Tag Archives: Luke

Luke 18- The Blind Beggar

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And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Luke 18:35-39

Here we read the story of a blind beggar, now most people will think , this story isn’t relevant to me because you’re not physically blind or maybe not physically disabled at all. However it is relevant to everyone because we are all or were spiritually blind without Christ. To live without Jesus is to be dead in your sins (Ephesians 2) to be blinded by this world, however as Jesus said “Blessed are your eyes because they see” (Matthew 13:16) Jesus was talking from a spiritual perspective, the Son of God will open your eyes to truth and life

The blind beggar heard that the Messiah was passing by, and he cried out to him “Jesus, Have mercy on Me” have you cried out to The Lord? If not, what is stopping you? Notice the faith of the blind beggar, even when the crowd rebuked him and told him to shut up, he cried out to Jesus even louder!

Don’t let anyone prevent you from coming to Jesus, cry out to The Lord and you will be saved! Notice the title the beggar referenced Jesus as “The Son of David” , this is a Messianic reference, He believed Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the man demonstrated his faith in Jesus

And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. Luke 18:40-43

Jesus didn’t reject the blind beggar, he came right to him. Think about all the people in the crowd, and The Lord went to the one lost sheep. And Jesus said to the man “What do you want me to do for you”? What do you want Jesus to do for you today? Do you need peace? Do you need forgiveness? Do you know where you will spend eternity? Jesus is the answer, and he’s waiting for you to call out to him

Notice what Jesus says “Your faith has saved You” It wasn’t the works of the man that saved him, it was his faith in Christ! It is by faith you are saved not by our works (Ephesians 2) And what did the man do afterwards? He followed Christ and glorified God, and when all the people saw it, they glorified God also. The blind beggar was a walking testimony for Jesus, is your salvation story the same for others?

Jesus is in your midst, cry out to The Lord and you shall be saved, Amen!

Luke 18- Prophecy of Christ Death

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Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. Luke 18:31-33

The understanding of the purpose of Christ has always been a challenge, even to Jesus’ own disciples. Let me explain, even though the disciples believed that Jesus is the Messiah, they didn’t fully understand His plan and purpose at the time. Most believed the Christ would be a great military warrior who would destroy Rome and reestablish the nation of Israel.

However as Jesus revealed here to his disciples, the Messiah, the Son of Man, must actually die in the hands of the Gentiles and then the Messiah would rise again on the 3rd day. Now we understand what Jesus is saying here, because it happened two thousand years ago and we read about it in our Bibles over and over again. However this information at the time was a prophecy, and was totally mind blowing for the disciples

The disciples, like most Jews , were aware of most of the Messianic Prophecies, however they seemed to have forgotten Isaiah 53 or Psalm 22. They never envisioned their Christ to be the suffering servant or the man of sorrows. However all of this was necessary for our salvation. Jesus must pay for the sins of the world

And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. Luke 18:34

As the scriptures tell us “The didn’t understand any of these things” The disciples had no clue what Jesus was foretelling them. It reminds me of when Jesus told his disciples earlier about his death, remember this is the 3rd time Jesus foretold about his death. Peter said “This shall never happen to You” (Matthew 16:22) What was Jesus response “Get behind me Satan” (Matthew 16:23) Yes , Jesus called Peter Satan, not a proud moment in Peters theological career

However the point was, Jesus had to die for our sins. The Messiah became human to be nailed to the cross, and then be resurrected on Sunday morning defeating sin and death forever. This was God’s redemption plan, this was the plan for the Christ, even though the disciples and the prophets didn’t fully understand it

Here’s another thought, even Satan and the demons didn’t understand the Passion story. Sure Satan knew the Messiah would come to destroy him, but he never thought he would be defeated on the cross of death! But the enemy of death and sin have been defeated and abolished forever by our Risen Lord! Satan’s days are numbered, keep your heads up, redemption is drawing near, Amen!

Luke 18- The Rich Young Ruler

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And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Luke 18:18-21

The story of the Rich Young Ruler, often when we think of this story we think of the principle of money. However this story is much deeper than that, and Jesus reveals alot about who He is, and why we need Him. The conversation starts with “What do I need to do to inherit eternal life”? This is a question that should be pondered by everyone, however most have no regard for the afterlife until it’s too late. It’s time to get right with God

Notice what Jesus says here” Why do you call me Good, Nobody is Good except God” Did you catch what Jesus just revealed here? The only One who is “Good” is God alone. The word Good here means morally excellent, so the only one without sin is God alone. Well we know Jesus is sinless, therefore He is God in the flesh. If Jesus isn’t God, then he can’t be morally excellent. Those who reject the deity of Christ, are rejecting his atonement for their sin as only God is morally excellent

Next, notice how Jesus measures whether the man is “Good”, he refers to the Ten Commandments, Gods moral law. You see the Ten Commandments are a mirror for our soul, when we analyze them we realize our sinful nature and our need for a Savior. Everyone has sinned and fallen short according to God’s moral standards, the Ten Commandments, this is why you need Jesus!

Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Luke 18:22-25

Notice when Jesus mentioned the Ten Commandments to the man, he said “I have kept all of them since my youth” Now we all know this is a lie, nobody has ever been able to keep all the commandments their entire life, so Jesus tested him one more time. Christ said “Sell everything you have and give it to the poor” this was like an arrow through the man’s heart, as he was very wealthy and owned many possessions.

What was the issue here? The rich young ruler had a heart issue, he loved his money more than he loved God. As Jesus said “They honor me with their lips but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8) That’s why Jesus said “Its easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich person enter Heaven”

It’s not that money is a sin, its the love of money that’s a sin. Anything you put ahead of God is idolatry, you need to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Remember Jesus is the only way to become saved, nobody is “Good” except God alone Amen!

Luke 18- Jesus Loves The Little Children

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And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. Luke 18:15-17

We have all heard the Sunday School song “Jesus loves the little children”, and we probably thought well that’s a nice song but it’s actually Biblical. Jesus loved the children and even told his disciples “Unless you become like little children, you can’t enter the kingdom of God” Now of course this is figurative and spiritual, however this went totally against the practice of the religious system in that day and maybe even today

We have all heard “Children are to be seen and not heard” we probably have been to Church with our children and maybe somebody elses children, and they are making noise, and you’ll see the angry stares from the pews or maybe some hushing. This is a religious mentality not a Christ like mentality. We see the disciples in our reading today, many people brought their infants and children to be blessed by Jesus, and the disciples were rebuking them and turning them away. This is not what Jesus wanted, and he corrected his disciples

Jesus said “Let the children come to me and don’t forbid them” We should never be a stumbling block for anyone coming to Christ. This is why I believe the Lord’s Table is an open invitation to anyone of any age. Who am I to judge whether you’re truly a “Christian”? I don’t know , so I won’t be a stumbling block for your salvation, many people have become saved at an early age. Jesus encouraged the children to come to Him and don’t forbid them. 

Jesus said “Unless you become like one of these children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3) If only we had faith like a child! But as we get older, we believe we are wiser, we believe we are more important, we become more corrupted by the world. We can’t see Christ and find him through our years of indoctrination by the world. That’s why we need to be spiritually Born Again to see the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:3)

As the old Sunday School song goes, it doesn’t matter what nationality you are, it doesn’t matter what gender you are, it doesn’t matter what age you are, Jesus said “Come to me all who are weary and burden laden and I will give You rest!” (Matthew 11:28) Amen!

Luke 18- Saved By Grace

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And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. he Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. Luke 8:9-12

Are you going to Heaven? Most people would answer Yes, and if you ask why, then would say because they are a “good person”. This is the same mentality in the parable Jesus is teaching here, the Pharisee went on about how righteous he was and even thanked God that he was not a sinner like this tax collector. The fact is God says “All our righteous deeds or good works are filthy rags “ (Isaiah 64:6)

The only reason anyone is saved or can get to Heaven is because of the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. This Pharisee did some noble things, but he was a sinner just like everyone else (Romans 3:23) Instead of thanking God that he was not like the other sinners, we should thank God that we are saved at all! It’s only by the blood of Jesus Christ that we can be declared righteous before God

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Luke 18:13-14

Notice the difference with the prayer from the Tax Collector, he asked for God’s mercy on him because he admitted he was a sinner. This is true repentance, you can’t earn or work your way into Heaven. You can only be saved through Jesus Christ, why? Because he paid the penalty for our sins on the cross. All your good deeds are filthy rags when it comes to salvation.

Now does that mean we shouldn’t do any good deeds? Of course not, Jesus said “They will be known by their fruit” (Matthew 7:16) Meaning if we are Born Again in Christ, then there should be results to prove that. Somebody who says they are a Christian yet still behave like their old self, didn’t truly become Born Again

Jesus ends this parable by saying “The sinner was justified by repentance, but the Pharisee needs to be humbled” I know I’m paraphrasing here, but it’s simple, good works doesn’t make you righteous or saved. It’s only by the blood of Jesus Christ you can be saved, repent to The Lord Amen!

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Ephesians 2:8

Luke 18- Pray Without Ceasing

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And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. Luke 18:1-5

Today Jesus teaches us the parable of the persistent widow, and notice Jesus is applying this story to the principle of our prayer life. There was a widow and kept pleading to a judge for justice, and eventually even though the judge didn’t care about the widow or justice, he was sick of hearing the widow so he granted her wish

Jesus said “We should always pray and not faint” meaning never stop pleading your petitions and requests to God. Knock and the door will be opened, ask it you shall receive, we need to learn to “Pray without Ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:1618)as the Apostle Paul taught us also. It’s common for us to say a quick prayer and give up or expect instant results but God is working in ways you don’t even know at the time

And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Luke 18:6-8

Jesus said “If the unjust judge is willing to bring justice, then imagine God will bring justice to His elect” Now we must always understand everything must be in alignment with the will of God, and Jesus said justice was for God’s elect. Are you Born Again through Jesus Christ? This is the only way you can become a Child of God and receive salvation

Jesus ends with a question “When the Son of Man returns, will he find faith on earth?” Interesting Christ ends with talking about his return and who will remain in faith? Lots of people lose their faith when God doesn’t do what they want, this is not true faith! Put your full trust and hope in Jesus, that’s true faith. 

Maybe you have been praying about something for a long time, keep praying without ceasing! Keep seeking the truth, keep knocking on the door, keep praying to the only one who can deliver you Amen!

Luke 17- Days of Lot

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Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Luke 17:28-31

The event of Sodom and Gomorrah is referenced here by Jesus Christ himself, many of the “Liberal Christians” today say this event never happened, why? Because God displayed his judgement upon the act of homosexuality and other abominiations. Archeologists have actually found the remaining remnants of this event, God does not change and sin is still sin. There will be judgement coming for those who reject God and live in abominations. 

The Days of Lot or the event of Sodom and Gomorrah , will be the same when Christ returns again. We see it today, there are many cities in the world today that are comparable to Sodom and Gomorrah, they hate God and love their sin. When Jesus returns again, he’s coming back as The Lion of Judah, judgement is coming upon the wicked world, if you don’t believe me study the book of Revelation

Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. Luke 17:32-37

Jesus said “Remember Lot’s wife” what did Lot’s wife do? When they were being saved , she disobeyed God and looked back, why? Because she missed her life of sin and possessions, she cared more about the things of this world then her own salvation. What happened to her? She was turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26) Again Archeologist believe they have found her preserved remains , the point is she didn’t trust or truly love God, she loved her own life better

Now Jesus goes on to teach that some will be left behind and some will be taken, is Jesus references the rapture? Perhaps, but most importantly you need to become Born Again. If you truly love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, then you need to crucify your old self and become a new creature. Unless you are Born Again, you can’t see the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:3)

Christ is coming back soon, the world will be enjoying their abominations and sin, however like a thief in the night, The Lord shall descend and judgement will come upon the wicked, be ready for the coming of The Lord Amen!

Luke 17- Kingdom of God

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And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. Luke 17:20-23

The religious leaders wanted to know, when will the Kingdom of God come? And maybe your asking the same question today, when will Gods kingdom come? Well according to Jesus “The Kingdom of God is within You” so in other words the Kingdom of God is already here! Now with that being said , dont forget we still live in a fallen world of sin and death (Genesis 3) and this current world is being ruled by Satan (1 John 5:19)

So how is Gods Kingdom already here on Earth? Well don’t forget the Holy Spirit lives inside of Born Again believers, the Spirit of God is inside of you, the Kingdom of God within you. We must also remember the purpose of The Church, we are the hands and feet of Christ, the Salt of the Earth, the Light of the World, we are the Kingdom of God here in the fallen world. 

For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Luke 17:24-27

Let’s not also forget that Jesus Christ is physically returning also, and when He returns he will abolish all evil and build God’s eternal and perfect Kingdom. As Jesus prophesied he must first suffer many things, meaning his death on the cross to pay for the sins of the world. However many will still reject his salvation therefore judgement is coming upon the wicked world

Jesus said his return will be like the “Days of Noah” , people will go about their daily lives, partying, marrying, living their best lives now when the reality is judgement is upon them. Start alert, don’t fall asleep , The Lord shall return like a “Thief in the Night” , He will come at a time when you least expect him, don’t be caught off guard

If you are Born Again, the Kingdom of God is within You, Go into the world and preach the good news of Jesus and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Amen!

Luke 17- The Ten Lepers

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And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. Luke 17:11-14

As we are living in the COVID age of the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, we should ask ourselves “What Would Jesus Do”? Well let’s look at what Jesus did, Christ was approached by Ten Lepers, and they cried out to The Lord “Jesus Have Mercy On Us”

Now understand leprosy was a horrific disease and highly contagious. The Mosaic Law forbids anyone to go near or touch someone with leprosy. We live in a day and age where the Church wants to ban healthy people because they are not vaccinated, is this what Jesus would have done? No as we see Jesus didn’t avoid the lepers , he also wouldn’t ban anyone from coming to the gospel

Jesus commanded the lepers to “Go show yourselves to the priests” and as they went by faith, they were healed. Notice their act of obedience to The Lord proved their faith and healed them. Notice also this is a display of the New Covenant, the priests were never able to heal anyone from leprosy, but Christ is!

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. Luke 17:15-19

A couple things here, first there were 10 lepers who were healed but only one gave glory to God. How often do we see this everyday, God doing miracles for people but they give Him no thanks or glory. Secondly , the man that gave Jesus praise was a Samaritan, a non Jew. This again is a demonstration of the New Covenant, God is not just saving Israel but the entire world through Jesus Christ

Jesus said “Your faith has made you whole” The lepers faith in Christ is what healed him, it wasn’t the works of the leper it was the works of Jesus. Its the same way we are saved by faith in Christ, not by our works but the works of Jesus on the cross

What would Jesus do? He never rejected anyone from coming to salvation, anyone who called upon the name of The Lord shall be saved in Jesus name Amen!

Luke 17- Increase Our Faith

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And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. Luke 17:5-6

Faith is the key to life, but how do we obtain faith? How do we know if we truly have faith? Well first we need to understand what true faith is, the word faith is derived from the Greek word “Pistis” meaning trust, confidence, allegiance. Do you have full trust and confidence that Jesus is your Master and has delivered you from sin and death? This is the question we must ponder in our hearts, but to truly have faith in Christ we need to know who Christ is, right?

Many mistakenly perceive faith as wishful thinking or taking a chance. But this is not the true meaning of faith, as the Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:1” Faith is the assurance or confidence of the things we hoped for” We don’t just hope that Jesus rose from the dead and defeated sin and death, we believe Jesus truly rose from the dead defeating sin and death, there is a big difference. All our hope is in Jesus!

The Apostles said to Jesus “Lord Increase Our Faith”, can you relate to this? Faith is like a relationship, it develops and gets stronger over time, the more you get to know Christ, the stronger your relationship builds with him, the stronger your faith grows. Jesus said “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, the sycamore tree would obey you” This sounds impossible right? But nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37) The more you know Him, the more you realize this and build your faith

But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. Luke 17:7-10

Jesus tells us a story, when servants come back from doing their jobs, they don’t look to their Master to serve them, they continue to serve their Master and fulfill their duties. We need to understand , if Jesus is your Lord (Master), then you are his servant. It’s important to have obedience and faith in your Master

Do you need more faith? Do as the Apostles, ask Jesus to increase your faith! You might say well doesn’t that prove you don’t have faith, no! It proves that Jesus is your Lord and He is your provider of all things. We never saved ourselves, we were drawn to Christ by the Holy Spirit

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Ephesians 2:8, you didn’t save yourself , God saved you through Christ, your faith is Jesus will provide God’s grace for your soul Amen!