11-27-2022 – “Mary Exalts the Lord Her God”

Bible Text: Luke 1:39-50 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above are the
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November 27, 2022
“Mary Exalts the Lord Her God”
Luke 1:39-50

At our last time together we studied the awesome interaction of the angel Gabriel and a young virgin named Mary to whom he said

(Luke 1:31-32),

“You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,”

Luke 1:35,

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”

Mary humbly and obediently believed all that Gabriel told her, saying

(Luke 1:38),

“may it be done to me according to your word,” and then we are told Gabriel left her.

Today we pick up the narrative in

Luke 1:39-40…

39 Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,

40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

Mary immediately set off for the hill country of Judah; remember what Gabriel said to her

(Luke 1:36),

“behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.”

Mary “went in a hurry” to see her aunt, no doubt to confirm that all this was really true. Mary herself would have been newly pregnant as she began the 3-4 four day journey south (80-90 miles0 from Nazareth to the hill country of s (about 5-6 miles from Jerusalem). Note: archeologist believe Judah (where John the Baptizer was born) may very well be the same area as Bethlehem (where Christ would be born, six months later than John).

Mary made the journey to her aunt Elizabeth and uncle Zacharias’s house. Greeting Elizabeth, she no doubt told her all that had happened with Gabriel’s announcement to her; and Elizabeth no doubt told Mary of Gabriel’s announcement to Zacharias (at the temple), and all that had happened, i.e., Zacharias was stuck mute and still couldn’t speak

(Luke 1:20).

20 And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

To hear Elizabeth’s account of her miraculous conception, and now in her sixth month of pregnancy had to be affirming to Mary concerning her own pregnancy.

Read Luke 1:41-44…

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43 And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?

44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.

As Mary told Elizabeth about what had happened to her, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped, and at that moment she was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to declare that Mary was blessed above all women because of the child she carried in her womb.

The filling of the Holy Spirit is often followed by a proclamation of the Word of God. Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit at the birth of his son John

(Luke 1:67),

67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

and he began to declare a marvelous prophecy

(Luke 1:68-79),

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,

69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us

In the house of David His servant–

70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old–

71 Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES,

And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US;

72 To show mercy toward our fathers,

And to remember His holy covenant,

73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,

74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,

Might serve Him without fear,

75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;

77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation

By the forgiveness of their sins,

78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,

With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,

79 TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH,

To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

about what John would fulfill concerning the coming Messiah (Who happened to be John’s younger cousin).

As some of you will recall from our Wednesday night Study in the Book of Acts, on the day of Pentecost, the believers

(Acts 2:4),

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

“were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak [in other languages, not their own,

Acts 2:8-11],

8 And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?

9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

11 Cretans and Arabs–we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.”

“as the Spirit was giving them utterance.”

Here in Luke 1:42-45,

Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and she cries out in a loud voice a hymn of praise for Mary who has been given this greet honor, and a praise for the child in her womb, God’s Son, the Lord and Savior of all; Elizabeth praises Mary’s Son

(Luke 1:43), as “[her] Lord,” declaring Christ’s deity.

43 And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?

That Elizabeth should be so blessed is overwhelming to her, to be in the presence of God’s Son, her own Lord and Savior, in the womb of Mary, is over whelming to her

(Luke 1:44),

“For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached her ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.”

Elizabeth now proclaims more blessing upon Mary, not just because Mary will give birth to God’s Son, but also because of Mary’s faith in believing what the angel told her, that God would fulfill His greatest gift to all of humanity. Mary no doubt believed in her heart what the writer of

Hebrews 11:6

6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

declares, that “God exists and God is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

Let me be clear about something: Although the Roman Catholic Church teaches and observes in its liturgy that Mary is the “Mother of God,” the “Queen of Heaven,” and that she is a co-redeemer, with Christ, of sinful humanity and an intercessor who hears and receives our prayers. No such teachings are found in God’s Word.

Mary is not the mother of God, because God is eternal in nature, and God was never conceived or born, for He has always existed. Mary was the mother of the human Jesus, not the mother of His eternal nature. Mary was a sinner in need of salvation, just like you and me; but Mary’s humble faith and obedient submission to God’s will, is an example of greatness to all believers for all time.

Mary would be horrified that anyone would consider her to be equal with Christ in any way; the very idea that Mary can receive prayers or praise, the confession of someone’s sins, or the granting of forgiveness leading to salvation, is the worse kind of heresy and is antithetical to teaching of God’s Word.

Read Luke 1:46-48…

46 And Mary said:

“My soul exalts the Lord,

47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

48 “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;

For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.

Mary, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, expresses the proper attitude of true worship. This section in Luke is called The Magnificat, which translates as, to magnify, to celebrate, to highly esteem, to praise, to glorify.

Mary is experiencing and expressing her supreme joy in the Lord. Notice, she declares how her soul exalts the Lord and her spirit rejoices in God her Savior. The words soul and spirit are interchangeable, as they refer to the whole inner person, i.e., the fullness of worshipping God with all that you are in Christ.

You can only worship God if you have received forgiveness for sins and eternal life.

Notice in Luke 1:47,

47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

Mary’s renewed spirit praised the Lord, God her Savior, for she was a sinner like everyone else, in need of the Savior. God’s mercy and grace had been given to and received by Mary and her soul and spirit was rejoicing.

Deuteronomy 6:5,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

Matthew 22:37,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

Mark 12:30,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

Luke 10:27,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.”

When Jesus was talking with the Samaritan woman about worship that is acceptable to God, He told her

(John 4:23-24),

“true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for… God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Mary is worshipping with her heart, soul, mind and strength, or might (this is internal fortitude, spiritual strength of character, firmness of purpose, strength of mind, i.e., steadfast intent to bring praise, honor, and glory to God).

Romans 12:1-2,

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Colossians 3:17,

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Colossians 3:23-24,

you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”

Look again at Luke 1:48a…

48 “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;

For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.

Mary is so thankful for what God has done, that He would choose her, from all the women in the world, to have the blessing of carrying and giving birth to God’s Son.

Mary was just an ordinary girl, growing up in a nondescript village, far from the main travel routes that led to Jerusalem.

Mary calls herself “His [God’s] bondslave” [this is the feminine form of the Greek word for slave. Mary is the first one in the New Testament to call herself a slave of God. Even though she was the mother of the Messiah, she reached no special place of prominence among those first Christians.

Acts 1:13-15,

“When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together).”

Read Luke 1:49-50…

49 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me;

And holy is His name.

50 “AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION

TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.

Mary now begins to praise God for all He has done throughout the ages, verse 50 is quoted from

Psalm 103:17,

17 But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children,

telling how God’s salvation will be offered to all who fear Him, to all who revere His Name and seek to do His will, while giving glory to Him and Him alone.

Read Luke 1:51-53…

51 “He has done mighty deeds with His arm;

He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.

52 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones,

And has exalted those who were humble.

53 “HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS;

And sent away the rich empty-handed.

Mary speaks of God’s mighty deeds in destroying the proud and wicked (e.g., the Philistines, Canaanites, Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, etc.), while at the same time giving aid to the humble, to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for God alone is sovereign and worthy of praise and worship.

Isaiah 65:13,

“Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ’Behold, My servants will eat, but you will be hungry. Behold, My servants will drink, but you will be thirsty. Behold, My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.’”

Read Luke 1:54-55…

54 “He has given help to Israel His servant,

In remembrance of His mercy,

55 As He spoke to our fathers,

To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

God went out of His way to care for Israel (like a loving father cares for a wayward or prodigal son), time after time Israel turned away from God and did evil in His eyes, and yet God continued to love them.

Jeremiah 29:11-14,

“‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’”

Mary closes this prophetic proclamation of praise to God in

Luke 1:54-55,

54 “He has given help to Israel His servant,

In remembrance of His mercy,

55 As He spoke to our fathers,

To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

by speaking of the covenant God made with Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and the Tribe of Judah, through whom Jesus Christ would ultimately be born to a descendant of David, in the town of Bethlehem, to a virgin named Mary.

God’s covenant to Abraham would be made effectual through the death of the Child Mary was carrying in her womb; the Lamb of God who dies for our sins, so that everybody who believes in Him receives forgiveness for sin and eternal life.

Notice. in Luke 1:55,

55 As He spoke to our fathers,

To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

that God’s promises are “to Abraham and his descendants forever.” This is not talking about the nation of Israel or those who have descended from the blood line of Abraham; this is talking about eternal descendants, those who have been born again by the Spirit of God, through belief in Christ.

Galatians 3:26-29,

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

Read Luke 1:56…

56 And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

Luke 1:26-39

29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.

30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;

33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.

37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

39 Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,

tells us that when Gabriel visited Mary with the news of her conception by the Holy Spirit, it was during the sixth month of her aunt Elizabeth’s pregnancy, at which time Mary hurried off to Judah to see Elizabeth, where she stayed “for about three months,” and then she went home to Nazareth.

Next Sunday we will read through

Luke 2:1-20,

1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.

2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.

6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.

7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;

11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”

16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.

17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.

18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

about the birth of Jesus, the Savior, who is Christ the Lord, born to Mary, in Bethlehem, just six months after Elizabeth gave birth to her son John. Was all this just a coincidence? No, it was the fulfillment of God’s sovereign plan, purpose, and provision to save us through the sacrifice of His own Son.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

You cannot celebrate Christmas without Him.

Pastor Mike
>’(((><

11-06-2022 – “A Dead Man Raised To Life”

Bible Text: Luke 7:11-17 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above are the
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November 6, 2022
“A Dead Man Raised To Life”
Luke 7:11-17

The last time we were together, we read from

Luke 7:1-10.

1 When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.

2 And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die.

3 When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave.

4 When they came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him;

5 for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.”

6 Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof;

7 for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

8 For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

9 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

Jesus leaves the Mountain and heads for Capernaum with His Disciples. While there He receives a request from a centurion to come and heal his servant. This centurion believes that Jesus has divine power and authority and that Jesus can heal his servant just by speaking the words for him to be healed.

In Luke 7:9,

9 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

Jesus says to the crowd, “not in all of Israel have I found such great faith,” and in

Luke 7:10

10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

we read, “the servant was healed.”

Read Luke 7:11-12…

11 Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd.

12 Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her.

“Soon afterward” (a few hours to a few days later) Jesus leaves, and a large crowd follows Him, probably hoping to see another miracle.

Jesus arrives in Nain (20 miles SW of Capernaum, 6 miles SE of Nazareth) just as a dead man is being carried out of the city to be buried. A coincidence? No!

See John 4… Jesus has a divine appointment with a woman in Samaria (at a well near Sychar), where He talks to her

(John 4:10-14)

10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

11 She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?

12 You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?”

13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again;

14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

about God’s gift of eternal life, while also confronting her sin

(John 4:16-18);

16 He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.”

17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’;

18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.”

the woman tries to change the subject

(John 4:19-20),

19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.

20 Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”

and Jesus reveals Himself to her

(John 4:21,

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.

John 4:23-26);

23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.”

26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

she is forever changed

(John 4:28-29),

28 So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men,

29 “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?”

and her testimony led many to the Savior, believing in Him as she did, received forgiveness for sin and eternal life

(John 4:39-42).

39 From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.”

40 So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.

41 Many more believed because of His word;

42 and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Only God can raise the dead, for He is the Creator, sovereign in the affairs of men

(Proverbs 16:9),

“The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”

Proverbs 16:33,

“The lot is cast into the lap, but its very decision is from the Lord.”

In Acts 1, prior to the coming of God’s Spirit to indwell true believers and followers of Christ, it was necessary for Judas Iscariot to be replaced by a man who was sovereignly chosen by God

(see Acts 1:20-26).

20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms,

‘LET HIS HOMESTEAD BE MADE DESOLATE,

AND LET NO ONE DWELL IN IT’;

and,

‘LET ANOTHER MAN TAKE HIS OFFICE.’

21 Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us–

22 beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us–one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

23 So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias.

24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen

25 to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

26 And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

Back to Luke 7:12…

12 Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her.

Jesus arrives in Nain as the only son of a woman (also a widow), is being carried out to be buried, accompanied by a large crowd.

In the Jewish culture, the loss of an only son was often symbolized as the epitome of grief

(Jeremiah 6:26),

“O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth and roll in ashes; mourn as for an only son, a lamentation most bitter.”

Read Luke 7:13…

13 When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.”

The Lord expresses compassion for this woman and her loss, basically saying, “Don’t cry, it will be okay.” The Scriptures often reflect the great love of God for humankind

(Exodus 33:19),

“I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion,”

(Psalm 103:8),

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.”

The Israelites repeatedly hardened their hearts and turned away from God, and yet He repeatedly had compassion on them and forgave them

(Judges 10:16),

“He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them, and often He restrained His anger and did not arouse all His wrath.”

Read Luke 7:14-15…

14 And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!”

15 The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

Jesus walks up to the procession and touches the stretcher on which the dead man lays, causing the procession to stop. He then speaks to the dead man saying, “get up!” The dead man sits up and begins to talk; he is fully restored to life, and now returned to his mother.

Read Luke 7:16-17…

16 Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!”

17 This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.

Awe and fear gripped the hearts of the people in the city of Nain that day, as Jesus raises a dead man back to life. The people express their excitement by giving glory to God, believing that a great prophet has visited them, one like Elijah or Elisha, both of whom (cf. 1Kings 17:17-24; 2Kings 4:18-36) raised a person from the dead by God’s power, after praying for God to do so.

Note:

When the angel Gabriel (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38) declared to Mary and Joseph about the coming of God’s Son (Jesus), it had been over 400 years since God departed Israel, because of their hard hearts and evil ways.

The people in Nain, like all of Israel, had been waiting hundreds of years for God to return to them, to speak to them, and now God in the flesh of Jesus [Yeshua, God’s Salvation; Immanuel, God with us] has come to Nain, and yet it would seem that the people are completely blinded to the fact that He is God.

2Corinthians 4:3-4,

“Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Jesus is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, equal in power, nature, and majesty, with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. To better understand how God is expressed in three persons, yet remaining to be One God, please pick up a copy of: “The TRI-UNITY of GOD: God is Spirit, God is One, God is Three” (available in the foyer), or contact me and I’ll send you a copy.

God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Judge over all of Creation. God was present among the people of Nain, but they, like most of Israel, failed to recognize Him.

Near the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, He expressed His deep sadness over the rejection He received from Israel during His first advent.

Luke 19:41-44,

“When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.’”

In A.D. 70 (27 years after Jesus’ ascension) God’s judgement came upon the Jews for their rejection of His Son. Jerusalem was destroyed, over one million Jews were put to death, and most of the survivors were forced into slavery world-wide.

Romans 1:16,

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek [Gentile].

Galatians 3:26-29,

“For you are all sons [and daughters] of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

John 1:11-13,

“He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

The qualifier for having an eternal relationship with God was never about an individual’s ancestral blood line, personal piety, or their religious belief and practice, it was always about God’s holiness and His great love for us.

1Peter 1:3-5,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

1Peter 2:9-10,

“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

The Jewish people of Nain had God in their presence, and they didn’t recognize Him where as, the despised Samaritan woman (John 4), an adulterer, realizing she was in the presence of the Messiah, God’s Son; she believed in Him and spread the word to those in her village, many of whom also believed and were saved.

The Samaritan woman, before responding to Jesus, was dead in her sins, like all unbelievers; but believing in Him, she went from being spiritually dead to being spiritually alive

(2Corinthians 5:17),

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

In John 5:24-25 Jesus said,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”

Perhaps this story of the dead man raised to life, in Nain, is new to you; but most likely, you know the story of Lazarus being raised back to life.

Please turn to John 11:1-46. Martha’s interchange with Jesus expresses her genuine belief in Him as Lord and Savior

(John 11:20-27).

20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house.

21 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

22 Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,

26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”

Many who witnessed Lazarus come out of the tomb alive believed Jesus to be the Messiah

(John 11:38-45),

38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.

39 Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.

42 I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.”

43 When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”

44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

45 Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him.

they went going from being spiritually dead to being spiritually alive.

Two things are true: everyone is a sinner in need of forgiveness, and God forgives everyone who asks Him

(1Timothy 2:3-4),

“God… desires all men (women and children of age) to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.”

What truth?

That Jesus Christ is

(John 14:6),

“the [only] way [to God], the [only] truth [of God], the [only] life [with God]; and no one comes to [God] the Father (Who is in Heaven) except through [God’s Son], i.e., no one is made acceptable, no one is made righteous, no is saved and goes to heaven, unless they believe.”

Hebrews 9:26-28,

He [God’s Son, Jesus Christ] has appeared [once for all at the end of the ages] to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

Hebrews 10:17-18,

“‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”

Romans 3:10-12,

“There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.”

Romans 3:23,

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 6:23,

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,”

Romans 5:8,

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,”

Romans 8:1,

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,”

Romans 10:9-10,

“if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation,”

Romans 10:13,

“Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Have you done that? Have you admitted your need for forgiveness from sin and believed in Jesus Christ to save you? If so, praise God!

But if you haven’t, why haven’t you? Look, you are a sinner just like every other person on this earth; but in order to receive forgiveness and the assurance of eternal life in heaven, you must confess your sinfulness and believe in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, as Lord and Savior: crucified, resurrected, and coming again.

1John 5:11-13,

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Pastor Mike
>’(((><

10-16-2022 – “A Centurion Amazes Jesus”

Bible Text: Luke 7:1-10 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above is the
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October 16, 2022
“A Centurion Amazes Jesus”
Luke 7:1-10

After healing all the people who came to Him of their diseases, infirmities, illnesses, and demon possession

(cf. Luke 6:18-19),

18 who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured.

19 And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.

Jesus began preaching and teaching to those who would believe Him to be God’s Son

(cf. Luke 6:20-23):

20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.

23 Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.

those who realized their own need for forgiveness; those who hungered and thirsted after righteousness; those who would seek to treat others the way they themselves wanted to be treated, being merciful to others just as their Father in heaven is merciful to them.

Jesus closed His sermon

(cf. Luke 6:46-49)

46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

47 Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like:

48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

49 But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

with a parable about two men, two ways of life and the two eternal destinies imposed according to which path was taken: one way was with God, the other was without God; one way led to hell and damnation, the other led to heaven and exaltation.

In our lesson today, Jesus uses a real life example of a man who chose to believe in and follow God’s Son.

Read Luke 7:1…

1 When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.

Jesus now leaves the mountain and goes to Capernaum

(Matthew 4:13),

“leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in [made it His home town] Capernaum.”

And so Capernaum became Jesus’ adopted hometown, after being rejected and run out of His own home town, Nazareth.

In Matthew 4:1-17; Luke 4:1-32 we find the record of Jesus’ travels and events that took place after His baptism by John, at the Jordan River.

See Luke 4:1-13…

1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness

2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.

3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.’”

5 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.

7 Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.”

8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’”

9 And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here;

10 for it is written,

‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU TO GUARD YOU,’

11 and,

‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP,

SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’”

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’”

13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Luke tells us how Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness of Judea, where He was tempted by the devil for 40 days and nights.

Jesus then

(cf. Luke 4:14-16)

14 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.

15 And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.

16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.

returns to His home town Nazareth, in Galilee; and on a Sabbath day, in the synagogue, He declares

(cf. Luke 4:18-19)

18 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,

BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.

HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,

AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,

TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,

19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

that He is the Messiah and the fulfillment of

Isaiah 61:1-2,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

In Luke 4:21,

21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus “began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’”

At first

(cf. Luke 4:22)

22 And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

the people speak well of Him, but then they begin questioning His words saying, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?

Knowing that they were thinking

(cf. Luke 4:23-24),

23 And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’”

24 And He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.

“Who does He think He is, the Messiah?” Jesus confronts their unbelief by telling them, ‘no prophet is respected or welcomed in his own hometown.” Familiarity can breed contempt, and a person of renown often gets no respect from his own family and friends, compared to that of his followers or students.

Jesus then

(cf. Luke 4:25-27)

25 But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land;

26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”

speaks to the people of two prophets from
God who, like Him, were not welcomed or respected by Israel:

Elijah prophesied during the reign of the wicked king Ahab, whose Gentile wife (Jezebel) led him and the nation into worshipping Baal, a demonic deity of the Canaanites. God used Elijah to bring a 3.5 year draught that resulted in a famine, as a curse on Israel for rejecting God’s messenger..

Jesus reminds the people how Elijah, although there were many widows in the land at that time, did not help any of them, but instead went to a God-fearing Gentile widow named Zarephath, who lived in Sidon (the homeland of Jezebel).

Jesus also reminds the people of the story of Elisha who healed a Gentile leper, named Naaman, who was a captain in Syrian army, enemies of Israel. There were many lepers in Israel at that time, but Namaan believed in the God of Israel and was healed.

Why did Jesus bring up these two prophets who God had used to help two Gentiles: one widow and one leper, during a time when Israel had many widows and lepers who did not receive any help? What’s the point?

Jesus made it clear that those who please God are those who believe in and honor Him, not those who claim ancestral heritage, engage in religious rituals, or boast of anything received or achieved through human effort or acquisition.

At this point

(cf. Luke 4:28-30),

“the people in the synagogue were filled with rage,” “and they got up and drove Jesus out of the city and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went His way.”

Jesus then goes down to Capernaum, where the people

(cf. Luke 4:31-32),

“were amazed at His teaching, for His message was with authority.”

Read Luke 7:1…

1 When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.

Jesus is returning to Capernaum, His adopted home town and base of operations for His Galilean ministry, located on the NW shore of the Sea of Galilee, not far from the hillside where Jesus had given the Sermon on the Mount.

Capernaum was an important city evidently, for there was a detachment of Roman soldiers there, commanded by a centurion. It would appear that the citizens of Capernaum held an exalted view of themselves and their city, for later on Jesus said

(Luke 10:15),

“You, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades!”

The city of Capernaum was later destroyed so completely, that the exact location of where it existed is unknown.

The centurion in our passage today was a Gentile, and most likely a native of one of the surrounding territories to Capernaum. As a centurion, he commanded 100 soldiers, and he would have reached this level of responsibility and authority by distinguishing himself among the troops and rising up through the ranks, exhibiting his loyalty to Rome, his bravery and skill in combat, and his ability to oversee and lead men. His main duties in Capernaum would be to maintain the peace, enforce Roman law, and oversee the collection of taxes for Rome.

It is interesting to note that there are several centurions mentioned in the NT and all of them are spoken of favorably: The centurion overseeing the crucifixion of Christ said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” A centurion in Caesarea (named Cornelius) I will talk about later. There was a centurion in Jerusalem who saved Paul from being unjustly and unlawfully flogged. There was a centurion on the ship that was transporting Paul to the prison in Rome, who saved Paul from being killed by the soldiers guarding him

(cf. Mark 15:39;

39 When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Acts 10:1-2;

1 Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort,

2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.

Acts 22:25-26;

25 But when they stretched him out with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?”

26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.”

Acts 23:17-18;

17 Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Lead this young man to the commander, for he has something to report to him.”

18 So he took him and led him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to lead this young man to you since he has something to tell you.”

Acts 27:1,

1 When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan cohort named Julius.

Acts 27:42-43).

42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape;

43 but the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land,

In Luke’s narrative

(Luke 7:2),

2 And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die.

we learn that this unnamed centurion has great affection for and thinks very highly of his unnamed slave. The care expressed by the centurion for his slave was uncommon in the world at the time of Christ:

Aristotle equated slaves to being living tools (Ethics, 1161b.);

Gaius, a legal scholar of the time, noted that masters had total power over the life or death of their slaves (Institutes, 1.52);

a Roman author named Varro stated that the only difference between a slave, an animal, and a cart – was that the slave was able to talk (Agriculture, 1.17).

Slaves were considered property to be used as their owners saw fit; however, the centurion in our lesson today expresses great concern for his slave. From Matthew’s narrative we find out why

(Matthew 8:5-6),

“When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.”

Read Luke 7:3-5…

3 When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave.

4 When they came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him;

5 for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.”

The centurion had no doubt heard about Jesus’ preaching, teaching, and healing ministry, for Jesus was well-known in the region of Galilee.

Luke 4:14,

“And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.”

Matthew 4:23,

23 Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

It would appear that the centurion sent some Jewish elders to find Jesus and ask Him to come and heal his slave. These Jews must have thought very highly of this centurion, in order to go to Jesus and make this request.

Notice in Luke 7:4,

4 When they came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him;

the Jews plead for Jesus to come, saying the centurion is a man worthy of this request, for he expressed love toward the people of Israel.

At the time of Christ, Jews and Gentiles commonly hated, and did not associate with, each other; but this centurion loved the Jews and had demonstrated his love by building them a synagogue. No wonder the Jews spoke so highly of him.

It would seem that this centurion believed in Jesus as Savior and Lord, much like the centurion Cornelius, in Caesarea who was said to be

(Acts 10:1-2)

“a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people.”

Read Luke 7:6-7a…

7 for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

Jesus is now on His way to the centurion’s house, no doubt the Elders and various onlookers (who were anxious to see another miracle) were in the crowd. When they get close to the house, the centurion, perhaps feeling unworthy to have the Lord up close and personal, sends some of his friends out to ask Jesus not to come into the house; even admitting that is why he didn’t go himself; for he didn’t feel worthy to be in the Lord’s presence.

Read Luke 7:7b-10…

7 for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

9 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

The centurion now suggests that Jesus just speak the word and his servant will be healed; for he believed that Jesus had divine power and authority, as was already demonstrated by all those He had healed.

The centurion was a military commander who followed the orders of those above him; and he expected those under him to obey his orders, just as a master expects his slave to obey his orders.

The centurion is aware that Jesus has authority over life and death and disease and illness and demons; and so the centurion believed that Jesus could heal his servant just by speaking the words for him to be healed.

In Luke 7:9,

9 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

Jesus acknowledges the centurion’s expressed belief that He can heal the centurion’s highly regarded and dearly loved servant, who was paralyzed. Jesus then says to the crowd, “not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” Jesus is saying that the centurion exhibited greater faith than anyone in Israel.

Why would Jesus say that? Because the very religious, works oriented, self-promoting, ritualistic practices of Judaism left people separated from God without saving faith; and yet, here is this Gentile who is an example of the genuine faith that is acceptable to God.

Jesus healed the centurion’s servant

Luke 7:10),

“When those who had been sent out to speak with Jesus returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.”

God had honored this Gentile’s faith by healing his servant.

Peter and the other apostles would have been present at this event.

In Luke 6:13,

13 And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles:

Jesus called the disciples to Himself and chose Twelve of them to be apostles

(in Luke 6:14,

14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew;

Peter is the first name in that list).

Jesus then brought them down from the mountain to a level place, where the crowds waited for Jesus to heal all their diseases, cast out demons, preach the good news of salvation, and teach those who believed in Him.

After completing His teaching on the mountain

(cf. Luke 7:1),

1 When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.

Jesus took the apostles and went to Capernaum, where they would encounter this situation concerning a centurion and a much loved slave who was dying.

Peter would, at a much later time, be reminded of the importance of Christ’s declaration concerning the faith of this centurion

(cf. Luke 7:9),

“not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

Peter (cf. Acts 10) was called by God to go to Caesarea to the house of a man named Cornelius, a centurion, “a devout believer in God, who prayed to God continually, and gave his money to help the Jewish people in his town.”

Acts 10:34-44,

Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)— you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.”

The result was that Cornelius, all his family, and all his servants, repented of their sin and believed in Jesus Christ as Savior, receiving the Holy Spirit.

As we have seen in our lesson today, “God is not one to show partiality,” in fact, “everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins,”

(Romans 1:16),

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek [Gentile].”

Jesus came to His own people [the Hebrews] first, but they rejected Him, some of them vehemently. Remember the response Jesus got in His own home town? Rather than believe that He was God’s Son, the Savior, they tried to kill Him.

So Jesus went to those who would believe, and He saved them.

John 1:11-13,

Whether you are a Jew or a non-Jew [Gentile] the same is true

(Acts 2:21),

“And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,”

(Acts 4:12),

“there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Galatians 3:26-29,

2Peter 3:10-13,

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

Revelation 21:3-5

says, God will live among His people in the new heavens, on a new earth, “there will no longer be any death or mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away,” and God says, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

Have you repented of your sins and believed in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord? If so, praise God, you have eternal forgiveness and eternal life.

If you have not repented of your sins and believed in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, why not? What are you waiting for? We are all sinners in need of salvation and God turns no one away

(1Timothy 2:3-4),

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

John 14:6

declares that Jesus is the only way [to God], the only truth [from God], and the only life [with God].”

And all who believe in Him will be saved from sin’s curse and spend eternity in heaven with God. Do not leave here today without knowing for sure that you have forgiveness for sin and eternal life in Jesus Christ.

1John 5:11-13,

Pastor Mike
>’(((><

10-09-2022 – “Part Six: Hear and Obey, the Eternal Way”

Bible Text: Luke 6:27-49 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above is the
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October 9, 2022 (AM INSERT)
“Part Six: Hear and Obey, the Eternal Way”
Luke 6:27-49

Read Luke 6:46-49…

46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

47 Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like:

This parable at the end of the sermon on the mount is the culmination of Jesus’ message to the most religious people in the world (at that time), people who had been set apart by the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth in order to serve and honor Him; but their religion, Judaism, got in the way.

Look again (Luke 6:46),

Jesus says, “Why do you call Me Lord but do not do what I tell you.” Jesus isn’t just a good teacher, He is God and He is to be worshipped. He is not only to be believed, He is to be obeyed; in fact obeying Him is synonymous with loving Him.

Luke 14:15,

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

Luke 14:21,

“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”

Luke 14:23,

“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our [home] with him.”

See John 6:29…

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

The crowd who had been with Him the day before, when Jesus took five barley loaves and two fish and fed 5000 men, said to Him, ‘What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?’ [i.e., what is required to be made acceptable to God?] Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God [i.e., this is what is required], that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’”

Jesus said to His disciples

(John 16:8-9),

“When He [the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth] comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me.”

The conviction of God’s Spirit concerning God’s Son, causes us to recognize, acknowledge, and repent of our sin, for it is sin that separates us from God.

You must realize that you are a sinner and seek forgiveness, for only then can you be saved. This doesn’t mean you just admit your sin, or have a moment of silence about it; you must be convicted in your heart [your inner person, your spirit, the ID or EGO] to the point that you have genuine remorse and sorrow over your sin, seeking God’s mercy through Christ to save you.

Many say they are followers of Christ, but they don’t obey Him, so Jesus gives an illustration showing what an obedient person’s life is like

(Luke 6:47-48),

“Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.”

The first man in Luke’s parable builds his house (his life) on the foundation of God’s Word: God’s sovereign, authoritative, eternal, and irrevocable Word

(Romans 11:29),

“the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

God’s “gifts” [His promise that those who believe in Him receive forgiveness for sin and eternal life] is granted on behalf of God’s great love for us, His unmerited favor/grace.

The “calling” spoken of here, refers to God’s divine desire for you to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth; everyone, before believing in Jesus, is a condemned sinner, but after believing, you are a forgiven sinner, eternally saved by God’s Son..

Acts 2:21,

“And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Acts 4:12,

“There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

1Timothy 2:3-4,

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men [women, children of age] to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Jesus is the Truth

(John 14:6),

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Jesus is the only way to heaven, the only truth of God, and the only eternal life from God. Through believing in Him, i.e, obeying His word, we our set free from sin’s curse and condemnation forever.

See Romans 3:10-12;

10 as it is written,

“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;

THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,

THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

Romans 3:23-24;

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

Romans 6:23;

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8;

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:9-10,

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Romans 10:13;

13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

1John 1:9.

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The angel Gabriel came to Joseph in a dream

(Matthew 1:20-21)

20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

concerning Mary’s pregnancy saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Jesus [Gk], Yeshua [Heb], speak of God’s Servant, our Deliverer/Rescuer, this is the name above all names, meaning God’s Salvation, the Savior.

A believer’s life is safe and secure

(Luke 6:48),

because of the “foundation” of a Christian’s life is Jesus..

1Corinthians 3:11,

“No man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

2Timothy 2:19,

“The firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His.’”

In Luke 6:48,

the word “rock” is a metaphor for God’s Son

(2Samuel 22:2),

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.”

Isaiah 26:4,

“In God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.”

In the NT “stone” [or rock] is a metaphor for Christ and all who believe in Him.

1Peter 2:5-6,

“You, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. [As the Scripture says]: [Isaiah 28:16] ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

In and through God’s Son, we are established and made steadfast; everyone who hears, believes, and obeys the gospel of Christ (that He died for our sins, was buried, rose from the dead on the third day, and is coming back to get us), that person is safe and eternally secure, and has been set free from sin’s curse.

James 1:22-25,

“prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”

Speaking of Jesus Christ,

Hebrews 5:9 says,

“Having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.”

Anyone who only hears but does not obey the Word of God concerning Jesus, is like the man

(Luke 6:49)

who builds his house [his life] without any foundation [i.e., without Christ]; and when the judgement comes, that man will be eternally condemned.

Hebrews 9:27,

“It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes [the] judgment.”

Many (so-called) Christians build their lives on false doctrine, instead of the solid foundation of God’s Word. This produces “converts” who may look like genuine believers, but they have not believed nor obeyed the message of Christ

(John 3:36),

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

True Christianity is not just knowing certain facts about God, or doing certain things that look good; true Christianity is a spiritual and eternal relationship with God based on having responded to, believed in, and acted upon the truth of God’s Word.

2Corinthians 13:5,

“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”

You can look like a Christian, talk like a Christian, walk like a Christian, but when times get hard, when the godless world and the storms of this life come against you, what will keep you standing? Participating in religious rituals and/or doing philanthropic works cannot produce righteousness, and therefore, cannot save you.

See Matthew 7:13-14…

13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

All people have a choice, there are two ways to live your life: there is a wide gate/door onto a broad path/road, and a small gate/door onto a narrow path/road. Jesus commands, “Enter through the narrow gate,” i.e., choose Me,” and yet, most of the people in this world will enter through the wide gate [religion, works, self] onto the broad road [the road to hell]; and only a few find the small gate [Jesus] and enter onto the narrow road [the way to heaven].

Only a few find it, because most people are unwilling to acknowledge their sin, let alone repent and believe in Jesus. They think they are good enough, as they are.

The Jews believe, as descendants of Abraham, they will enter into heaven. But entrance into heaven has nothing to do with human ancestry, ritualistic religion, or strict adherence to the law of God.

The two gates in this parable lead to two ways of life: one with God, and one without God; two different destinies: one in hell, and one in heaven.

The broad path is easy, indulgent, self-centered, with very few requirements or restrictions, where sin is tolerated and truth is continually modified, redefined, suppressed, or rejecterd. This path symbolizes the absence of all things God.

The narrow path can be difficult, there are restrictions, constraints, requirements, those who enter this path must give up everything in exchange for Christ, and there are only a few who are willing to do this. This path symbolizes the presence of all things God.

God’s way of salvation is simple, but it is not easy; those who follow the Lord will find trouble in this world.

2Timothy 3:12,

“Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”

Jesus told His followers

(John 15:20),

“they persecuted Me, and they will also persecute you.”

The broad road leads to death [the absence of all things God]; the narrow road leads to life [the presence of all things God]. Every religious belief system in the world, apart from Christianity, leads to eternal condemnation and hell.

Islam rejects the idea of redemption, for Muslims believe and teach that salvation depends solely upon man’s actions and attitudes, not on the work of God.

Hinduism seeks escape from the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth through many reincarnations to final salvation, which is dependent upon and expedited by acquired knowledge, expressed by devotion through works or meditation.

Buddhism sees ignorance rather than sin as the roadblock to salvation. The way of salvation, the end to continual birth-death-rebirth cycles, is reached through levels of meditation, through which one is able to supposedly acquire their spiritual self.

Mormonism teaches that Jesus was a spirit-child of Elohim (the God of planet earth), and through obedience and devotion Jesus was able to attain Godhood. They believe in many gods, all of whom were once mortals, until they attained Godhood, like Jesus did.

Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus is not God; but instead He is Michael the archangel, a created being of God, like all the rest of mankind.

Christian Science teaches that Jesus is the human man, Christ the divine idea, Jesus is not eternal or sovereign, nor is He one with the Father.

Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ is God the Son, Lord and Savior: crucified, resurrected and coming again.

Both men in Lukes’s parable heard Jesus’ words: one man believed in and obeyed; the other man did not believe or obey.

There is a common way to live in this world: being religiously self-righteous, rejecting God’s authority, living apart from the knowledge of God, traveling on the path that leads to destruction and death in hell.

Proverbs 14:12,

“There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

There is an uncommon way to live in this world: admitting you are a sinner, repenting of sin, believing in Jesus Christ for salvation; this path leads to eternal life in heaven.

John 10:9-10,

Jesus said, “I am the door [the only way to God]; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved… I came that they [those who believe in Me] may have life [eternal life], and have it abundantly” [beyond comprehension].

John 14:2-3,

“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

John 1:12,

“as many as received Him [Jesus], to those who believe in His name [Savior], He gave the right to become children of God,”

(1John 3:2),

“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

Revelation 21:3-5

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,

4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

Revelation 21:3-5 says God will, at a future time, live among His people in the new heavens, on a new earth, where “there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain [or death]; [for] the first [order of] things have passed away” and God says, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

1Corinthians 2:9,

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, [things] God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Do you love God? Have you heard and obeyed God’s Word concerning Eternal Life? That Jesus Christ is God’s Son, Lord and Savior, and everyone who believes in Him will be saved!

Pastor Mike
>’(((><

09-25-2022 – “Living for Christ – Part 4” (Discerning False Teachers)

Bible Text: Luke 6:29-49 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above is the
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September 25, 2022
“Living for Christ – Part 4”
“Discerning False Teachers”
Luke 6:27-49

Last week we studied

Luke 6:37,

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.

where we are told not to judge and not to condemn, but instead, we are told to pardon. Forgiveness through repentance is what God desires;, we are to earnestly seek restoration and reconciliation between God and humanity.

Read Luke 6:38…

38 Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure–pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

This is Jesus’ final command in this section of Scripture and it is in the context of

Luke 6:37,

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.

instead of judging and condemning, our focus would be on giving pardon, for this is reflective of what God the Father has done for us; He has pardoned us, acquitted us from the punishment we deserve because of our sin

(Romans 3:23;

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23;

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8;

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 8:1;

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 10:13).

13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

This is the now the fourth command given by Jesus; as the first three, given in

Luke 6:37

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.

do not judge, do not condemn, do pardon, is now followed by, “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” What does that mean?

Jesus uses an illustration from the culture of the day in which He lived, as

Jeremias writes:

The measuring of the corn is a process which is carried out according to an established pattern. The seller crouches on the ground with the measure between his legs. First of all he fills the measure 3/4’s full and gives it a ion to make the grains settle down. Then he fails the measure to the top and gives it another shake. Next he presses the corn together strongly with both hands. Finally he heaps it into a cone, tapping it carefully to press the grains together, from time to time he bores a hole into the corn and pours a few more grains into it, until there is literally no more room for a single grain. In this way, the purchaser is guaranteed an absolutely full measure; it cannot hold more (cited in Darrell L. Bock Luke 1:1-9:50, the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

[Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994], 607-8.

When God’s people love unbelievers the way God does, with kindness and mercy and forgiveness, it provides a divine illustration of the marvelous power of salvation that belongs to those who believe in and follow Jesus Christ.

Read Luke 6:39-40…

39 And He also spoke a parable to them: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit?

40 A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.

Jesus uses a parable to illustrate the danger of following false teachers. The Lord is rebuking the religious leaders of His day; they are like blind guides leading other blind men across a treacherous landscape full of pits, crevices, quarries, and precipices that they cannot see.

In the very same way, if a student’s teacher knows nothing of the subject he is teaching, his students will remain ignorant just as he is, for he cannot teach them what he doesn’t know.

Blindness is used figuratively in both the Old and New Testaments, in order to illustrate a lack of spiritual truth and insight, a darkness in the heart and mind.

Jeremiah 5:21,

“‘Now hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see; who have ears but do not hear.”

Acts 26:15-18,

“And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’”

2Corinthians 4:3-6,

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.’”

1John 2:10-11,

“The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes”

So, what is Jesus saying in

Luke 6:39-40?

39 And He also spoke a parable to them: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit?

40 A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.

If a so-called pastor or Bible teacher doesn’t know the truth of God concerning the way of salvation; he is unable to show anyone else the way to God’s kingdom, for he is blind of the truth.

Referring to the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law in His very first sermon, Jesus warned His followers to follow Him and not be led astray by false teachers.

Matthew 7:13-15,

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

In Matthew 15:14,

14 Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

Jesus said to His own disciples, “Let them [the false teachers] alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

Matthew chapter 23 is a scathing rebuke of the religious leaders of Israel, e.g.,

Matthew 23:15

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte [convert, new believer, recruit, student]; and when he becomes one [of your followers], you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”

Matthew 23:33,

“You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?”

Look again at

Luke 6:40…

40 A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.

A student doesn’t know as much as his teacher, but that teacher cannot give instruction concerning knowledge he does not have, and therefore, it can’t be passed on to the student.

The truth is that false teachers do not come from God, do not teach the Word of God, and do not know the way to God; therefore, any student or follower of such a one, once “fully trained, will be like his teacher,” not knowing or understanding the truth of God concerning way of salvation.

Only true believers and followers of Christ will be saved, because Jesus is

(John 14:6),

“the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through [Him].”

John 10:9-10,

“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life [eternal, spiritual], and have it abundantly.”

Everyone who believes in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, will be saved.

Romans 10:9-10,

1Corinthians 15:1-5,

“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to [Peter], then to the twelve.”

Anyone who teaches anything else is a false teacher and an enemy of God

(Galatians 1:9), “As we [the Apostles] have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed [doomed, damned, condemned]!

So, we must be discerning, we are to make judgements in accordance with God’s Word, by the power of God’s Spirit in us.

See 1Corinthians 2:10-11…

10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.

Only God’s Spirit living in us can reveal God to us in such a way for us to know God intimately, even the deep things, the very thoughts of God.

See 1Corinthians 2:12-13…

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,

13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

God’s Wisdom is revealed to us via the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, and this is “freely given” to us through the revelation of God’s Word.

Jesus said (Matthew 4:4),

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.”

God’s Wisdom is revealed to us directly from God, it is sovereign in all the affairs of men

(Colossians 2:8-10),

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.”

People are “taken captive” [kidnapped, carried off, in their thinking] by godless “philosophies” (a compound of two Greek words [phileo] “love” and [sophia] “wisdom”), i.e., humanity’s pursuit of “hollow and deceptive” human wisdom, is antithetical to God’s wisdom. God’s children are equipped with wisdom from God, so that we will not be led astray and captivated by false teachings and doctrines of demons.

Those who are mature in their faith must guard those who are easily led astray or influenced by such worldly ignorance or doctrine of demons. Christians were deceived in Christ’s time, just as they are today, by false teachings that seduce unaware, ignorant, and immature people; teachings that have been widely accepted by the so-called Christian community; but, our source of truth and wisdom must be the Word of God, not someone masquerading as a teacher of truth.

2Corinthians 11:13-15,

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.”

We live in a society that doesn’t want to know or hear God’s wisdom; instead, it listens to the contemporary cultural-religious-academic gurus who seek to make them feel good, and the liberal media that regulates human-centered entertainment and popular thinking by flooding their ears and eyes and minds with worldly and godless dribble and psychobabble.

Many Americans are ignorant of God’s truth; in fact, many consider themselves to be Christians because they go to church, have a Bible, or give to the poor.

Many have believed the lie that by doing good deeds, or having knowledge about a historical Jesus Christ is enough to save them. Well, it isn’t! Going where Christians go, doing what Christians do, won’t make you a Christian any more than sitting in a chicken coop, eating grain and clucking will make you a chicken.

See 1Corinthians 2:14-16…

14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.

16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.

A person can read the Bible, even study it for years, and yet totally miss what it says

(see 1Corinthians 1:18).

18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

God’s Word must be discerned spiritually, and it will always reveal God’s Son as Creator, Life-giver, Sustainer, Savior, Judge over all; therefore, natural man (unbelievers) cannot understand spiritual truth because they are spiritually dead.

John 3:6-8,

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

John 14:25-26,

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will

remind you of everything I have said to you.”

God’s Spirit reveals all we need to know in order to trust, believe in, and serve God. We are fully equipped to live productive and victorious lives in this present world while waiting to spend eternity in heaven with God .

The full essence, character, nature, and authority of God dwells in Christ; as Paul writes to the believers

(Colossians 1:15-18)

for, “He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, by Him all things were created and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn among the dead, that in everything He might have supremacy.”

Christ dwells in us through God’s Spirit, and He has imparted God’s Wisdom to us that we might serve God

(2Corinthians 13:5),

“Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test?”

Romans 8:9-10,

“And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.”

Jesus Christ is God’s Salvation, He is God in us, and He made it possible for all those who believe in Him to know the very mind and wisdom of God, so that we might apply God’s revealed, divine, and authoritative Word to all things, as we enjoy our life on this earth while serving God, waiting to be taken to the new heavens and new earth, to spend eternity with Him, where there will be no more crying, or mourning, or pain or death or darkness

(cf. Revelation 21:4;

4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Revelation 22:5).

5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

But on this side of heaven, we are to live for Christ right here, right now

(Galatians 2:20),

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Pastor Mike~
>’(((><

09-18-2022 – “Living for Christ – Part 3”

Bible Text: Luke 6:27-49 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above are the
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September 18, 2022
“Living for Christ – Part 3”
Luke 6:27-49

Luke records, a shortened version of what is called the Beatitudes, from the Latin beati (blessed), Greek makarios (happy, fortunate, to be envied).

Jesus is declaring a state of being, the heart attitude of those who have received eternal forgiveness for sins and eternal life with God through belief in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior.

Salvation brings genuine blessing; whereas, those who continue to reject Jesus Christ are cursed.

Last week we studied one verse,

Luke 6:31,

“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.”

The action of treating others the way we want to be treated ourself, is central to the attitudes that we, as Christians, ought to have, if we are obeying the preeminent commandment in Scripture.

In Mark 12:28-31,

Jesus is asked, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” He answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Those who recognize their own hopelessness apart from Christ’s forgiveness, repenting of their sins and believing in God’s Son, have received the love of God and are therefore blessed; it is to them that Jesus says

(Luke 6:20-23),

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.”

The true believers and servants of God have always been despised and persecuted by those who reject God; but because we belong to God the Father by faith in God the Son, we have God the Spirit indwelling us and we are a new creation and are therefore not to be like those in the world who are without God’s Spirit

(Romans 5:1-5),

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

We have been justified by God through faith in Jesus Christ, having received the grace of God that allows us to persevere through hard times; even when we are insulted, mistreated, persecuted, and hated by those who reject God; unconditionally, we are

(cf. Luke 6:31)

to treat others the way we want to be treated, no matter how they treat us.

Look again at Christ’s command

(Luke 6:27-28),

“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

We can only do that

(Romans 5:5),

“because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

As Christians, we have been provided all we need so that we might express the love of God in and through our daily lives, as a testimony to this great salvation we have received through Jesus Christ

(Romans 5:6-10),

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

As born-again believers, our lives should be lived in a manner that gives evidence to the indwelling of God’s Spirit, i.e., we should be living as new creatures

(cf. 2Corinthians 5:17)

“the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

We are to be living for God, not for ourselves, as Paul so aptly declared

(Galatians 2:20),

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Read Luke 6:32-34…

32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

34 If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.

Those who genuinely belong to God in Christ are to live in direct contrast to those who don’t belong to God in Christ.

Look again at Luke 6:32-33,

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.”

The word “sinners” here is not talking about sinners in general, for Christians are sinners (saved by grace); Jesus is referring here to unbelievers, unrepentant sinners, people of the world who do not belong to the kingdom of God.

People of the world do good to those who do good to them; and they return bad to those who do bad to them. Believers and followers of Christ are to exhibit a different kind of love from the rest of the world; we are to do good even to those who insult, mistreat, and persecute us. Again, apart from God’s Spirit living in us, we are incapable of such behavior.

People of the world [unrepentant sinners] use a self-serving model of how they treat one another, reciprocating kind for kind, good for good, bad for bad.

Jesus says (Luke 6:34),

“If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same

We are not to love, do good, or lend to someone in order to create an obligation for them to do the same in return; for that is the way the people of the world operate. If believers and followers of Christ act the same way as those who reject Christ, we will have no witness in our lives for Christ.

Matthew 5:14-17,

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light [witness for Christ] shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

1Peter 2:12,

“Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

Read Luke 6:35-36…

35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Jesus commands us to live in a manner that is antithetical to the carnal, self-serving, unregenerate quid pro quo way in which the people of the world operate, i.e., you do for me, I do for you in return. We are to have no ulterior motives in the way we treat others, and in so doing, Jesus says, “your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.”

The context of the “reward” spoken of here is not the eternal reward that was spoken of in

Luke 6:23,

23 Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.

The context of Luke 6:35, is in relationship to our witness here on earth, our influence on others for Christ; for when we love even those who don’t love us, we show that we belong to God and are in fact able to love others unconditionally, just as God loves us. This reveals that we are indeed sons and daughters of the Most High [50 times this title is used in the Scriptures as the name for God, emphasizing His Sovereignty].

We are servants of God here on this earth; and just as Jesus came from the Father to show us the Father

(cf. John 1:1-5,

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John 1:14,

14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:18;

18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

John 14:6-7),

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

we also are to show Christ to the world and tell the world about Him, while showing God’s mercy to those who reject Him, even those who do evil to us.

2Timothy 3:1-5,

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.”

2Timothy 3:12-13,

“Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

When we show mercy to others who do not deserve it, we testify that we belong to our Father in heaven, who has also shown mercy to evil men; in fact, we were once at enmity with God, and were by nature objects of wrath, but God showed mercy to us; and therefore we are to show mercy to others.

Ephesians 2:1-10,

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

1Peter 2:9-10,

Titus 3:3-7,

“For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

When we, as Christians, God’s children, love others the way that God loves us; we give the greatest demonstration to the world that God is indeed our Father and that we are very different from all the rest of humanity, because of Jesus Christ.

Read Luke 6:37…

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.

What Jesus doesn’t mean here is that Christians should not make observations and discern a person’s spiritual condition, for we must be alert and sober minded to make sound biblical judgements in order to lovingly come alongside and confront a brother or sister in Christ, concerning their sin. But we must not set ourselves up as someone’s ultimate judge and executioner, for that is for God, and God alone.

In Matthew’s narrative

(Matthew 7:1-2a),

1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.

2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

it is recorded that Jesus said, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged.”

We are not to judge harshly, void of compassion, in a critical sense, as if we were the ultimate judge and jury over humanity.

Luke 6:37

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.

We are not to wrongly judge, nor to eternally condemn; but instead (notice again the last part of Luke 6:37), we are to “pardon, and [we] will be pardoned.”

The first part of

Luke 6:37;

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.

Matthew 7:1-2

1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.

2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

are often misinterpreted to say you should not judge anyone’s behavior or lifestyle; but it is the standard of judgment, “the way you judge,” that Jesus is criticizing, not the act of reproving and correcting a believer who is walking in disobedience to God’s Word; where as, an unbeliever can do nothing to please God, for he/she is living according to the flesh and the ways of the godless world around them.

The authority and standard of judgment is always God, not man. When we pass judgment on someone using ourselves as the standard, it is wrong and it is SIN! This passage is sometimes used to try and prove that we should never confront anyone about anything, but that is not what the Bible teaches; in fact, to refuse to warn a person about his/her sin, is unloving, and in fact, it is antithetical to what is taught in the Scriptures.

Leviticus 19:17,

“You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him.”

Galatians 6:1,

“Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass [sin], you who are spiritual [mature in the faith], [should] restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself [i.e., treat others the way you want to be treated] so that you too will not be tempted” [i.e., becoming prideful, self-righteous, as if there is no sin in you].

Matthew 5:9,

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

God’s children are to be peacemakers, and as humble servants of God, we should be willing and able to come alongside those who are caught in sin, encouraging them to repent and reconcile with God.

We are to show mercy to other sinners, just like our Father in heaven has shown mercy to us

(Luke 6:36),

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

2Corinthians 5:20,

“We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

Luke 6:37;

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.

Matthew 7:1-2

1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.

2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

are written to those in the Church, for we are accountable to walk in a manner that is obedient to God’s Word; although, we cannot hold unbelievers accountable to God’s Word, for that would be impossible.

Jonathon Edwards was a powerful preacher of the 1700’s, he said:

“I should never act as if nobody else has been as vile as me, but as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion for me to confess my own sins and misery to God.”

Christians are to be instruments of God’s love, not agents of God’s punishment. The truth is, we are either sinners who have been saved by God’s grace, or we are sinners who remain guilty of sin, unforgiven, because we have not repented and believed in God’s One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, who is both Lord and Savior.

Forgiveness through repentance is what God desires; and we are therefore, as peacemakers, to earnestly seek restoration and reconciliation between God and humanity.

Jude 1:22-25,

“Have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

Pastor Mike
>’(((><

09-11-2022 – “Demonstrating God’s Love”

Bible Text: Luke 6:31 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above is the
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September 11, 2022
“Demonstrating God’s Love”
Luke 6:31

Read Luke 6:31…

31 Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

This is often called the Golden Rule, and is referred to in different ways, several places in the Old and New Testaments:

Leviticus 19:18,

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.”

Deuteronomy 6:4-5,

““Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

Matthew 22:34-40,

“When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked [Jesus] a question, testing Him, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Mark 12:28-31,

“One of the scribes came… and asked [Jesus], ‘What commandment is the foremost of all?’ He answered, The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Luke 10:25-37,

“A lawyer stood up and put [Jesus] to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ And He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?’ And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ And He said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.’ But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied and said, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you. Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?’ And he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’”

James 2:8-13,

“If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not commit murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.”

The greatest, the foremost, the preeminent command from God, if obeyed, brings forgiveness for sins and eternal life. For if you truly love God, you will also love others and have mercy on them just as God has had mercy on you. That is at the heart of Jesus’ teaching about who His true disciples are, those who have repented and believed in Jesus Christ; those who have been born-again by God’s Spirit; those who have overcome this godless world and the corruption caused by sin that leads to eternal condemnation?

1John 5:4-5,

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

1John 5:11-13,

1John 4:7-16,

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

1John 4:19,

“We love, because He first loved us.”

Micah 6:8,

“And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

Let’s look again at Luke 6:20-21, where we were 3 weeks ago,

Luke 6:20

“Blessed are you who are poor”

[Matthew 5:3,

“Blessed are you who are poor in spirit,” i.e., those who realize their spiritual poverty apart from the saving grace of God in Christ], for yours is the kingdom of God [heaven].

Luke 6:21a

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied”

[Matthew 5:6,

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied,” lit, satiated, completely filled with God’s righteousness].

Luke 6:21b

Blessed are you who weep now for you shall laugh”

[Matthew 5:4,

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”].

We have been given everything we need now and forever, in and through Jesus Christ the Lord

(Philippians 4:13,

13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:19),

19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

2Peter 1:1

“Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:

2Peter 1:2

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;

2Peter 1:3

seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

2Peter 1:4

For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

2Peter 1:1a…

“Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:

Peter identifies himself as a bondservant [doulos, lit. slave] and an apostle [apostolos, lit. one sent, i.e., one divinely commissioned as a witness of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ].

2Peter 1:1b…

“Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:

Peter directs this letter to those “have received a faith of the same kind as [his].” True faith, bring true salvation made possible, “by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ”

(Romans 3:10-12,

10 as it is written,

“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;

THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,

THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

Romans 3:23-24;

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

Romans 5:8;

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 6:23;

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:1;

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 10:13;

13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

2Corinthians 5:21).

21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

See 2Peter 1:2…

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;

Peter encourages the believers concerning the “Grace and peace” we have received through Christ; for only those who belong to God, only true Christians have received God’s Grace and Peace. Amazing, the New Testament Books of Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1&2 Peter, 2John, and Revelation, all begin with the words, “Grace and Peace.”

2Peter 1:3…

3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

God’s divine power has granted us everything we need for life [bio = biological life], as we serve Him on earth; also providing everything we need for godliness [zoe = spiritual life], in order to live with Him in heaven for eternity. And God did this for His own glory and for our eternal joy.

Ephesians 1:13-14,

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Ephesians 2:8-10,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

2Peter 1:4a…

4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

Jesus Christ accomplished everything concerning our salvation, and He provided all we need, now and forever, to have a personal, intimate, and eternal relationship with God. We have received God’s forgiveness for all our sins (past, present, future) at the cross; we have received eternal life (through the indwelling of God’s Spirit), demonstrated by Jesus when He came out of the tomb alive; we have received the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, patience, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control), and the wisdom of God, the mind of Christ, the power and presence of God in our lives now and forever, while also the joy of living with God in the new heavens and new earth.

2Peter 1:4b…

4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

Through Christ we “become partners of the divine nature,” Wow! We are able to enjoy deep fellowship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, because of Christ.

2Peter 1:4c…

4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

We won’t share in the corruption [decay and death] that is in this world because of the curse of sin, caused by the lust of evil desires; for we have escaped all judgement and condemnation through Jesus Christ

(Romans 8:1-2),

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

Luke 6:31,

“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.”

God is so gracious, loving and kind to us, even though we do not deserve it; and therefore we, as God’s children, are to treat others the way God treats us; we are to love them just as God has loved us.

1John 4:7-8,

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1John 4:19,

“We love, because He first loved us.”

Pastor Mike
>’(((><

09-04-2022 – “Living for Christ: Part Two”

Bible Text: Luke 6:27-49 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above is the
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September 4, 2022
“Living for Christ: Part Two”
Luke 6:27-49

Read Luke 6:27-28…

27 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Jesus gives four commands to His true followers and believers; those who able to “hear” [understand and obey] what Jesus is saying.

#1. Love your enemies…

Proverbs 25:21,

“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.”

#2. Do good to those who hate you…

Romans 12:21,

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

#3. Bless those who curse you…

To bless them is to tell them the truth about God’s expressed love toward them

(John 3:16),

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

(John 3:36),

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

#4. Pray for those who mistreat you…

The first recorded words of Jesus, while on cross were

(Luke 23:34),

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Like Jesus, we should pray for those who mistreat us, showing them kindness, blessing them. When we do that, we may very well turn one who is an enemy of God, into a brother or sister in the Lord.

We were all enemies of God before coming to Christ for salvation.

Romans 5:8-10,

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Read Luke 6:29…

29 Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.

Last week we studied the first part of this verse, “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also.” I showed you Matthew’s recorded words of this same section of the Sermon on the Mount

(Matthew 5:39),

“But I say to you, do not resist an evil person [unbeliever]; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”

Most Hebrew-speakers and people of Jewish descent are right handed. For a right-handed person to hit another person on the right side of their face, would most likely be a slap, with the back of the hand, an act of contempt. This is not speaking about a physical attack, but instead this is a form of humiliation.

To turn the other cheek isn’t about being a pacifist, as God’s children we should expect to be despised and ridiculed, because of our relationship with the Lord; but when that happens, we are to seek reconciliation not retaliation.

1Peter 2:15,

“For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.” 21-23, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

1Peter 3:13-17,

“Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”

As a Christian, it is not about my rights, or the injustices done to me, nor is it about getting even; it is about Him who died for me, that I might live for Him

(Hebrews 12:3),

“For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Let’s look at the second part of

Luke 6:29,

“and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.”

What is this talking about?

Matthew 5:40,

“If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.”

During the time of Christ, most people didn’t have large wardrobes, or storage units where they kept their overflow of possessions; and so, if someone had a legitimate claim against you, your clothes could be used to pay your debt to them, or to serve as a pledge that you would pay your debt.

The shirt [lit. tunic] was what you wore next to your skin (of which you might have several); the coat [lit. cloak] was your outer garment (of which most people only had one), it often doubled as your blanket during the cold season.

Exodus 22:26-27;

26 If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets,

27 for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body. What else shall he sleep in? And it shall come about that when he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for I am gracious.

Deuteronomy 24:13,

13 When the sun goes down you shall surely return the pledge to him, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and it will be righteousness for you before the LORD your God.

give us more information about what Jesus was referring to, “If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets, for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body. What else shall he sleep in?”

So in Luke 6:29;

29 Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.

Matthew 5:40,

40 If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.

Jesus is saying that even if someone keeps your coat you are not to retaliate, even if that means you lose your shirt also.

Read Luke 6:30…

30 Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.

Jesus now says, “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.” The first part of that illustration “Give to everyone who asks of you,” seems to be in the context of someone having a need and asking you to help him.

Let’s look at the parallel passage in

Matthew 5:42,

42 Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

to gain a better understanding of what Jesus is saying, “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.”

When someone has a genuine need and they come to you for help, and you have the means to help them, you ought to do so; this is not talking about enabling someone or helping them when they are unwilling to help themselves or work themselves, as Paul wrote

(2Thessalonians 3:10),

“For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.”

On the other hand, if we are aware of a genuine need and we know we can provide what is necessary, we should offer do so, and not wait to be asked. God’s people, above all people, ought to be generous and gracious to others, just as our Father in heaven is to us. If we are living for Christ, it will show for we will

(Ephesians. 4:32),

“Be kind and compassionate toward one another,”

and we will

(James 2:8),

“love [our] neighbor as [ourself].”

The second part of

Luke 6:30 presents a different scenario,

“whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.”

What does this mean? I believe this is speaking about believer being robbed.

Theft or stealing is sin. Number 8 of the 10 Commandments

(Exodus 20:15) says,

“You shall not steal.”

and in

1Corinthians 6:9-11 we read,

9 Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,

10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

I don’t believe Jesus is saying (in Luke 6:30), that we should let thieves get away with robbery. Jesus Himself drove the money changers and those selling animals out of the temple

(Matthew 21:13) saying,

“My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you are making it a robbers’ den.”

But clearly it may not be a good idea for you to go and confront the thief who robbed you and demand back what was stolen; instead, you should go to the authorities God has instituted, we have a system of Law and Order, so that we might legally and lawfully retrieve what is ours.

1Peter 2:13-16,

“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.”

Romans 13:1,

“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God,.”

Romans 13:4-10,

“But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Love is the fulfillment of the law, not retribution or retaliation. That may be hard for us to accept in our brain; but honestly, it is in our heart that this teaching must be understood and responded to.

The most important thing in this life is not personal property; the most important thing is the love of God in you, and the most important thing you can do is to share that love with others, even those you don’t like, those who mistreat you, curse you, persecute you, and even those who steal from you.

1Peter 2:11-12,

“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

Our purpose on this earth is to be a witness of Jesus Christ: crucified, resurrected, and coming again. And as we have studied these past few weeks, it is clear that we should expect the world to hate us, just as it hates our Lord and put Him to death on a cross, although He was not guilty of any crime.

Hebrews 12:2-3,

“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of [our] faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. …Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

1Peter 3:14-17,

“But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”

Next week we take a deep look at

Luke 6:31,

“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.”

This section in Luke 6, from the Sermon on the Mount, is indeed difficult to accept and understand, and quite impossible to obey, apart from the love of God in us, through Christ.

But for today, I would like for you to turn to

1John 5:3-5,

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

1John 5:11-12,

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.”

Pastor Mike
>’(((><

08-28-2022 – “Living for Christ: Part One”

Bible Text: Luke 6:27-38 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above is the
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August 28, 2022
“Living for Christ: Part One”
Luke 6:27-49

See Luke 6:20-23…

20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.

23 Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.

As Jesus begins to preach, He directs His attention to His true disciples who are among this large crowd of mostly Jews, both the uneducated and religious scholars, the poor and the wealthy, the religious elite and the irreligious, all those who need healing of their mind, body, and soul.

And what a sermon He preached. Blessed or happy are those who are spiritually poor, hungry, and mournful, for they will be made spiritually rich, filled up, and joyful; and although true believers, God’s children, will be hated, ostracized, insulted, and scorned, because of Christ, they should be glad, for this world is not our home; we are citizens of God’s kingdom

(1Corinthians 2:9),

“which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Whatever pain or sorrow or trouble we experience on this earth does not even begin to compare to the eternal joy that is ours. Jesus was preaching the good news, that the loving kindness of God has been poured out on mankind, so that those who confess their need to be made right with God will be received in the kingdom of heaven, immediately

(Romans 8:17)

“as heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,”

(cf. 2Corinthians 5:17),

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

for it is clear that we belong to Him, and have received forgiveness for sins and eternal life.

We have been given everything we need for our life on earth and for our eternity with God in heaven, where

(cf. Revelation 21:3-4;

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,

4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Revelation 22:5)

5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

there will be no sorrow, or crying or pain or death or darkness, for those things are gone forever!

2Peter 1:3,

“His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”

Philippians 4:13,

“I can do all things through Him [Christ] who strengthens me,”

Philippians 419,

“And God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus is saying

(Luke 6:23a),

23 Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.

that because all of that is true, we should be glad when those who oppose Christ also oppose us, for the truth is, we are sovereignly and eternally blessed above all who reject God’s Son as Savior and Lord; therefore, we should live in a victorious manner that brings honor and glory to God, while at the same time giving testimony to the love of God in Christ.

True Believers and Followers of Christ repent of their sins, seeking to live for God humbly, yet boldly, hungering and thirsting for God’s Word and applying it to their lives for others to witness, so that they might ask us to give the reason for the hope that we have, now and forever, through Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord & Savior: crucified, resurrected, and coming again.

1John 5:5,

“Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

1John 5:11-13,

Today we pick up in

Luke 6:27-28…

27 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Jesus gives four commands to His followers who are true believers; for only Christians can “hear” [understand and respond to] what Jesus is saying

(see Matthew 13:9-16).

9 He who has ears, let him hear.”

10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

11 Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.

12 For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.

13 Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

14 In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,

‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND;

YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE;

15 FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL,

WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR,

AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES,

OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES,

HEAR WITH THEIR EARS,

AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN,

AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.Only born-again believers can understand and obey the commands given here by Jesus: to love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.

Love your enemies…

Matthew 5:43-44,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Judaism is very narrow minded and intolerant, even expressing hatred toward its enemies, especially Gentiles; although God commanded

(Leviticus 19:18)

18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.

to, ”love your neighbor as yourself,” the Teachers of the Law had added “hate your enemy” to the Talmud [The comprehensive written version of Jewish oral law supplementing scriptural laws with rabbinic discussions, including commentaries on civil and ceremonial law].

However some of the Talmud is in conflict with the OT

(Proverbs 25:21),

“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.”

To love your neighbor, even if he is your enemy, is to show mercy on him in reference to his need. In the parable recorded in

Luke 10:25-37,

25 And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?”

27 And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”

28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.”

29 But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.

31 And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32 Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

33 But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,

34 and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

35 On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’

36 Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?”

37 And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

Jesus illustrates this love to a Pharisee, by explaining three responses to a man who was in need: two of those who didn’t help the man were Jews, like the injured man; but the one who helped him was a Samaritan, an enemy of the Jews. Jesus concluded His teaching by asking

(Luke 10:36-37),

“Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” And he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’”

Do good to those who hate you…

Romans 12:9,

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor [hate] what is evil; cling to what is good,”

Romans 12:20-21,

“But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

How is heaping burning coals on someone’s head a good thing? What exactly does that mean? St. Augustine said, “We should incite those who have hurt us to repentance by doing them good.” Perhaps, when you show kindness to an enemy, you maybe even shame him into having remorse, because his hostility toward you has been repaid by a kind act, and it is really hard to keep hurting someone who is doing nice things for you.

This passage provides a dramatic picture of how God deals with sinners like us. He does good to us, to lead us to repentance

(Romans 3:10-12,

10 as it is written,

“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;

THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,

THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

Romans 3:23;

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23;

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:1).

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

1John 4:19,

19 “We love because He first loved us.”

Bless those who curse you…

This does not mean we are not to suppose to warn unbelievers of the eternal consequences of rejecting God’s Son. To bless them is to tell them the truth; to truly express God’s love toward them, they must be told that Jesus alone can save them.

Read John 16:7-11…

7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;

9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;

10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;

11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

Jesus speaks of Supernatural Comforter

[Isaiah 9:6,

6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;

And the government will rest on His shoulders;

And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Wonderful Counselor] the Holy Spirit, who will come to them, but only after Christ ascends back into heaven to be at the right hand of the Father

(see John 14:16-17;

16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;

17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

John 14:25-26;

25 “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you.

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

John 15:26-27).

26 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,

27 and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

The Holy Spirit seeks to convict the hearts of those who do not believe in Jesus Christ; for rejecting Jesus as the Son of God is the unpardonable sin that condemns a person to an eternal hell

(see John 3:14-16,

14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;

15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:36;

36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

John 6:28-29;

28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?”

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

John 8:24-25;

24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

25 So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “What have I been saying to you from the beginning?

John 10:30;

30 I and the Father are one.”

John 14:6).

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

In John 12:31-32 Jesus says,

“Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

In John 14:30 Jesus says,

“the ruler of the world is coming,”

and now (John 16:11) Jesus says,

“the ruler of this world has been judged.”

Satan is defeated, judged and condemned by Jesus Christ, who is the Truth. Satan is the father of lies

(John 8:44),

“He [Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

1Peter 3:8-9a,

“To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead.”

Pray for those who mistreat you…

Martin Luther once said,

“God converts those whom He does convert by showing them goodness. It is only in this way that we can convert a person, namely, by showing him kindness and love.”

Romans 5:8-10,

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Jesus went through the most horrible pain and suffering at the hands of evil men, even though He was innocent of any crime; He did this because of His love for us. Do you remember His first recorded words, while on cross

(Luke 23:34),

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

We all have enemies. How should we respond to them? Pray for them, show them kindness, bless them. When we do that, we may very well turn one who is our enemy, and perhaps an enemy of God, into a friend, or perhaps even a brother or sister in the Lord.

Proverbs 18:24,

“A man of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

John 15:14,

“You are My friends if you do what I command you.”

See Luke 6:29a…

29 Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.

Jesus is not teaching that we should not defend or protect ourselves. In fact, as Jesus and the Apostles on the night He was betrayed, went out from the Passover meal to go to Gethsemane

(Luke 22:36) Jesus said,

“whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one,”

so that they might be able to defend themselves if they were attacked.

Matthew 5:39,

“But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”

This is one of those verses that is misinterpreted more than it is properly interpreted; but what does it mean? Are we to give in to evil?

Remember when Jesus

(cf. Matthew 21:12)

12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.

turned over tables and drove evil men out of the Temple, and another time

(John 2:15)

15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables;

He made a whip and used it to drive out of His Father’s House, those who were doing evil there.

I do not believe God calls us to be pacifists when it comes to restraining evil, for to do nothing may fail to protect the innocent, or make a stand for justice, or treat others the way we want to be treated ourselves.

But, what about being hit or slapped on the right side of your face? Interestingly enough, most Hebrew-speakers and people of Jewish descent are right handed.

So, for a right-handed person to hit another person on the right side of their face, would mostly like entail the back (or top) of the right hand being used by the aggressor to make contact with the right-side of the victim’s face. This is a slap, not an assault, an act of contempt and disgrace. Even a slave during Bible times would have preferred to be whipped on the back rather than slapped in the face by their master.

While we are on this sub jet let me say to parents and caregivers, please, don’t ever slap your children, it is a very demeaning and demoralizing injury that causes a wound to form in the heart of the one being slapped; if you have done this, you need to ask forgiveness from them.

I don’t believe this teaching in

Luke 6:29;

29 Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.

Matthew 5:39

39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

is advocating that we let some bully beat us up, this is not a physical attack — the back of the right hand across the right cheek of a person’s face, is clearly an act of contempt, this is about humiliating and degrading someone.

As God’s children, we can expect to be ridiculed, even maliciously attacked, because of our relationship with the Lord; but we are never to retaliate when that happens, we are not to seek vengeance, but reconciliation

(Romans 12:21),

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

1Peter 2:21-24,

“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

Jesus went through five different insulting, degrading and injurious trials: He was spat on, beaten about the head and face with fists and sticks; all before He was handed over to be flogged, almost to death, and then He was mocked even more, prior to being made to walk to the site of His own execution; where He was nailed to a cross, after which He was continually insulted by those yelling up at Him to come down if He truly was the Son of God; and how did He respond? “Father, forgive them,” and six hours later, He said, “It is finished!”

As a Christian, it is not about my rights, or the injustices done to me, nor is it about getting even; instead, it is about Him who died for me, that I might live for Him

(Hebrews 12:3),

“For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

We are redeemed by God through Jesus Christ for the ministry of reconciliation not retaliation; we are to be evangelists not executioners.

2Corinthians 5:14-21,

“For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Galatians 2:20,

And all God’s people said, Amen!

Pastor Mike

>’(((><

08-21-2021 – Are You Blessed or Cursed?

Bible Text: Luke 6:17-26 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above is the
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August 21, 2022
“Are You Blessed or Cursed?”
Luke 6:17-26

Last week we finished Luke’s narrative that closed with Jesus having gone up on the mountain to spend the night praying to the Father. Jesus then called the Twelve to Himself, and afterward brought them down to a plateau on the side of the mountain. This is where we pick up our study today.

Read Luke 6:17-19…

17 Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon,

18 who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured.

19 And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.

By this time in Jesus’ ministry, He is very popular, and wherever He went the crowds would follow Him, to listen to His marvelous words, and witness His healing of every kind of illness, disease, infirmity, and oppression.

Jesus finds a level place on the side of the mountain where He begins to preach and teach what is known as, the Sermon on the Mount. Luke gives a shortened version in

29 verses (Luke 6:17-49), of what Matthew records in 3 full chapters (Matthew 5-7).

Luke mentions three separate groups of people: the Twelve Apostles; a large crowd of people who were regular followers of Jesus, some genuine, some not; and a great congregation of people from all Judea (all the people of Israel), Jerusalem (some of the religious leaders), along with people from Tyre and Sidon (prominent Gentile seaport cities, NW of Galilee) where some Jews lived.

Jesus is standing and hasn’t started teaching (rabbis normally sat down to teach). He is healing those who are physically ill,

and (Luke 6:18)

18 who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured.

casting out demons. Jesus is performing miracles among the people

(Luke 6:19),

“for power was coming from Him and healing them all”

(pp. Luke 5:17;

17 One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.

Luke 8:46)

46 But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.”

Jesus was able to minister to the whole person, mind, body and soul; he taught God’s sovereign Truth, healed diseases, and cast demons out of the possessed. But His main purpose was to preach the good news of salvation; to offer forgiveness for sins and eternal life

(see Luke 4:40-43).

40 While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on each one of them, He was healing them.

41 Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.

42 When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them.

43 But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.”

Everywhere Jesus went He preached how God would forgive and save those who were spiritually deaf, blind, and captive, to sin; if they would repent and believe the good news, and follow Him

(Mark 1:15),

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

(Mark 1:17),

“Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

Jesus spoke with supernatural wisdom, with complete and sovereign authority.

Jesus claimed absolute equality with the Father

(cf. John 10:30),

30 I and the Father are one.”

using the covenant name of God “I AM” for Himself

(John 8:24),

“unless you believe that I am He [Savior and Lord], you will die in your sins” [unforgiven, condemned to hell] to .”

(John 8:58),

“before Abraham was born, I am.”

Matthew 7:28-29,

“When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”

John 7:32,

“The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about Him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to seize Him.”

John 7:45-46,

“The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, [who] said to them, ‘Why did you not [arrest and] bring Him?’ The officers answered, ‘Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.’”

Jesus’ teaching is in opposition to that of the world system that rejects God’s Son, Lord and Savior, Crucified, Resurrected, Coming Again. Jesus taught that He had “come from God” the Father

(cf. John 8:42),

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.

was “going back to God”

(John 13:3),

3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God,

that He is

(cf. John 4:7-14)

“the living water,”

(John 6:35)

“the bread of life,”

(John 10:11)

“the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep,”

(John 11:25)

“the resurrection and the life,”

(John 12:46)

“the light of the world,”

and

(cf. John 14:6)

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

He is the only Way to the Father, only Truth from the Father, and only Life with the Father.

Colossians 2:8-10,

Luke records, a shortened version of what is called the Beatitudes, from the Latin beati (blessed), Greek makarios (happy, fortunate, to be envied). Jesus is declaring a state of being and heart attitude in the life of those who have received eternal forgiveness for sins and eternal life with God through belief in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior. Saving belief brings genuine happiness and blessing; whereas, those who continue to reject Jesus Christ are unhappy and cursed.

Read Luke 6:20-23…

20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.

23 Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.

What a way to start a sermon: happy are those who are poor, hungry, mournful, those who are hated, ostracized, insulted, and scorned because of Christ. Wow!

Jesus

(Luke 6:20)

20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

is not teaching that those who are economically poor or physically hungry are blessed. Matthew’s recording of this event gives us more clarity

(Matthew 5:3),

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Those who understand their spiritual poverty, realizing their greatest need, that apart from the merciful saving grace of God through Christ we cannot obtain God’s favor, nor be considered acceptable to the Holy and Righteous God of Creation, by anything we might personally acquire, obtain, or do

(see Luke 18:9-14).

9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:

10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’

14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In His very first sermon, Jesus described the human condition apart from the saving knowledge and presence of God

(see Luke 4:14-21).

14 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.

15 And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.

16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.

17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

18 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,

BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.

HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,

AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,

TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,

19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

20 And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.

21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus is bringing the good news, the loving kindness of God poured out on mankind, so that those who confess their need to be made right with God will be received in the kingdom of heaven, immediately

(Romans 8:17)

“as heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,”

(Romans 14:17)

“the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

2Peter 1:3,

“His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”

Philippians 4:19,

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus (Luke 6:21a)

21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

speaks of a hunger that has nothing to do with physical food

(Matthew 5:6),

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied”

[satisfied = unable to eat anymore, completely satiated], this is speaking of spiritual hunger that can only be satisfied with God’s provision.

Psalm 107:1,

a“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,”

Jeremiah 31:14,

“I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance,
and My people will be satisfied with My goodness,” declares the Lord.

Jesus goes on to say

(Luke 6:21b),

“blessed are those who weep now.”

This is speaking of deep sorrow of repentance, the realization that we have sinned against God

(Matthew 5:4),

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

James 4:9-10,

“Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

Isaiah 61:2,

“To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.”

Isaiah 35:10,

“And the ransomed of the Lord will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, with everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”

The first three Beatitudes are from the perspective of the repentant sinner, whereas the final Beatitude in Luke’s narrative

(Luke 6:22),

22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.

is from the perspective of how the world views a believer and follower of Christ.

Jesus uses four strong verbs (hate, ostracize, insult, scorn) to describe the way the unbelieving world views and responds to believers and followers of Christ.

When a person genuinely repents of sin and believes in God’s Son to save him, that person becomes a member of God’s family, a Christian, who will demonstrate a changed life that seeks to obey God’s Word, while bringing honor and glory to God.

Jesus told the Twelve

(cf. John 15:18-19),

18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

that the world would hate them and persecute them, just as it did Him. But we have what we need to be victorious in this world

(1John 4:4),

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

How should we respond to a godless world when we are persecuted?

Jesus says

(Luke 6:23)

“be glad in that day, leap for joy, for [our] reward is great win heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.”

As children of God, the world we see is not our home; we are citizens of God’s kingdom, a world we can’t yet see

(1Corinthians 2:9),

“which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Whatever pain or sorrow or trouble we experience on this earth does not even begin to compare to the eternal joy that is ours

(2Corinthians 4:17-18),

“For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Read Luke 6:24-26…

24 But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.

25 Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.

Jesus now shifts from the blessings belonging to God’s children, to the “woes” or curses that belong to those who reject God’s salvation.

Jesus (Luke 6:24)

24 But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.

is not speaking of those who are materially rich; but of those who presume they are rich in a spiritual sense, through their works, rituals, or ancestry, through which they have obtained a righteousness that can save them from sin’s condemnation.

Jesus says they have received their reward in full, the comfort in which they have lived their life on earth; whereas, their eternity will be spent in a place of torment, and gnashing of teeth, where they will receive absolutely no comfort at.

Next (Luke 6:25a)

25 Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

Jesus speaks to the curse that belongs to those “who are well-fed now,” i.e., those who are full of themselves, totally satiated with their own self-imposed righteousness. This is in contrast to those

(Luke 6:21a)

21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

who hunger for the righteousness and are blessed; these so-called “well-fed” hypocrites believe they lack nothing and have attained righteousness based on their own merits.

Jesus says to those who are cursed

(Luke 6:25b),

25 Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

those who are laughing now, actually thinking they have “made it,” maybe even contemplating what it is going to be like in heaven, perhaps even better than they are experiencing on earth.

In Matthew 8 Jesus gives a reality check to those righteous Jews who think they are going to heaven just because they belong to Israel…

Matthew 8 11-12,

“I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the [earthly] kingdom will be cast into the outer darkness; [and] in that place [the Lake of Fire] there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” forever and ever.

The final “woe”

(Luke 6:26),

26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.

speaks to the self-centeredness of the wicked unbelieving.

Back in Luke 6:23,

23 Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.

Jesus spoke of how those who believe in and live for Him will be mistreated and scorned, just like people treated God’s prophets.

Those who reject God’s Word, God’s Son, gladly receive others of the same mindset, i.e., those who are dead in their sins, unwilling to acknowledge their need to repent and believe in Christ; therefore, there is no hope for them, only an expectation of judgement

(Hebrews 10:26-27),

“For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries” [of God].

There are only two types of people on this planet:

The Blessed – True followers of Christ who have repented of their sins and believed in Jesus alone for salvation.
The Cursed, Unbelievers who reject Christ, trusting in their self-righteous works and/or other human acquisitions, or attributes to save them.

Whether you are blessed or cursed for eternity, depends solely upon what you do with Jesus Christ while you are alive.

Matthew 16:13-16,

“When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’”

The question is, Who do you believe Jesus to be?

1John 5:4-5,

1John 5:11-13,

Everyone who repents of their sins, believing in Jesus Christ for salvation, will be saved.

Pastor Mike
>’(((><