Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

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!

Inthe first 10 verses of Luke 19, we meet Jesus as the Savior who seeks the lostand we have the story of Zacchaeus, the rich tax collector who comes to faithand salvation through Jesus Christ. Then, in verse 11, we meet the master whorewards faithful servants. My friend, that's who Jesus is. He is the Savior,but he's also the master who expects us to be faithful servants. Itsays in verse 11, "Now as they heard these things, he spoke anotherparable because he was near Jerusalem and because they thought that the kingdomof God would appear immediately." Jesus is at the end of His three anda half years of earthly ministry. He's on his way to Jerusalem with hisdisciples, preaching, sharing, doing miracles, and healing people. He knowsthat He's going to be crucified, but the disciples and many others believe He isgoing to Jerusalem to set up his kingdom. Atthat time in the Jewish world, there were subversive groups like the Zealotswho used commando tactics against Rome. There were also the Herodians, Jewishpoliticians who compromised their faith to rule with the Romans over the Jewishpeople in the land of Israel. Then, you had the common people, the majority,who were looking for the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies for theMessiah, the King to come and set up His kingdom. That'swhy this verse says that as Jesus neared Jerusalem, He told this parablebecause they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. They werethinking Jesus is this possible king, the Prophet prophesied in the OldTestament, the Messiah who's come to give us a deliverer. This was at the timeof Passover, and people were flooding into Jerusalem by the thousands. Theywere looking for a deliverer, just like the Passover represented beingdelivered out of Egypt when God gave them a deliverer, Moses. Now they believedthat one like Moses would come and deliver them from the Roman rule. Theythought Jesus was that deliverer. Jesusthen tells them this story, beginning in verse 12, about “a certain noblemanwho went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. Hecalled 10 of his servants, delivered to them 10 minas, and said to them,"Do business till I come." But his citizens hated him and sent adelegation after him, saying, "We will not have this man to reign overus." When he returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded theseservants to whom he had given the money to be called to him that he might knowhow much every man had gained by trading.” Jesusis presenting a picture here. It's interesting that there were 10 servants towhom he gave 10 minas, money. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the parable ofthe talents, and the master giving different amounts,5 to one, two to another,and one to one, to three servants. That was a picture of the gifts God giveseach of us to serve Him, and how we use those gifts will be held accountable.But here, he gave the same amount of money to ten servants and then tells howat least three of them were held accountable. We believe the application isthat Jesus gave the Word of God to all His followers today to share witheveryone we can, and we're going to be held accountable for it. Thelesson here is that God expects us to be faithful with whatever He gives us,and He will hold us accountable for our faithfulness and obedience with thegifts and the Word of God that we're to share with those around us. May theLord help us to learn this lesson well.  Itrust you will use the Spiritual gifts that God's blessed you with and also sharethe Word of God with whoever crosses your path today.

Here in Luke 19, Jesusis giving us this story of a rich man getting saved and making sure weunderstand what's impossible with men is possible with God. If you go back to Luke18, you might remember the rich young ruler who came running to Jesus and leftvery sorrowful. Jesus then made the statement, "How hard it is forthose who have riches to enter the kingdom of God."  The rich man in Luke 18came running to Jesus, but this man, Zacchaeus, ran ahead of Jesus because hesought to see Him. He was small of stature and had to climb up into a sycamoretree. We go by a sycamore tree whenever we go to Jericho, visiting the HolyLand, and we always get out and take a picture right there in the middle of thecity of Jericho. They believe it's possible that this very tree is from theroots of the tree that Zacchaeus might have climbed up. I don't know, but it'salways great to see that tree and think of the story about Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus ran ahead,and my friend, I think about how it says Jesus came to the place where he was. Zacchaeusset himself in the place where God's grace would come by. My friend, I'm goingto tell you, you're more apt to find Jesus at church than you are in a bar orout doing some wicked, evil deed. When you put yourself in the place of God'sgrace, that's when God's grace will pass by you. This place is called humility.Zacchaeus humbled himself. Jesus said, "If you're going to become rich andenter the kingdom of God, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is thekingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). You want to inherit heaven, you must humbleyourself and become like a beggar. So here's a rich manrunning ahead, putting himself in the place of God's grace. Jesus is going topass that way. How do you put yourself in the place of God's grace? I wouldencourage you, if you're struggling to find salvation, read the Gospel of John,study the Gospel of John, hang out with some believers who love Jesus Christ,talk to people who want to talk about the Lord, put yourself in the place ofGod's grace, get away from those who are leading you into sin and continuing toencourage you to sin. This man ran away, he humbles himself, he climbs in thetree, and I love it. It says, "When Jesus came to the place, he looked upand saw him and said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down."Interestingly, Jesuslooked up. When we read the scriptures, God is looking down from heaven. Jesuswas in heaven,  but one day, and he leftthe splendors of glory. “He who was rich became poor”. He became poor,and now he looks up to where Zacchaeus is. My friend, it is because Jesushumbled himself and became a man, became a servant, and became obedient even tothe death of the cross, that we can experience His grace of salvation (Philippians2:5-11).  Then Jesus makes thestatement, "Salvation has come to this man's house today because he isa son of Abraham." There was evidence of Zacchaeus' salvation. Hegives half his goods to the poor. He didn't have to give that much back to thepoor, but he did. Why? Because when a man meets Jesus Christ and the grace ofGod comes into his life, everything changes. We become new creatures in ChristJesus. Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians5:17). A son of Abraham means he is a “son of faith” (Romans 4:12; Galatians3:7).  Today, will you putyourself in the way of God's grace? “Seek the Lord while He may be found. Callupon Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6).

Todaywe are looking at one of the most exciting stories in the New Testament. I liketo call it the story of a little big sinner. That's the story of Zacchaeus, aman who comes seeking Jesus as Jesus is seeking him. What a wonderful story.This is probably one of the favorite stories of little children in Sundayschool growing up, with the great song, "Zacchaeus was a wee little man,and a wee little man was he. And one day, Jesus passed his way.” InLuke 19:1, Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now remember, Jericho wasthe Las Vegas of Christ's day. It was the place where gambling, prostitutes,and where the mafia had their headquarters, so to speak. It was a bad place,and Jesus entered and passed through. Jesus is ready to pass through yourplace, no matter who you are or where you are. Jesus is seeking sinners, aswe'll see in the first 10 verses of this chapter. Behold,there was a man named Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, and he was rich.Zacchaeus was Jewish, and his name means "righteous one," but he wasanything but righteous. He was not only a tax collector but the chief taxcollector, maybe even Matthew's boss at one time. Perhaps after Matthew becamea follower of Christ, he was burdened for Zacchaeus and prayed for him. NowZacchaeus has a prepared heart. He was rich, from collecting taxes for theRoman government while cheating people and taking more than he was supposed to.But his wealth did not bring him satisfaction or peace. Hesought to see who Jesus was but could not because of the crowd, for he was ofshort stature. He was a little guy, not very tall. Because of the crowd, hecouldn't get to Jesus. That's true today—many people are kept from Jesusbecause of the crowd leading them the wrong way, telling them the lies of theworld. My friend don't let the crowd keep you from Jesus. Don't follow amultitude to do evil. Zacchaeus couldn't see over the crowd or well enough tosee who Jesus was and what He was doing. He was curious, so he ran ahead andclimbed into a sycamore tree to see Him, knowing Jesus would pass that way. Ilike to say that Zacchaeus put himself “in the way of Grace”.  Jesuswould like to pass your way if you're looking for Him. Zacchaeus, a man,becomes like a child. In the days of Christ, and even today, rich men don'trun—they walk with dignity and pride. But this man humbles himself. Not onlywas he small in stature, but he humbled his heart and became small in his ownsight. Remember in Luke 18, Jesus said, “Unless you become like a child, youcan't enter the kingdom of God,” WhenJesus came to the place, He looked up, saw him, and said, “Zacchaeus, makehaste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste,came down, and received Him joyfully. This chapter illustrates Ephesians 2:8-9as well as anywhere in the Bible: “For by grace are you saved through faith,and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any manshould boast.” Theone thing that keeps people from coming to Jesus is pride. A seeking sinnerwill always find a seeking Savior. I don't fully understand how Jesus seeks uswhile something happens to humble our hearts, and we begin to seek Him. But Iknow that it is the work of God's marvelous grace, which only takes place whenwe humble ourselves. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James4:6). Only by grace can you be saved and begin to have a heart that seeksJesus.Here'sa rich man who has need of nothing, but he's lonely inside, has no friends, andpeople don't like him. He's a sinner, but Jesus loves sinners. What a greatstory. Today, I don't know who you are, where you're at, or what's going on inyour life, but Jesus, by His grace, is ready to pass your way.  Areyou looking for Him? If you're looking, you will find Him, and He'll find you.

Today,we're looking at Luke chapter 18, specifically verses 35-43, the last verses ofthe chapter. Jesus began this chapter by teaching about prayer, that men oughtalways to pray and not to faint. He gave us several stories about prayer. Inthese last verses Jesus teaches us that the prayer that always turns the ear ofGod to see our need, and give us the miracle that we need, is the “desperate prayer”.Now, as Luke ends this chapter, he points out a certain man who was a beggarand blind, who came to Jesus.  Inthis chapter, we've seen contrasts between different people and situations.Here, we see the contrast between this beggar who was blind and the rich manwho came to Jesus. Matthew's and Mark's gospels tell us there were two beggars,but in the Gospel of Luke, it appears Luke loves to point out how Jesus isinterested in the individual. It didn't matter if there were a hundred sheep;he's interested in one. If there are ten pieces of silver, there's one. Ifthere are two sons, there's one. If there are two beggars, here in Luke's Gospel,there's one. God is interested in you. He knows your need. He wants you to cryout to him. Ifthere's anything we learn about prayer in this chapter, it's that men oughtalways to pray. We're not to pray like the Pharisee, but we come desperately toJesus. The rich young ruler came, thought well of himself, and bragged abouthis goodness. This beggar wouldn't be quiet when he heard Jesus was passing by.He was desperate for his need to be healed and would cry out, even when peopletold him to be quiet. That's another thing you learn from this chapter: thewidow in the first verses of the chapter kept crying out, even though the judgewouldn't listen. The beggar, even though people told him to be quiet, cried outanyway. Ilove the contrast here, and we're encouraged to cry out in desperation. TheScripture says, "You shall seek me and find me when you have searchedfor me with all your heart." That's how you come to Jesus; that's howyou come in faith, believing. This man was blind and acknowledged it. He had nospecial merits to cry out and say, "Oh, I've been good; I've donethis." He had nothing. He came empty and went away rich. The rich man camevery rich and left eternally poor. Myfriend, there's so much we learn from this. I encourage you today: you mightfeel like you have nothing, no merits to come to Christ, or that you've lived alife that merits none of his grace. But you can come in your desperation. If Iknow and have learned one thing from my years of ministry it is that God hearsthe prayers of desperate people. Honestly, I don't know if we really pray untilwe get desperate. The fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much because wemeet Jesus where He is, and we cry out to Him. The"human stories” we have "read" in this chapter should also encourageus to put our faith in Jesus Christ, no matter what others may say or do. Thewidow was not discouraged by the indifferent attitude of the judge, nor thepublican by the hypocritical attitude of the Pharisee. The parents broughttheir little ones to Jesus in spite of the selfish attitude of the Apostles,and the blind men came to Jesus even though the crowd told them to keep quietand stay put. Jesus always responds to faith and rewards those who believe. Whata wonderful story to end this chapter. This poor blind beggar left rejoicing,and the people were praising God. Remember, the rich man left very sad andsorrowful. Don't leave that way, my friend. Come to Jesus, meet Him, have yourlife changed, and let Hm give you your sight.  Jesusasked this blind man, "What do you want Me to do for you?"? Theman said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." God made himpoint out his need, and Jesus met that need right where he was. I trust thatyou'll trust the Lord today to meet your need. Jesus is always ready to answerthe prayer of a desperate person!

Today,we will continue looking at the story of the rich young ruler who came to Jesuslooking for salvation. He came running, knelt before Jesus, asked the rightquestion, and came to the right person—all the right things. Matthew's gospelcalls him “young” twice, emphasizing he also came at the right time of life.That's a good time to give your heart to Christ, but it's never too late. Aslong as you have breath in your lungs, a beating heart, and a thinking mind,it's time to come to Jesus. Jesustold him to give everything he had, because he was rich, and give to the poor.The Bible says when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was veryrich. Jesus saw he was sorrowful and said, “How hard it is for those whohave riches to enter the kingdom of God. It's easier for a camel to go throughthe eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Those whoheard it said, “Who then can be saved?” But He said, “The things which areimpossible with men are possible with God.”  Petersaid, “We have left all and followed you.” Jesus replied, “Assuredly I say toyou, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife orchildren for the sake of the kingdom of God who shall not receive many timesmore in this present time and in the age to come eternal life.” WhenJesus saw the man was sorrowful, He said it's easier for a camel to go throughthe eye of a needle. I've heard, from my many visits to Jerusalem andBethlehem, that the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem has a small door youcan barely get through. They made these doors small so raiders on animalscouldn't invade the church where everyone might be taking shelter. A camelcouldn't get through the door with a person with any burden of wealth on it.The door was like the eye of a needle, very small making it hard for anythingto get through it.  I'm not sure all thatit meant, but Jesus was saying that for a rich person, the problem is theybelieve that their wealth gives them their security. Iread years ago, and never forgot it, that whatever becomes our source ofsecurity becomes our idol, our God that we worship. It might be a person, ajob, or money. And most often it is our money—our job, savings account, orretirement plan. If that becomes our source of security, it becomes our God,our idol. Jesus said it's hard for a person to give up that source of security.Jesus made it clear elsewhere you can't serve God and mammon.  Youeither serve the Lord God, finding your security in Him and your relationshipwith Jesus Christ, or you trust in your wealth. Money can go away, people die,everything can change, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, andforever (Hebrews 13:8). The real source of security for eternity is Jesus andyour relationship with Him. Jesusfinishes this passage by taking the twelve aside, saying, “We're going up toJerusalem. All the things written by the prophets concerning the Son of Manwill be accomplished. He'll be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, insulted,spit upon, scourged, and killed, and the third day He will rise again.”Jesus pointed them to the cross. My friend, that's how you come to Christ—youcome to the cross, to the suffering of the cross.  What'simpossible with men is possible with God. Salvation can take place when youcome to the cross, and your life can be totally changed. No matter how wealthy,poor, sinful, wicked, evil, or good you are. You can come to the cross and besaved.  Today,come to the cross of Jesus.

22 So when Jesus heard thesethings, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you haveand distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come,follow Me." 23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for hewas very rich.  Today,we're looking at Luke chapter 18, verses 18-30, the story of the rich youngruler who comes to Jesus looking for salvation. In verse 17, Jesus had justmade the statement, "Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as alittle child will by no means enter it." You have to come to Jesuslike a child, totally dependent upon Him, hungry for Him and Him alone. In thevery first “Beatitude” Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, Fortheirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). This young ruler comes toJesus is an illustration of someone who will not enter the kingdom of heavenbecause of their pride, possessions, and their wrong views of Jesus, self, sin,and also basic dishonesty. Jesussays to this rich young ruler, "Keep the commandments", and Helists five of them: "Don't commit adultery, don't murder, don't steal,don't bear false witness, honor your father and mother." The manresponds, "I've done all these things since I was a youth." Hecalled Jesus "good Master," honoring the Lord with his lips, but hisheart was far from Him. He didn't truly believe Jesus is the Son of God,despite implying it by calling Him "good Master." He also had a wrongview of his own sin, claiming he'd kept all the commandments. Noticethat Jesus didn't quote the last commandment, "Thou shalt not covet."He tells the man, "Go sell everything you have, give to the poor, andfollow me." The man went away very sorrowful because he had greatriches. We see that this man had a problem with covetousness, and Jesus knowinghis heart deal with that by telling him to give his wealth away. What'simportant is that unless we come to Jesus with a heart like a child, willing inhumility to repent of our sin, our selfishness and our pride, we will notreceive the grace of God to be saved (Ephesians 2:8-9; James 4:6). This manthought he could get saved by what he did, asking, "What shall I do toinherit eternal life?" He wasn't looking at his heart or the need torepent of his sins. He felt he was a pretty good guy, keeping all thecommandments. Youdon't get to heaven by keeping the commandments. I've asked people over theyears, "Are you going to heaven? How do you know?" They'll say,"I do the best I can and try to keep the commandments." But myfriend, that doesn't take away our sin. Our problem is a sin problem, acovetous, selfish, prideful heart problem. “All have sinned and come shortof the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We must come like a child, admit inhumility that we have sinned, turn from our sin, and trust Jesus. Scripturedoesn't teach that it's wrong to be wealthy. You can possess great wealth andbe a wonderful, loving Christian, making a major difference in the kingdom ofGod. But you can't let wealth possess you. Keep your focus on kingdom work, notpersonal gain. I'll never forget a wealthy friend who said, "I take careof God's business, and God takes care of my business." He was one of themost giving people I'd ever met. Keepyour focus on eternity, knowing we are sinners. The only way to heaven is torepent, turn from sin, and trust Jesus Christ as Savior. Go to the cross, wheresin was taken care of. Jesus died in our place, gave us the only parachute lefton the plane, and went down with it. But thank God, He rose again the thirdday. He's alive, and today He can save you if you come by faith to Him.  Don'tbe like this rich young ruler who goes away “very sorrowful”. No, youcan live a happy, joyful, wonderful life in Christ when you give your heart toHim.

18Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do toinherit eternal life?" 19 So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Megood? No one is good but One, that is, God. 2Lukenow tells us what we call the story of the “Rich Young Ruler” in verses 18-30.This incident takes place as Jesus is traveling with His disciples to Jerusalem.What is interesting to me is that this exact story is repeated in almost the samedetails in the first three Gospels. We find it first in Matthew 19:16-30. Nextin Mark 10:17-31 and then lastly here in Luke 18:18-30.  Mark'sGospel begins this story by telling us: “Now as He was going out on theroad, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher,what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  (Mark 10:17). Notice that this man came “running”,he “knelt”, he “asked” the most important question a person could ask.  Therich young ruler may be the only man in the Gospels who came to the feet ofJesus and went away in worse condition than when he came. And yet he had somuch in his favor! He was moral and religious, earnest and sincere, andprobably would have qualified for membership in the average church. Yet herefused to follow Jesus Christ and instead went his own way in great sorrow. Whatwas wrong with him? In a word: dishonesty. In spite of the fact that came theright way, “he came running”, he knew his need was urgent. That he camewith the right attitude of humility, “he knelt”. That he came to theright Person, he came to Jesus, the Teacher of teachers. And that he asked theright question, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” and he receivedthe right answer, he still made the wrong decision.  Why?Because he was not honest with God or with himself. Therefore, he would not dowhat he was commanded to do. He was a superficial young man who said one thingbut did another. We will consider the areas in which he was dishonest.  Firstwould be his view of Christ (vv. 18-19). Notice that he called Jesus, “Goodteacher”. I always wondered why Jesus responded by asking him, “Why doyou call me good?” The rabbis in the days of Jesus were called "Teacher”,(Master), but it was most unusual for a rabbi to be called "Good."The Jews reserved the word good for God alone (Psalms 25:8; 34:8; 86:5; 106:1).This explains why our Lord asked the young man what he meant, for if he reallybelieved that Jesus was "good," then he had to confess that Jesus wasGod.  Byasking this question, our Lord was not denying His deity but affirming it. Hewas testing the young man to see if he really understood what he had just said.His subsequent behavior proved that the young ruler did not believe that JesusChrist was God. If he really thought he was in the presence of Almighty God,why did he argue politely about the Law, brag about his character, and thenrefuse to obey the Word? Surely he knew that God sees the heart and knows allthings! Today,the real question that should settle all the questions about Jesus andsalvation is, “Do you really believe that Jesus is indeed God in the flesh?” Thatis what the entire Gospel of John is about (John 20:30-31)! We might say thesewords in our heads and with our lips, but there if there is no change in ourlives and in our hearts, we really are being dishonest with ourselves and withGod. Today,is a good day to ask what do you really believe about Jesus in your heart! Godbless!

InLuke chapter 18, Jesus begins this chapter talking about prayer, teaching aboutprayer. He's preparing His disciples for the time when they will have theresponsibility and the command to take the gospel to the far ends of the earth,and he knows a major part of accomplishing this great task will be knowing howto pray. You'll see in the first chapters of Acts how the disciples must havelistened to that lesson and learned it.  Herein Luke 18, Jesus tells us first that we're to be praying always withoutceasing, to pray and not to faint. He tells the parable about the widow whodidn't have anything, and how she goes to the unjust judge and begs, cries, andscreams for help to avenge her of her adversary. He won't listen, but finallyshe wears him down, and he says, "I'm tired of this woman doing this, andI'll finally avenge her." But God says, "Listen, I'm not like thatunjust judge, and you're not really like that widow either. I'm your heavenlyfather who cares for you. You can come running to me, and I'm ready to avengemy own that cry unto me day and night." Thenhe goes to the story of the Pharisee who comes to the temple to pray with aproud, arrogant, self-righteous heart. He's better than everybody else, he praysto be seen by men. The Lord is teaching us not to pray like that. Then hefinishes this story by telling about the publican, the tax collector, who getson his face before God, beats his breast, and cries out, "Oh God, bemerciful to me, a sinner."  I'llnever forget the time a man came to my office and told me his wife had lefthim. He had two little children. He told me that he couldn't read or write, buthe had a good job, but now he was at the end of his rope. I said, "Well,you need to pray." He said, "I've never prayed before. I don't knowwhat to pray." I said, "Just call out to God." We bowed ourheads, and I'll never forget as it got silent for a moment, then all of asudden this man with tears cried out, "Oh God, help me." I thoughtmaybe for the first time in my life I really heard someone pray. By the nextSunday, I saw him at church, and something had happened. He came in with thiswoman by his side, introduced me his wife, and said, "It didn't take God24 hours to answer that prayer."  Jesus is now teaching us that we should pray like a child.A child has faith. We have a great grandson, his name is Keanu, almost 8 months old, and Edith and I have the responsibility anddelight to babysit him every day. I can tell you he has faith in us to holdhim, take care of him, and meet his needs. I can see his faith in his eyes, ashe trust us to hold him, feed him, watch out for him. Children are totallydependent. You're not only dependent as a child, you have faith to believeyou're going to be taken care of every day with what you need to sustain you.  Itwas customary for the Jews to bring little children to the rabbis to receivetheir special blessing, so it is strange that the disciples would stand in theway. Perhaps they thought Jesus was weary and needed rest, or they may havedecided that He was not really interested in children. How wrong they were! However,this was not the first time the disciples had attempted to get rid of people.They wanted to send the crowd away hungry, but Jesus fed them (Matt. 14:15);and they tried to stop the Canaanite woman from asking Jesus to heal herdaughter (Matt. 15:21), but Jesus answered her prayer. The Twelve did not yethave the compassion of their Master, but it would come in due time. Jesuswants us to be childlike but not childish. An unspoiled child illustrateshumility, faith, and dependence. A child has a sense of wonder that makes lifeexciting. The only way to enter God's kingdom is to become like a child and beborn again (John 3). If the proud Pharisee had become like a child, he toowould have gone home justified.Myfriend, we need to learn to pray to our Heavenly Father with the humility, faith,and dependence of a child!!

Jesusbegan this chapter (vv. 1-8), by telling a parable about prayer, speaking aboutthe necessity of prayer, that we ought always to pray and not to faint, and thefrequency of prayer, that we are to pray without ceasing, continuously,believing that the presence of the Lord is in our lives, knowing that He'sthere, and we have open communication with Him through Jesus Christ. Oh, howwonderful that is. Thenin verses 9-14, Jesus is talking about the failure of prayer as He tellsanother parable. Jesus spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselvesthat they were righteous and despised others. Now, how should we pray, and whatshould our attitude be when we come to pray? First, we see this Pharisee whowas deceived. He was deceived about himself; he trusted in himself and prayedthus with himself because he wasn't praying to God, and God wasn't listening tothis kind of prayer from a proud heart. He was deceived about his pride; hethought he was better than others. He despised the sinners around him insteadof loving and caring for them. Hethought that he could please God by his works. He fasted twice a week. Jewishlaw required fasting maybe once a year, but this man fasted twice a week. Hegave tithes down to the smallest detail of whatever he might have brought in,even from the field. Oh, he thought he was so good. That'sjust like so many of us who think we can please God and can gain His favor byour service, when God just wants a humble heart coming to Him, totallydependent upon Him for our salvation and everything in our lives, acknowledgingthat we are sinners and deserve nothing. That's why the Bible says in Ephesians2:8-9, "For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourworks, lest any man should boast." This Pharisee was boasting.  ThroughoutHis public ministry, Jesus exposed the self-righteousness and unbelief of thePharisees (see Luke 11:39-54). He pictured them as debtors too bankrupt to paywhat they owed God (Luke 7:40-50), guests fighting for the best seats (Luke14:7-14), and sons proud of their obedience but unconcerned about the needs ofothers (Luke 15:25-32). The sad thing is that the Pharisees were completely deceivedand thought they were right, and Jesus was wrong. This is illustrated in this parable.That's what Jesus is doing here, exposing the hypocrisy of a man who thinkshe's religious enough to merit favor with God rather than humbling himself andcoming like a sinner. That'swhy Jesus said this publican, this tax collector, went home justified. To bejustified means to have a right standing with God, to stand righteous beforeHim without sin, without any guilt. Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore beingjustified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”.  We are justified by faith not by our works.Only the blood of Jesus can wash away our sins. This publican came with ahumble heart; the Pharisee came with a proud heart. God wants us to come humblybefore Him in prayer and not “pray with ourselves” to be seen publicly,like Matthew 6:5 says about the hypocrite, so others will see him. I'mafraid many prayers, even in our churches today, by good, well-meaning people,are just flowery words that mean nothing to God because the person is prayingout of a motive to make sure everybody knows how religious, how special, howgood he is by all his deeds and works of service. God, help us, forgive us,cleanse us from that kind of attitude. May we come before Him with a humbleheart, trusting in the Lord for His grace and mercy today. We need to come likethis publican. He smote his breast; he knew his heart was dirty, not clean, andonly God could clean it. "Be merciful to me, a sinner"! What agreat prayer.  Itrust we will learn how to pray with frequency, with necessity, and with ahumble heart.

Todaywe're looking at Luke 18:1-8. Jesus is teaching a lesson on how men oughtalways to pray and not to faint. We are to pray without ceasing, and here Jesusgives us a story of contrast. There is a widow who has no standing with thecourt, going to an unjust judge, asking to be avenged of her adversary. In ourfirst lesson, I said this widow is like us in some ways, but that's beforewe're saved. We have no standing with God; we are lost, hopelessly andhelplessly lost.  Butthe contrast begins when we realize what Jesus says at the end of this story: "Shallnot our Father in heaven, shall not our God avenge his own elect who cry untohim day and night?" He closes by saying, "Yes, he'll avengethem speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he really findfaith on earth?" Eventhough this widow is lost and helpless and can't find help unless she bribessomeone, which she has no money to do, the judge avenges her because she'sdriving him crazy with her screaming and yelling, "Help, help, help!"Jesus is basically saying to us, "Hey, you're not like that widow anylonger. You're a child of God, you are in the family of God, you have thepromises of God in the Bible."  Godis a great and awesome God; He loves His children, protects His children, andcares for His children. In Romans 8, we can call Him Abba, Father, dearprecious Father. We can sit in His lap; He longs for us to come into Hispresence. “If God spared not His own Son, how much more freely through Himshall He give us all things” (Romans 8:32). The unjust judge did it becausehe got weary of this woman crying to him. God is teaching us to pray withoutceasing, but remember, you have a Father who is ready, willing, able, andpowerful to answer your prayers. ThenJesus closes this passage asking the question, "Shall He find faithwhen He comes?" In Luke 17, we see the story of Noah and the ark,where only eight people were saved. The gospel was preached, the message ofhope was preached for hundreds of years, and no one responded by faith to trustNoah's message and escape the judgment of God. Remember at Sodom and Gomorrah,only four people were saved from that destruction.  Jesusis saying, "Shall the Son of Man, when He comes, find faith on theearth?" According to 2 Timothy 3:1-7, in the last days, it will beperilous times, evil, terrible times. People will be blasphemers, haters ofGod, and haters of Christians. It's not going to get better, my friend; it'sprobably going to get worse before Jesus comes again.  ButHe's reminding us we have a heavenly Father. You don't need to bribe Him. He'sa God that doesn't have to be bribed; He has a willing heart. The Bible says “ifwe ask anything according to His will, we know that He hears us, and we canhave this confidence that whatever we ask of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).  He will give it to us if it's according to Hiswill. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires ofyour heart” (Psalm 37:4). Jesusis teaching us to pray in this passage with faith, believing we have a loving,kind, providing heavenly Father, Who, when we come to Him, will meet every needwe have. What an awesome God we have! Come to Him today in faith, believing. Weare not like the widow with no standing. Through Jesus Christ, we have fullaccess, and He is also our intercessor, making intercession for us (Hebrews7:25). We have the Holy Spirit making intercession according to the mind andwill of God (Romans 8:26-27).  Thereis no reason we should not be crying out to our Heavenly Father day and night,"Oh God, we need help in this evil, wicked, cruel world. We need yourprotection, your grace, your strength." We can do that today.  Let'sbe encouraged to pray always and not to quit. Our Heavenly Father is waitingfor us to come to Him! Godbless!

1Thessalonians 5:17 - “Pray without ceasing”.  Ifwe don't pray, we will faint; it's as simple as that! The word faint describesa believer who loses heart and gets so discouraged that he or she wants toquit. There is a connection between what our Lord said in Luke 18:1 and Hisstatement in Luke 17:37. If society is like a rotting corpse, then the"atmosphere" in which we live is being slowly polluted, and this isbound to affect our spiritual lives. But when we pray, we draw on the"pure air" of heaven, and this keeps us from fainting.  Inother words, we're living in a polluted, ungodly, wicked world, it appears tobe controlled by Satan, and if we're not careful we will faint. On severaloccasions, I have fainted. It is usually when a doctor or nurse sticks a needlein my arm to draw blood or put something inside me. It causes me to start goingout, and I'll say to the people around me, "I'll see you later." Myblood pressure drops, my pulse drops, and I faint. Have you ever notice that onething they always do when someone faints is give them air or some good oxygen. Inthis passage in Luke 18, Jesus said men ought always to pray and not to faint.Then he tells the story of the widow and the unjust judge and talks about theadversary that's out to overcome this woman. My friend, we live in a pollutedworld, breathing its air, and if we're not careful, we won't get enoughspiritual oxygen, the pure atmosphere of heaven in our spiritual life. We willthrow in the towel and quit, looking at the circumstances rather than the greatGod who is in charge and has already defeated Satan on the cross. We need to breathethe spiritual air of heaven.  That'swhat praying is all about. Men ought always to pray, as the scripture teachesus. We are to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Thisdoesn't mean repeating the same prayer over and over, but that praying should becomeas natural as breathing. We don't think about breathing until we can't breathe,until we need oxygen in our body. That's when we learn to pray always, withoutceasing, because prayer becomes as natural as breathing. We're always thinking,"God, you're right here with me, you're going to answer our prayers,you're a Father who cares about me." Prayeris much more than the words on our lips; it's the desires of our heart. Ourhearts are constantly desiring Him. If you're desiring the things of the worldand the flesh, looking at circumstances, problems, and difficulties, you'll beoverwhelmed and faint. You won't have enough spiritual oxygen. That's when ourheart cries out to God, "Oh God, help me, meet my needs, speak to me,strengthen me, give me the grace I need to face this situation." Prayingwithout ceasing means that we have holy desires, we want to do the will of God,we're constantly loving Him and in communion with our Father in heaven,desiring His blessings. That's what real prayer is. Myfriend, we're either going to choose to pray or we're going to faint, throw inthe towel, and quit. We'll lose heart in the battle. But we need to rememberthat the battle's already won through Jesus Christ and His cross. Yesterday, Isaid we're kind of like the woman, hopeless and helpless, with no standingbefore the court. But in another way, it's just the opposite. We're not likethis woman; we are children of God. We have access to the Father. (We will talkmore about that tomorrow). Today,remember you're a child of God. God delights for you to be in His presence. Hewants you to have Him on your heart continually. When you do that, you'repraying without ceasing, breathing the spiritual air of heaven. You'restrengthened, encouraged, you sense His presence, and everything's okay. “Iwill not fear, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,for Thou art with me” (Psalm 23:4). Itrust you will have a wonderful day thinking about these things.

8 I tell you that He will avenge themspeedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith onthe earth?" Luke18 is a chapter that has influenced my prayer life as much as any other passagein the Bible. I love Luke chapter 18. We mentioned yesterday how people changeour lives, but it's not so much the people themselves, it's the stories fromtheir lives that teach us lessons. We might forget a principle, but we rarelyforget a story. That's why Jesus told parables, and why Luke, a compassionate physicianwho cared about people, wrote about widows and politicians, Pharisees and publicans,children and adults, rich men and beggars. He gave us a rich cast of charactersto learn from, showing how God worked in their lives, how He can work in ours,and how He wants us to live, not just to make a living, but to enjoy life as Heintended. Thisis a powerful story about prayer. Jesus begins this parable by saying that menought always to pray and not lose heart or quit. Either we're praying, or we'requitting. Luke introduces us to a story Jesus told about a widow, featuringthree characters. First, there's a judge in a certain city—an unjust judge whodidn't fear God or man. He did what he wanted, was corrupt, and favored his owninterests, his party, and his friends. We live in a day in America where itseems we have many unjust judges, though, thank God, we have good ones too.Let's not give up on all of them because of the unjust ones. Interestingly,Luke mentions widows more than do all the other Gospel writers combined (Luke2:37-38; 4:25-26; 7:11-17; 18:1-8; 20:45-47; 21:1-4). In that day, widowsusually had a difficult time making ends meet, in spite of the care Godinstructed His people to give them (Ex. 22:22-24; Deut. 14:28-29; 16:9-15; Ps.146:9; Isa. 1:17, 23; Jer. 7:6). The early church was serious about the care ofChristian widows (Acts 6:1; 1 Tim. 5:3-10; James 1:27), a good example for usto follow today. Then,there's an adversary. The widow said, "Give me justice from myadversary." We are like the widow—hopeless and helpless without someone tostand up for us. In Jesus' time in Palestine, widows had no legal standing.They couldn't go to court themselves, had no husband to represent them, and nomoney to bribe a judge or court officials. Judges back then moved from place toplace, setting up court in a tent. Bodyguards or officials stood at the door,and only those who paid bribes or had the right connections could even see thejudge. This widow had no way to get to the judge. All she could do was standoutside, yelling and screaming, "Please avenge me of my adversary." Jesustells us this unjust judge is a picture of God, which we'll explore in thecoming days. For now, we see that we are like the widow, and our adversary isthe devil. He goes about like a roaring lion, deceiving, devouring, stealing,killing, and destroying. This widow had no way to defend herself, and byourselves, we cannot stand against our adversary, the devil. We need to besober and vigilant. He makes a lot of noise, making us think we're in bigtrouble—and we are, if we don't know how to go to our Father in prayer, askingHim to defend us, avenge us, meet our needs, and strengthen us. That'swhy every morning, as I walk around our house, after I pray the Lord's Prayer,I pray, "Lord, avenge me of the adversary in my life, in Edith'slife," and then I pray for my children and grandchildren by name, otherfamily members, and church members, and their families, asking God to avenge usof the adversary today. We have a God who is willing, ready, and waiting withopen arms for us to call on His name to avenge us. What a great lesson. We'llstudy it in more depth tomorrow.   Wemust learn to pray, or we will be overcome by our adversary and will loseheart, faint, and quit. Are you learning to pray? Godbless!

Todaywe will be looking at a new chapter, Luke chapter 18. Over 50 years ago when I was in BibleCollege in Lynchburg, I went to Winchester, Virginia, to be a part of startinga new church, Shenandoah Valley Baptist Church. Right after I graduated in1975, I became the senior pastor of the church. Shortly after that, I met adear friend who greatly influenced our lives and greatly encouraged andassisted us in my early days of ministry. His name was Dave Sisler. Wewere very sorry and sad to hear that Dave went to be with the Lord earlier thisweek. He was someone who invested in us in many different ways. One of the wayshe tried to help us, I'll never forget, was taking me and my brother-in-law,Ronnie Riggins, to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, because we were getting ready toplant a new church up there. Ronnie was going to go up there and meet somepeople and start a church, and we were excited about that. So Dave took us upto Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and he introduced us to a man that he knew by thename of Charlie “Tremendous” Jones. Dave was involved in Amway in a really bigway, and Charlie Tremendous Jones was one of the top motivational speakers inthe world at that time and spoke at the Amway conventions. So Dave personallyknew him. I'llnever forget our first meeting with Charlie Tremendous Jones there inHarrisburg, Pennsylvania, in his bookstore with Ronnie Riggins and Dave. That'sa longer story, but Charlie Tremendous Jones, over the years, also became apart of the church that was started there with Ronnie, and became a friend ofours too. One of the things that Charlie was famous for saying is, “Two thingswill change your life more than anything else in the next five years are thepeople you meet and the books you read.” Isaid all that to first give honor to my friend Dave Sisler. He's going to begreatly missed by many people, especially his family, but also to make a point.The Bible is a book of people. If you want to learn the Bible, learn the peopleof the Bible. God introduces us to people in the Bible, and through thesepeople, the main person we meet is God Himself. When you meet people, you meetthem in their books, you meet them in their lives, you meet them in theirstories, and your life can be forever changed because. And especially throughthe people of the Bible, you meet God. Now,in this story in front of us today in Luke chapter 18, Jesus is teaching alesson about prayer, that men ought always to pray, not to faint, not to giveup hope. This parable is teaching us that either we're going to be praying, orwe're going to be fainting, quitting, throwing up our hands, throwing in thetowel, and walking away from our Christianity. The importance and the power andplace of prayer that Jesus speaks about here is wonderful. SoJesus told this parable, saying, “There was in a certain city a judge whodid not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city, and shecame to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.' And he would notfor a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear Godnor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest byher continual coming she weary me.'” Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjustjudge said. And shall not God avenge His own elect who cry out day and night toHim, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge themspeedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on theearth?” Forthe next few days, we'll be talking about this parable and the three people inthis story that we're going to meet: the widow lady, the unjust judge, and thewidow's adversary. Through them, we're going to hear and learn about how greatour God is to take care of us when we cry out to Him day and night. Todayyou might think about who you're going to meet and how you can influence theirlives or maybe how they might influence your life.

32 Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whoever seeks to save his life will loseit, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  Luke17:30-36 describes what will occur when Jesus Christ returns in judgment todefeat His enemies and establish His kingdom on earth (Rev. 19:11-20:6).Believers in every age of the church can take warning from these verses, butthey apply in a special way to Israel at the end of the age (see Matt.24:29-44). When Jesus comes for His church and takes it to heaven, it willhappen "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor.15:52). Nobody taking part in the rapture of the church need worry about beingon a housetop or in a field and wanting to get something out of the house!However, when the Lord returns to the earth, His coming will first be precededby a "sign" in heaven (Matt. 24:30-31), and some people might try tohurry home to rescue something. "Remember Lot's wife!" Theverb taken in Luke 17:34-36 does not mean "taken to heaven" but"taken away in judgment" (Matt. 24:36-41). The person"left" is a believer who enters into the kingdom. Noah and his familywere "left" to enjoy a new beginning, while the whole population ofthe earth was "taken" in the Flood. In spite of their sins, Lot andhis daughters were "left" while the people in Sodom and Gomorrah were"taken" when the fire and brimstone destroyed the cities. Thefact that it is night in Luke 17:34 but day in Luke 17:35-36 indicates that thewhole world will be involved in the return of Jesus Christ in glory. "Behold,He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him" (Rev. 1:7). Threetimes the disciples had heard Jesus talk about people being "taken"and "left," so they asked Him a most logical question: "Where,Lord?" Our Lord's reply has the sound of a familiar proverb: "Justas the eagles [and vultures, Matt. 24:28] gather at a corpse, so the lost willbe gathered together for judgment." The description of the last battlein Revelation 19:17-21 certainly parallels the image of carrion-eating birdsgorging themselves on flesh. Inother words, when the Lord Jesus returns to judge His enemies, there will be aseparation of the saved and the lost. Whether it be day or night, whetherpeople are working or sleeping, the separation and judgment will come. Thosewho are saved will be left to enter the glorious kingdom, while those who arelost will be taken away in judgment. Eventhough the primary interpretation of these verses is for Israel in the endtimes, they do emphasize for the church the importance of being ready whenJesus returns. We must not be like Lot's wife whose heart was so in Sodom thatshe looked back in spite of the angels' warning (Gen. 19:17, 26). There aremany professed Christians today whose plans would be interrupted if Jesusreturned! (note 1 Thes. 5:1-11) Our Lord's warning in Luke 17:33 findsparallels in Matthew 10:39; Luke 9:24; and John 12:25, and is a fundamentalprinciple of the Christian life. The only way to save your life is to lose itfor the sake of Christ and the Gospel. Jesuspictured civilization as a "rotting corpse" that would one day beripe for judgment. The discerning believer sees evidence of this on every handand realizes that the "days of Noah" and the "days of Lot"are soon on us. Our Lord can return for His church at any time, so we are notlooking for signs; but we do know that "coming events cast their shadowsbefore." As we see many of these things begin to come to pass (Luke21:28), we know that His return is nearing. Arewe looking for His return, and do we really want to see Him come? Remember, Lot'swife, and don't look back but be looking up! Godbless.

26 Andas it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son ofMan: 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage,until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed themall. 28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, theybought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot wentout of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. InLuke 17, Jesus, on His way to Jerusalem, has been especially teaching Hisdisciples about forgiveness (vv. 1-6), faithfulness (vv. 7-10), and thankfulness(vv. 11-19). In verse 20, the Pharisees brought up the subject of the coming ofthe “Kingdom of God”, referring to the time when the Messiah would set up Hiskingdom on earth. Jesus reminded them to quit looking for a physical, political,and material kingdom and to look for a spiritual one (v. 21).Thenin Luke 17:22-30, Jesus turns and speaks to His disciples about His return, theday of the Son of Man. Today, this passage challenges us to live withreadiness, not distracted by the world's noise or lulled into complacency.Jesus uses vivid Old Testament examples to show how sudden and certain Hiscoming will be, urging us to stay faithful and alert.Jesus warnsHis disciples that a time will come when they'll long for His presence, but itwon't be as they expect. False voices will cry out, “He's here! He's there!”but Jesus says not to chase them. His return will be unmistakable, likelightning flashing across the sky. It will be sudden, visible to all, andimpossible to miss (Read Revelation 1:7; and 19:11-16). Yet, before that day,He must suffer and be rejected, a reminder that the path to glory goes throughthe cross (v. 25).Todrive home the urgency, Jesus points to two Old Testament events: the days ofNoah and the days of Lot. In both, people were consumed with everydaylife—eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling, building. There's nothingwrong with these activities, but the problem was their focus. They were sowrapped up in the ordinary that they ignored the warnings of coming judgment. BothNoah and Lot lived in days of religious compromise and moral declension, notunlike our present time. During "the days of Noah," population growthwas significant (Gen. 6:1), lawlessness was on the increase (Gen. 6:5), and theearth was given over to violence (Gen. 6:11, 13). In Lot's day, the unnaturallusts of Sodom and Gomorrah were so abhorrent to God that He completelydestroyed the cities. Only Lot, two of his daughters, and his wife (who laterwas destroyed) were saved from the terrible judgment.Jesussays it will be the same when He returns. The world will be caught off guard,living as if life will go on forever. But for those who follow Him, the call isclear: stay awake, stay faithful, and don't get lulled into spiritual sleep.This isn't about obsessing over dates or signs but about living each day withpurpose, doing God's work, and keeping our hearts fixed on Him. The suddennessof His coming isn't meant to scare us but to spur us to live differently. To beready, expectant, and aligned with His kingdom.So,here's the challenge for us this week: Live ready. Take a moment each morningto ask yourself, “If Jesus returned today, would I be found displaying thereality of Jesus Christ in my life. Living a life of forgiveness, faithfulness,and thankfulness because of my faith and love for the Lord?”  Today, identify one area where you're temptedto drift into complacency—maybe it's neglecting prayer, chasing distractions,or ignoring a call to serve. Commit to one intentional action to counter thatdrift.  Maythe Lord help us to be prepared for His coming living with eternity in view andnot be caught off guard like the world was in Noah's or Lot's day. Will you be readywhen He comes?

Today,It is my prayer today that our Heavenly Father will open our hearts to His Wordand help us understand the true nature of His kingdom and how it transforms usfrom within. And that He would guide us by His Spirit to live as citizens of Hiskingdom. ThePharisees were looking for a kingdom they could see. Along with most of theJewish people thew were looking for a grand, political empire that wouldelevate their nation and crush their enemies. They wanted a Messiah who wouldarrive with pomp, power, and a clear timeline. When John the Baptist showed upwith his message, some thought he might be the Messiah (John 1:19-27). But thenthe attention of the nation turned to Jesus, especially after John wasbeheaded. Jesus'response to their question about the kingdom turned their expectations upsidedown. The kingdom of God, He said, doesn't come with “observation”, which meantit wasn't going to come with fanfare or visible signs you can point to and say,“There it is!” God's plan for a visible, millennial kingdom was dependent uponthe Jews' accepting the spiritual truths of the kingdom as preached by John andJesus (John 3:1-12). The mystery parables of Matthew 13 reveal that the plan toestablish an earthly kingdom was postponed because of the Jews' attitude towardthe King. Instead, Jesus answer is that His kingdom is already present, workingin a way they couldn't imagine: within people's hearts. Jesus'words should challenge us to rethink what God's kingdom is. It's not aboutexternal power, wealth, or status. It's not confined to a specific place or adramatic event. The kingdom of God is spiritual, transforming us from theinside out. It begins when we surrender to Jesus as King, allowing Hislove, grace, and truth to reign in our hearts. This kingdom changes how wethink, act, and love others. It makes us humble where we were proud, generouswhere we were selfish, and hopeful where we were discouraged. WhenJesus told the Pharisees, “The kingdom of God is within you,” He wasn't sayingthey already had it—they rejected Him! Instead, He was pointing to Himself, theKing standing in their midst, and urging them to recognize the kingdom'spresence through a changed heart. For us, this means the kingdom is alreadyhere, accessible through faith in Christ. It's in the quiet moments when wechoose forgiveness over bitterness, service over selfishness, or trust in Godover worry. It's in the way we reflect Jesus to the world. Jesustaught us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come….”. In Matthew chapters 5-7, Jesus gave usthe “principles of the kingdom”. Only by the new spiritual birth (John 3:3-7),can we see or enter this kingdom. And then only by His Holy Spirit living withinus can we experience the reality of living by the principles of His kingdom. Today,this truth should challenges us. Like the Pharisees, we can get caught uplooking for God's kingdom in the wrong places, expecting it in materialsuccess, public recognition, or a perfect life. Jesus calls us to look inward.Is His kingdom ruling in our hearts? Are we living as His ambassadors, showingHis love and truth in our everyday actions? Maythe Lord help us to focus on cultivating God's kingdom within. Before I get outof bed each day, I pray the Lord's Prayer to remind myself that I want to experienceHis Lordship in every aspect of my life. Today, would you take five minutes topray and ask God to reveal one area of your heart where He wants to reign morefully, maybe it's an attitude, a habit, or a relationship. Then, take onepractical step to align that area with His kingdom values.   Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank Youfor being our King and bringing Your kingdom near. Help us to seek Your kingdomwithin our hearts, not in the things of this world (Matthew 6:33). Transform usby Your Spirit to live as Your people, reflecting Your love and truth. Guide usin this week's challenge to let You reign in every part of our lives. Amen.

InLuke chapter 17, Jesus, on His way to Jerusalem, is teaching His disciples somepowerful lessons they'll need to learn and practice if they are going to befollowers of Jesus, making a difference in the world and turning it upside downfor the kingdom of God. He teaches about forgiveness—you're going to beoffended, sometimes by those closest to you, and you have to forgive. Then,you'll need faith to do that, which means being obedient.  You'realso going to practice faithfulness in such a way that, no matter how hard youwork, how much you serve, or how tired you are, you simply do the task at handbecause God has commanded you to do it—not out of duty, but out of love andcompassion for Him. You depend on His Holy Spirit to fill you to accomplishthat purpose as a servant of the living God. We are called to the privilege ofserving the Lord; it's not a right, but a privilege, a calling from God forevery believer. From there, we learn thankfulness, and that's what this lessonis about. Nowin Luke 17:11-19, “It happened as Jesus went to Jerusalem, passing throughthe midst of Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a certain village, He met tenmen who were lepers, who stood afar off. They lifted up their voices and said,“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When He saw them, He said, “Go, showyourselves to the priests.” As they went, they were cleansed. One of them, whenhe saw that he was healed, returned and, with a loud voice, glorified God. Hefell down on his face at Jesus' feet, giving Him thanks—and he was a Samaritan.Jesus answered and said, “Were not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Werethere not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”Then Jesus said to the Samaritan, “Arise, go your way; your faith has made youwell.” Jesusis talking about how, when God does wonderful things for us, we experience Hisgoodness, grace, and mercy. As we are being obedient and faithful, we should bethankful. Gratefulness is an attitude of the heart that reflects our humilityand the grace of God in our lives, recognizing that every good gift, everyperfect gift, and every opportunity we have to serve—every divine appointmentwe're part of—comes from the Lord Himself. We have that wonderful privilege,and we should return to give Him thanks. Whatwe had here were ten men who were lepers, a picture of sin. These men werelost, helpless, and hopeless. They hear the Master coming—one of them aSamaritan—in the midst of Galilee and Samaria, as Jesus is on His way toJerusalem. They call out, “Master, Teacher,” the same word Peter used,recognizing that He has command over everything. He can command demons toleave; He can command sickness to leave.  Sothey called out in faith, believing He can do something, and Jesus says, “Go,show yourselves to the priests.” They weren't healed when He spoke the word,but as they turned to go, they were immediately healed. Can you imagine that?They turned to go, and all of a sudden, that leprosy was gone. The nine of themran to fulfill the law, but the one who was a Samaritan ran to the One who wasthe fulfillment of the law—Jesus Christ. He fell down and worshiped Him. Thenine went to worship in a temple; this man made an altar at the feet of Jesus.He fell at His feet and worshiped Him. Jesussaid to him, “Arise, go your way; your faith has saved you.” Those nine men gothealed physically; this man got healed spiritually as well when he found thegrace of God through a thankful, humble heart. “For by grace are you savedthrough faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works,lest any man should boast.”  Myfriend, be grateful, be thankful, and live a life of gratitude to a holy God,because when we're not thankful, we become vain in our imaginations, and ourfoolish hearts are darkened (Romans 1). Beforgiving, be faithful, and be thankful.

Lukechapter 17:1 begins with, "Then He said to His disciples."Jesus is teaching His disciples some powerful lessons, first about forgiveness,faith, and obedience in these opening verses. But now, in verses 7 through 10,He's teaching a lesson about faithfulness. My friend, when you live a life offorgiveness, faith, and obedience, doing what you're supposed to do as abeliever, you will be faithful despite what's going on around you, and you'llbe faithful for the right reasons with the right motives. Thispassage of Scripture warns to beware of offenses, they're going to come. Thegreatest offenses that come to you and me don't come from the outside worldthat hates Jesus, hates us, and hates the gospel. No, the great and painfuloffenses come from those we go to the house of God with, those we worship with;another pastor, another believer, another co-worker. That offense happens andgoes deep into our hearts, sometimes from a family member who's abusive or sayssomething hurtful. Those are the offenses we have to deal with, and many times,they cause us to quit. We throw in the towel and say, "If that'sChristianity, I want none of it." So,the Lord has a powerful lesson in verses 7-10. Youknow, so often I find that many believers, because of their past sins andoffenses toward God, and the sense that when they realize God's forgiven them,they are grateful and thankful. But they do what I call religious compensation—theytry to pay God back for His goodness. My friend, you can never pay God back,and to serve trying to pay God back is not the right motive to serve the Lord.The main motive to serve the Lord is because you love Him. "If you loveMe, you will keep My commandments." The main purpose and motive inserving the Lord is to glorify Him. When you're doing everything, whatever youdo, you do it with all your might and to the glory of God. You don't do it toget a pat on the back. Somany believers, so many Christians, serve to be recognized by somebody else—bythe pastor, some leaders, or to work their way up in leadership and be somebodyimportant. My friend, those are the wrong motives in service. Jesus makes itreally clear because here is a servant who's serving, watching sheep, plowingin the fields. Jesus used those illustrations often because we are like sheep.We're shepherding sheep as pastors, ministers, and co-workers with the Lord.We're plowing fields, working in the fields, sowing in the fields, trying toreach the harvest fields for Christ. So He says, "You're working in thefields, and you come home—do you expect a pat on the back?" No, He says,"Sit down and make me a meal." JesusHimself set the great example. He said, "I didn't come to be served; Icame to serve and to give My life a ransom." He set the example. He becameobedient to death, obedient to the death of the cross. He made Himself aservant; He humbled Himself. Humility is involved here because if we're notcareful, as workers and co-laborers with God, with faith to cast mountains intothe sea, we might get proud, and God's going to have to bring us down somehow.  So,Jesus is making it very clear here: serve with the right motives, serve for theglory of God, serve because you're simply being obedient. As you're living alife of forgiveness, handling those offenses that come, and living a life offaith, you will be faithful despite what's going on around you for the glory ofGod. Beencouraged today to be faithful. It's required in a steward that he be foundfaithful (1 Corinthians 4:2).

Today,we're moving on to Luke chapter 17, verses 1-6. Jesus has just rebuked andwarned the Pharisees about a place called hell if they continue in theirreligious hypocrisy and offend young believers as they sneer and mock JesusChrist. Now Jesus turns to His disciples in verse 1 and says to them, "Itis impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom theycome." Basically, He's saying that when we live in this world and dealwith its issues and problems, a broken world with a broken humanity, offensesare going to come. We are going to commit them, and they will be committedagainst us. Jesusis now speaking to the disciples, preparing them for the time when He will begone. They will, in a sense, replace Him as His witnesses on earth to spread Hiskingdom message to the world. As He nears the end of His three-and-a-half-yearministry, on His way to Jerusalem, He turns to these disciples and talks aboutforgiveness and faith—forgiveness and obedience. Jesus warns, "Woe tohim through whom they come." We don't want to be like the Phariseesand offend people.  Inverse 2, He adds, "It would be better for him if a millstone were hungabout his neck and he were thrown into the sea than that he should offend oneof these little ones." The "little ones" here refer to youngbelievers or even little children who need to be led in a proper and good way. Itis our responsibility to take the opportunity to teach them the truths aboutGod and His Word. We must careful to never offend them, lead them astray, usecurse words in front of them, tell them dirty jokes, or expose them to thingsthey shouldn't be exposed to. My friend, to do so would be a terrible thing. Amillstone is a heavy stone, and God says it would be better to face thatbecause you'll face judgment for it yourself one day. So don't offend others. Inverse 3, Jesus says, "Take heed to yourselves." Watch out forone another, be careful as you live among others, and take heed to be kind,gracious, loving, and, most importantly, forgiving. "Take heed toyourselves. If a brother sins against you, rebuke him, and if he repents,forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day and seven times in aday returns to you and says, ‘I repent,' you shall forgive him." Theapostles responded to the Lord, "Increase our faith." Now,I don't know about you, but I probably would have said, "Increase mylove." I would have a hard time loving someone who keeps offending meseven times in a day, maybe with the same offense, saying or doing the samething, and then having to say, "I forgive you" when he asks forforgiveness. I'd say, "Increase my love for this person." But thedisciples say, "Increase our faith."  Why?Because faith is an act of obedience. Obedience is doing what the Lord tells usto do. They're asking, "Help us to be obedient to follow you."Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 13 that love does not carry offenses; it doesnot remember wrongs, it sets them aside. So, Jesus tells us to forgive them,and we say, "Increase our faith." TheLord responds, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you'll say to thismulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and itwould obey you." Oh, my friend, Jesus said, "You don't need awhole lot of faith to do this; you just need to act in obedience." It'slike a little mustard seed, but it has life in it. When you are obedient,there's life in that, the Holy Spirit's life is in it. I'm telling you, Godgives you the grace to overcome the hurt, the pain, and the offense. Instead ofgetting bitter, guess what? You get bigger and better for the glory of Godbecause that little seed grows into more fruit for His glory. Oh,God, help us to follow the Scriptures ourselves today. This is a message forHis disciples—for you and me—to be people who reflect the love, grace, andforgiveness of God to the world around us. May the Lord help us to do it today. Godbless.