Luke 20

As we finish Luke 20 we see Jesus with the religious scholars.  They are trying to trap him with a series of questions.  Of course, Jesus not only does not fall for their trap, he uses it as a teaching moment along the way.  The first question involved paying taxes.  Do we owe taxes to the government?  Jesus gives His classic response: “Then give Caesar what is his and give God what is his”.  The second question involves the woman who ends up marrying seven brothers because they keep dying and the question was “in the resurrection whose wife will she be”?  Does seem a bit of an issue doesn’t it.  Jesus is pretty clear – they are focused on the wrong things.  “Marriage is a major preoccupation…but not there”.  The third question was posed by Jesus to a set of religious leaders that had tried to trap Him.  He asked a question about how the Messiah could be David’s son.  He uses this to show they could not nor would not answer and then to point out just how pathetic they really are.  They were focused on their position, not the people they should be serving and caring for.  They were all about themselves.   We really need to pay attention to the lesson here.  Success as a Christ follower is not about what we know nearly as much as how we live.  The key is to make sure we are lining up with the commands that we have been given – that we are walking in the light as He is in the light.  We need to quit worrying about our place of prominence and focus on how we live and serve.  Our willingness to lead and serve like Jesus is the key to pleasing God and being a success in the our walk as a Christ follower.  Are you focused on that?

Luke 20

Jesus teaches another parable to the crowd in Luke 20.  This time it is about the vineyard keeper who goes away on a trip.  He comes home and sends one of his servants to the vineyard to collect the profits that were generated while he was away.  They beat up one, two, three of his servants and sent them packing.  The owner then sends his son thinking “I know what I’ll do: I’ll send my beloved son. They’re bound to respect my son”.  Of course these farmhands are not very strategic or wise in their thinking and they kill the son.  What a mistake.  Of course the owner comes and rids the place of all of their sorry lives.  And he brought in new workers who would understand their place and do their job.  But the moral of this story is not about running a farm or business, although it certainly applies there.  This is a picture of Jesus Himself and how the world would soon treat Him.  And a very accurate picture it was.  People did not understand His place as the Son, so they killed the One who had been sent to love and save us and were smug about it.  Unfortunately that day of reckoning has come.  Those who do not readily receive the Son will not be allowed to remain in God’s presence – eternity has a much different end result.  What are you doing with Jesus?  Are you making Him Lord of your life and embracing Him as the Savior and Son of God.  God sent Him to your “vineyard” to collect the debt you owe.  That debt is beyond anything you can afford to pay – the only payment that will suffice is your life.  But Jesus came to stand in for us in that payment for sin – He went to the cross to be the One who could pay the price.  That only happens when we allow Him to do that, by a personal acceptance and relationship with Him.  As the old song goes: “Have you any room for Jesus”?  Don’t make the mistake of the wicked farmhands in the vineyard.  Make sure in the care of your own life that Jesus is smack dab in the middle of it all and you are in right relationship with Him.  He alone can bring payment to God who owns your vineyard (life).  There is none other that will satisfy the debt.  What are you doing about that?

Luke 19

The last section of Luke 19 shows us the many facets of Jesus.  He sends two of his disciples ahead to prepare a place.  They go and find a colt tied as they were told and explained the need and were given it.  Jesus comes to town and as he approaches the disciples break into celebration.  The religious leaders tell Jesus to quiet them down.  Listen to what he says: “If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise”.  Are you shouting praise for Jesus?  Do  you tell anyone what He is doing in your life?  We have to share the truth of His impact.  That is how people come to know Him and understand how critical that relationship is.  Are you one of the disciples celebrating His love, or one of the religious leaders stuffing any outward expression.  We need to leak Jesus on those around us.  I pray every morning to be “sticky” for Jesus.  I want people to want to see why my life is the way it is.  I fail some days in being a very good witness for Him.  But I get up the next day and pray that the Spirit will overflow and make me sticky again.  We need to leak Jesus.  The story continues with Jesus weeping over the city because they don’t get it – they don’t understand the coming pain and suffering because of their refusal to accept God’s Son.  And the very last verses describe Jesus in the temple, overturning tables and chasing away those who are using it for their own gain rather than for its purpose of meeting God and worshipping Him alone.  How are you doing with these checkpoints in your life?  Are you leaking Jesus?  Are you understanding that only through Him do you have a secure eternity?  Do you go to your church to meet and worship God rather than get personal gain?  We need to look in the mirror about these things.  We need to get right…….

Luke 19

Jesus continues teaching in Luke 19 by telling the story of the ruler who gives three of his servants some money to handle while he is gone.  Upon his return, the first servant comes back and tells the master he has doubled his funds.  Well done and given rule over 10 towns.  The second comes back and has created a 50% profit for the master.  Good job and given rule over 5 towns.  The third was a very cautious and fearful man.  He came and returned the money to the master.  Bad decision by this servant.  The master takes the money from him and gives it to the man who doubled it.  People were upset but Jesus gives us this truth to live by: “Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag”.  The master was pleased with the results of the two who worked to generate more with what they were given.  He was displeased with the one who sat on what he had.  I believe this applies to a lot more than money for us as Christ followers.  We have been entrusted with a lot of different things – talents, gifts, relationships, jobs, companies, children, spouses, churches, small groups – the list goes on and on.  God has called us to be good stewards of everything He has entrusted to us.  To make these things really generate results we have to be willing to take risks.  We have to get out of the seat and do something.  We can’t just bury them like the last servant and think for a minute that God will be pleased.  We have been entrusted with much, and from us much will be expected.  Are you a risk taker?  Are you willing to get out there and do things for the Lord with what He has given you as a steward?  I believe this is one area that all of us need to step up.  We need to take inventory of all the wonderful things that God has placed in our care or equipped us with and then seek His guidance on how to make all those things grow and become what He desires.  We have to take action folks.  We cannot be content sitting on our gift of service or administration or mercy or prophecy.  God gave us gifts and entrusted us with many things to be put into ACTION to further His kingdom.  He allows us to be in many relationships so we can INVEST in people and make a difference.  He has given some of us companies to LEAD so we can glorify Him.  There are so many things we need to consider in regard to this parable today.  I for one do not want to stand before God at the gates of heaven and try to convince Him that my lack of action – “play it safe” – was the way He desired for me to live.  It is not and I need to get after it.  The world is run by those who show up.  God desires us to be those people.  He wants us to take what He has entrusted to us and be wise stewards, caring for and growing it every day.  Are you doing that?  Will you hear the words well done when you are rated on how you cared for the investment God made in your life?

Luke 19

 This morning finds us in Luke 19 with the familiar story of Zacchaeus.  Did you learn the song like I did in church as a kid?  Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he.  He climbed up in a Sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see……. Admit it, you haven’t hummed that song for many years but it is still in your head.  Does memorization work?  Is music an important way for us to learn bible truths.  Yes to both my friends.  As adults most of us (pointing at myself here too) have determined that memorization is kid stuff and doesn’t apply to me any more.  As I grew up and attended Sunday school and youth group, headed to college and was part of a campus ministry – memorization was a key part of my Christian education and training.  But now I seem to think I get a pass on that.  Wrong answer.  Jesus dealt with the enemy using memorized passages of scripture.  That is how He battled temptation.  So why would I think it doesn’t apply to me?  Laziness.  I don’t want to work that hard is all I can figure out.  How about you. Now that I took that big bypass let’s get back to the meat of the day.  Zacchaeus was a little man.  He heard Jesus was coming but he was too short to see.  He desperately wanted to see Jesus.  Scripture tells us this: “He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way–he was a short man and couldn’t see over the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by”.  How desperately do you want to see Jesus?  How much effort are you willing to put into being in the presence of the Savior.  As Christians in North America we don’t put a lot of focus on this but in many parts of the world, people have to sacrifice to be together in the body of Christ.  Are you willing to do whatever it takes to be with your Lord?  Really make some sacrifices to be with Him?  This passage challenges me today.  I am usually willing to serve if it isn’t a big inconvenience, fits my schedule, isn’t a long term commitment, won’t cost too much….on the list goes.  Zacchaeus had it right.  Seeing Jesus was top of list for him.  He was willing to do what it took to be in position to see the Savior.  Scripture goes on with the rest of the story.  Jesus did come down the road that day and saw Zacchaeus in the tree.  How we live is not unnoticed in heaven.   We are playing to a universal audience.  But are we playing to an audience of One?  Do I live my life intentionally to serve the God of creation?  Some days – but not always.  Jesus invites himself to Zacchaeus’ house and really stirred up the religious folk.  They couldn’t believe Jesus would associate with a  tax collector.  It didn’t get much worse in those days.  Zacchaeus was rich, but hated and despised.  And now Jesus is going to spend time with him.  How dare he.  But Jesus did exactly that – ignoring the religious crowd – and understanding the heart of this man.  That day salvation comes to the house of Zacchaeus.  All because he was desperate in his desire to see Jesus.  How about you?  Are you desperate – totally focused – intentionally making efforts – to see the Savior?  We need to all get after it and make that our priority.

Luke 18

Today as we conclude Luke 18 we see the story of the rich man who wants to find out how to gain “eternal life”.  He approaches Jesus and states that he has kept the commandments and wants to make sure he is going to spend eternity in heaven.  “What must I do” is the question he asks.  Jesus gives him one last step – “sell everything you own and give it away”.  Whoa – that stopped the train.  This man has no interest in that program.  Scripture tells us these words to describe him: “He was holding on tight to a lot of things and not about to let them go”.  What are you holding on to?  What keeps you from going to 100% for Jesus?  We all have our areas of struggle with this.  Money, time, toys – the list is a long one.  But if we are going to become a Christ follower we can’t go most of the way.  At our company retreat this past weekend we began discussing the principles of continual improvement.  One of the key realities of that process is that anything less than 100% is a defect.  Do you have a defect in the way you follow Jesus?  Are you giving Him 100%?  Of course the crowd that had heard the question can’t believe that expectation and asks “who has an chance at all”?  Pay close attention to Jesus’ answer here.  “No chance at all,” Jesus said, “if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”  This is not a me thing.  It is not going to happen by my trying harder or pulling up my boot straps and working for it.  It is about trust and obedience.  God will help us walk as a Christ follower if we put our hope and trust in Him.  Our future is very safe in His hands.  But we have to come into that relationship and allow Him to be in control.  As they left that place and came to Jericho a blind man was by the side of the road and called out.  Those walking ahead tried to quiet him but he yelled all the louder.  As Jesus approached He asked the man what he wanted.  To be healed was the answer.  Jesus said “your faith has saved and healed you”.  Instantly – because the blind man believed.  Do you?

Luke 18

Jesus teaches us some important lessons in the first part of Luke 18.  He starts the chapter telling his followers this very important truth: “it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit”.  Are you prayed up?  Do you pray regularly and continually.  Or are you a one timer – pray it and drop it.  The tendency is for us to do that – at least for me.  God knows the situation doesn’t He.  Why should I keep on reminding Him?  Because He has told me to.  God desires to hear our hearts.  He wants to know what matters.  Jesus continues by telling the story of the Pharisees and their attitude about prayer – it was all in the show to them.  They prayed like this: “Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people”.  Oh boy – not a good thing to be praying. Prayer is not a way to justify ourselves in God’s eyes.  It is not about me at all actually.  It is totally about God.  None of us can approach the throne as justified.  We are all sinners.  And comparing ourselves to another trying to position us as better is a very bad plan.  The reality is that even on our best day – we are still not going to achieve holiness before a perfect God.  Comparing myself to any other person is using the wrong measuring stick.  It doesn’t matter.  My only comparison can be to the perfect holy nature of God and I will always fall short.  Scripture calls that death.  Scripture says that without the saving grace of Jesus eternity looks pretty bleak.  But Jesus does give us the model for how we should approach life.  The tax man, whom the Pharisees were putting at the bottom of their list of people not to be like is used as the example.  Jesus says this: “If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself”.  Quit pretending and be you.  Acknowledge your sin and focus on becoming a Christ follower.  That is what we need to do.  We need to accept our pathetic self and recognize that in Jesus we can be set free and made perfect in God’s sight.  And we need to model this behavior for our kids.  Jesus goes on to scold the disciples who were trying to prevent the children from coming to Him.  “Let the children alone…don’t get between them and me”.  As the grown ups in this world, we need to be pointing kids to Jesus with our lives, not leading them down a different path.  It is up to us to be reh responsible adults.  Part of that is modeling the Christian life for all to see, but in particular we need to make sure it happens in front of our kids.  They need to see Jesus at work in our lives.  They need to know prayer matters to us and see the results of our prayers.  We have a responsibility to live life openly and honestly in front of those around us.  Are you sharing God’s touch with your kids?  How about those you work with?  Do they meet Jesus through you??

Luke 17

Jesus teaches about the end days and how quickly it will come as we wrap up Luke 17.  The kingdom of God is coming.  Are you ready?  Jesus tells the disciples to prepare.  He gives examples of Noah and Lot.  People in those days were about “business as usual”.  They had no idea the flood or firestorm was on its way.  So many people today don’t know that Jesus is coming again either.  He gives us this direction which we need to pay attention to: “If you grasp and cling to life on your terms, you’ll lose it, but if you let that life go, you’ll get life on God’s terms”.  Jesus was talking about the desire we have to hang on to the past rather than prepare for and embrace what is coming.  Oh how we are like that.  We hate change.  Bottom line is that we need to be ready.  We need to be prepared to meet Him.  He tells us that “one will be taken, the other left”.  Not everyone will enter eternity with Him on that last fateful day.  Are you ready?  Have you prepared to spend eternity with the Father through a relationship with His Son?  You can’t wait until things happen and opt in later.  It won’t work that way.  Now is the time to consider the future and stop clinging to life on your terms.  Now is the time for Jesus……

Luke 17

Jesus is teaching the disciples some strong lessons today in Luke 17.  He starts by warning them that “hard trials and temptations are bound to come”.  That is a fact of life we need to embrace.  Sometimes we get into the mindset that if we just become a Christian all the trials and tribulations will go away in life.   Not quite how it works.  We will face struggles throughout life.  The good news is we do not have to face them alone.  First we have a faithful Father and Son who will be there to help us.  Secondly we should be in a community of believers in a church that we can rely on as well.  That is God’s design for us – to be part of a church that is there to pick us up when we wrestle with the curveballs in life.  Jesus goes on to answer His disciples when they said “give us more faith”.  Check out what He says: “You don’t need more faith. There is no “more’ or “less’ in faith”.  Faith is one of those things we eigher have or we don’t.  It is believing and taking action.  One of the best illustrations I have seen about faith involves a chair.  When you look across the room at a chair – you believe it can hold you if you go sit on it.  But until you put that belief (faith) in action by actually putting your butt in the seat – you are only expressing a theory.  Faith becomes real when we act upon it.  Faith requires action.  It means we do something and we live life based on it.  That is the message that Jesus wants us to hear.  We don’t need more faith – we need to exercise what we already have.  We need to trust and obey and live life based on what we have been given.  We need to walk across the room and sit on the chair. The first half of the chapter ends with 10 lepers coming to Jesus with leprocy.  Jesus hears them call from a distance and tells them to “go show yourselves to the priests”.  As the went they were cleansed.  Did you get that – AS THEY WENT – it took acting on the instruction of Jesus to be healed.  It happens over and over in scripture.  The Red Sea parts when they stick their toe in the water.  Goliath falls when David casts the stone.  Things happen when people act upon their faith.  But there is another lesson here we need to pay attention to – what happens after they were healed.  Check this out: “One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God…. Were not ten healed? Where are the nine”?  Ten lepers are healed by Jesus – only one shows any gratitude.  We need to make sure we have an attitude of gratitude toward our God.  He deserves our honor and praise.  Are you taking time to thank God for all He has done in your life?  Do it today!

Luke 16

The last section of Luke 16 is the story of Lazarus and the rich man who die and go to their eternal place of resting. Lazarus goes to heaven, the rich man eternal separation from God. This is a real picture of the future folks. Eternity has only two options – heaven and hell – and there is no middle ground. That is a hard message and one that many don’t like to hear or deliver, but scripture is very clear. If you have a relationship with the Father through Jesus – heaven is your eternity. If not, well there is only one other choice. That is where the rich man in the story today ends up. He looks across the chasm that divides and wants desperately to have Lazarus reach over and comfort him. But that is not possible. It is a separation that no one can cross save God Himself. Look at what Jesus says here: “there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us”. This is a separation that is real and lasts forever. Consider that – forever is a very long time. We know the solution to that and need to share the saving grace of Jesus with everyone we have the opportunity. The rich man asked that the message be given to his family. Have you told everyone you know about Jesus? It is our mission in life – to share the good news and help people prepare for an eternity with God, not separated from Him. Don’t miss the chance to change a life for eternity.