of the court of the Gentiles. This area was being used fora "religious marketplace" where Jews from other lands could exchangemoney and purchase approved sacrifices. The priests managed this business andmade a good profit from it. Jesusgoes into this area and proclaims, “My house shall be called a house ofprayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” quoting from Isaiah 56:7. InIsaiah 1:11-20, we read the prophesy that people were bringing sacrifices, buttheir hearts are far from God. Jesus said, “This shall be called the house ofprayer,” but you've made it a den of thieves. A den of thieves is the placethieves run to hide from the authorities. They've made the house of prayer,where God wants His people to pray, into a place where they're hiding undertheir religious cloaks to do their business of taking advantage of people.  Insteadof praying for and with the people, they're preying on them. Doesn't that sayso much about religion even today? We run to the place of religion, and therewe hide in our sins, try to act religious, yet at the same time, we're doingthose things with a heart full of sin, not repenting. Our churches, where weshould be praying and seeking the face of God, has become a place where we tryto hide our sins under the cloak of religion. Said to say, our churches havebecome a “den of thieves”.  MayGod help us today to do what Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 1:16-18: "Washyourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from beforeMy eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke theoppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. "Come now, and letus reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are likescarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, Theyshall be as wool.”  

Today is Memorial Day. Have you ever noticed we don't say“Happy Memorial Day”? During Christmas time we might say, “Merry Christmas” or “happyholidays” and so forth as we celebrate the season. But we don't celebrate MemorialDay. Memorial Day is not a day to be happy; it's a day to remember the greatsacrifice many made so that we might live in a free country.  Itrust today that you'll take time to remember that freedom is not free. Overone million people in our country paid the price of giving their own lives.They made the ultimate sacrifice. “Greater love has no man than this, than aman lay down his life for his friends.” These people laid down their lives fortheir friends, their family, their country, and their God.  Americais a great place to live. With all the problems, difficulties, divisions, andstrife we might have, it's still the greatest place on planet Earth that Godhas blessed us with to be citizens in and live in. The freedom we enjoy is notfree; a great price was paid for it. We need to remember that today. Today takethe time to go to a memorial service. I'll be going to one this morning withsome local veterans and active military guys right here in my own neighborhood.There are other services in your community that you can choose to attend. Please,in some way today, remember and take time to honor those who died for ourfreedom. If you know someone or a family that gave a son or daughter to serviceand maybe sacrificed their life, give them a call. You can let them know you'rethinking about them today. You can pray for them, and take that time toremember. It'sinteresting to note how this ties in to what we are studying here we are inLuke chapter 19. Jesus has already told us that He has come to seek and to savethat which was lost. For Jesus to seek and to save that which was lost, He hadto die. He had to die on an old rugged cross. He had to pay the ultimatesacrifice. He had to lay down His life for His friends, and He did that for youand for me.  Oh,my friend, what a great sacrifice Jesus made. Did you ever think of thedifference between the sacrifice Jesus made, and the soldiers and those in ourmilitary made as they laid down their lives for our country. Yes they made theultimate sacrifice for our freedom. But what kind of freedom is that? Thefreedom to live in homes we want to live in, work jobs we want to work, gowhere we want to go, travel as we like to travel. We're free to choose ourvocations. There are so many things we are free to do.  ButJesus didn't die to set us free to do what we want to do. Jesus died to set usfree to be able to do what we ought to do!  And that is to live a life that honors,glorifies, and pleases Him and to enjoy the fullness of life—eternal life, Godliving within us. Oh, my friend, Jesus paid that sacrifice so we could be freefrom the guilt, the shame, the penalty, and the power of sin over us! We areset free by His sacrifice to do what is right and good. We are free to forgive othersbecause we have been forgiven! We're looking at Luke 19, the very last verses of the chapter.Thisis interesting, and we'll talk more about this tomorrow, but I believe this istaking place on Monday morning. Remember, on Sunday morning, Jesus rode intoJerusalem on a colt, a donkey, and as He rode in, the people celebrated, cheeredand yelled, “Hosanna in the Highest.” Jesus wept over the city. And then Jesusgoes back to Bethany where He spends the night. The next morning, Mondaymorning, Jesus goes into the temple to cleanse it. Just like we have ourproblems in America today, they had their problems in Jerusalem in those days.Jesus denounced the wickedness and the evil of the religious leaders who wereusing the temple to make money. Oh, my friend, not much has changed over theyears. We will talk more about this tomorrow. 

41Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, "If youhad known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for yourpeace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.  As I mentioned yesterday, I'm in Kingsland, Georgia. Iprerecorded this video for you, and I trust it'll be a blessing. This morning,I'll be attending a worship service with Edith at Kings Bay Submarine Base to hear my son Nathan,a Navy chaplain, speak. Let'scontinue in Luke chapter 19:28-48, which take place on what we call Palm Sundaymorning, and in verses 35-44, Jesus is entering Jerusalem, riding a colt. Thecrowd comes out to meet Him, proclaiming, “Blessed is the King who comes in thename of the Lord.” They are singing praises, throwing palm branches and clothesin front of the colt Jesus is riding. The Pharisees criticize, saying, “Rebukethese people.” Then, in verse 41, as Jesus draws near, He sees the city andweeps over it. Ican picture this, having been there many times. I can imagine seeing Jesus comingdown the Mount of Olives with a clear view of Jerusalem. The crowd isrejoicing, but Jesus is weeping. In verse 42, He says, “If you had known,even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! Butnow they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when yourenemies will build an embankment around you, surround you, and close you in onevery side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; andthey will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know thetime of your visitation.” Jesusgoes from this rejoicing and celebration of the people, to weeping overJerusalem. No matter where He looks, He finds a cause to weep. Looking back, Hesees how the nation wasted its opportunities to receive Him as the Messiah,ignorant of the time of His visitation. Looking within, He sees spiritualignorance and blindness in the people's hearts.  Theyshould have known who He was. God gave them His Word with all the prophecies concerningHis first coming and had also sent John the Baptist to prepare the way. Jesus Himselfhad been preaching for three and a half years for the nation to repent because theKingdom of Heaven was at hand. And by His miracles and healings and power overthe demons, the elements of nature, manifesting Himself to be the Son of God. Lookingaround, Jesus sees religious activity that accomplishes little. The temple hadbecome a den of thieves, the religious leaders were out to kill Him, and thoughthe city was filled with pilgrims celebrating Passover, their hearts were heavywith sin and life's burdens.  Lookingahead, Jesus weeps because He sees the terrible judgment coming. In AD 70,about 40 years after His death, the Romans would come, and after a 143-daysiege, they would kill over 600,000 Jews, take thousands captive, and destroythe temple and city. Why? Because the people did not know God had visited them.As Scripture says, “He came to His own, and His own received Him not.” Thepeople are rejoicing, but Jesus is looking within, around, and ahead. I believeHe's looking into our hearts today, too. What does He see in our lives thatwould cause Him to weep if we don't believe, trust, and are not living for Himas we should?  Whata powerful passage. Jesus sees the crowd celebrating, calling Him King, yet Heweeps because He knows the reality of what will happen. He knows in a few daysthis same crowd will be yelling “crucify Him” and have Him nailed to a cross todie. Jesus know that will reject Him and will not trust Him to be their Messiahand Savior. MayGod give us grace today to bring a smile to the face of Jesus as we live toglorify His name in everything that we say and do!

Welcometo Pastor's Chat. I prerecorded the chat for today in my office in NorthCarolina, but today I'm actually in Kingsland, Georgia, celebrating mygranddaughter Kaitlyn's high school graduation. Both this chat and Sunday's wasdone there, but I still wanted to share this wonderful passage from Lukechapter 19. InLuke 19, Jesus sent the disciples to find a colt to ride into Jerusalem. Wecall this Palm Sunday, marking the last week of Jesus' ministry before Hiscrucifixion on Friday and resurrection the following Sunday. We will be goingthrough this week in the final chapters of Luke. Jesus is preparing to enterJerusalem and needs a colt. This is the only place in the New Testament whereJesus allows a celebration of Himself as the Messiah. There are several reasonsfor this. First,He's fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah 9, riding in on adonkey. To us, a donkey might not seem exciting, but in those days, it was abeast used for royalty, for a king to ride into town triumphantly as the crowdcelebrated. As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the crowds celebrate Him as the Messiah,shouting, “Hosanna in the highest!” In verse 35, it says, “And as he went, manyspread their clothes on the road.” Then, in verse 37, as He was drawing nearthe descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began torejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they hadseen. Imagine,for three and a half years, Jesus has been healing the sick, raising the dead,giving sight to the blind, feeding the hungry, caring for the poor, preachingthe kingdom, and casting out demons. The word has spread, and people arelooking for a deliverer, a king to free them from Roman rule. They're hopingfor someone like Moses to lift the Roman oppression. So they praise God,saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heavenand glory in the highest!”  It'sinteresting—the Gospel of Luke begins with the angel proclaiming, “Peace onearth and goodwill toward men.” Now the people are saying, “Peace in heaven andglory in the highest,” celebrating not only peace on earth but also peace inheaven with the King of glory. Because the King was rejected, there could be nopeace on earth. Instead, there would be constant bitter conflict between thekingdom of God and the kingdom of evil (Luke 12:49-53). There would be no peaceon earth but, thanks to Christ's work on the cross, there is "peace withGod" in heaven (Rom. 5:1; Col. 1:20). The appeal today is, "Be yereconciled to God!" (2 Cor. 5:17-21) SomePharisees in the crowd told Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” But Hereplied, “I tell you, if these should keep silent, the stones would immediatelycry out.” As He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it—a moment we'llexplore tomorrow. For now, Jesus allows this great celebration as the peopleproclaim the King has come. Thesecond reason for this celebration is that Jesus knew it would provoke theJewish leaders to a point where they could no longer tolerate Him. In verse 47,it says that as He was teaching daily in the temple, the chief priests,scribes, and leaders of the people sought to destroy Him. They had alreadytried to stone Him or throw Him off a cliff, but it wasn't time yet. Now,during Passover week, Jesus, the Passover Lamb, fulfills the Old Testamentprophecies. This is why He allows this demonstration, letting the crowdproclaim Him as the Messiah, the King who has come. God'stiming is always perfect and every prophecy concerning Jesus was fulfilled! Todaywith faith and great confidence we can believe that Jesus is indeed the Son ofGod and by believing we have life through His name!

Welcometo Pastor's Chat. Today we're looking at Luke chapter 19. Yesterday, we talkedabout Jesus sending two of His disciples ahead when He was at the Mount ofOlives to go to a village and find a colt tied by a door. Mark's gospel says itwas where two ways met. Today, I want to talk about divine appointments. Thatcolt tied by the door is a beautiful picture of a sinner tied by their sins,right outside the door of salvation, where two roads cross—one leading todestruction, the other to life. What a picture of how God wants us to go outand find people that He is working in, preparing their hearts to come to JesusChrist. It'sa mystery to me how we have the Great Commission to share the gospel with everycreature, yet at the same time God is sovereignly working in people's hearts,preparing them to receive it. Sometimes He uses trials, troubles, ordifficulties; sometimes it's His providential care that brings them to a senseof needing something they don't have, something money or family can't provide.They feel a deep dissatisfaction with life and are searching for truth. God isworking in their lives, and He needs someone to tell them about Jesus. Thinkof Cornelius, the centurion who was a good, godly man in a sense—he prayed andgave alms, yet he didn't know Jesus. An angel told him to find Peter, who wouldshare what he needed to do. The angel couldn't share the gospel, but Peter wasavailable, and the Holy Spirit sent him to deliver the message to Cornelius. Ialso think of Abraham's servant, Eliezer, in Genesis 24 that was sent to find abride for Isaac. Abraham told him not to take Isaac to the land he was going tobut to find a bride and bring her back. If she wouldn't come, Eliezer would befree from his oath. We're like that servant, sent by God to find a bride for Christ.Eliezer came to a well where Rebekah was drawing water. He prayed, asking Godto show him the right woman for his master's son, and when Rebekah offered todraw water for him and his camels, his prayer was answered. He worshipped,saying, “I, being in the way, the Lord led me.” (Genesis 24:27). Myfriend, there are people everywhere waiting for someone to tell them aboutJesus. God has prepared their hearts—they're like that colt tied by the door ofsalvation, just a step away from eternal life. They need someone to loose themwith the power of the resurrection message of Jesus Christ. Paul said, “I'm notashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ; it's the power of God unto salvation toeveryone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Wednesday,I was out with a friend named Ben, having lunch. Our waitress kept coming toour table, and we had the opportunity to invite her to Ben's church, and also tellher about the Lord. She promised to come with her husband. I believe everywherewe go, there's someone waiting to hear about God's kindness and Christ's love,someone we can show the way to salvation. Divineappointments—I've had them all my life. On planes, in hotel rooms, at restaurants,at gas stations, on my neighborhood streets, at sports events, and many otherplaces! How exciting it is to look back and see what the Lord did when we werejust in the way, and He directed our steps. The same can be true for you today.Trust the Lord—there's someone waiting for you to untie them and bring them toJesus. When Jesus sat on that colt, that had been never ridden before,everything was fine. Jesus can change a life and still does today.Itrust you will be looking for a divine appointment today. Someone is waitingfor you!

Todayas we look at this passage in Luke 19, we need to remember that in the lastseveral chapters, Jesus has been on his way to Jerusalem with his disciples. Heis giving His last lessons and messages, teaching them things about the comingkingdom. Now, on this particular occasion, in verse 28, it says, "Andwhen he had said this, He went ahead, going up to Jerusalem." Webelieve this is Jesus' last trip to Jerusalem, where he will be crucified. Theevents we read about here in verses 28 and following take place on what we callPalm Sunday.  Over the next several dayswe will be talking about the events of this week leading up to his crucifixion. Thisevent takes place on the east side of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives. Jesussends two of His disciples to a nearby village to loose a colt that is tied by “adoor outside, where two ways met.” Of course this event is about what takesplace on Palm Sunday, but I think the great lesson here is, especially as wewere looking at the previous parable Jesus just gave about the ten minas thatwas given to the ten servants by their master (vv. 11-27), He was talking abouthow we, as the servants of Jesus, have been entrusted with the Word of God,with the seed of God's Word, and we are to take this seed to the world. We areto invest it in the lives of others, showing them the way to Jesus.  Thenwe have Luke recount this event that takes place. You also read this event indetail in the Gospel of Mark chapter 11. In Mark chapter 11, it talks about howJesus sends two of His disciples. You have a great illustration and applicationof how Jesus sends out His disciples two by two. The Bible teaches us that weshould have a companion to go with us as we share the gospel with others. Thereare many reasons for that. Aswe go out two by two, we are to find a colt that's tied by the door. I love howMark's Gospel says it: “They went their way and found a colt tied by thedoor, outside in a place where two ways met, and they loosed him.” Thiscolt represents a lost sinner. It was a colt that had never been ridden, agreat picture of a sinner who is lost in his sins. He is tied by the door, andisn't it interesting that Jesus says, "I am the door"? He's tied by adoor that's outside. The people who are lost are tied to sin, outside the doorof salvation, Jesus Christ.  Theyare also in a place where “two ways met”. This is a place of decision. Youeither go to heaven from here, or you go to hell. When you meet Jesus Christ,you have to make a choice: Is He indeed the Christ, the Messiah, the Son ofGod, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, or is He justsomeone else you don't care to know? If you decide that He is Jesus the Christ,the Son of God, my friend, you want to be loosed from the bondage of your sin.And you need someone to bring you the power of the Gospel Word to loose you.  So,what should we be doing as servants and disciples of Jesus Christ? We should beobeying Him, going to the place where two roads meet, a crossroads for a lostsinner tied to his sin. Our job is to share the good news of Jesus Christ,loose him, and bring him to Jesus. Jesus said, "I have need ofhim."  Oh,my friend, Jesus has need of every lost sinner, who is someone who will bring Himglory, praise, and honor like no one else can. And serve Him to bring others toChrist also. Today, let's apply these scriptures to our lives and be like thesedisciples who went and did as the Lord told them. We have been given the GreatCommission also. We are sent by Jesus to loose a tied colt today! He or she isat the crossroad of decision! Be looking for him or her as you go! Yesterday,my friend Ben and I had the opportunity to begin “loosing” a tied colt (awaitress), as we were eating lunch at a local restaurant. How exciting!!!!

John 2:28 "And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming."  Hetells the parable of the nobleman and the 10 servants to whom he gives a minaeach. The one servant who kept the one mina says, "Oh,I knew you were a stern master, so I hid it in the ground, and here it is; Igive it back to you." The master says, "I'm judging you out ofyour own mouth. You should have at least put it in the bank, and then when Icame, I could have had it with some interest." This servant did notget rewarded; in fact, what he had was taken from him and given to the man whohad 10 minas. Ibelieve what the Lord is clearly teaching us here is that one day He is comingagain. He is a Master who will come and reward his faithful servants one day. InRomans 14 Paul teaches that we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. “…For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written:"As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongueshall confess to God." So then each of us shall give account of himself toGod.” (Romans 14:10-12) Don't waste your time judging one another, tryingto figure out who's right and who's wrong. Serve the Lord; he is Lord of all.Whether we live or die, we live unto the Lord, and one day we will stand beforehis judgment seat, and each one of us will give an account of himself to theLord.  1Corinthians 3:5-15 teach basically the same thing, telling us we will give anaccount for each work we've done. There are works that abide and those thatdon't in the fire of judgment at the judgment seat of Christ. I believe thisjudgment takes place at the end of the tribulation period, just before themillennial reign of Christ. There the rewards will be passed out to thosewho've been faithful to serve the Lord and reign with Him. If we suffer with Him,we will reign with Him in His millennial 1,000-year reign, as He sits upon thethrone of David in Jerusalem and rules over the earth. We come back with Him torule and reign, and the reward will be determined by our performance now. (2 Timothy2:12; Revelation 19:11-16). Butnot just by what we do, though, because the scripture teaches every work willbe judged, whether it's good or bad, whether it's gold, silver, or preciousstones, or whether it's wood, hay, and stubble. In other words, what we do ordon't do for Christ and through Christ alone. Remember in John 15 Jesus said, "Withoutme, you can do nothing." Our motives for our service will be judged atthat time, and we'll be rewarded accordingly. We all have been given the onemina, the Word of God, and we can determine, by the grace of God through thepower of the Holy Spirit abiding in us, to serve faithfully. I love what 1 John2:28 says: "Abide in me, little children." It says, "Ifyou abide in Him, you will be confident and not be ashamed at His coming."We're to “study to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen that need notbe ashamed” (2 Timothy 3:15). Manyof us will stand at the judgment seat of Christ and be ashamed! I believe manyChristians think that if they're saved, they will go to heaven, and everyonewill be happy all the time. But my friend, there will be a time of accountingwhen we stand at the judgment seat of Christ, and every work will be judged.Read 2 Corinthians 5:7-11. It says we will all stand before the judgment seatof Christ, and there it also says, “…knowing the terror of the Lord, wepersuade men”. Paul knew and talked about that judgment seat.  So,we need to understand what Jesus is teaching here in Luke 19. He says, "Listen,you need to make sure you serve me faithfully now, and serve me with the rightmotive, and your reward will be great in heaven."  Andmy friend, in the Millennial reign of Christ on earth, you will also rule andreign with him. Please take time  to lookthe above verses up.Godbless!