Luke

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“I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:32 ESV)

April 24, 2013

This is what Jesus told Peter the night before he denied him three times. He told Peter this so that he wouldn’t become so discouraged as to give up. And also so that Peter would recover and “strengthen” his brothers. What strikes me most is that the night before Jesus is crucified, he is thinking and praying for Peter’s faith. He prayed that Peter’s faith would survive the trial and crucifixion. People pray for that which they care most. Jesus prayed for Peter. I wonder for whom else Jesus prays?

“And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it” (Luke 19:41 ESV)

April 19, 2013

Jesus knew the future of Jerusalem. He knew that the Romans would destroy it, not leaving one stone upon another. This destruction happened in 70 AD, within the lifetimes of many that heard His prediction. That Jesus knew the future with such certainty shows His divinity. That He wept over Jerusalem shows His humanity. Jesus is both God and man, full of truth and grace. Even His judgments are marked by tears.

“For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:25 ESV)

April 17, 2013

A person rich in worldly things doesn’t easily recognize their own spiritual poverty. And if they do get an inkling, then they seek to add some Jesus stock to their already fat portfolio, hoping to diversify and cover all bases. But the kingdom of God cannot be earned, it can only be received. It only comes to those who declare spiritual bankruptcy. It requires surrender of ownership and control, confessing Jesus as both Savior and Lord. The kingdom demands not part, but all of us.

“Then Jesus answered, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?'” (Luke 17:17 ESV)

April 15, 2013

Jesus healed ten lepers, yet only one returned to thank and worship Him. Once we’ve received what we prayed for we often forget to return to God in praise. We might think that God doesn’t notice or that He is so big and important that such things are trivial to God. But Jesus reveals God’s heart. God notices. Are you most like the one or the nine?

“Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him” (Luke 17:3 ESV)

April 14, 2013

Jesus taught the disciples to attend to their own sin, repenting and forgiving quickly. We see much wrong with the world and with our culture today, but we rarely look in the mirror. When asked “What’s wrong with the world?” Author and apologist, G.K. Chesterton replied simply, “I am.” The world is certainly in need of repentance, but rather than accusing, perhaps we should lead the way.

“I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7 ESV)

April 12, 2013

From the parable of the lost sheep. Jesus taught the importance of seeking the lost, which Israel had forgotten. They had become inward focused and self-absorbed. Today’s church can be like this. The focus tends to be on keeping the 99 happy and meeting their needs. But the mission of the church should be to help rescue the one. If we want our churches to experience the “joy of heaven,” we will get out of our comfort zones, take our eyes off ourselves, and put them on seeking the lost.

“To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened” (Luke 13:20-21 ESV)

April 9, 2013

One of many parables of Jesus describing the kingdom of God (or heaven). This parable teaches the “small to great” effect of the kingdom. That just a little leaven causes the whole bread to rise, perhaps points to the small gathering of disciples in an obscure country that will turn the world upside down with the gospel. God often chooses the little to affect the great, the weak to overturn the mighty, the foolish to confound the wise. The kingdom may be “hidden” for a time, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t at work making everything new.

“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8 ESV)

April 7, 2013

The gospel moves us from a religious response to a relational one. The question it asks is not ‘have you been a good person,’ but ‘have you acknowledged Jesus as the Christ?’ This acknowledgement is not only internal, but external, causing us to confess Christ as Lord and Savior before men. How we decide to treat Jesus on earth affects His response to us in eternity.

“And the Lord said to him, ‘Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness'” (Luke 11:39 ESV)

April 6, 2013

The Pharisees represented the highest attainment of human religion, yet their approach like all religious effort, affected only the exterior life, leaving the heart unchanged. Religion attempts to work from the outside-in, but the gospel works inside-out. The gospel is about relationship, not religion. It is about a relationship with Jesus as Savior and Lord. Have you had your life turned inside-out by Him?

“Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20 ESV)

April 3, 2013

Spiritual warfare is real and Christ-followers have been given authority, but we are not to glory in this. We are to “rejoice” that we are saved and that our names are in the Lamb’s Book of Life.