Monthly Archives: September 2021

Luke 6- Love Your Enemies

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But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.Luke 6:27-31

If you think being a Christian is easy, think again! It’s easy to love your family or maybe even your neighbor, but to love your enemy is extremely difficult. Jesus even goes on to say “If someone strikes you on one side of the face, let them strike you on the other side”,  what!? This goes against our human nature, we don’t want anyone to get the best of us or to disrespect us! Now are we starting to see how difficult it is to be a Christian!

Jesus says “If anyone asks for something, give it to them, and don’t even expect it back in return” Often when we donate or lend something to someone, we expect something in return. We want recognition or repayment, we want everyone to pat us on the back for doing something good. We shouldn’t expect any of this, just give it away!

Jesus is setting the standard for Christian living, how many of us fall short of this lifestyle? Probably all of us , if were being honest, Lord have mercy on us! But this is the standard Christ has set for us, and we should strive to get to this standard that Jesus expects of us. “Do unto others as you would have them do to you”!

For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Luke 6:32-36

You say well I love my family and I’ll give to those who are worthy, but Jesus says so what! Even the unsaved love their families and even the unsaved give to charity, so why do you think your better than them? Christ is demanding a higher standard for us! Jesus delivered you from sin and death, so go the extra mile, carry your cross, and follow Christ!

Jesus says “Expect Nothing in return” , wow we should just love and give with no strings attached, imagine the concept. Christ died for us , even when we still were sinners and wicked (Romans 5:8)  Be merciful because God is merciful

So do you think its easy being a Christian now? No, this is why we need Jesus every moment, every minute, every second of our lives. Without the Holy Spirit we can do nothing to please God, go the extra mile, love those who even hate your guys, give to those who dont even deserve it, put all your faith and trust in Jesus Christ , Amen!

Luke 6- The Beatitudes

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And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets Luke 6:20-23

Here we take a look at Jesus “sermon on the mount” or also known as the “Beatitudes”, now this can also be found in the gospel of Matthew 5, some people believe these Beatitudes are really the total summarization of the Torah. However you interpret them, these are the standards Christ has laid out for our lives. I think it’s important when you interpret them, that you look at them from a spiritual perspective and not just a physical

We see this clearly when Jesus says we are blessed because we are poor, hungry, mourning, and hated. Now obviously from a natural perspective this makes no sense, however from a spiritual perspective , it makes perfect sense. As I explain in my commentary on the Beatitudes, Jesus is talking about God’s Kingdom to come (Revelation 21, Isaiah 65) the New Heavens and Earth, where there will be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more death! So those “poor in spirit” or suffering can rejoice, because Christ has delivered them!

Same thing will those who “hunger for righteousness” , God is just and the redeemer. He is going to bring justice to the world, there will no longer be corruption or persecution from a wicked government. God is making all things New (Revelation 21). As Jesus says “Great is your reward in Heaven” , God knows your pain, He knows your persecution, He knows your suffering, when Christ returns He is going to bring true Justice and Peace to the world through the King of Kings and Lord of Lords , Jesus Christ!

But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. Luke 6:24-27

But now comes the “Woes” , when you see the word Woe in the Bible, it’s basically the greatest proclamation of judgement upon someone. Who are condemned? Basically those who love this world and hate God. Don’t put your faith in your money, or your job, or your government, your faith needs to be in Christ alone! Only Jesus can save your soul, nothing in this world can, and everything in this world is temporary and will eventually fade away. Jesus is giving and declaring eternal hope for his people and condemnation upon the world

Christ is coming back soon, those who love this world are enemies of God (1 John 2:15) Be prepared for The Lord’s return, get Born Again through Christ and the Holy Spirit. Walk in the newness of life, serving the Lord and not yourself, keep your lamps lit Amen!

Luke 6- Lord of The Sabbath

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And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days? And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him; How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone? And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. Luke 6:1-5

One of the many titles of Jesus we probably dont think about that much is “Lord of the Sabbath ” , what does that mean? Well when the religious leaders decided to accuse Jesus and his disciples of “breaking the Sabbath” he decided to reveal some things to them. First Jesus references a story about David, who actually ate the showbread from the Temple, which is against the Torah

However, how many Jews today point out that David broke the Torah? Most Rabbis won’t mention this as David is highly regarded by the Jews. The point Jesus is making is, these religious leaders are hypocrites! The rabbis want to call out Jesus and his disciples from eating corn on the Sabbath, but yet are ok with David eating the holy showbread from the Temple. 

Jesus revealed to them , He is the Son of Man (Daniel 7) and He is the Lord of the Sabbath! Jesus can’t “break the Sabbath” because Jesus is the Sabbath, Jesus is our Rest (Hebrews 4, Matthew 11:28)

And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? Luke 6:6-9

Then Jesus did an unimaginable thing, note the sarcasm, he healed a man on the Sabbath! Now a few things here, first Jesus is revealing his deity by healing the man, secondly , Jesus is revealing he is Lord of the Sabbath, by “breaking the Sabbath” to heal a man

Notice Jesus knows the evil thoughts of the religious leaders and calls them out on it. Jesus says “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or evil”? The Sabbath is not a legalistic issue its a moral issue

And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other. And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus. Luke 6:10-11

Now notice the religious leader’s reaction here, Jesus healed a man, and instead of them praising God , they were “filled with madness” , they were enraged because Jesus healed on the Sabbath, do you think their hearts are right with God? And instead of understanding that the Son of Man, the Christ was standing right before them, they plotted to kill the Lord of the Sabbath

Many people still today, try to make the Sabbath a legal issue. Where is your heart? If Jesus healed on the Sabbath , are you going to condemn him also? Jesus is Lord of The Sabbath, and Lord over You! Find your rest in Christ, and not in legalism Amen!

Luke 5- New Wine

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And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. Luke 5:36-37

Jesus said in John 3 “You must be Born Again to see the Kingdom of Heaven” well I believe this parable is teaching about the same concept. Of course before we can interpret the parable, we need to understand the concept of the parable. In the first century it was practice to store their “new wine” into a new wine skin. When the wine was gone, they threw away the old wine skin, they didn’t reuse it for new wine again

Jesus was using this parable to reflect upon our conversions of becoming Born Again. The New Wine represents the Holy Spirit. It reminds us of Jesus first miracle , when he turned water into wine, this was the beginning of his ministry, this was the beginning of the New Covenant. God can’t pour New Wine into Old Wine Skins. The Holy Spirit must dwell in a Holy Space, you must become Born Again to see Heaven

Notice Jesus says “and the bottles shall perish” the old wine skins will perish. Unless you are Born Again through Jesus Christ, you will perish. You must become Born Again, you must become a New Creation, you must have a New Wineskin to pour the Holy Spirit upon You!

But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better. Luke 5:38-39

The New Wine (Holy Spirit) must be poured into New Bottles (Born Again) God can’t be in the presence of Sin, you must become Born Again to be saved (John 3) Jesus demonstrates this illustration with wine. As the Bible says “Get drunk on the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18) Anyone who has become Born Again never wants to go back to their carnal self. Anyone who falls away has never been Born Again to begin with

We can’t work our way into Heaven, we can’t earn our salvation, we must become Born Again. The New Wine , the Holy Spirit will be poured out inside of you by our Lord Jesus Christ! Are you preparing yourself to be made new by Christ? Amen!

Luke 5- Healed or Forgiven?

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And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. Luke 5:18-20

Here we see Jesus preaching at a house, however so many people came to hear and see Jesus, that there was standing room only. A group of men brought a disabled men to see Jesus to be healed, however they couldn’t even get through the front door because of the crowd. So they decided to drop the man through the straw roof of the building , to the feet of Christ

Now an amazing event happens here, not only does Jesus instantly heal the disabled man, but Jesus makes the statement “Your sins are forgiven” what? As you can imagine, when the religious leaders heard this, they were angry, who can forgive sin but God alone? This is exactly what Jesus is revealing here, he is God in the flesh, he is more than just a prophet

And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? Luke 5:21-23

The religious leaders accused Jesus of blasphemy, who does this man think he is? Only God can forgive sin, so what is Jesus saying here? Jesus answered them and said “What is easier to forgive sin or heal someone”? See Jesus can do both, forgive and heal, why? Because He is the Son of God, the Great I AM, God in the flesh

But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day. Luke 5:24-26

Notice Jesus references himself as the Son of Man, the fulfillment of Daniel 7, Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. And Jesus revealed he has all power and authority in Heaven and on Earth to heal and forgive sin, eternal life is only possible through Christ alone

The question is “How are you going to respond to this news today?” Are you going to rejoice and receive Christ like many in the crowd? Or is your heart hardened like the religious leaders and perish in your sins? Jesus is willing and able to save you, get off your mat in walk Amen!