Today’s teaching is on enemy territory and the reality of spiritual warfare. In a fallen world the battle is not between people – it is between the Living God and the powers of darkness, It is between the Body of Christ and those under the spell of the devil.

Ephesus was the center of worship of Artemis and also a hotbed of the occult, magic, eastern religions, drugs, alcohol and many of the same things we encounter in our world today. Ephesus is where Paul carried out some of his most important mission work and it is where God shows us some important lifetime truths through how He worked in Ephesus nearly 2000 years ago.

Where we left off last week was with Paul spending two years teaching daily in the Hall of Tyrannus. Verse 10 of Acts chapter 19 tells us that all Jews and Greeks in the area heard the word of the Lord. Paul and others were training up believers to share their faith and so the Gospel message was shared all over Asia.  

During Paul’s time in Ephesus he experienced more push back than ever before. God was doing extraordinary miracles through Paul and many were healed physically but Paul was also casting out demons and healing people from spiritual illness.

DIVINE POWER
        We need to be connected to the Living God. Our faith is not to be a little bit of head knowledge, a song and a prayer. Our faith is to be life changing, it is to be the heart of who we are.
        Because God was doing amazing miracles through Paul, news traveled that Paul was not only healing physically but also doing spiritual battle and that He was healing in the name of Jesus.
        Ephesus was a town filled with evil but the DIVINE POWER of God was so obviously being displayed in the miraculous healings done in Jesus’ name, that it caused the name of Jesus to be held in high honor and it caused a reaction of believers to openly confess what they had done as part of the evil in Ephesus.

TAKE GOD SERIOUSLY
        A massive move of God caused people to take Him very seriously.
        Our faith molds and transforms us because we are delivered from bondage to sin and death. God offers deliverance from the power of the demonic and the things that can so easily destroy our lives.

CLEANING HOUSE
        People who had practiced sorcery burned their scrolls publicly and the word of the Lord continued to spread and grow in power.
        as believers changed and non-believers become believers people grew and matured in their faith and suddenly began to realize they needed to do a house cleaning in their lives.
        God’s Holy Spirit is gracious and reveals things to us as we grow and mature in faith. We are not fully mature the moment we believe – It is a life-long process.
        God’s desire is that we clean house in our lives, in our homes, in anything that gets in the way of our love and worship of God, anything that controls us in ways that are dangerous and spiritually defiling.
        With all the awakening to the reality of the Gospel Power of Jesus and the importance of a God-pleasing life of faith, those who didn’t have that faith were began to try to stop all that was happening in Jesus’ name.

WORLD VIEWS COLLIDE
        A worker who made silver shrines to Artemus was very concerned about his economic future in light of the amazing growth of Christianity. And so he spoke out publicly, drawing a crowd and the two sides began to collide.

World views are colliding in our world today. The world view of our culture is:
        All that matters is me
        All that matters is what I want
        All that matters is that you don’t stand in my way and say anything to upset me.
The world view of the Bible is:
        All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
        God sent His one and only Son 
        The Living God took on flesh and brought life and forgiveness through His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection from the grave.
        In Jesus there is life, forgiveness and power. The power to live a new life.

And so their two world views clashed then and they are still clashing today.

We are called not to fight with human weapons, but to recognize the reality of spiritual war and to use the weapons of the Holy Spirit:
    Prayer
    Trust in God
    God’s Word
    The power of our testimonies

Today’s scripture reading ends with the whole city in an uproar – both sides shouting and many joining in the near riot.

CROWD FOLLOWERS
        It can be easy to just go along with the crowd
        Yet God warns us not to follow the crowd. Exodus 23:2 says, “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong.”
        Wise words for us today!

Scripture: Acts 19:11-41, Ephesians 6:12 and Exodus 23:2

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Luke 2:41-52: “Jesus at the Age of Twelve.”

Today we ask, “Why is this story of Jesus at age 12 in the Bible?” There is no mention of Jesus from age 2 -30 except this one story in the Gospel of Luke. Here’s how this story goes: In the one and only account we have of Jesus as a child we’re told he went with His parents to Jerusalem to worship and praise the Lord at Passover.

This story is a foreshadowing of what is to come. The only time He’s mentioned as a child is at the Feast of the Passover. Jesus is described elsewhere in Hebrew Scriptures as the Passover Lamb who was slain for us and now as a 12 year old He and we get a glimpse of what is to come.

After the Feast, unbeknownst to His parents, Jesus had stayed in Jerusalem when the rest of the family was heading home. When Mary and Joseph realized Jesus was not together with the family caravan, they turned back to Jerusalem to find Him. Three days later they find Him in the Temple Courts sitting with the teachers and asking and answering questions.

Did you pick up on the prophetic significance of “three days?” And it is on the third day His parents find Him alive and well. It was the third day in the grave when Jesus rises to life.. the grave could not hold Him!

Jesus’ parents found Him asking and answering questions of the teachers, who were amazed at His answers and knowledge. This too is significant for us today, because Jesus invites questions. If we look at the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament we’ll see He is asking and answering question frequently! God delights in conversation and He speaks to the deepest needs of our hearts.

When Jesus’ parents found Him they questioned Him about not having been with them. Jesus answers, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s House.” This answer compels us ask, “Why is this significant?”

Think about this: These are the first recorded words of Jesus in the Bible! Why are they His first recorded words?

Note that Jesus calls God, “My Father.” Even as a 12 year old He understands who He is. He is announcing the day the prophets spoke of has arrived! The Messiah has come! The Redeemer of all is here.

But Mary and Joseph didn’t understand what Jesus was saying – It wasn’t until after Jesus’ resurrection that people understand who He is, what He accomplishes and what He offers to each of us.

The story ends with Jesus obediently returning to Nazareth with His parents. He displays submissive obedience, modeling this for each of us and showing us what is expected from each of us.

The standout piece of this story is that Jesus has given us the right to speak of God as “Our Father.”

So much is in this short story – not only is there a glimpse of what Jesus was like as a boy, it gives us insight into His love and compassion in asking and answering us and is a glimpse of what God desires in us in conversation and obedience. Jesus wasn’t just an extraordinary child – He is the very Son of God! Savior! And coming King!

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St. Luke’s Account is part three of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. The Gospel of Luke takes a look at the life of Jesus, beginning with the well-known Christmas stories. Luke, a non Jew, offers a unique perspective into the story of Jesus’ life.

This study is great for large group. small group or home group Bible study.

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This teaching is from Matthew 21:23-46 and continues our dive into Jesus’ final week of his ministry before his death and resurrection.

The religious leaders are doing all they can to get Jesus to say something so that they can bring Him up on charges and get rid of Him. And there is a debate between Jesus and those leaders in the first verses of our study today. As the leaders (priests and elders) ask Jesus by what authority He was doing things in and who gave him this authority. This question might seem like a simple question but in reality it is a set up and they want him to reveal who He is so they can charge Him with blasphemy. 

These leaders should have understood who Jesus was; they had the opportunity to listen to His teachings, see His miracles, and hear testimonies of what Jesus had been doing. All these things predicted had been predicted by the prophets. Those with eyes to see could see who He was. 

Jesus takes their question and turns it around on them and responds that He’ll answer them if they answer a question first. The question He gives them, they decide they can’t answer. So there is a stalemate. So Jesus moves on into sharing three Parables that are addressed to the religious leaders.

The Parables do the following:

• Indictment

• Sentence

• Execution
  

The Indictment – the parable of the two sons. A father asks a son to go work in the vineyard and the son says, “No,” but then changes his mind later and does go out and work in the vineyard. To the other son the father says to go work in the vineyard, but that son says, “Yes,” but never goes and does it.

Jesus poses the question, “Which of the two sons did what his father wanted?” The leaders reply, “the first son: and Jesus hands down this indictment to the religious leaders, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you … you did not repent and believe.” This was a public rebuke of the leaders in front of a crowd.

Jesus moves on to share another parable, the parable of the tenants. A landowner (God the Father) planted a vineyard, walled it in, installed a winepress and added a watch tower and leased it out to some tenants (religious leaders). When harvest time came he sent his servants (prophets) to the tenants to collect his fruit. The tenants beat and killed the servants that came to collect for the landowner. Then the land owner sent a second set of servants to collect and they too were killed. Lastly the land owner sent his son (Jesus) to collect, but they killed him too. (Prediction of what is to come and the revelation of the religious leader’s plan).

Jesus ends this parable with the question, “When the owner of the vineyard comes – what will he do to these tenants?” The religious leaders – being obviously spiritually blind did not understand the parable at all and that it was about them. Jesus is getting ready to speak their sentencing…. They answer Jesus, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” 

Jesus points out to them that He is the One, the Son, the Stone the builders rejected. He is the awaited Messiah, the cornerstone, the rock on which we build our lives. And He replies to them, “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this Stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” 

Jesus clearly states the sentencing against the religious leaders. 

1. Points to the fact that only those who repent and believe in Jesus as Messiah and Savior have life ever after. 

2. Jesus says it will be given to someone else. Alluding to the Gentile mission – the Kingdom of God coming to both Jews and Gentile; through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus, through repentance and faith and through the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

God will carry out the world-wide mission! 

Verse 45 shares that the Pharisees (religious leaders) now knew He was talking about them! And so they looked for a way to arrest Him – but they were concerned about the crowd because they held that Jesus was a prophet – they were listening to Him. 

But what changes in the next few days that makes it possible for them to arrest and crucify Jesus? Join us next time to find out!

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This week’s teaching shows us the importance of growth in faith.

Today’s scripture is on the story of Paul’s mission work in the city of Ephesus. As he begins to meet people he asks several believers if they received the Holy Spirit when they came to faith in Jesus. Their response was no, that they had never heard of the Holy Spirit. 

Sadly, this is much the condition of the christian church in America today. The Holy Spirit has often been ignored. 

Paul learns that the Christians there had received John’s baptism. They had heard the teachings of John the Baptist and had been baptized in a baptism of repentance. Paul taught them that the One (Jesus) that John had predicted was coming was here and this was Jesus. John had said that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Paul fills them in on Jesus, the one John had said was coming. So after hearing this they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in tongues.

Today speaking in tongues has become very controversial. How do we deal with spiritual gifts? 

Spiritual Gifts 

• Expired – A view that many have is that these once were, but have now ended with the end of the apostles and the end of the New Testament. But the TRUTH is that there is NO expiration on the gifs of the Spirit. We are to earnestly desire the gift of the Spirit. (1 Corinthian 12 and 14) And Jesus says in Luke 11:13 “…how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” There is nothing in the New Testament to indicate that these gifts have expired. 

• Everyone – People say everyone has to have the same gifts or we all have to have the gift of speaking in tongues and yet the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul says that the Holy Spirit gives different gifts to different believers, that not all have the same gifts. 

• Eliminate – Many desire the gifts of the Spirit be eliminated because they are controversial. This attitude is basically trifling with the gifts of God and in effect encourages the church to remain weak and spiritually deficient. However, Paul says to earnestly desire the gifts and don’t forbid speaking in tongues. We need to take to heart what Paul says. 

The gifts aren’t badges to impress others with our spirituality, but they are gifts from the Holy Spirit given to build up the body of Christ, encourage believers and to empower us to carry out the work God has given us to do. 

These opening verses of Chapter 19 of Acts – while controversial – show us that the gifts are still very important and require us to take a look at what the Bible actually says about them. We need to make sure we are allowing the scriptures to guide us rather than our own prejudices, our own practices and our own jealousies. 

As we continue looking at more of Paul’s work in Ephesus where he spent around 3 years, we discover more that we can learn. 

In the synagogue, Paul spoke out boldly about the kingdom of God, but after 3 months, individuals refused to believe and began to publicly malign the teachings on Jesus the Messiah. So Pal moves from teaching in the synagogue to teaching daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus for the next two years so that all the Jews and Gentiles who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the God. 

Paul was a tireless worker for the Lord, but what was it that he shared with the people of Ephesus? We can discover the answer to this in his epistle/letter to the Ephesians. 

The Book of Ephesians 

• Messiah – Firstly, Paul concentrated on sharing the Good News of Jesus the Messiah and that through Him we receive every spiritual blessing, we come to know the deep love of Jesus, that we are saved by grace, and to know the fullness of God. 

• Maturity – Paul encourages us to grow in our faith, in our knowledge and love of Jesus our Savior. He shares how to not grieve the Spirit of God through impurity, but instead to grow in fellowship with God and to be filled with the Spirit. Paul also teaches to always give thanks for everything and to put on the full armor of God.

In summary of today’s text, Christ is to be in the center of our lives and we are to grow up in our relationship with Him. This is God’s desire for His children. 

We do not want to hold to a form of religion and deny it real power.

• We want to hear the Holy Spirit’s testimony
• We want to respond to what the Word of God has to say
• We want to live in a dynamic relationship with Jesus, that we might not only be blessed by Him but may be used by Him to be a blessing for others

The Gospel message of Jesus transforms! It has POWER! We encourage you to read the book of Ephesians.

Scripture: Acts 19:1-10 and 2 Peter 3:18

 

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Luke 1:1-25.

Today we begin a study of the Gospel of Luke with a look at Zechariah who was a devout man who thought he was prepared to meet the Living God – but reacted with fear and doubt when God showed up. God graciously gave him a second chance to respond with faith, and extends that same grace to us when we falter and fail. This story of Zechariah is a story that still speaks to us today.

There are lessons to learn from this story
– All scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correction and training in righteousness so that we can be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
– God wants us to KNOW HIM not just know about him.
– When we read the scriptures God desires that we not only look at it and say, “what happened?” He desires that we look at the story and say, “What does this say to me today?”

In examining what this story has to do with us today, we start by going through what we know about Zechariah:
1. He was a devout priest
2. He was praying
3. He knew this was from God
4. He knew the Scriptures

As Zechariah was met by the angel of the Lord as he did the priestly duties that day, when He actually had an encounter with the Angel of the Lord he had a difficult time accepting what he was told. At the root of his doubt was Zechariah’s desire to have God fit into his personal perception of who God was and how God should talk to him and what God should do. Basically, Zechariah wanted to make God conform to what he desired rather than allowing God to be who He is and to speak directly into his life.

What God desires to do is reveal Himself to us, rather than have us go along with our own personal perception of Him. We try to put God into a box, like Zechariah did, and to contain God, but God says, “NO!” And He reveals His true self to us. He reveals who He is.

God desires we come to Him in humility, repentant in spirit and willing to receive what He gives and that means that we accept one of the most important truths that anyone can know and act on and that is:
– God is god and we are not
– God is god and I am not

God is:
Supernatural
All powerful
Present everywhere
And when He speaks he means it!
His Word is true and it can be trusted!

We have been made in the image of a Holy God and we owe Him everything:
– My life
– My future
– My family
– My wealth
– My daily activities

We must not underestimate God. Zechariah heard great news that day from the angel and he just could not accept what God was saying. Zechariah made one of the biggest mistakes of his life and underestimated God. He said, “How can this be?” Because in his mind it just did not seem possible. BUT with God NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!

Divine Promises brought to Zechariah by the Angel of the Lord:
– Fear not!
– Answered prayers
– Good News of joy
– Holy Spirit outpouring
– Repentance and return
– Power
– Awakening

Zechariah thought he was too old to receive what the Lord was giving him, but we are NEVER too old for any of the good things of God!!!

God seeks to build a trusting faith in each of us that causes us to acknowledge, “I am the Lord’s servant and I will do what He says.”

Zechariah missed the boat that day, but God still came through and He took Zechariah’s doubts and reluctance and He brought it all about for His glory and Zechariah’s good.

God is faithful. He keeps His Word!

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St. Luke’s Account is part three of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. The Gospel of Luke takes a look at the life of Jesus, beginning with the well-known Christmas stories. Luke, a non-Jew, offers a unique perspective into the story of Jesus’ life.

This study is great for large group. small group or home group Bible study.

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This teaching is from Matthew 21:10-23 and continues a study of Holy Week – Jesus’ final week before His resurrection.

In today’s story, people recognized Jesus as a prophet, but He was much more than a prophet! Over the next few weeks we will be exploring: The heart of the Gospel as the heart of God’s message of salvation, and that message is at the heart of who Jesus is. Let’s dig into what that means for us.

Following Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, in today’s text picks up with Jesus entering the temple courts and how he drives out all who were buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. Jesus says, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.”

Pastor shares the perspective that this is the second tine Jesus cleansed the temple, the first was at the beginning of His teaching ministry and the account in Matthew brings the second time Jesus does this.

Pastor talks in detail about the temple at this time: size, construction and the courts on the sides of the temple allowed possibly as many as 200,000 people to worship at the temple.

Following the overturning of the tables in the temple court, the blind and lame came to Jesus and he healed them and children were singing hosannas. But this angered the priest and teachers of the law, revealing their spiritual blindness and arrogance.

Jesus desires that heir minds would be opened and that these leaders would be accept Him for who He is. He desires that we all come to Him in humility and genuine worship.

Jesus then leaves the temple and heads to Bethany for the night. Everything the scriptures have predicted is about to take place…

Today’s teaching closes with the story of the cursed fig tree. What does this story tell us? Was Jesus just in a bad mood? Was he ‘hangry?” No, there is much to learn from this story, here’s how it goes.

Jesus is hungry. He goes to a fig tree to pick fruit but there’s nothing on it except leaves. But it wasn’t the season for figs! Didn’t Jesus know this?

Here’s what we do know: Prior to the season for figs to come on a tree there are small nubs that grow on the tree called paggim. They are edible – but there aren’t even any paggim on this tree. All Jesus finds are leaves.

It’s then that Jesus says, “May you never bear fruit again!” The fig tree is a symbol for Israel, the fig tree is often used as a representation of the children of Israel. And Adam and Eve, after the fall, were clothed in fig leaves.

So the fig tree is a reminder of human sin, Genesis 3, but also a reminder of the nation of Israel especially its leaders.

What Jesus sees as he looks at this tree is that it looks like a great tree but it has no fruit. This is a prophetic judgement on the leadership of Jesus’ day – it is also a clarion call to us to take seriously the things of God!

What God desires is that we don’t just “look good” on the outside, He desires that we bear fruit!

Jesus tells us throughout His ministry that if we continue in His word we will bear fruit. We’re not saved by our fruit production but because we are saved, we will produce the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control so that others are drawn to Jesus.

We don’t want our lives to be all for show – we want to produce fruit!

Jesus goes on to let us know we can trust God to hear and heed our prayers and that we can, with confidence, do the work He has called us to do: on our knees, praying and believing what Jesus says, “You will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

We can ask anything according to His will – He hears and answers!

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God’s word teaches endurance: how to face the difficulties and challenges of life. The Bible doesn’t tell us we will get through life without difficult days and trials. God’s Word gives us encouragement because God’s word is true, it is genuine and it speaks directly into our lives.

Paul at Corinth is a story that shows us how God gives His children encouragement even in the most difficult of times, difficult of places and the most trying of circumstances.

Paul went on missionary journey to Corinth (in Greece) a very corrupt seaport city. They had a temple to Aphrodites and Paul found himself very discouraged at the evil he found there. But God brings encouragement in a way that teaches us to see the ways that God ministers to us in the darkest of days.

Observations:
Provision: Paul meets Aquila and Priscilla – God provides as he brings people into our lives who will minister and encourage us.
Support: Silas and Timothy – God’s support through colleagues that helped Paul be able to devote full time effort into preaching the Gospel.
Opportunity: Jews from the synagogue didn’t want Paul teaching any longer in the synagogue, so Paul went to a man’s house next door to the synagogue and there he preached the gospel to the gentiles. Even in the difficulty of being rejected by the Jewish community, God gave Paul an opportunity to teach Gentiles.
Assurance: Corinth was a difficult city to share the Gospel, but Jesus speaks by a vision to Paul, saying, “Do not be afraid – Keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you and no one is going to attack or harm you because I have many people in this city.” God says this to you and me as well, “Don’t give up because I am with you!” So Paul stayed in Corinth a year and a half teaching them the Word of God.
Protection: There is dissension between the Jews going to synagogue and the Jews and Gentiles that believed in Jesus as the Messiah. Consequently, after teaching for 1 1/2 years, Paul was arrested and charged with the crime of practicing an illegal cult. They wanted him imprisoned or killed. But Gallia – the court judge – says the one bringing Paul to trial needed to figure things out on their own and that he would not rule on the charges, nor would he punish Paul and Gallia dismissed the case. God knows how to deliver His people! He did it for us at the cross! And the final victory is now ours. We win!

Surprise!: Surprisingly, following the dismissal of the case against Paul, the Jews from the synagogue attack the synagogue leader and beat him up instead of Paul! God’s additional surprise is that in 1 Corinthians 1:1 we read that this synagogue leader, Sethenese, becomes a believer in Jesus and part of the house church in Corinth.

And God has surprises for us in the difficult times, too, because our God is a good and gracious God. He loves His children. He is always with us in difficult times and easy times. He brings joy and hope, endurance and assurance to those who call on Jesus, the Messiah, our Savior!

Scripture: Acts 18:1-17, Romans 15:4

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Luke 16:1-13.

Jesus warns that no one can serve two masters. Will you be devoted to God – or to “stuff?”

This Parable of the Shrewd Manager is one of Jesus’ most controversial parables and one of the most difficult parable to understand. Join us a Pastor Dodge digs deep into this parable and pulls out some amazing nuggets of the wisdom Jesus is sharing in the challenging parable.

Luke 16:8, Jesus says, “For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourself, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

What Jesus is saying? He’s saying that many times unbelieving people are very shrewd in their daily dealings. They look out into the distance, rather than being preoccupied with the here and now and the immediate. This manager recognizes that he was soon to be out of a job and he had a limited window of time left. So he willingly sacrifices his own commission, in order to ingratiates himself with his masters debtors so that he makes sure that in the long run, in the future, blessings like employment would come.

Jesus is saying, “God’s people need to take that to heart.” Because you see so often we get so preoccupied with what is going on in the moment that we forget our eternal destiny. So often we become so overwhelmed by the events of daily life. Maybe you’re going through something like that in your life today, where all sorts of things have piled up suddenly and that is all you can see. What Jesus is saying is remember your ultimate destiny. If you are a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, if you trust in Him and He is your Savior and your Lord then you know that our ultimate destiny is not to rest 6 feet under. It is not simply to try to make it through the next years or decades of our lives. Our ultimate destiny is to be with the Lord forever.

He has made us His managers. Do we understand this? Everything we have comes from God. We so often like to pat ourselves on the back and talk about our accomplishments, of what we’ve accumulated and what we’ve done. But the book of James tells us, “Every good and perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of the heavenly lights.”

Nothing that you have or that I have is something that we earned or deserved. It is a gift. Our talents, our abilities, intelligence, riches, you name it, everything ultimately is from God Himself, and we are simply the managers of what He’s given us.

Jesus is encouraging us to manage wisely. Learn from this shrewd but disreputable character who had enough foresight to realize the future is more important than the immediate.

Do not confuse the gift with the Giver. Understand God is the giver of everything.

We are to use everything in a way that gives Him glory. Be generous. Put your faith in the living God into action by being generous toward others. It is what Jesus taught over and over again. In the gospel of Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

What Jesus is telling us is that everything we have comes from Him. As individuals who realize how much God loves us, who are repentant before Him, realizing we don’t bring anything to the heavenly party. God has done it all. He has given us everything including His only Son Jesus.

God offers life forever, by faith in Jesus, and He promises that He will even reward me, sinner though I am, for following Him and trusting Him. He wants me to use everything He’s given me, wisely.

We so often hoard what we have, but we are called to keep in mind our futures and give with in a manner that shows where our eyes are, on the reward of a future with God forever, because the Father gives us every good gift, everything we have is from Him, so now we are simply His managers and as His managers were are to be:

— Generous in helping others
— Generous in sharing our faith
— Generous in calling people to a knowledge of the living God

— Trustworthy in the way we deal with others
— Trustworthy in the way we relate to God
— Trustworthy in the way we use the resources, abilities, skills, gifts, finances, time, opportunities we are given

— Devoted to the Living God
— Reflecting God’s Love, Mercy, Purity, Goodness, Faithfulness – Not to earn anything, but instead because we’ve been given everything, including salvation!

— Be generous because God is generous.
— Be trustworthy because Gos is trustworthy.
— Be devoted to God because He’s devoted to us!

At the end of time, Stuff doesn’t last, it doesn’t remain, but GOD DOES AND PROMISES DO!

He is calling us to repentance and to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, The One Who Is THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL!! And this is the One we serve!

https://www.awakeusnow.com

The Parables of Jesus is part two of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. Jesus is known for telling some of the greatest stories ever told. In telling these stories He uses the form of a parable which is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Jesus’ parables resonate in every culture and in every generation around the world.

This study is great for large group. small group or home group Bible study.

Check out this episode!

Matthew 20:17-34, Matthew 21:1-11, Exodus 12:3, Isaiah 62:11, Zechariah 9:9, and Psalm 118:25-26.

Jesus lets us know that He is the fulfillment of all the Hebrew Scripture had predicted and all that the Father had dictated.

Until we receive Jesus as Lord, this is only head knowledge.  The disciples had heard Him speak what was coming multiple times, but they just did not grasp what Jesus was saying about Him being the long awaited Savior. They didn’t understand what was ahead for Jesus in the next weeks. Jesus shares the sacrifice He’s going to make explaining what is coming: suffering, death and rising on the 3rd day.

It’s at this point in the Matthew narrative that there is a story of Jesus’ Aunt wanting her sons to be on each side of Jesus in heaven. 

 But Jesus uses her request to teach us we are to be individuals that reflect the heart of our heavenly Father who reflect the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, and reflect His example and sacrifice.

We are to put aside the things that the world so greatly treasures and instead embrace the values of God and the Holy Scriptures.  We are to serve not be served. 

It’s important that we today grasp the truth of who Jesus is as heart knowledge, not just head knowledge.  

The next vignette Matthew shares is the story of two blind men who Jesus had compassion on and he heals their sight.  This story contrasts how the blind man knew Jesus was Lord and asked for his mercy as opposed to the religious people who could not see Him for who He truly is. 

As we head into chapter 21 is the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the 10th Day of Nissan, the exact day of that thousands of year old male lambs were being brought into the city and that will be set aside until the day of the Passover sacrifice on the 14th of Nissan.

Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey as a set apart sacrificial lamb who will die on the cross during Passover on the 14th day of Nissan…. 

…This is not coincidental… As thousands of lambs come into the city for preparations of Passover in rides the Lamb of God.

Jesus fulfilled what was prophesied in Isaiah and Zechariah when He rode into Jerusalem on the donkey, “See your Savior comes, lowly and riding on the foal of a donkey.” (Paraphrased)

If a king rode into a city on a donkey it was a sign He was coming peace, but if a king rose into a city on a horse he was coming for war. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.  He came as the Prince of Peace, the One who will suffer for the sins of the world and lay down His life for us all.  He came in peace knowing full well what was ahead of Him.

Jesus is accepted and cheered for as the Savior as He enters Jerusalem to the cheers of “Hosanna to the Son of Dave.  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” But in just a few days another crowd will be cheering, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

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Luke 18:9-14, Romans 3:23, Isaiah 57:15, Psalm 51:15, 1 Corinthians 1:31, Micah 6:8.

There is incredible danger in pride. God requires humility. Jesus told this story of two prayers – and the two pray-ers. One prayed about his own righteousness, the other prayed in humility and repentance. Which man went home forgiven?

“To those who were confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable.” (Luke 18:9). This is a targeted story. It is a targeted parable as Jesus speaks to people who are spiritually proud and tend to look at everyone else with disdain. What was true in Jesus day remains true today. Many times we judge others by our own standards rather than God’s and very often we are quick to see the failings of others, but ignore our own weaknesses.

People can outwardly put on a form of religion but inwardly deny its real power. The parable tells of two people who went to the temple to pray. The pharisee stood by himself to pray – he was perceived as religious, dedicated, devout. Many saw him as the “good guy.” But does Jesus? Here’s what the pharisee says, “God I thank You that I am not like other people: robbers, evil doers, adulterers, or tax collector. I fast two times per week and give a tenth of all I receive.” (i.e.: look how great I am!)

Then Jesus describes the prayer of the tax collector, who stood at a distance and would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said “God have mercy on me, a sinner.” No excuses, not list of accomplishments.

The difference in these two prayers are profound and Jesus turns the “good guy” (pharisee) and the “bad buy” (tax collector) story inside out and upside down. Jesus say of the tax collector, “This man went home justified before God, for those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

The Father desires, above all else, humility from His children. God desires a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:15). Repentance is what our Holy God desire and what our sin condition demands. God desires the we are humble before Him. We compare ourselves to others, but instead the true standard is that we compare ourselves to a Holy, Perfect God and then we see we are all sinners in need of a Savior in order to stand before our Father.

We need a Savior and Jesus is that Savior, the perfect sacrificial Lamb, the One needed because by us all because we are all sinners. We need humility in order to come before God and say, “Lord have mercy on me a sinner.” Fallen people need a Savior and we need to recognize our need for Him. As we have all sinned.

God is gracious and we are needy:
— We need a Savior, Jesus
— We need forgiveness
— We need cleansing
— We need renewal
— We need rebirth

Are we boasting about our lives? Accomplishments? How religious we are? How good we are?

We need to hear Jesus’ voice in this parable and realize our only boasting is to be in the Lord and what He has done (1 Corinthians 1:31).

Humility before God is not weakness, it is strength.
Humility before God is not an indication of our failing, it is an indication of God’s mercy and grace to those who recognize they need a Savior.

https://www.awakeusnow.com

The Parables of Jesus is part two of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. Jesus is known for telling some of the greatest stories ever told. In telling these stories He uses the form of a parable which is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Jesus’ parables resonate in every culture and in every generation around the world.

This study is great for large group. small group or home group Bible study.

Check out this episode!