Tag Archives: Religion

Luke 20- Parable of The Wicked Tenant

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Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him Luke 20:9-13

Today Jesus teaches us the parable of the wicked tenant, now here’s a spoiler alert, this parable is about Israel. The husbandmen or tenant is Israel, God gave them the land He promised to them and continued to send his servants/ prophets, but time and time again they beat or sometimes killed the prophets of God. This was confirmed by Jesus Christ himself in Matthew 23 “You are descendants of those who murdered the prophets” (Matthew 23:31)

So notice what God decided to finally do, He sent his only beloved Son, because He believed they would receive him. Now Israel claimed to be Children of God, however they didn’t even know the Son of God. As Jesus told them “You honor God with your lips, but your heart is far from him” (Matthew 15:8) Israel didn’t really love God or even know him, if they did , they wouldn’t have kill all God’s prophets and eventually kill the Messiah

But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. Luke 20:14-18

We see alot going on here , first Jesus is prophesying about his death again. This is important because first the Messiah had to die to be the ransom for the sins of the world. But secondly , because it appeared nobody including the Apostles understood Jesus had to die for our sins. Even after Christ predicted this over and over again, the message wasn’t getting through to his followers

Next we see the prophecy of the New Covenant, as Jesus said in this parable “We shall give the vineyard to others” The Kingdom of God is now not just for Israel but also the Gentiles through Christ. This is why the cross was so important, by the blood of Christ we can become Children of God

The stone the builders rejected is the Chief corner stone, Jesus is the Chief Corner stone, Israel rejected their own Messiah, but there is no salvation without Jesus Christ, he is our rock and foundation, Amen!

Luke 20 – Jesus Challenged

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And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders, And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority? And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me:The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? Luke 20:1-4

All throughout Jesus’ ministry, he was challenged and tested by the religious leaders. The reality is, if these religious leaders actually knew God and the scriptures, then they would have known who Jesus is. But the truth is , the majority of the religious leaders hated Jesus, because he threatened their religious system and establishment. As Jesus said “You love God with your mouths but not your hearts (Matthew 15:8)

The religious leaders were hypocrites, and when they decided to challenge Jesus, he was going to show them how fake they are. The religious leaders asked Jesus “By what authority do you do these things”, remember the religious leaders accused Jesus of being possessed with a demon, so they were basically implying Jesus was working for Satan (Matthew 12:24)

So Jesus called them out “Was the baptism of John a calling from God or a tradition of men”? Now we know John the Baptist was a prophet, in fact Jesus called him the greatest of all prophets (Matthew 11:11) So again if these religious leaders really know God and the scriptures, then they should know if John is a true prophet

And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not? But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet.And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was. And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. Luke 20:5-8

Now Jesus is challenging the religious leaders, and they painted themselves in a corner. If they believe John the Baptist is a prophet, then why don’t they listen to him that Jesus is the Messiah. However if they deny John is a prophet, then they will be stoned to death by the people. The fact they remained silent leads me to believe they knew John was a prophet and Jesus is the Christ, however they still rejected Him!

Since the religious leaders refused to answer, then Jesus refused to answer the religious leaders any longer. This should be a reflection of our relationship with God also, are we being honest with our search for truth? Do we allow God to answer us or do we just hear what we want to hear?

Be careful who your “religious leaders” are, Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, He is our High Priest, the Living Word of God, no person overrides the authority of Christ Amen!

Luke 19- Cleansing The Temple

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And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him. Luke 19:45-48

Multiple times throughout Jesus’ ministry he “cleansed the temple”, Now again this is an event that has fulfillments of the past, present, and future. Again to understand the significance of this event, you need to understand the importance of the Temple. Before Christ, the Temple was the only place on Earth where God resided. It was a Holy Space filled with the Holy of Holies, it was the only place you could confess and sacrifice for your sin, because it was the only place that God dwelled with the people

However, much like today, the religious establishment corrupted the Temple. As Jesus said “You have made the Temple into a Den of Thieves” they corrupted this Holy Space and made it a marketplace to sell merchandise and make money. This is why during the “cleansing” Jesus flipped over the money tables and chased out all the merchants (John 2:14-17) Jesus wasn’t being rude, He was cleansing The Temple, he was removing sin from the Holy Space. And this is exactly Christ accomplished on the cross, paying the debt for our sins and purifying our temples

This event was prophesied by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 7:11) so again, Jesus was fulfilling more prophecy , but also Jesus prophesied “I will destroy this temple in 3 days and raise it up” (John 2:19) Now Jesus was actually prophesying about his death on the cross and his resurrection, however the religious leaders believed he was talking about destroying the physical Temple. However Jesus did prophecy about the physical temple being destroyed also, (Matthew 24:2) Jesus said “Not one stone will be left” and when Christ fulfilled his work on the cross, the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. and was never rebuilt, even to this day as Jesus predicted.

The Apostle Paul then went on to teach us “You are the Temple of God and the Holy Spirit lives inside of You” (1 Corinthians 3:16-18) If you are Born Again in Christ and baptized by the Holy Spirit, God lives inside of You, and your body is now the Temple of God. It’s important to keep your body cleansed and purified of sin. Don’t allow your temple to become a “Den of Thieves” For through Christ we are a New Creation, Amen!

The Christ Child

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The years of silence are finally broken

The fulfillment of all the words the prophets have spoken

A messenger was first sent to prepare the way

To prepare us for Christ the Lord to be born on this day

When the time arrived the angels filled the sky

Glorifying God and proclaiming the battlecry

A Savior has been born this day to everyone

The shepherds went to Bethlehem to see what God has done

In the manger a baby wrapped in cloth is the sign

The virgin birth to the Christ child who is fully human and fully divine

The shepherds left sharing the good news the Christ has come

While the Gentile Kings journey where their from

Everyone bowed down and worshipped the newborn King

While angels filled the skies and continued to sing

Glory to God in the highest and peace on Earth

Salvation is possible now because of the Christ  child’s birth

The incarnation of a virgin, foretold long ago

This is the sign of  the Christ child, so we will all know

To be fully God and fully human, who can comprehend?

But the Kingdom of Jesus Christ  will never have an end

So on this day remember what has been done for all of us

Jesus became flesh to prepare a place for You in paradise

Christmas-Luke 2- The Sign

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And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. Luke 2:15-17

After the Shepherds received the “good news” from the angel, they immediately went to Bethlehem to see the Messiah. But how would they find the Messiah? Because the angel told them there is a sign, the sign is a baby lying in the manger. This is the same sign foretold to Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

The virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus in the manger is the sign of the Messiah, as foretold 700 years before Christ birth to Isaiah. Imagine how many must have pondered this prophecy for hundreds of years , trying to figure out its fulfillment, here it is the Christ has come!

And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. Luke 2:18-20

How did the shepherds respond when they finally seen Jesus? They went out and told the world, they declared the good news (gospel) to everyone! How do we respond when we finally receive Christ? Do you tell the good news to everyone? The good news that salvation has finally come into the world and we can inherit eternal life and be a child of God? 

Notice it says “Mary pondered these things in her heart” Imagine what must be going through the mind of Mary at this moment. She gave birth to the Son of God in a stable, she has strangers visiting her and glorifying God, and she still has the worries and uncertainty of how they are going to raise Jesus and where to live. 

If the birth of Christ gives you hope and joy, why don’t you tell someone the good news today! These shepherds had no theological training or even any social status, but they know what they saw, they saw the sign from God, the Christ has come! Amen!

Christmas-Luke 2- Birth of Christ

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And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:4-7

God works in mysterious ways, this is very prevalent in the birth of Jesus. First we see Mary and Joseph were forced to go back to Bethlehem because of a census. Now this all happened because of the prophecy of Micah 5:2, King Herod heard about the prophecy, that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem, so he forced everyone back to their hometowns. What Herod didn’t realize is that the King of Kings would come to this world as an infant. The amazing part is Herod actually helped fulfill prophecy by forcing Mary and Joseph back to Bethlehem

The events that happened when Jesus was born seemed like a disaster, however they played out perfectly according to God’s plan. Having the Son of God born in a stable seems wrong, however it is perfect when you understand that Jesus is the Lamb of God (John 1) If you need a sign that Jesus is the Messiah, look to the manger!

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:8-11

 Again at first glance, sharing the good news about Jesus to a bunch of lowly shepherds doesn’t seem to make much sense, however when you understand who Jesus is and why he came here, it makes perfect sense. Jesus is the Lamb of God (John 1) so sharing the news to the shepherds who were tending to the passover lambs of Israel makes great sense. 

Secondly, Jesus didn’t come to save the rich and powerful or the highly religious people, Jesus came for the outcasts, the poor in spirit, the lowly, the Shepherds represent us perfectly. The people nobody cared about,  God cared about them first!

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:12-14

God sent us a sign of hope, a sign of peace, a sign of salvation, that sign is Jesus Christ, a baby lying in the manger. Nobody could have ever predicted God would come to Earth as an infant, but God’s ways are higher than our ways

We notice the first Christmas celebration began, as the sky was filled with angels celebrating the birth of Christ, singing “Glory to God in the highest” What an amazing scene this must have been. God becoming flesh to make us children of God, Amen!

Luke 19- Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem

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And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. Luke 19:41-44

During the event of “Palm Sunday”, Jesus made a prophetic statement that still holds true , even today. Often we hear people talk about how Jesus wept over the death of Lazarus, however Jesus also wept over the city of Jerusalem. So what happened to Jerusalem and why was it so important? Well first you need to understand that Jerusalem is the City of God, it was the only place on Earth where the presence of God dwelled with people before Christ came. In fact all of prophecy is based around Jerusalem, and there will be a New Jerusalem in the New Heavens and Earth

Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple, and even today the Temple was never rebuilt again. This is significant because you can’t keep “The Law” or Torah without the Temple. Because Jesus fulfilled The Law at the cross (Matthew 5:17) and the Temple was destroyed after than in 70 A.D. The New Covenant was established by the blood of Christ. The old system has been fulfilled, the priest line, the sacrificial system, ect none of these are possible without a Temple

As I stated, before Christ, the only place on Earth where God dwelled on Earth was The Temple. But God became flesh and made his dwelling among us (John 1:14) Jesus is now our High Priest, Jesus is now our sacrifice for sin, Jesus is now our Temple. Immanuel, God is with Us, and then the Holy Spirit was poured down upon us at Pentecost and living inside of us now (Acts 2)

Many believe that the “Great Tribulation” Jesus talked about in Matthew 24, was actually the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. While I am a partial Preterist and believe there were fulfillments there, I don’t believe all of the Tribulation was fulfilled, something to read and ponder. The point is Jerusalem is the center of all Gods prophecy, and when Jesus rose from the dead, it changed everything and the evidence is still present, even today

Jesus knew the Temple would be destroyed, he knew Jerusalem would be destroyed, and he also knew the Jewish people were going to be persecuted. Why? Because the majority of them rejected their own Messiah, they even crucified Him on a cross. Jesus is still weeping over Jerusalem today, until the day comes when Christ returns and they receive him as their King and Lord Amen!

Christmas-Luke 1- Mary’s Song

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And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. Luke 1:46-49

I think one of the beautiful moments in the Bible is when Mary sang this song after she found out she was giving birth to Jesus. Oftentimes I think Protestants avoid giving any praise or respect to Mary, because of their separation with the Catholic Church. However, just as we show respect to the Apostles, I think we should show some love and respect to Mary also. 

Mary starts out with the statement “My soul magnifies The Lord” Mary became a bondservant to God, even though she knew her life was going to be difficult and in some cases persecuted, she went through with it to magnify God. Her spirit rejoiced in God, her savior. Mary becoming the mother of the Messiah, was not a glamorous title or position at the time. But she accepted her mission from God because she loved and was obedient to God

Notice Mary regards herself as a servant to God, yet she knew once everyone realized that her child is the Son of God, that many generations would call her blessed. And holy is the name of Jesus! Many people today use the name of Jesus in a curse word, this is blasphemy , as Jesus is the name above all names (Philippians 2)

And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. Luke 1:50-52

Notice Mary is revealing the New Covenant, Christ mercy will be from generation to generation , meaning forever! As Jesus revealed he will exalt the humble, and bring down the proud and mighty. I like the phrase, “the imagination of their hearts”. Many people misunderstood what and who the Messiah would be. Israel had this imagination of a ruthless King who would crush the world. However Christ came as the Lamb of God, who took away the sin of the world!

He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. Luke 1:53-55

Mary reveals that the seed of Abraham is Christ, as God promised Abraham through him he would bless the world and be numerous as the stars, this was a reference to Jesus and the New Covenant. Its through Israel that the Messiah was born, and it was through Christ that the world came to salvation

The Messiah has been revealed to Mary and will come through Mary to the world, what a wonderful gift from God, to save his people from their sin Amen!

Luke 19- Palm Sunday

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And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? Luke 19:29-33

The event we are looking at today is known as “Palm Sunday” , the day when The Lord, The Messiah, rolled through Jerusalem fulfilling prophecy, setting up the events leading to the death and resurrection of Jesus. The celebration would end very quickly, as the same people shouting “Hosanna” will be the same people a few days later yelling “Crucify Him” as Israel rejects their Messiah because he’s not what they wanted in their own minds

The first prophecy we see fulfilled is Jesus rode in Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling the Messianic prophecy of Zechariah 9, why is this significant? Because Christ came in Peace because He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) Christ came to save the sinners and give them eternal life. This isn’t what Israel wanted, as they wanted a ruthless military warrior that would wipe out the Roman Empire and reestablish the glory of Israel

And they said, The Lord hath need of him.And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Luke 19:34-37

The crowds were rejoicing at the coming of their King, they laid down Palm branches (hence the name Palm Sunday) and they laid down their robes or coats in reverence to the Messiah. Everyone was praising God, but it would only last for a short time. The religious leaders and the Romans got nervous, who is this new King that everyone was shouting about? On this day Jesus became a threat to the religious and political establishments

Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. Luke 19:38-40

Hosanna, Blessed be the King the comes in the name of The Lord, this was the battle cry and this was the fulfillment of another Messianic prophecy Psalm 118. This was confirmation, that Jesus is The Christ. But the religious leaders, who should have known who Jesus is better than anyone, rebuked Jesus and told him to shut these people up. Christ replied “Even the stones would cry out” why? Because Jesus is the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth (John 1) Not only is Jesus the Messiah, He is God in the flesh, here on Earth, to save his own creation

Palm Sunday is an event of past, present , and future ramifications. One day The Lord will return again and we will be waving our Palm Branches , shouting Hosanna (Revelation 7) Amen!

Christmas-Luke 1- Mary Did You Know?

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And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. Luke 1:26-29

Around Chrstmas time you usually hear the song “Mary did you know”? Well in the scriptures we are reading today, Mary did know because the angel Gabrielle told her. The virgin Mary was chosen by God to give birth to the Messiah, the Son of God. The incarnation of God becoming flesh is an amazing mystery to ponder. But God is now going to provide salvation by sending his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into the world

Notice Mary’s reaction upon receiving this news, “she was troubled” imagine if you were just told you were going to give birth to the Son of God! You can only imagine the range of emotions going through Mary’s mind at this point. The Bible is clear, Mary was chosen and highly favored by God, what an amazing calling to receive by The Lord

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Luke 1:30-33

The angel Gabriel revealed many things about the coming of the Messiah. First he revealed his name, the name is Jesus. For centuries the Jews could never mention the name of God in fear of breaking the commandment, now we know the name of God, and we can call out upon the name of Jesus! Next it’s revealed that He is the Son of God and the Son of David, wait what? How can Jesus be the Son of God and David? 

Son of David is in reference to the Messianic Kingship line that was foretold throughout the Bible, however many didn’t understand or realize that the Messiah would literally be God in the flesh (John 1:14) The last thing that is revealed is this Kingdom will be eternal, meaning the Kingdom of God is coming to Earth (Revelation 21, Isaiah 65) All this has been revealed by the angel Gabriel

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Luke 1:34-35

The obvious question , as stated by Mary, is “how can this be”? How can the virgin Mary give birth to the Son of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus wasn’t physically conceived by a man, he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, as he is God incarnate. It’s infallible for our human minds to try and comprehend this

The greatest message was delivered, Jesus is coming to save the world from sin and death, Amen!