In Luke chapter 11 the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. Jesus told them to pray like this: Father, Your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone in debt to us. And do not bring us into temptation.” Jesus tells a story about a man who goes to a friend’s house at midnight asking for food to feed guests. His friend tells him to go away because he is already in bed. The friend may not give him the food because he is a friend, but he will if he continues to persist in asking him. So Jesus tells us to be persistent in asking, seek and we will find, knock and the door will be opened. Jesus then asks the question, is there a father here that would give their child a snake if they ask for fish, or would give them a scorpion if they asked for an egg? The point being, if you who are evil give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask or it? While Jesus was casting out a demon from a mute man, he was accused of doing so by the power of Satan. Others demanded that Jesus show them a sign. Jesus knew what they were thinking, and told them that if Satan was divided against himself his kingdom would fall. Jesus said that if he was using Satan’s power to cast out demons, then by what power were the sons of Israel casting out demons? If I am driving out demons by God’s power then the kingdom has come to you. A strong man may be able to guard what belongs to him, but if someone stronger comes along, he will take his possessions. Anyone who is not with me is against me. When a demon comes out of a man, it wanders around looking for a new home, and then decides to return to the place it came from. Upon its return it finds the house swept and in order. Then the demon will go and bring seven other demons even more evil than itself and settle down there. Therefore the man’s current condition is far worse than his previous condition. Then a woman called out that the one who bore Jesus was very blessed. Jesus said that those who hear and keep Gods word are even more blessed. Jesus told the crowd that they were an evil generation demanding a sign. Jesus told them the only sign they would get was the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah was a sign to Nineveh, Jesus will be a sign to his generation. The queen of Sheba came a great distance to hear the Wisdom of Solomon, but someone greater than Solomon is right here before you. The people of Nineveh repented at Jonah’s message but someone greater than Jonah is here before you. No one lights a lamp and then hides it, they put it on a stand so that people can see the light. Your eye is the light of the body, so when the eye is good the body is full of light, but when the eye is bad the body is full of darkness. So make sure the light in you is not darkness. If your whole body is light and there is no darkness, then it will be completely lit like a lamp shining on you. A Pharisee invited Jesus to dinner. Jesus came but did not perform the ceremonial washings before dinner. Jesus told him that the religious leaders washed the outside of cups and dishes while they were full of evil on the inside. Fools, he said, don’t you know that God made the inside and the outside both. If you will give what is inside to the poor you will be clean all over. Woe to the Pharisees who give a tenth of the herbs but neglect justice and love for God. You need to do both. Woe to the Pharisees who love the front seats at synagogue and love to be recognized in the marketplace. Woe unto you who are like unmarked graves, being walked over without realizing it. One of the experts in the law told Jesus that he was insulting them too. Jesus said woe unto you experts in the law. You give the people tons of burdensome rules they can’t follow, but don’t bother to follow them yourselves. Woe unto you for building monuments to prophets when it was your fathers who killed them. This generation will be held accountable. Woe unto you experts in the law. You are keeping people from understanding God. You are not going into the kingdom and you are keeping others from going. When Jesus left there the religious leaders were looking for anyway they could to trap Jesus in something he said.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 09:00:00 +0000
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