Sunday in the South

Pleading your case in heaven's court

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 02:06:39 PDT

Job 23:4-5, 7a; Luke18:1-7

Jesus taught prayer by using court room imagery. Like thewidow who did not give up in going to a godless judge with a plea for justiceagainst her adversary, we also should not give up in our prayer (Luke 18:1-4). Thejudge refused her for a while, yet she continually begged the judge to give herlegal protection from her opponent (Luke 18:3). Finally, the wearied judge sawto it that she received justice. Jesus summarized this way, asking if God wouldnot bring about justice to his own who cry out to him day and night (Luke 18:5-7)?

The Scripture calls God the supreme Lawgiver and Judge(Isaiah 33:22; James 4:12), the judge of all the earth (Psalm 50:6; 94:2), theRighteous Judge (Psalm 9:4; 2 Tim 4:8), the Judge of all men (Heb 12:23), andthe Judge of the living and the dead (2 Tim 4:1). Jesus is called ourIntercessor and Advocate (1 John 2:1) who ever lives to make intercession forus (Heb 7:25; Rom 8:34). The Holy Spirit also intercedes for us (Rom 8:26-27).

Within the covenant of God, which is something much morethan a legal contract, the Lord promises his protection and provision.Intercession is presenting a case in council or pleading the terms of thecovenant (Psalm 74:20). Have you thought of your intercession for someone orfor a situation as pleading your case before the court of the Ancient of Days(Dan 7:9-10)? What is awesome is that God invites us to such a privilege (Ezek22:30; Heb 4:16).

The Old Testament prophets understood this. Job laid hiscase before the Lord (Job 5:8; 23:4-5). Moses knew that God defends thefatherless and the widow (Deut. 10:18). David cried out for God to contend withthose who contend with him (Psalm 35:1; i.e., a judicial proceeding,litigation, or a lawsuit). David said the Lord secures justice for the poor andupholds the cause of the needy (Psalm 140:12). He was confident that the Lordwould decide between him and his enemy King Saul and vindicate him (1 Sam24:15). Solomon asked the Lord to enter on Israel’s side and uphold their case(1 Kings 8:44-61). Jeremiah said the sins of Israel testified against them asin a court of law (Jer 14:7). Isaiah told Israel to state her case and that Godhimself had a case against them (Isaiah 1:18; 41:21; 43:26).

God invites hiswatchmen-intercessors to plead his promises before him and remind him of hiscovenant to give Him no rest (Isaiah 62:6-7). It is not presumption to remindGod of his promises. We can come humbly but boldly to the throne of grace,interceding in the name of Jesus according to the will of the Father. Therebefore the Throne, we enter our plea for Him to do what He has promised to dofor us.

For example, God told Cain that his brother Abel’s bloodcried out to him from the ground (Gen 4:10), but the writer of Hebrews saysthat Jesus’ blood cries out a better thing than the blood of Abel’s. TheAmplified says “And to Jesus, the Mediator (Go-between, Agent) of a newcovenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks [of mercy], a better and nobler and more gracious message than the blood of Abel [which cried out forvengeance]” (Heb 12:24).

Pleading isa legal word, meaning to make a plea in a legal action, to put forward a legaldeclaration, or to address a court as an advocate. Pleading our case anddetailing our arguments pleases God, helps us understand the need morecompletely, moves our compassion, strengthens us in determination, and stirs upour hunger to see God move.

Adapted from Sylvia Gunter, Prayer Essentials for Living in His Presence, vol. 2.

Luke 7:11-17 - The Widow's Faith

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 17:46:47 PDT

Widow of Nain (Harold Copping, 1927)

Pray and Read: Luke 7:11-17

Key Truth: Lukewrote Luke 7:11-17 to teach believers that Jesus provides hope for thehopeless and life for the dead.

Key Application: Today Iwant to show you what God’s Word says about hope.

Key Verse: Luke 7:13

Sermon Points:

1. Jesusprovides hope for the hopeless (Luke 7:11-13)

2. Jesusprovides life for the dead (Luke 7:14 -17)

Contextual Notes:

Bycomparing the unbelief of Zechariah the priest and the faith of the virginteenager Mary, Luke’s Gospel calls us to believe that Jesus is the Messiah whofulfills God’s covenants with Abraham and David (Luke 1-2). Luke says that thefirst step in belief is to repent of our sin (Luke 3:1-20) to God’s sufferingServant, who, through his sacrificial death (Luke 3:21-23a), is the trulyobedient Son of God, unlike sinful Adam (Luke 3:23b-38), defeating Satan inevery area of human life: body, mind, and spirit (Luke 4:1-13).

Inthe power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus begins his ministry around the Sea ofGalilee (Luke 4:14-9:50[1])as Luke powerfully contrasts belief and unbelief in a series of events. After encounteringunbelief at the Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4:14-30),[2]Jesus is met with faith and unleashed power at Capernaum (Luke 4:31-44). Aftercalling his first disciples to follow him in faith (Luke 5:1-11), Jesus’ministry arouses the hostile unbelief of the religious leaders by forgiving sin(Luke 5:12-26). When Levi the tax collector responds in belief and follows Him(Luke 5:27-32), the Pharisees respond in unbelief and anger to Jesus’ diningwith sinners (Luke 5:33-39).

Incontrast with the unbelief of the Pharisees regarding their rigid ideas ofkeeping Sabbath (Luke 6:1-11), Jesus appoints twelve believing disciples asapostles (Luke 6:12-16) and outlines for them the blessings of walking by faithand the woes of walking in unbelief (Luke 6:17-26), putting faith into practiceby developing Christ-like love (Luke 6:27-36), Christ-like integrity (Luke6:37-42), Christ-like character (Luke 6:43-45), and Christ-like stability (Luke6:46-49).

Followingthe Sermon on the Plain, Luke narrates several episodes to demonstrate people’sfaith or unbelief in Jesus’ person and message. In Luke 7, Jesus returns toCapernaum with his disciples, exercising his authority to heal the servant of aGentile Roman centurion (Luke 7:1-10) and his power to raise the dead (Luke7:11-17). Luke shows that Jesus often finds greater faith among those outsideof Israel, making it clear that Jesus has come to save all the nations.

Exposition: Notewell,

1. JESUS PROVIDES HOPE FOR THE HOPELESS(Luke 7:11-13)

a. Jesus’ extraordinary authority toheal over distance simply by the power of His Word in the previous account ofthe centurion’s servant is exceeded when Jesus raises a young man from thedead. This story is important because it illustrates Jesus’ identity as theMessiah in response to the questions John the Baptist will raise in the nextpassage.

b. Luke7:11 – Nain: Thename means “lovely” or “pleasant” (Na’im). Though the location is uncertain,the site is probably the modern Arab town of Nein, six miles southeast ofNazareth.

c. Luke7:12 – Dead person being carried out:A procession of death meets a procession of life. According to Jewish burialcustoms, the body was washed, eyes closed, mouth bound shut, anointed withspices, then wrapped in a linen cloth, laid on a plank, bier, or an opencoffin. The funeral procession, accompanied by a large crowd which dropped whatit was doing and joined the throng, including possibly paid mourners andmusicians, proceeded outside the city gate to the family burial site. The largecrowd of mourners revealed the tragedy and severity of the loss. Burial tookplace within 24 hours to avoid witnessing decomposition. The poor were buriedin shallow graves in potters fields, the wealthy in tombs.

d. Luke7:12 – She was a widow:Widows are viewed in Scripture as the most vulnerable members of society, forwhom God has special concern. For a widow to lose the only son left to supporther would be a horrific loss. In the Old Testament, the death of an only son isthe epitome of great sorrow. All hope is gone for her. Without a man to supporther, she would likely become destitute.

e. Luke7:13 – He had compassion for her:According to tradition, the bereaved mother would walk in front of the bier, soJesus would have met her first. At this moment when hope was all gone, Jesusmet the procession and seeing the widow bent over in grief, his heart went outto her (splankna) and he removes the cause for her bereavement. He reaches outto her when he is the last thing on her mind. Jesus Himself was the son of awidow, and he knew the pain that would soon come for her. For the first time,Luke refers to Jesus as the Lord, particularly fitting as he exercises powerover death itself.

2. JESUS PROVIDES LIFE FOR THE DEAD(Luke 7:14-17)

a. Luke7:14 – He touched the coffin:When life met death, the funeral bier stopped. Now interrupting a funeral wasworse than bad manners. It was a breach of Jewish law and custom. The word soros can refer to a coffin or a bier(funeral plank) on which the body was placed. Here considering thecircumstances, a bier or a litter is most likely. Touching a bier or coffinwould contract for a person the severest form of ceremonial uncleanness (Num19:11, 16, 21-22; Num 5:2-3; 19:11-20). Jesus’ authority reverses thedefilement, “cleansing” the corpse through Christ’s power over death.

b. Luke7:15 – The dead man sat up:Jesus commanded him to wake up or get up, calling him back to life. And Hislife returned to him. Technically speaking, this is not a resurrection, since trueresurrection is to eternal life and Jesus was its firstfruits (1 Cor 15:20).Nonetheless, this kind of miracle certifies a person as the Messiah (Luke 7:22),and Jesus’ sympathy for the weeping widow shows that it is no calculated act. Itwas not done for the effect it would have on others. It was a spontaneous actof compassion. As such, perhaps it sums up the whole meaning of Christ’scoming.

c. Luke7:15 – Gave him to his mother:This story has important parallels in the life of Elijah, who raised the onlyson of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17-24[3])and Elisha, who raised the Shunammite’s son (2 Kings 4:18-37). Luke here quotesfrom the OT story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:23). He hasalready earlier forshadowed this resurrection by referring to the widow ofZarephath (Luke 4:25-26), and the little village of Nain was, in fact near thetown of Shunem.

d. Luke7:16 – The peopleimmediately recognize him as a great prophet come to help his people! They nodoubt mean here a new Elijah. But also the visitation of God and the raising upof God’s messenger here recalls two verses from Zechariah’s Benedictus (Luke 1:68-69) where God’scoming is manifested by the appearance of a Davidic figure. This is one ofthree miracles of resurrection Jesus performed. The other being the raising ofthe daughter of Jairus, the Capernaum synagogue ruler, and that of Lazarus. Ina document emphasizing the miraculous, the small number of resurrections issurely a telling testimony to the reliability of the record.

e. APPLICATION: Why did God’s only Son come anddwell among us? It was simply his love. He acted decisively in the midst of ourhopelessness. Seeing us lost and helpless, God’s heart poured out in compassionon us. Jesus still reaches out and touches our deadness, and his touch bringslife. Just like the crowd at Nain that day who fell on their knees in praise toGod, we see that God truly cares for us. Peter tells us to cast all our careson Him, for he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). You see, there was coming anotherresurrection of another Son of another grieving widow.

Invitation:

He provides through his resurrectiona free gift of new life that is eternal in nature. Would you receive that freegift right now?

[1] Culminating at Luke 9:20 withPeter’s confession that Jesus is the Anointed of God.

[2] The incident parallels the beginningof the birth narrative, in which the priest Zechariah responds in unbelief tothe announcement of the angel Gabriel. The Capernaum synagogue’s faithparallels the believing faith of the Virgin Mary.

[3] Note the similar language betweenLuke 7:15 and 1 Kings 17:23

Luke 7:1-10 - The Centurion's Faith

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:06:04 PDT

Jesus marvels at the centurion's faith

Key Truth: Lukewrote Luke 7:1-10 to teach believers that the faith that honors Christyields greater compassion, humility, and power.

Key Application: Today Iwant to show you what God’s Word says about Christ-honoring faith.

Key Verse: Luke 7:9

Pray and Read: Luke 7:1-10

Sermon Points:

1. Christ-honoringfaith yields greater compassion (Luke 7:1-5)

2. Christ-honoringfaith yields greater humility (Luke 7:6-8)

3. Christ-honoringfaith yields greater power (Luke 7:9-10)

Contextual Notes:

Followingthe Sermon on the Plain, Luke narrates a series of episodes which demonstratepeople responding in faith or unbelief to Jesus’ person and his message. InLuke 7, Jesus returns to Capernaum with his disciples in tow, training them, ministeringto the people, and healing the sick servant of a Gentile Roman centurion (Luke7:1-10). Though Jesus came especially for the “lost sheep of Israel” (Matt 10:5;15:24, 26; John 1:11), Luke shows that Jesus often finds greater faith amongthose outside of Israel. Luke makes it clear that Jesus has come to save allthe nations and foreshadows the expansion of the Kingdom to the nations in hissequel Acts, paralleling the salvation of the centurion Cornelius, whoseconversion confirms God’s plan to take salvation to all the nations (Acts 10).

Exposition: Notewell,

1. CHRIST-HONORING FAITH YIELDS GREATERCOMPASSION (Luke 7:1-5)

a. (|| Matt. 8:5-13; and perhaps John4:43-54)

b. Centurions – These officers were mainstays ofthe Roman army, commanding a “century” of about 100 soldiers (A Roman legionwas composed of sixty centuries). These veteran soldiers maintained disciplineand commanded great respect, and were paid 15 times an ordinary soldier’s wage.They were highly motivated, competent soldiers, and generally decent persons. Infact, the New Testament portrays every centurion mentioned in a good light(Mark 15:39; Acts 10:2; 27:53). This centurion, obviously a Gentile serving inthe oppressive Roman Army, models what Luke calls “great faith,” illustrating twoof Luke’s key themes of walking in faith vs. unbelief and in the Gospel’sextension to the Gentile nations.

c. Luke 7:2 – Sick and about to die: Matthewtells us that his “son” (pais) was paralyzed/palsyand suffering/greatly tormented (Matt. 8:6). Palsy begins with spasms, thenrespiratory problems to eventual death.

d. SinceRoman troops were not stationed in Galilee until AD 44, this centurion may haveserved under Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee (Luke 3:1), performing police,security, or customs services. He seems to have been a “God fearer” likeCornelius (Acts 10:2), a Gentile worshiping the God of Israel but has notconverted to Judaism. Apparently he financed the construction of the Capernaumsynagogue (Luke 7:5) because the local Jewish leaders first come to Jesus,asking him to do something for the man. There is, in fact, archaeological evidenceon inscriptions that Gentiles supported synagogues, and Josephus says thatGentiles frequently supported synagogues. These people were highly respected byJews.

e. ILLUSTRATION: Slaves in the ancient world,though they may be highly skilled craftsmen or even physicians like Luke, existedto serve their masters alone. They had no rights as persons, and their liveshad little value to society. Cicero once apologized for having a twinge ofregret when a slave of his suffered a painful death.

f. Bob Pierce the founder of WorldVision and Samaritan’s Purse, prayed, “Let my heart be broken by the thingsthat break the heart of God.”

g. APPLICATION: Compassion for others is aby-product of walking in Christ-honoring faith. So how do you react when youhear of children being killed in the womb, or of people becoming human trafficand sold as slaves for labor and other purposes, or when you learn of thepersecution of brothers and sisters in Christ, or when you hear of a motherdown the road who is struggling to provide for her family, or of a family whohas lost their home in a disaster, or when you hear of someone in the hospitalor having lost a loved one? Do you care? Does it motivate you to do anything atall for them? As Christians we are called to respond in compassion. How muchmore compassionate should we be toward those who have an eternal destiny beforethem of punishment because they do not have faith in Christ Jesus. How are yousharing Christ with those around you?

2. CHRIST-HONORING FAITH YIELDS GREATERHUMILITY (Luke 7:6-8)

a. Luke 7:6 – I do not deserve to haveyou come under my roof:Entering a Gentile home made a Jew unclean (Acts 10:28; 11:12), and thecenturion knowing that is being thoughtful of Jesus. But there is more, bycalling him Lord and recognizing Jesus’ superiority, the centurion subordinateshimself to Jesus, seeking a favor from his patron Lord.

b. Luke 7:7 – But say the word: The Roman army was renowned forits discipline and organization. This soldier commanding authority, he recognizesJesus as having greater authority with the authority of God’s word to heal(Psalm 107:20). Psalm 51:17

c. APPLICATION: Do you want Spiritual Authority?Then cultivate in your life the virtue of humility. Paul tells us in Romans12:3, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think ofyourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God hasgiven you.” But humility is not weakness. It is strength. There is a boldnessin humility. Proverbs 28:1 says, “The wicked flee when no one pursues, But therighteous are bold as a lion.” Proverbs 22:4: “By humilityand the fear of the LORD Are riches and honor and life.” Proverbs 15:33: “Thefear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility.”Pride is the source of most all other failures of sin in your life. By askingthe Holy Spirit to replace personal pride with humility, you will gainspiritual authority and Christ-likeness.

3. CHRIST-HONORING FAITH YIELDS GREATERPOWER (Luke 7: 9-10)

a. Luke 7:9 – I have not found suchgreat faith: Notonly an extraordinary praise for a Gentile, but also an indictment at theunbelief of Israel. The story parallels in Elisha’s healing of the SyrianGeneral Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-16) where Elisha is not present (2 Kings 5:10), andthe healing results in the recognition of the power of the Lord and the prophetrepresenting him (2 Kings 5:8, 15; Luke 7:16).

b. Thisis one of only two times (cf. Mark 6:6) in Scripture when Jesus was amazed (thaumazo). Notice that Jesus was notmore amazed at the man’s building the synagogue, but at his faith.

c. Luke 7:10 – and found the servantwell: Jesus’ act ofhealing from a distance serves not only to illustrate his miraculous power toheal, but also his present power to save. Jesus may be absent in the flesh, butHis Word is enough. This is the same Creator, who, the writer of Hebrews saysin his great chapter on faith, created the universe (aionas – ages) at His Word (Heb 11:3). “Let there be light, andthere was light (Gen 1:3). Isaiah said that his word would not return to himvoid, but would accomplish the purpose for which he sent it (Isaiah 55:11).

d. APPLICATION: In the same way, Jesus need onlyspeak, and our broken, thwarted lives are made whole.

Invitation:

[1] Culminating at Luke 9:20 withPeter’s confession that Jesus is the Anointed of God.

Iranian Pastor Youcef still alive, Nations protest order

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 06:09:25 PST

Youcef, Joel, Tina, & Daniel Nadarkhani

UPDATE 3/5/2012
Sources connecteddirectly to the case have confirmed as of Saturday morning in Iran that Youcefis alive, that he is doing well and is in good health. Thank theLord. Youcef's life is still inimminent danger as long as he remains behind prison bars. We can’t stop prayingand spreading the word about his situation until he is out of prison. Pleasepost these updates to Twitter, Facebook and send them on to friends and family. The US House ofRepresentatives passed a resolutioncondemning Iran for the death sentence for apostay and demanding hisimmediate release. The Senate is now working on their version of theresolution. Germanysummoned the Iranian ambassador to the Foreign Ministry to express theirconcerns over Youcef's case. As we have reminded you inthe past this is a spiritual battle. The Islamists in Iran want to destroyChristianity from that country. We ask that you pray for Youcef's strength tostand for the Gospel and that the Lord Jesus would use his testimony to bringmany to the transforming power of Christ. Source: Present Truth Ministries 3/5/2012

UPDATE 2/22/2012

Present Truth Ministies and American Center for Law and Justice are reporting that the Iranian judiciary has signed an execution order for brotherYoucef Nadarkhani. At this point this is the only detail we know. Based upon how the Iraniancourts have acted in the past we do not know what to anticipate. Often theywill execute people without any prior notice to attorney’s or family. The order has not beendelivered to Youcef’s family and we do not know if they will allow anotherappeal. We also do not know if it has been approved by the Ayatollah who is thehead of the Judiciary Sadegh Larijani. At this point pray for his deliverance and that the Lord would exalt his holy name. Source: Present Truth Ministries, ACLJ

UPDATE 12/15/2011

Youcef’s local attorney inRasht was informed that the head of the Iranian judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani,has ordered the presiding judge over the trial in Rasht, Mr. Ghazi Kashani todo nothing for one year. The order was not to issue a verdict and hold Youcefin prison. They were told to use whatever means necessary to cause him torecant and return to Islam. They hope that in a year his case will fade from world interest so that they can do what they want with him. We ask that you would prayfor this situation. Ask the Heavenly Father to work his perfect will forYoucef, provide for his family and working salvation in the lives of many inIran. Source: PresentTruth Ministries

UPDATE 12/8/2011

PastorYoucef Nadarkhani remains in good health and strong faith as he awaits amid-December final verdict on his impending execution. Despite the regime’sattempt to distance themselves Youcef’s apostasy conviction, the ayatollahscontinue to warn of the threat active house churches play against theirgovernment. Pastors Behnam Irani and Petros Forouton remain in prison for“crimes against national security,” from being involved in Christian ministry.A Tehran court recently handed down a verdict for Alireza Seyyedian whoreceived six years in prison for crimes against national security forProtestant Christian activity. Four more Christians have been ordered to reportto prison within a few weeks; William and Nazly Belyad, Parviz Khalaj, andBehrouz Sadegh Khandjani were all convicted of crimes against the order fortheir Christian activity. Parviz and William both have previous convictions forthe same. William received five years and Parviz has a year added to hissentence. Pray for our Iranian brothers and sisters and their families facingextremely difficult choices and all facing financial hardships. Use yourexperience with being an advocate for brother Youcef to be an advocate for eachof these believers as well.

UPDATE 11/16/2011

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani continues to await a verdict on his impending execution. A member of his denomination, the Church of Iran, who requested anonymity, reports that Pastor Youcef has been given literature attacking Christianity as false and Islam as true in order to entrap him or induce him to recant. Therefore, his attorneys have advised him to remain silent and not respond to questions. He has also been physically hit by authorities. Pray for Youcef's strength to remain firm, for his mind to be toughened, for grace to endure his trial. Pray for increased international pressure on Iran and boldness and wisdom for Youcef. Source: Baptist Press

UPDATE 10/28/2011
Brother Youcef Nadarkhani is still waiting for a rulingfrom the Gilan provincial court. The court sent a second letter earlier thisweek to the Ayatollah Khameini requesting his legal opinion since it has becomean international political issue. They have not received any response from hisoffice. If he does not respond, the court will have to issue the decisionwithout his input. The court does not want to make any political or religiousstatement by either signing the order for his execution or releasing him andoverriding Sharia law. At this point no one can tell what will happen. Youcefcertainly needs prayer and continued international pressure. Contact NOW Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei asking for the release of Youcef Nadarkhani http://shar.es/bX669Source: Present Truth Ministries

Sign the petition to ask US Sec. of State Hillary Clinton to pressure Iran to Save Christian Pastor. Also, email the Embassy of Iran in Canada and ask them to release Pastor Youcef: executive@iranembassy.ca

Use this link to the Canadian Embassy of Iran to appeal on Youcef's behalf. The link has a suggested writing and etiquette outline. Contact the US State Department urging the Secretary of State or the President to speak out on this human rights violation and appeal to the Iranian government to acquit and release Pastor Nadarkhani.

UPDATE: 10/14/2011 11:30am:
Breaking: #Nadarkhani's lawyer tells ACLJ moments ago, no retrial, Ayatollah can delay opinion but he believes response within 20 days #Iran Source: ACLJ

UPDATE: 10/10/2011 11:00am EDT:

The delivery of YoucefNadarkhani’s verdict has been delayed again by the court in Gilan province. Thereason for the delay, according to his attorney, Mohammed Dadkhah, is becausethey have referred the case to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Contact NOW Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei asking for the release of Youcef Nadarkhani http://shar.es/bX669

It is very unusual for acourt to ask for the legal opinion of the Supreme Leader. Pastor Youcef was supposed to receive his verdict today. We ask that you continue to pray and takeaction for him. Source: Present Truth Ministries

UPDATE: 10/5/2011 4:00PM EDT: As far as we know, Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is still alive. Today was the seventh and last day by law his written verdict was to be delivered. Grassroots advocacy has put the news media, int'l leaders, the US House Speaker, the President, and the US State Dept in gear, but we need to hear Sec. Clinton weigh in on this.

Sign the petition to ask US Sec. of State Hillary Clinton to pressure Iran to Save Christian Pastor. Also, email the Embassy of Iran in Canada and ask them to release Pastor Youcef: executive@iranembassy.ca

According to presenttruthmin, a group of officials from Tehran interviewed Pastor Youcef today about the behavior of the judges and the charges filed against him. It seems like a positive development, however, in Iran only the facts must be considered. Some observers are concerned that they could manipulate his words in order to prove their false charges against him. The verdict has been delayed until Monday October 10^th. The delay may mean that the judges have decided to consult with key religious and political leaders, such as the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Keep praying for Youcef, his wife Tina, and sons Daniel (11) and Joel (7).

Keep up the pressure: Use the webform yourself on the website of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei asking for the release of Youcef Nadarkhani http://shar.es/bX669

Update: 9/29 8:30am EDT: The reports of Pastor Youcef's sentence being overturned are not true. He is supposed to receive a written verdict within 7 days, but in the past this has taken months. Source: Present Truth Ministries

Update: 9/28 8:00pm EDT:ACLJ is reporting that Youcef Nadarkhani's death sentence may have been overturned or changed http://t.co/E3UIkfqD. They are working to verify this information with the Iranian Supreme Court and Pastor Nadarkhani's legal team. Pray!

UPDATE: 9/28/2011 4:40EDT: Baptist Press reports Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani on Wednesday refused for the fourth and final time to recant his faith and could be executed at any time.

In the U.S., Speaker of the House John Boehner released a statement urging Iran to spare the pastor's life and release him. Overseas, British Foreign Secretary William Hague also called on Iran to overturn the sentence. Observers say external pressure could be critical in preventing the Iranian government from performing its first apostasy execution since 1990.

Use this link to the Embassy of Iran to appeal on Youcef's behalf. The link has a suggested writing and etiquette outline. Contact the US State Department urging the Secretary of State or the President to speak out on this human rights violation and appeal to the Iranian government to acquit and release Pastor Nadarkhani. See this Video with ICLJ's Jordan Sekulow on Youcef's imminent danger.

UPDATE: 9.28.2011 3:30EDT: Pastor Youcef returned to court today, and for the third time refused to recant his Christian faith. Under the Iranian court's interpretation of Sharia law, he could be executed at any time. Christian Solidarity Worldwide is reporting that the Iranian Supreme Court is going to give him one final chance to recant before sentencing him to execution by hanging.

The Nadarkhani Family

9/26/2011: Just days after Iran released two Americans accused of spying in Iran, an Iranian court has upheld the apostasy conviction and execution sentence of 34 year old Christian Pastor with the evangelical Church of Iran, Youcef Nadarkhani.

It is reported that Pastor Youcef was able to see his wife Tina and sons Daniel (7) and Joel (4) for the first time since March 2011, and was in good spirits speaking of how he longed to serve the church upon his release. They may have seen him for the last time.

Youcef originally got in trouble for complaining that Iranian public schools required his sons to study the Q'uran as proselytism. Later he was charged with apostasy and evangelization of Muslims.

Pastor Youcef will be brought to the court for two additional “hearings” on September 27th and 28th for the sole purpose of being called upon to recant his Christian faith. Although Pastor Youcef’s attorneys will attempt to appeal the case, there is no guarantee that the provincial court will not act on its own interpretation of Shariah law and execute pastor Youcef as early as Wednesday.

Technically, there is no right of appeal, and under Iran’s interpretation of Hadith and Shariah law, Pastor Youcef is to be given three chances to recant. He has already been asked to recant yesterday and today, and is scheduled to be asked again tomorrow after which point he could be executed at any time.

Press for the international community to take note of Pastor Youcef’s situation and call for his unconditional release.

Contact your member of Congress and are urge the State Department to get involved to save the life of this Christian Pastor. Contact the Iranian Ambassador to ask for Pastor Nadarkhani's acquittal and release.

Pastor Nadarkhani has been charged, and faces execution, solely on the basis of his adopting Christian faith. As such, the Islamic Republic of Iran is violating its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Article 18 includes a provision for the right to “have or to adopt” a religion, which has been interpreted authoritatively by the UN Human Rights Committee as including the right to change one’s religion. Iran’s constitution sanctions Christianity as a legitimate minority faith and asserts that Christians are allowed to freely carry out their religious rites. Article 23 asserts that no one may be “reprimanded simply because of having a certain belief”.

Please share Pastor Youcef’s situation with anyone you know, and pray for his release. You can learn more about Pastor Youcef's conviction, appeal, U.S. reaction, rehearing, and impending execution.

Source: American Center for Law and Justice

Luke 6:17-49 - Sermon on the Plain

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 12:51:20 PDT

Sea of Galilee near Capernaum

Key Truth: Lukewrote Luke 6:17-49 to teach believers to experience the blessings ofwalking in belief, not the woes of unbelief, and to walk in love toward enemies.

Key Application: Today Iwant to show you what God’s Word says about walking in belief.

Pray and Read: Luke 6:17-49

Sermon Points:

1. Walkingin belief is blessed, but in unbelief are woes (Luke 6:17-26)

2. Puttingbelief into practice develops Christ-like love (Luke 6:27-36)

3. Puttingbelief into practice develops Christ-like integrity (Luke 6:37-42)

4. Puttingbelief into practice develops Christ-like character (Luke 6:43-45)

5. Puttingbelief into practice develops Christ-like stability (Luke 6:46-49)

Contextual Notes:

Bycomparing belief and unbelief, Luke’s Gospel calls us to believe that Jesus isthe Messiah who fulfills the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants (Luke 1-2). Thefirst step in belief is to repent of our sin (Luke 3:1-20) to God’s sufferingServant, who, through his sacrificial death (Luke 3:21-23a), is the trulyobedient Son of God, unlike sinful Adam (Luke 3:23b-38), defeating Satan inevery area of human life: body, mind, and spirit (Luke 4:1-13).

Inthe power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus begins his ministry around the Sea ofGalilee (Luke 4:14-9:50).[1]Luke powerfully contrasts belief and unbelief in a series of events in Galilee.First, Luke compares the response of unbelief and rejection of Jesus at theNazareth synagogue (Luke 4:14-30)[2]with the response of belief and unleashed power at the one in Capernaum (Luke4:31-44). After calling his first disciples in belief to follow him (Luke5:1-11), his ministry arouses the unbelieving hostility of the religiousleaders when he forgives sins (Luke 5:12-26). When Levi the tax collectorresponds in belief and follows Him (Luke 5:27-32), the Pharisees respond inunbelief and anger to Jesus’ dining with sinners (Luke 5:33-39).

Thefourth and fifth incidents of opposition center around the unbelief of thePharisees around their rigid ideas of keeping Sabbath (Luke 6:1-11) contrastedwith Jesus’ calling of twelve believing disciples as apostles (Luke 6:12-16).

NowJesus gives his disciples and apostles his basic teaching, the choices thatthose who choose to follow Him must make in daily life. Like His Sermon on theMount, this is his Sermon on the Plain with Beatitudes showing the blessingsfor operating in belief and the woes associated with operating in unbelief(Luke 6:17-26). Walking in belief issues means loving one’s enemies (Luke6:27-36), backing away from condemnation, and walking in forgiveness (Luke6:37-42).

Exposition: Notewell,

1. WALKING IN BELIEF IS BLESSED, BUT INUNBELIEF ARE WOES (Luke 6:17-26)

a. Having come down from the mountainwhere the Twelve were chosen, Jesus is met in the plain by a large group ofpeople, some who had come quite a distance, even Gentiles, awaiting healing andrelief. Again he is gracious, restoring sick bodies and sending out evilspirits. And now, after proclaiming the Kingdom, he defines the radical valuesthat characterize this Kingdom (Luke 6:20).

b. Luke 6:17-49 – Sermon on the Plain. Those who point to discrepanciesbetween this passage and Matt. 5-7 ignore the obvious. We don’t find it unusualwhen politicians repeat the same themes and comments in speech after speech.Why should anyone expect Jesus, traveling and teaching about the kingdom He isbringing in, never to repeat Himself? Luke purposefully places this sermon “ona level place” (Luke 6:17) so we will not mistake it for Matthew’s Sermon onthe Mount (Matt 5:1). While it touches on many of the same subjects, it is anentirely different sermon. Not only the geography, but the Sermon on the Mountwas only to his disciples (until Matt 7:12) while crowds came to hear (Luke6:18) the Sermon on the Plain, even though he directed it to his disciples(Luke 6:20). Matthew’s sermon is placed earlier in the Galilean ministry andprecedes the calling of the Twelve. Matthew’s version is much fuller thanLuke’s, and there are considerable differences in details. Matthew has nineBeatitudes while Luke selects the first, fourth, second, and ninth, but addsfour woes, recalling OT prophetic language (Deut 27-28). While the first eightof Matthew’s Beatitudes are in third person, Luke’s are all in second. What ismost significant is not the differences between the accounts, but rather thefundamental consistency. Both begin with the Beatitudes and end with the wiseand foolish builders. Both include love for enemies, judging others, and treesknown by their fruit. Those who heard Jesus were so deeply impressed that whenLuke interviewed them years later, they remembered his teachings with greatclarity.

c. Luke 6:20 – Blessed are you who arepoor. Thephysically poor are spiritually advantaged because their poverty fostersreliance on God. The poor here can also mean those who suffer oppression andpoverty because of their status as God’s people. The “poor” are those who trust God for their salvation (Isaiah49:13). Among first century Jews, giving to the poor was one way a wealthyperson might commend himself to God. But among Greek Gentiles, Christ’saffirmation of the poor must have stunned them. The wealthy Greeks wereincreasingly dedicated to their own personal fortunes. The few who did anythingfor anyone else might endow a library, a school, a bath, or establish a fund topay for an annual banquet for the town. But rather than real generosity, theywere only ostentatious displays. Roman society viewed the poor man who workedfor hire with disgust, not pity or respect. Even self-made wealth was lookeddown on with disdain by the upper classes. Against this background we canbetter understand the difficult choice these words call Jesus’ followers tomake. If one is to follow Jesus, the values of human society truly must berejected and replaced with those appropriate for a kingdom ruled by theMessiah.

d. Luke 6:21 – Who hunger and weep. God promises in the OT to feed thehungry and bring comfort and joy to his people. There may be an allusion hereto the Messianic banquet (Isaiah 25:6-8), a common theme for Luke. Being filled(sustained) was a hoped-for blessing of the Messianic era. Weeping was a signof repentance.

e. Luke 6:22-23 – When men hate you. This verse echoes Isaiah 66:5 about“those who exclude you because of my name.” Jesus is referring to all kinds ofrejection and slander. Jesus’ hearers would have caught his point that mosttrue OT prophets suffered rejection.

f. Luke 6:24-25 – Woe to you rich. The physically rich arespiritually disadvantaged because their wealth is a danger and hindrance toputting God first (Luke 12:13-21; 16:19-31). Most of Jesus’ hearers were poor Jews, but Luke’s urban,Greco-Roman readership were probably much better off (Luke 1:3-4). How do therich inherit woe while the poor are blessed? In Greek society, wealth made itsowner self-centered and indifferent to others, leading to an attitude ofcontempt, opposite the loving concern which we are called to give others. Therich are so satisfied with themselves that they have no concern for the futureor spiritual realities (Luke 12:15-21). Wealth insulates the wealthy from asense of inadequacy which leads us to realize our need for God. The tragedy isthat it insulates us from concern for others which God Himself has, and whichhe expects to be reproduced in those who name Christ Jesus as Lord.

g. Luke 6:26 – When men speak well ofyou. False prophetswere often popular because they spoke what the people and the leaders wanted tohear (Micah 2:11; Jer 6:14; 28:8-9).

2. WALKING IN BELIEF CALLS FOR LOVINGENEMIES (Luke 6:27-36)

a. Luke 6:27-31 - The Law of Love: Loveas God loves –Jesus commands his follower to a radical new ethic: to love one’s enemies (||Matt5:44, 39, 40, 42, finishing with the Golden Rule (Luke 6:31; ||Matt 7:12). Peoplenaturally love those who love and reward them in return (Lev 19:18). But Jesusmakes it a normative standard of behavior for his followers to love theirenemies. Love here is not an emotion or a feeling. It is an action. There isvery little reward here on this earth for loving enemies. Some will change, butmany will be even more hostile because you are gracious. Remember two things.God rewards those who love their enemies, and His rewards are better than anyordinary folks can offer. And in loving enemies, you will become more likeJesus, who actually gave His life for those who rejected and hated Him (Rom5:7-8).

b. Luke 6:29 – Strikes your cheek. The blow is probably an insultingslap with the back of the hand. It was the most grievous insult in the ancientNear East. The clothing refers to the outer and inner cloak. The poorest ofpeople might have only one each.

c. Luke 6:30-33 – Beggars were usually in genuineneed and unable to work. Jewish society emphasized charity and responsibility.These ideas like lending without hoping to receive back were unheard of.

Luke6:34-36 – (||Matt5:44-48 in a slightly different order). Bemerciful, just as your Father is merciful. In the Roman world, interestrates ran as high as 48%, but the OT forbade usury, or charging interest tobrothers. Jesus calls Christians to unselfish giving. Jesus call to imitate Godis not new. The OT called God’s people to “be holy because I, the Lord yourGod, am holy” (Lev. 19:2). The power of Christianity is that Jesus not onlyforgives our sins, but comes into our lives and infuses us with an ability thatno human being has alone – the ability to serve God and please Him by doing Hisgood and perfect will in serving others.

3. PUTTING BELIEF INTO PRACTICEDEVELOPS CHRIST-LIKE INTEGRITY (Luke 6:37-42)

a. Inthe Greek NT[3],verse 36 introduces this section and really caps it off (Luke 6:36). Jesuselaborates on his command to do good to others by turning to the subjects offorgiveness and judgment. We must not condemn others, but rather forgive themjust as we desire to be forgiven. Jesus’ command does not mean that we neverconfront sin or that churches should not in sadness deal in church disciplinewith erring members when necessary. What Jesus condemns is hypocriticaljudgment, a judgment that creates a double standard. Jesus says that if we willgenuinely love (Luke 6:27-36), then some will respond and use the measure weused with them (Luke 6:37-39).

b. Luke 6:38 – Good measure, presseddown, shaken together. Theimage here is of the purchase of grain. A generous seller not only fills the measuringcontainer for the customer, but then presses down the grain and shakes thecontainer to make room for even more. The then tops it off until it overflowsinto the customer’s lap (kolpos) or the folds of the garment at the waist,which could serve as a large pocket for grain.

c. Graincontracts of the ancient period sometimes stipulated that the same container orinstrument must be used to measure both the grain and the payment.

d. Luke 6:39 - Can a blind man… Jesus is referring to a commonproverb in both Greek and Jewish sources.

e. Luke 6:40 – A student is not abovehis teacher. The wordfor student is mathetes (disciple).In NT times, learners attached themselves to a teacher. They lived and traveledwith him, listened to his teaching, asked him questions, and were askedquestions in turn. Their goal, however, was not simply to learn what theirteacher knew, but rather to be like their teacher in every way. Jesus used thismode of teaching to train his Twelve disciples for future leadership. Thedisciple who is fully trained (katerismenos– “put into proper condition, make complete”). Our greatest need is not forskills, but for spiritual maturity. As we become more like Christ, God uses us.

f. Luke 6:41 – The speck, the plank. Jesus is using humor, exaggeration,and hyperbole to draw out laughter and attention from his audience. There weresimilar proverbs in Greek literature, and Jesus is using the familiar to teacha lesson. If we all looked after ourselves, there’d be no need to peercritically at others. The plank (dokos) is probably a large beam rather than atwo-by-four, making the image more striking.

g. Luke 6:42 – The Greek term hypocritēs is a colorful word and was what an actor in a drama wascalled. It became a metaphor for one who pretended to be something one was not.By the time of the New Testament, the term was often used of a deceiver or whatwe know of as a hypocrite, acting one way but being something else.

4. PUTTING BELIEF INTO PRACTICEDEVELOPS CHRIST-LIKE CHARACTER (Luke 6:43-45)

a. Jesusnow develops the reference to hypocrisy in Luke 6:42 with several illustrationsfrom nature. Just as good trees produce good fruit and bad trees bad, so thosewhose hearts are right with God produce good deeds.

b. Luke6:43 – Bad tree, bad fruit. The term bad (sapros) originally meant decayed orrotten and was an appropriate term for bad fruit. It could also mean anythingof inferior quality, in which the quality of the product (the fruit) gave a reputationto the producer (the tree.)

c. Luke6:44 – Figs … grapes. Olives, figs, and grapes were the most common agriculturalproducts in the Holy Land, so the image is a common one for Jesus’ hearers,thus strengthening the integrity of the text written by a Greek physician whodid not grow up in that area.

5. PUTTING BELIEF INTO PRACTICEDEVELOPS CHRIST-LIKE STABILITY (Luke 6:46-49)

a. Jesus’reference to good deeds flowing from a good heart (Luke 6:45) transitions intosaying a word about putting his words into practice (Luke 6:46) and anillustration about the consequences that follow (Luke 6:47-49). Whenever raincomes on the rocky, dry hills of Israel, the floods rush down the bare slopesand sweep everything in their path away.

b. APPLICATION: Life has its disasters, too. If weare not firmly anchored in obedience, we will be swept away. Those who hear hiswords and practice them are like a man who builds his house on a firmfoundation that survives life’s storms. Those on the other hand who merely paylip-service to calling Jesus their Lord, but not doing what he says, arebuilding on a weak spiritual foundation that will collapse when the storms oflife strike.

c. Luke6:48-49 – Ezekiel uses a similar image of a devastating storm to describe thefate of false prophets who deceive God’s people (Ezek 13:13-14

d. Luke6:48-49 – Ezekiel uses a similar image of a devastating storm to describe thefate of false prophets who deceive God’s people (Ezek 13:13-14).

e. Luke6:49 – Putting words to practice. Jesus’ saying is similar to Ezekiel 33:31-33:“With their mouths they express devotion…. For they hear your words but do notput them into practice.”

Invitation:

[1] Culminating at Luke 9:20 withPeter’s confession that Jesus is the Anointed of God.

[3] Nestle-Aland 27.

Luke 6:1-16 - Lord of the Sabbath

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 12:52:56 PDT

Key Truth: Lukewrote Luke 6:1-16 to teach believers that belief is not aboutfollowing a list of rules but about a relationship with God that affects yourrelationships with others.

Key Application: Today Iwant to show you what God’s Word says about a relationship with God.

Pray and Read: Luke 6:1-16

Sermon Points:

1. Believingis not about following a list of rules (Luke 6:1-11)

2. Believingis about a relationship with God (Luke 6:12-16

Contextual Notes:

Inthe power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus begins his ministry around the Sea ofGalilee (Luke 4:14-9:50).[1]Luke powerfully contrasts belief and unbelief in a series of events in Galilee.First, Luke compares the response of unbelief and rejection of Jesus at the Nazarethsynagogue (Luke 4:14-30)[2]with the response of belief and unleashed power at the one in Capernaum (Luke4:31-44). After calling his first disciples in belief to follow him (Luke5:1-11), his ministry arouses the unbelieving hostility of the religiousleaders when he forgives sins (Luke 5:12-26). When Levi the tax collectorresponds in belief and follows Him (Luke 5:27-32), the Pharisees respond inunbelief and anger to Jesus’ dining with sinners (Luke 5:33-39).

Exposition: Notewell,

1. BELIEVING IS NOT ABOUT FOLLOWING ALIST OF RULES (Luke 6:1-11)

a. Theconflict which began with healing the paralytic (Luke 5:1-11) and the call ofLevi (Luke 5:12-26) continues. Immediately prior to this passage, Jesus givesthree parables pointing to the inevitable clash between old Jewish expectationsand the new thing God is doing in Jesus. Jesus is not reforming Judaism. He isbringing the dawn of God’s final salvation, and this new wineskin will expandto include all the nations with Israel in celebration of the King of Kings.

b. Hereas in the other Gospels (|| Mark 2:23-28), Luke emphasizes the conflict overSabbath-keeping. The dispute is over what is permitted on that holy day.Walking through a field on the Sabbath, the disciples pluck and eat ears ofcorn (Lev 19:9-10; Deut 23:25), and the Pharisees, watching them, object (Exod 20:8-11;Deut 5:14). They don’t accuse the disciples of stealing, but rather of workingby harvesting grain (Exod. 34:21).

c. Luke 6:3-4 – What David did: Jesus replies by defining the truemeaning of God’s Law, quoting an OT case where the letter of the law yieldedplace to the spirit of the law as an urgent necessity (1 Sam 21:1-6). David hadcome to the sanctuary at Nob, northeast of Jerusalem (1 Sam 4:2-4; Jer. 7:12).David asked and received from Ahimelech the priest the “bread of the Presence,”set out each week as a sacrifice to the Lord and eaten only by the priests (Lev24:8-9). David was not really supposed to do that, but he was in need, and thepriest helped him. More than that, Jesus draws a connection with David, aconnection Luke has already made for us (Luke 1:32-33, 68-79; 2:11; 3:22, 31).David had authority to eat as he did, and Jesus has the same right to a higherdegree as the Lord. Further, the bread was changed out and consumed on theSabbath, and the connection drawn here is important to show that the Provisionof God in Jesus is present, fulfilling the covenant of David in the role of thepriest.

d. Luke 6:5 - Jesus then claims divineauthority as Lord of the Sabbath, and He, not tradition, determines what is“lawful” to do on that day. Since He instituted it, he has authority toredefine its significance or correct its purpose for the Pharisees, focusing iton relationships with God and others.

e. Jesusmakes clear that human need has precedence over the burden of ceremonialobservance (Mark 2:27). The rabbis have distorted the God’s intent for theSabbath in giving a day of rest. The writer of Hebrews made it clear that onecan only enter into His Sabbath rest in belief, not unbelief, what thePharisees could not figure out and fought furiously against.

f. APPLICATION: Their differences boil down to onething. Jesus approaches the Sabbath as a time for relationship with God. ThePharisees approach it with religious observance without relationship. Jesus’overriding principle is that the Sabbath is for doing good, for responding tohuman need, focusing on relationships with God and with each other graces,rather than violates, the principle of the Sabbath rest. Being a believer isnot about meticulously keeping a set of rules and regulations. It is rather alife oriented towards loving others and pleasing God.

g. But what about observing Sabbath? What guidelines should we followabout what is right or wrong to do on Sunday? Like Jesus, we best honor Godwhen we affirm relationships with God and each other rather than imposingrestrictions.

h. (|| Mark 3:1-6): Jesus shows againhow the law of love must override ritual observances like the Sabbath in regardto a man with a withered (dried) hand, perhaps paralyzed or atrophied.

i. Luke6:7 – A reason to accuse Jesus:They spied on him, watched maliciously, lay in wait for him, the text says.Their secretive and malicious motives are contrasted with Jesus’ sincere pubicact, bringing the man forward for all to see. Could one save life on theSabbath? Since life was not in immediate danger, this healing would have beenconsidered a violation of Sabbath by the Pharisees.

j. Luke 6:9 – To destroy life? The question seems puzzling in twoways. The man is not in danger of dying, and failing to heal does not seem thesame as destroying life. Jesus is making that point that the OT is radicallypro-life. Anything that impairs the quality of human life as God intended doesdestroy life. And failure to set right what is destructive to life is likekilling. But there is more here. The heavy irony is that they are seeking todestroy Jesus’ life.

k. Luke 6:11 – They were furious: “They were filled with madness,mindless fury” (anoia). This versesummarizes the five conflicts with the religious leaders and their walking inunbelief. The real Sabbath violation was not healing a man but the uncaring andhypocritical attitude of the Pharisees.

l. APPLICATION:Rebellion breedsmindless fury and madness. It comes from an uncaring and hypocritical attitude designedto control others. It’s bad enough in a teenager, but horrible when added toreligion. It refuses submission to the Lord yet demands everyone follow itslegalistic, life-choking regulations. It is in homes, churches, board rooms, workcrews, sales meetings, governments. It is not Christ’s way of doing things. Hisway brings abundant life (John 10:10).

2. BELIEVING IS ABOUT A RELATIONSHIPWITH GOD (Luke 6:12-16)

a. Eventsare now definitely leading to the Pharisees and scribes taking action againstJesus, so he must prepare his followers to continue His work when he is nolonger with them. So from among his many disciples He selects and commissionstwelve for the responsibility of apostleship, of being sent out (asmissionaries). Luke, in his interest in prayer (Luke 3:21; 9:18, 28; 11:1-13;18:1-8; 22:31-32, 40, 46), mentions that Jesus spent all night praying beforeselecting them. (Lists of Apostles found also at ||Mark 3:16-19; Matt 10:2-4;Act 1:13).

b. APPLICATION: If Jesus spent all night in prayerbefore making the big decision to choose Twelve, how much more do we need tospend time in prayer before big decisions? We don’t need to spend less time inprayer but actually more.

Click for a full-size image of Jesus' family tree.

c. Thismotley crew of disciple-apostles has many connections on local, social, andfamily levels. Though the difficulties cannot bring us to any certainconclusion, some details can help us make sense of this list of men. Thedetails come from the Bible, from ancient church historians Eusebius andHegesippus and Jewish historian Josephus, from nineteenth century European MessianicJewish scholar Alfred Edersheim (1825-1889), and from recent scholarshipincluding PBS and William Barclay.[3]Most of them grew up around the region of Galilee.

d. Firstwe have two Galilean brothers SIMONPETER and ANDREW (Luke 6:14)

e. Then two morebrothers, PHILIP and BARTHOLOMEW (Bar-Telamyon,Temalyon) generally supposed the same as NATHANAEL.

f. Justas John the Baptizer was Jesus’ 2^nd cousin on his mother Mary’s side,Jesus had other cousins. Mary had a sister named Salome (Matt. 27:56; Mark 16:1) married to Zebedee from Bethsaida,with sons JAMES and JOHN. Therefore, James and John wereJesus’ first cousins. James would be martyred (Acts 12:1-2) and John wouldwrite a Gospel, three letters, the Revelation, and eventually pastor the churchat Ephesus.

g. Thenon the side of Jesus’ step-father, Joseph the Carpenter, the Lord hadstep-cousins, legally cousins, but not biologically because Jesus was Virginborn. According to the early church historian Eusebius, a man named Clopas (same name as Alphaeus[4])was the brother of Joseph the Carpenter.[5]This Clopas is probably the man Cleopas mentioned in Luke 24:18 to whom Jesusrevealed himself on the Road to Emmaus. His wife, Mary of Clopas (John 19:25), was sister to Salome and Mary. She waspresent at the Crucifixion (Matt. 27:56; Mark 15:40) and accompanied Mary themother of Jesus to Jesus’ tomb on Resurrection Sunday. It appears that Clopas(Alphaeus) and Mary had five sons: Matthew-Levi, Thomas Didymus (the twin), Jamesson of Alphaeus, Judas LebbaeusThaddeus, and Simon the Zealot, except for the Virgin Birth, all Jesus’ doublefirst cousins.

i. MATTHEW & THOMAS(also called Didymus which means Athetwin@)Possibly fraternal or identical twins.Thomas is closely connected with Matthew in Luke=sand Matthew=sgospels.[6]

ii. JAMES SON OF ALPHAEUS (OR CLOPAS) orJames the Less (John 14:22; 19:25)

iii. JUDAS THADDEUS(called Lebbaeus by Matthew from Hebrew lebh Aaheart@)also called by him and Mark, Thaddeus, derived from Hebrew thodahfrom Apraise.@ Points to the heartiness and praiseworthinessor great personality of Thaddeus/Judas. Luke calls him Judas of James (the brother, not likely the son (NIV) ofJames) Luke 6:15, cf. John 14:22. Thushis name was Judas Lebbaeus and his surname Thaddeus.

iv. SIMON ZELOTES OR THE ZEALOT,originally connected with a terrorist group called the Galilean Zealots, orZealots for the Law.[7] When James the half-brother of Jesus died inA.D. 62,[8]Simon would succeed him as leader of the Jerusalem Church[9]and be martyred by the Emperor Trajan in A.D. 106.[10]

h. So among the Apostles we notice 7 cousins of theLord: James and John, sons of Salome and Zebedee, and the three or five sons ofAlphaeus/Clopas and Mary: James, Judas Lebbaeus Thaddaeus, Simon Zelotes,[11] andpossibly Matthew-Levi and Thomas the twin. The rest were Galileans who grew upwith these other men, two brothers Philip and Bartholomew and two brothersSimon Peter and Andrew.

i. JUDAS ISCARIOT (Ish Kerioth) B literally“a man of town.” There was also an ancient town in Judah by that name (Joshua15:25). Thus all the disciples were Galilean except this one Judean. This may throw some light on his laterhistory and why he might have been pushed out to be a traitor.

j. APPLICATION: So what does this information tellus about Jesus and his Apostles? It tells us that most of these men knew Jesusfrom the time He was a child. They had watched Him. They had seen his character,his way of doing, his sinless behavior. They had played around Him, eatenaround Him, and worked Him. They had a relationship with Him. Think about yourcousins. How many of your cousins would you follow if he said he was theMessiah? Yeah, that’s what I thought. These men knew him and followed him.Their following him was based not on their ability to keep the rules, mind thedo’s and don’ts but based solely on His character and his person. For them,believing was about a relationship with the Lord and played out in theirrelationships with each other. “Love the Lord your God and love your neighboras yourself.”

k. Thathasn’t changed. Following Jesus is not about how well you can uphold the legalisticdemands of religious people. Following Jesus is about having a relationshipwith Him. Knowing Him, enjoying Him, working and playing with Him. When youfollow Jesus, when you have a relationship with Jesus, He sends you out to dohis will. This explains why every area of your life is submitted to Him, and youlive to serve Him and enjoy Him and bring praise to Him in all that you are anddo.

Invitation:

Did you know that you, (Yes! You!)can have a relationship with this same Jesus? He is still alive and He is stillsitting in a resurrected body at the right hand of His Father’s Throne, and Hestill wants to give you the gift of eternal life if you will but ask him toforgive you of your sins and submit your life to Jesus. Won’t you do that rightnow?

[1] Culminating at Luke 9:20 withPeter’s confession that Jesus is the Anointed of God.

[3] Alfred Edersheim, TheLife and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Book 3, Chap. 17, 360-361; BibleHistory (http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/biblehistorydaily/),John J Rousseau and Rami Arav, Jesus andHis World, (Augsburg Fortress, 1995); http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/jesus/tree.html.Also see William Barclay, The Master’sMen (1959).

[4] Alphaeus and Clopas are the samename in Hebrew. Alphaeus in the Babylonian Talmud as Ilphai or Ilpha (R. hash.17b) and the other often found in the Jerusalem Talmud as Chilphai (Jer. B. Kama 7a). Wetzel, Theol. Stud. u. Krit. 1883,Heft 3.

[5] Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3:11, quoting Hegesippus.

[6] Edersheim says that Matthew-Levi’sfather was named Clopas, but he does not draw a connection because he says itdoes not seem likely that with three other sons that Matthew-Levi and Thomaswould be considered sons as well and that Clopas was a common name. Others sayit was a rare name, and why would one with three sons not just as likely havefive?

[7] Josephus, War, 4.3.9. The Simonof Clopas/Alphaeus Hegissipus in Eusebius is Simon Zelotes according toEdersheim (Life & Times,5.15.889) because first his position in Apostles list along with other sons ofAlphaeus, second, because only two Simons were prominent in the NT (brother ofthe Lord and Zelotes); third, Hegesippus calls him son of Clopas. Edersheimsays that Levi-Matthew’s father was an Alphaeus but does not connect him withthem. I see no reason to separate them since they are listed together with theother sons of Alphaeus/Clopas in the Biblical text.

[8] Josephus, Antiquities, 20.9.1/200-3.

[9] Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.11; 4.22, quoting Hegesippus.

[10] Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.32, quoting Hegesippus.

[11] Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Book 5, chap. 15, 888-9.

Flexible Prayer Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 12:26:39 PST

Here is a flexible prayer frameworkto help you hear God’s gentle prompting in prayer. Use it if it serves you orchange it to suit you.

Worship. 1 Chron. 16:29; Psalm 95:6; John 4:4; Rom 12:1-2; Heb 10:1. Begin with worship of your Lord Jesus. It is your first responsibility. Everything of eternal value proceeds from a life of worship.
Family. Acts 16:33-34; 1 Tim 5:4, 8. Pray for your immediate family and those in your extended family that God directs to you. Stand in the gap for them. Pray blessing on them and lift up any ongoing or unusual needs to the Father.
Top Five Wanted. Acts 4:12; 16:30-32. The salvation of the lost is a high priority on the heart of Jesus. Make a list of five (or ten) people who need the Lord Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Ask God to send someone to share the power and love and message of Christ with them. And tell the Lord you are willing to be the answer to your own prayer.
Christ’s Bride the Church. Colossians 1:9-14; Acts 4:23-31. Pray for the church staff, deacons, the Sunday School leaders, and your pastor. Pray for revival in the Church. Cry out for a great revival in His Church. Seek the Lord to invade our comfortable wineskins with fresh wine, fresh wind, and fresh fire from the Holy Spirit. No major revival has swept our nation with spiritual awakening since the great revivals in the Union and Confederate Armies during the War Between the States. Why does spiritual awakening not come? Leonard Ravenhill once said that it was because we are content to live without it. A.W. Tozer said we pray for revival but we don’t really want it because having revival would mean we would have to change some things in our lives.
Your ministry. Psalm 42:1-2, 8. Your first ministry is to Jesus. Pray for the Lord to use the ministry He has given you for His Glory, whether you are a servant to children, a teacher, a deacon, an encourager, an usher, or you find your ministry in hospitality, evangelism, or care-giving for someone.
World vision. Acts 1:8; Matt 28:18-20; Rom 10:14-15; Rev. 7:9. Pray for missionaries by name. Pray international ministries that you support in some way. Take their prayer letters and pray through the things they need. Pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters, for God to raise up workers and send them to the 5,300 unreached, unengaged people groups who have no access to the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Nation, city, state. 1 Timothy 2:1-2. Paul told the early church to pray for the cruel, oppressive empire of Rome. Let the newspaper or the television news prompt you to pray for people and areas of influence in the nation and in our local area. Moses said the greatness of Israel as God’s presence through prayer and keeping his righteous laws (Deut 4:7-8). Pray for the Lord’s presence and righteousness in our land.
Today. Psalm 143:8-10. Prayfor your day, for those with whom you will come in contact, for those who needan encouraging word, for your supervisor and your employees, for your studentsand your teachers.

(Adapted from Sylvia Gunter, Prayer Essentials 2)

Luke 5:27-39 - Common Sinners & New Wine

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:07:39 PDT

Key Truth: Lukewrote Luke 5:27-39 to teach believers that Jesus calls us to the joy ofcommitment to Christ and in the expectation found in Christ.

Key Application: Today Iwant to show you what God’s Word says about the joy found in Christ.

Pray and Read: Luke 5:27-39

Sermon Points:

1. Jesuscalls us to the joy of commitment (Luke 5:27-32)

2. Jesuscalls us to the joy of expectancy (Luke 5:33-39)

Context:

Lukeintroduces his Gospel with a call to believe that Jesus is the Messiah whofulfills the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants (Luke 1-2). Repenting of sin isthe first step in believing (Luke 3:1-20) in this Jesus who is set apart asGod’s suffering Servant through his sacrificial death (Luke 3:21-23a). Unlikesinful Adam, Jesus is the completely obedient Son of God (Luke 3:23b-38) who defeatsSatan himself in a test of every sphere of human life: body, mind, and spirit(Luke 4:1-13).

Inthe power of the Holy Spirit, then, Jesus moves into his ministry in the regionof the Sea of Galilee (Luke 4:14-9:50). After encountering unbelief andrejection at Nazareth (Luke 4:14-30),[1]Jesus finds belief, freedom, and healing for the captives in Capernaum (Luke4:31-44). After calling his first disciples in belief to follow him (Luke5:1-11), his ministry arouses the unbelieving hostility of the religiousleaders when he announces forgiveness for sins (Luke 5:12-26). After Levi thetax collector responds in belief to follow Him (Luke 5:27-32), the Phariseesrespond in unbelief to Jesus’ dining with sinners (Luke 5:33-39).

Exposition: Notewell,

1. JESUS CALLS US TO THE JOY OFCOMMITMENT (Luke 5:27-32)

a. (|| Mark 2:13-17): Luke 5:27-29 – The calling of Leviplays out a central theme in Luke’s Gospel: Sinners who repent and in belief,follow him. Jesus calls Levi, with a name that points to the Levites whose jobwas to do the work connected with the Temple service – not betray Israel bycollecting taxes for the oppressive Roman government! Most people saw them taxcollectors as nothing more than collaborators for the Romans, stealing from thelocal economy to enrich the armies that kept them under oppression. Jesus callshim, and he responds with belief. Levi apparently sat in a toll booth, wherecustoms would be collected on goods in transit. He was probably agent for achief tax collector, as Zaccheus was. Customs officials were employed in KingHerod’s civil service. They made good wages and were not likely to get theirjobs back once they left them, especially on such short notice. Jesus call toLevi was a great honor, especially to one whose work would have excluded himfrom religious circles.

b. Jesus, having called Levi (viz.,Matthew, Matt 9:9) to be a disciple, accepted an invitation for a banquet thatLevi gave for his former colleagues. Levi must have been financially successfulto afford a great banquet. That Levi should respond to Jesus’ invitation with abanquet is not surprising since repaying honor with honor was an important partof social life in the ancient world. He wants to introduce his friends andformer colleagues to Jesus. Table fellowship indicated intimate relationshipsamong those sharing it, and it was natural for a well-to-do person to invitehis colleagues and employees to a feast.

c. APPLICATION: Levi immediately opened his homefor evangelism, for them to meet Jesus. Are you opening your life to those inyour circle of influence so that they can meet Jesus?

d. Luke 5:30 – Why eat with sinners and tax collectors? This passage has a seriesof accusations from the Pharisees about Jesus’ and his disciples’ lifestylewith Jesus’ responses. The first is that they associate with the wrong kind ofpeople (Luke 5:30). They should not eat and drink with social outcasts. ThePharisees had special rules about eating and did not like to eat with lessscrupulous people like tax gatherers and sinners, or even common Israelites.Why? He could not be sure the food was ceremonially clean or if it had beenproperly tithed.[2]Notice that the Pharisees did not attack Jesus and his followers behavior (theydid not get drunk), but only with whom they associated. The use of “werecomplaining” (egongyzon) issignificant because in the LXX it is used to describe the murmuring of Israelin the Wilderness (Exod. 15:24; 16:7-12; 17:3; Num 11:1; 14:2, 27-29, 36;16:11, 14; 17:5, 10) and of Israel’s rebellion against God (Psalm 59:15;106:25; 1 Cor 10:10). The point? In opposing the faithful Son of God, thePharisees and scribes are following the rebellious ways of their ancestors(Luke 15:2; 19:7).

e. Jesusresponds that as a doctor sought out the sick, so his place was with thesinners he had come to save. He as host, in a prophetic picture of the GreatMarriage Supper of the Lamb, invites sinners to eat with him (Luke 5:31-32). Therighteous, i.e., the self-righteous do not need a doctor (or don’t think theydo anyway). Sinners who recognize their desperate need of repentance andspiritual healing are the people Jesus wants.[3]

f. APPLICATION: Many Christians have been criticizedfor the very thing Jesus was attacked for: associating with the wrong kind ofpeople. The problem is that while we are to separate from evil, we are also tocall sinners to repentance. Jesus’ way of doing this was not to shout atsinners from a distance, but spend time with them. Because we cannot tell whatanother person’s motives are, we must not criticize fellow believers just forassociating with them.

2. JESUS CALLS US TO THE JOY OFEXPECTANCY (Luke 5:33-39)

a. (||Mark 2:18-22; Matt. 9:14-17) Luke 5:33-34 - The second accusation is provokedby the first one about banqueting with sinners. It is that the disciples’lifestyle is not serious enough. There is too much eating and drinking and notenough fasting and praying (Luke 5:33). The OT commanded many more feast thanfasts, but the Pharisees fasted twice a week, for example, Mondays andThursdays. Fasting in the OT is associated with spiritual preparation andrepentance, never as a means to self-righteousness. Fasting has its place,Jesus answers, but fasting while proclaiming good news makes no more sense thanfasting at a wedding feast (Judg. 14:17) when the bridegroom was present. Itwas unthinkable.[4]The marks of Jesus’ followers will not be exclusivist rules and avoidingoutcasts, but will be joy like a wedding – in fact, Jesus a joyous weddingbanquet for his people (the time of salvation) where he himself is thebridegroom (Isaiah 54:5-8; 62:4-5; Jer 2:2; Ezek 16; Hosea 2:18, 21; 2 Cor11:2; Eph 5:25-27; Rev 19:7-10; 21:2).

b. Ifyou are thinking about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, you’re probably not faroff where Jesus was headed with this parable. The bridegroom will be taken awayone day, and fasting will be appropriate (Luke 5:35). Here Jesus foreshadowshis rejection and departure (Luke 9:31, 51) and the sorrow it will cause hisfollowers.

c. ApostlePaul: “The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but ofrighteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17).

d. Luke 5:36-38 - Luke, Matthew, and Mark follow thiswedding imagery with two short parables, and Luke adds a third. They are meantto elaborate the significance of his coming: first, the old patch on a newgarment (which will damage the new garment by shrinking and pulling away fromthe old patch and also not match the faded colors of the old one, Luke 5:36). Thesecond is about wineskins, animal skins whose hair was scraped and then sewntogether to contain liquids. The process of fermentation forces the expansionof the skins. New wine is not put into old wineskins, for they are brittle andwould burst and lose what is valued. Rather new wine is stored in new wineskins(Luke 5:37-39). New spiritual realities demand a new lifestyle.

e. Luke 5:39 - Luke adds a third parable: no oneafter drinking old wine wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’Distillation had not yet been developed, so wine could only achieve a certainlevel of alcoholic content, and it was always consumed with meals watered-down.The alcoholic content was necessary as an antiseptic in the water. This thirdanalogy is about the resilience of the traditions and exclusiveness of Judaismto oppose the advance of the new gospel of the Kingdom which includes all thenations of the earth.

f. Thepoint of all three is the inevitable clash between old Jewish expectations andthe new thing God is doing in Jesus. Jesus is not reforming Judaism. He isbringing the dawn of God’s final salvation, and it will be for all nations.This new wineskin must expand to include all the nations with Israel incelebration of the King of Kings.

g. APPLICATION: As we let the Gospel messageinfuse our lives, it gives us a fresh, new shape, chosen by God’s Spirit, inwhich the new wine of God’s work within us matures toward beauty and holiness.[5]Jesus must be accepted on His own terms. He is a transformer, not a reformer.He doesn’t come to your life simply to help you live better. He comes torevolutionize it. He does not come to you to be a part of your life. He comesto be your life (Col 3:4). He does not come to augment your ego and strengthenyour self-esteem. He comes to crucify your sinful self and teach you replace itwith His Christ Life. He is not interested in entertaining you. He comes totake over. He comes to lead. He comes to rule. He comes to reign. In surrenderto Him lies true joy.

Invitation:

[1] The incident parallels the beginningof the birth narrative, in which the priest Zechariah responds in unbelief tothe announcement of the angel Gabriel. The Capernaum synagogue’s faithparallels the believing faith of the Virgin Mary.

[2] Dining at the home of a Phariseemeant you even had to take off your clothes and put on his ritually cleangarments to eat with him.

[3] This passage is parallel to theZaccheus story at the end of Jesus’ ministry where Jesus says, “The Son of Mancame to seek and save what was lost” (Luke 19:10).

[4] Fasting in the OT was done incrisis (Judg. 20:26; 2 Sam 12:16-23; 1 Kings 21:27; 2 Chron 20:3; Ezra 8:21-23;Neh 1:4; Esther 4:3, 16; Psalm 35:13; 69:10; 109:24) or in repentance (1 Sam7:6; Joel 1:14) or in mourning (1 Sam 31:13; 2 Sam 1:12; 1 Chon 10:12).

[5] Larry Richards, Expository Dictionary of Bible Words(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985), 458.

Luke 5:12-26 - Up on the Housetop

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:08:46 PDT

Healing the Paralytic (James Tissot)

Key Truth: Lukewrote Luke 5:12-26 to teach believers that Jesus has authority bothover our worst disease – sin and to forgive and restore.

Key Application: Today Iwant to show you what God’s Word says about forgiveness and restoration.

Pray and Read: Luke 5:12-26

Sermon Points:

1. Jesushas authority over our worst disease -- sin (Luke 5:12-16)

2. Jesushas authority both to forgive and restore (Luke 5:17-26)

Contextual Notes:

Exposition: Notewell,

1. JESUS HAS AUTHORITY OVER OUR WORSTDISEASE -- SIN (Luke 5:12-16)

a. Inthe last of a series of incidents establishing Jesus’ authority anddemonstrating his Nazareth sermon (Luke 4:18-27), Jesus exercises his authorityover the most widely-feared disease of His day. (|| Mark 1:40-45; Matt. 8:1-4).Lepers were outcasts from society, and most non-lepers would never touch them.In fact, Jewish law did not permit it.

b. Luke 5:12 – This disease is not the samedisease as modern day leprosy (Hansen’s disease). The descriptions given inLeviticus 13-14 suggest a variety of skin disorders. Because no one knew howcontagious they may be, the OT set out strict guidelines for examination andisolation of them. If the priest deemed a person leprous, then you wereisolated, required to wear torn clothes, cover the lower part of your face, andcry out “Unclean! Unclean!” whenever anyone approached. Leprosy is a symbol,then, of sin.

c. Luke 5:13 – Imagine how your heart would havebeen moved to stand there and see a man falling on his face before Jesus,pleading, “if you are willing, you can make me clean” (Luke 5:12; Mark 1:40;Matt 8:2). Jesus was indeed willing, demonstrating his authority over thedisease and his compassion for the man. Since lepers were not only ostracizedfrom society, but also from worship of the Lord, Jesus’ command, “Be clean,”represents spiritual as well as physical cleansing and restoration. In Luke7:22, Jesus will say that these physical healings are evidence that the time ofsalvation has arrived (Isaiah 49:8-9) and that He is the One who was to come,the Messiah.

d. Jesuscommanded the man to carry out the requirements of the Torah (Lev 13; 14:1-32),to report to the priest for a certificate of cleansing. By doing so, Jesus doesnothing to violate the law or to offend the priests. The leper lives to testifyof what the Lord has done for him (Luke 5:14).

e. APPLICATION: We all carry the leprosy of sinwhich covers us and isolates us from a relationship with the Lord. The Lord hasauthority over sin, and there are no untouchables, no one too far from sin forhim. Today the Lord is saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” At the end of thisservice of worship, I will invite you to come to me here the front, to ask theLord to cleanse you of your sin, and to submit your life to Jesus Christ. It isthe most important decision you can make in your lifetime. Prepare to do thatas we continue.

f. Luke 5:15-16 – Jesus’ ministry drew a largefollowing, and while he was fully God, he was also fully human. He got tired.He needed time alone. He needed time to refuel in prayer and time with theLord. Prayer with the Father is Jesus’ source of strength and vitality. In ithe models for us how to live as a believer, in communion with the Father,submitted to the Son, living in the power of the Holy Spirit.

g. APPLICATION: And if Jesus needed time with theLord in prayer and the Word, time to get away and recharge, we certainly do.

2. JESUS HAS AUTHORITY BOTH TO FORGIVEAND RESTORE (Luke 5:17-26)

a. NowLuke makes it even more clear that the physical healings point to a much deeperhealing which needs to take place in our lives, healing of our souls from theultimate terminal illness of sin.

b. Luke 5:12-26 (|| Mark 2:1-12; Matt9:1-8). Luke, withparallels in Mark, records five events in which the Pharisees and scribes reactwith offense and violence against his claims. We saw a foreshadowing ofopposition at the Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4:14-30), but now the realopposition begins. When four men bring their paralytic friend for healing, theycannot get close to Jesus, so they let him down through the roof. Recognizing hisspiritual need as more important, Jesus assures him of forgiveness of his sins,only to be accused of blasphemy.

c. Luke 5:17 – Luke says the Pharisees[2]and scribes have come from every village of Galilee and from Judea andJerusalem. The Pharisees were one of the groups of religious leaders withinJudaism. They were the conservatives in Biblical interpretation, moremiddle-class businessmen and merchants involved in the synagogues. (TheSadducees were more theologically liberal, more upper class, & dominatedthe ruling council, the Sanhedrin). Most Pharisees seem to have lived nearJerusalem, three days’ walk to the south. Thus, the “scribes,” or “teachers ofthe law,” who lived in the villages of Galilee, who could read and write, whocould execute legal documents, and who trained children in the law of Moses. Thesereligious leaders plainly observe God’s power at work but will still rejectJesus’ authority. They see God’s power but reject the messenger.

d. APPLICATION:Beware you are notone “sitting by,” watching God work, judging, criticizing, arm-chairquarterbacking. Often those who sit along the sidelines and like to give theiropinions are operating in unbelief. It’s not about how much religious trainingyou have had or your seminary degrees. They mean nothing when God is callingyou to simple faith in what He is doing in front of you. Don’t sit back andcriticize. Get up and get involved in what the Lord is doing and join Him inhis work. These Pharisees in their first encounter with Jesus respondednegatively. They were offended at Him. But their offense was not genuineoffense. It was something else. Genuine offense is when someone willfullyreaches out and attacks you without sufficient cause. Conviction over sin isdifferent. There is a twinge of discomfort that comes from the Holy Spirit in thegrace of conviction of sin. Beware of confusing conviction with genuineoffense. When we mistake the Holy Spirit’s conviction for offense, we operatein unbelief and disobedience. When we recognize the grace that is found in theconviction of the Holy Spirit over sin in our lives, we find the joy andrelease of confession and repentance, then freedom from the bondage of sin.Personal pride throws off your ability to distinguish between the two. Ask theLord to help you learn humility. It is critical for you to know the differencebetween offense and conviction, or you will either not come to Christ forsalvation to begin with or you will not grow as a believer if you are alreadysaved.

e. Luke 5:18-19 – Excavations in Capernaum showthat the largest homes in the first century had a span of 18 feet. Thus, theaverage Capernaum home may have held a maximum of fifty standing persons. Theywere built with an outside staircase, so there was no problem getting to thetop of the house. Roofs were normally flat, with beams covered with reeds and alayer of clay, and some had tile roofs. Luke uses a more precise word for roofthan Mark’s ordinary stegé (from verb“to cover”). Luke uses tiles (keramos).Mark tells of them “digging through” the roof while Luke says they lowered himthrough the tiles.

f. Luke 5:20 – In contrast with the religiousleaders who watch God extraordinary work but reject the messenger, theparalytic and his friends demonstrate extraordinary faith by tearing apart the roofto get to Jesus. Here we see again Luke contrasting unbelief and belief. Theparalytic is rewarded for walking in belief by being able to walk home. But heis also forgiven of his sins. The people stand in awe and praise God.

g. Psalm103:3 makes a connection between disease and forgiveness of sin, the Lord “whoforgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” But in John 9:2-3, Jesusrefuted the belief that all disease is a result of sin in that person’s life.Disease is a part of this world because sin is in the world. God is not theauthor of disease, but God can use disease for His own glory in our lives andthe lives of others. It is not clear whether the man’s paralysis was connectedto his personal sin, but it is clear that Jesus came to destroy the power ofsin, and since disease is a result of sin in the world, then his healing poweris meant to confirm his authority to announce the Kingdom of God and theend-time forgiveness of sin. This is why Jesus is more concerned with theforgiveness of this man’s sin and with his condition secondarily.

h. Luke 5:21 – “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy?” In Judaism, only Godcould forgive sins, but most Jews had no problem with one of God’srepresentatives speaking on God’s behalf (2 Sam 12:13). Their charge ofblasphemy is serious, since blasphemy for them involved pronouncing God’sdivine name (Lev. 24 10-23; Mishnah), inviting people to worship other gods, orat the very least dishonoring God. Strictly speaking, these legal scholars aremistaken in calling Jesus’ words blasphemy, even by their own rules. They areaccusing Jesus of being arrogant and usurping the authority of God.

i. Whilethe leper lived to testify to the Lord’s work in his life, the paralytic goeshome healed both physically and spiritually – his sins forgiven and in rightstanding with God. Healing involves restoration to one’s family, friends, andcommunity.

j. ILLUSTRATION: In the West with our brokenfamilies and transient communities, we have largely forgotten this, except forsome pockets of the American South. But in Liberia, West Africa, people ask atotal stranger, “How da body?” Then, “How da family-o?” Similarly, everyfarewell, even with distant acquaintances, involves sending a greeting to thefamily. They understand that good health involves right relationships with theones with whom we share DNA, with whom we share a zip code, and with whom weshare a pew, but if those relationships are broken, then your health is inquestion.

k. Luke 5:22-26 – While some Jewish teachersaccepted miracles as verification that a teacher was truly God’srepresentative, others discounted them as proof, especially if they disagreedwith that teacher’s interpretation of Scripture.

l. Luke 5:24 – Son of Man. This is the first time in Luke’sGospel in which Jesus is called (and here Jesus’ himself calls himself) the Sonof Man (Luke 5:24). The Greek phrase “hohuios tou anthropou” is a literal translation of the Hebrew ben adam (son of man)[3]meaning simply a human being. Ezekiel uses it to address the prophets (Ezek2:1; 3:3; 4:1, etc.) and the Psalms use the term to refer to humanity (Psalm8:4; 144:3) or Israel (Psalm 80:17), but there is a special designation inDaniel 7:13-14 (which Luke will develop later in his Gospel: Luke 21:27, 36;22:69), where an exalted, divine Messianic figure “like a son of man” (havinghuman form) comes with the clouds of heaven and is given great glory and power.Jesus probably uses the term because (1) it emphasizes his true humanity; (2)it points to Daniel 7:13 and reveals his identity as Messiah and his comingglory (Luke 22:69).

Invitation: Today you can receive that Son ofMan.

[2] Luke’s first mention of thePharisees is here at Luke 5:17.

[3] Aramaic: bar ‘enash

Ask, Seek, Knock

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 02:05:26 PDT

Matthew 7:7-8; Luke 11:9-10

Ask with humility and consciousness of need. Jesus tells us to ask him in prayer. Here the verb aiteō (αιτέω, ask) has the meaning of asking for something.^{^[1]}When one asks in Christ, we ask with family or redemptive rights. In prayer, weask God with humility because we have confidence in his promises. His promisesare based on His character. We come to the Lord as dependent children, needingHim and His love and the basics of life.

The Lord’s Prayerteaches us to ask the Father with due reverence (Matt 6:9), in submission toHis will, with the priority of His Name and His vision of what He wants to doon the earth (Matt. 6:10). We learn daily dependence (Matt 6:11), to keep aclean slate of forgiveness, to show mercy to others (Matt 6:12), to live freefrom sin and oppression of the evil one (Matt 6:13a), and that all things willfinally find consummation in His Glory (Matt 6:13b). It is all about His Glory.

“Those who seekthe Lord lack no good thing. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lordbestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walkis blameless” (Psalm 34:10, 84:11). Jesus said, “If you remain in me and mywords remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John15:7). See also James 1:5-6a.

Seek in prayer, actively pursuing God’s will. Seeking implies that we are searching for something that is missing.Jesus commands us to seek diligently and earnestly with our whole hearts, heassures us that we will find. Seeking is boldly asking. The Greek word zēteō (ζητέω)means to look for in orderto find, or what one desires somehow to bring into relation with oneself or toobtain without knowing where it is to be found, or as in Matt. 6:33, to strivefor, aim at, desire, or wish.^{^[2]}Jesus illustrated seeking prayer as a persistent petitioner who sought relieffrom one in authority who had power to answer (Luke 18:1-8). Three parables inLuke 15 point to the treasures that seekers find – a lost coin, a lost sheep, alost son. Jesus plainly said in Matthew 7:7-8 that seeking will result infinding. See also Deut 4:29; 2 Chron 5:12; Heb 11:6.

Knock points to persistence. Knocking implies being outside andneeding entrance (Rev 3:20), with the assurance in Matt. 7:7-8 that the doorwill be opened. Jesus taught fervent, insistent prayer like a desperate friendin need (Luke 11:5-8) and then commands us to ask, seek, and knock (Luke11:9-10). The Greek word krouō (κρούω)hasthe meaning of striking or knocking literally only of knocking at a door.^{^[3]}Jesus urges us to intercede with the holy boldness of a close friendshiprelationship with God. Knock at a radical hour of the night. Knock with desperation.Knock with importunity. Knock boldly. Knock shamelessly, Jesus urged. Heassured that insistence, tenacity, and stubborn knocking will bring a response.

Why? Because wehave a confidence based on the blood of Jesus, a Great High Priest who offersfull assurance because He is faithful (Heb 10:19-23, 36). How do we come toHim? We come boldly to the throne of grace for help in time of need (Heb 4:16).If even a neighbor or an earthly father will respond to need, how much morewill our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? (Luke11:11-13). The Holy Spirit enables us to pray according to the Lord’s will(Luke 11:13; Rom 8:26-27).

“This is theconfidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to hiswill, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we knowthat αιτεωwe have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).^{^[4]}

^{^[1]} BAGD, 2^nd ed., 25-6.

^{^[2]} BAGD, 2^nd ed., 338-9.

^{^[3]}BAGD, 2^nd ed., 453-4.

^{^[4]}Adapted from Sylvia Gunter, Prayer Essentials for Living in His Presence, 2:121-2.

Valentines Day candy for the rest of us

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:00:03 PST

Luke 5:1-11 - Jesus' First Disciples

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 05:53:46 PDT

Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish (Raphael)

Pray and Read: Luke 5:1-11

Key Truth: Lukewrote Luke 5:1-11 to teach believers that Jesus calls us to theinvitation of Good News and to the obedience of discipleship.

Key Application: Today Iwant to show you what God’s Word says about discipleship.

Sermon Points:

1. Jesuscalls us to the invitation of Good News (Luke 5:1-3)

2. Jesuscalls us to the obedience of discipleship (Luke 5:4-11)

Contextual Notes:

Lukebegins his Gospel by calling us to trust in Jesus as the Messiah fulfilling the Abrahamicand Davidic covenants (Luke 1-2). Trust begins with repentance of sin, saidJohn the Baptist. (Luke 3:1-20). At Jesus’ baptism (Luke 3:21-23a), Luke callsJesus the promised Messiah, God’s suffering Servant through his sacrificialdeath. Jesus fulfills not only the Davidic and Abrahamic Covenants, but unlike sinfulAdam, he is a completely obedient Son of God (Luke 3:23b-38). So clearly isJesus the Perfect Man, that he defeats Satan himself in a test of every sphereof human temptation: body, mind, and spirit (Luke 4:1-13).

Inthe section on Jesus’ Galilean ministry (Luke 4:14-9:50), Luke presents the GoodNews[1].After Jesus encounters unbelief and rejection at the Nazareth synagogue (Luke4:14-30),[2]he finds believing faith and freedom and healing for the captives in theCapernaum synagogue (Luke 4:31-44). The Galilean ministry is marked also byJesus calling and training his disciples. Now Jesus selects his best knowndisciples, Peter, James, and John (Luke 5:1-11). In sending his Son, Godrequires every person to make a choice: for or against His Son.

Exposition: Notewell,

1. JESUS CALLS US TO THE INVITATION OF GOODNEWS (Luke 5:1-3)

a. Luke 5:1 – Lake Gennesaret is another namefor the Sea of Galilee (also Sea of Chinnereth or Sea of Tiberias). Lukeprefers lake (limne) to Matthew and Mark’s sea (thalassa) perhaps out of a precisehistorical sense, similar to the historian Josephus who prefers lake, too.

b. Luke 5:3 – Because of the large numbers of peoplepressing in to hear him, Jesus decided to move to open air preaching and usethe reflective abilities of water to teach (cf. Mark 3:9; 4:1). The people cansit or stand comfortably on the beach, and the rising shoreline serves as anamphitheater with good acoustics. Simon seems to have been present while Jesustaught, but doesn’t seem particularly moved by it.

c. Thisis not the first time Jesus had met the disciples. John 1:35-2:11 tells us thatseveral first met Jesus when John the Baptist was preaching. They went with Himto a wedding at Cana. He had spent time in Simon’s home in Capernaum (Luke4:38), and James and John were probably his cousins. The first time Jesus metSimon, he gave Simon a new name Cephas/Peter (John 1:41). The second time is herewhen Jesus called him to forsake all and become a disciple (Mark 1:16-18; Luke5:11). The third incident was Simon’s call to apostleship (Luke 6:14).

d. APPLICATION: Here is Jesus’ model forevangelism. It is not necessary to press for a decision on a first meeting,though there is nothing wrong with that. It takes most of us time to get toknow Christ, but there is always (and must be a moment of decision, when Christcalls, and we make an informed decision to follow Him.

2. JESUS CALLS US TO THE OBEDIENCE OF DISCIPLESHIP(Luke 5:4-11)

a. Luke 5:4-5 – “We’ve worked hard allnight...I will let down the nets.”Fishing was demanding work. The men fished at night and sold or salted theircatch and dried or mended nets during the day. The nets were probably long netswith floats used for night fishing in deep water. Another net was a dragnet(Matt 13:47) dragged along between two boats. Today the edible fish includevarieties of carp. Josephus said that the lake held several varieties of fishthen. Night fishing was profitable because during the night fish rose from thedepths and stayed as long as it was dark. As soon as the sun rose, they movedback to the depths again, making it useless to fish.

b. Evenin expressing his doubts, Simon Peter is admirable in his obedience. What woulda carpenter-rabbi know about fishing? He knew it was futile to fish during theday, but he obeyed, not because it made sense to him, but because Jesus askedhim to do it. Acknowledging his respect of Jesus who had healed hismother-in-law (Luke 4:38-39), he let the net down (Luke 5:5). Whatever it was,his faith was far from magnificent, but the great object of that faith – Jesus himself– produces a transforming miracle in Peter’s life.

c. APPLICATION: A little faith in a very mightyJesus can accomplish extraordinary things! Do you obey Jesus only when it makessense to you, or do you obey him simply because he asks you to obey him? Youranswer to that question will reveal the level of your faith.

d. Luke 5:6-7 - Suddenly, he has so many fish thathe needs his partners (metochos) Jamesand John’s help, and even with that, both their boats were in danger ofsinking.[3]The catch recalls the miracles of multiplying food related to Elijah (1 Kings17:10-16) and Elisha (2 Kings 4:1-10, 42-44), and the provision of manna andquail in the Wilderness (Exod. 16:13; cf. Exod 8:6, 17, 24; 10:13).

e. Luke 5:8 – “Go away. I am a sinfulman.” Simon graspsthe fact that the One speaking to him is the Lord, and he is suddenly overcomewith the awareness of how far short he fell of what he knew he should be.

f. APPLICATION: Whenever you or I feel as Peterfelt, unworthy because of our failures to associate with Jesus Christ, we needto remember what Christ said to Peter. He is not shocked by what we are orwere. He knows all about it. What counts to Him, and should count to us, isthat “from now on” we will experience Christ’s power to change and renew.

g. Luke 5:8 - Simon’s reaction is not at allsurprising, but his reaction is not because he thought Jesus had better fishingtechniques. He is focused on the person of Jesus. Simon has just seen Jesusmore clearly, as seen in the shift of address from Master/boss (epistata[4]),a term that acknowledges respect and social superiority, to Lord (kurios), a messianic title, which suggestsPeter is realizing who Jesus really is. Note the irony that up until now Lukehas called him Simon, but when he falls on his knees, Luke calls him SimonPeter (Matt 4:18; 16:18). Peter’s awe at the overwhelming presence of Godrecalls Isaiah’s fear when he saw the glory of the Lord (Isaiah 6:5) or Job’sencounter with God (Job 40:4).

h. APPLICATION: The trouble is, when we see Jesusmore clearly, we also see ourselves more clearly. His beauty exposes all ourflaws. His perfection points out our sinfulness. Man’s first reaction such arealization is often, “go away.” But only by coming to Jesus can we findforgiveness for our sins and inner personal revival.

i. Luke 5:9-11 – “Don’t be afraid…Youwill catch men” – Hiscompanions (probably including Simon’s brother Andrew) and James and John areequally astonished (Luke 5:9-10). Jesus tells them that they will now “catchpeople alive” (zogron, catchingalive, Luke 5:10). Fishermen made a better than average income, so leavingtheir job is an act of radical commitment that they could expect to hurt them financially.They leave their profession and all their equipment to follow Jesus. Theauthority and power of Jesus merges here with authentic discipleship. Moses hadbeen a shepherd. Joseph an administrator, these men fishermen.

j. APPLICATION: Some are afraid to trust Jesusbecause they are afraid he will change their lifestyles. The truth is, heprobably will – for the better. When the Lord calls you, he never calls you toruin your life. Your calling may be difficult; your situation may be difficult,but he gives you the grace to endure the smaller, temporal things in order tofocus on the larger more eternal things.

Invitation

[1] Just as Peter’s sermon in Acts 2gives his thesis there for Acts. The Galilean Ministry section (4:14-9:50) culminatesat Luke 9:20 with Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ.

[3] This is not the same incident asJohn 21:5-11. Many details are different which make it a different event. “Thereis nothing improbable in two miracles of a similar kind, one granted toemphasize and illustrate the call, the other the recall, of the chief Apostle”(Plummer, 147).

[4] Epistatawas a term used by workers with their supervisors or overseers. Oepke in Kittel,ed., TDNT 2:622-3. The word used onlyby Luke in Luke 5:5; 8:24, 45; 9:33, 49; 17:13) translates as Hebrew “rabbi” which the other synoptic writerstransliterate.

Luke 4:31-44 - Jesus' Authority

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:13:23 PDT

The Deranged Man in the Capernaum Synagogue by James Tissot

Pray and Read: Luke 4:31-44

Key Truth: Lukewrote Luke 4:31-44 to show that Jesus has authority to help those inspiritual need, physical need, and gospel need.

Key Application: Today Iwant to show you what God’s Word says about the authority of Jesus.

Sermon Points:

1. Jesushas authority to help those in spiritual need (Luke 4:31-37)

2. Jesushas authority to help those in physical need (Luke 4:38-41)

3. Jesushas authority to help those in gospel need (Luke 4:42-44)

Contextual Notes:

Athis birth, Luke calls us to trust in Jesus as the Coming Messiah who fulfillsGod’s promises to Abraham and David (Luke 1-2). Trusting Him begins with repentance,declared Messiah’s Forerunner John the Baptist (Luke 3:1-20). At Jesus’ baptism(Luke 3:21-23a), Luke calls Jesus the promised Messiah, God’s suffering Servantthrough his sacrificial death. With Mary’s genealogy, Luke reminds us thatJesus fulfills not only the Davidic and Abrahamic Covenants, but unlike fallenand sinful Adam, he is a completely obedient Son of God (Luke 3:23b-38). So clearlyis Jesus the Perfect Man, that he defeats Satan himself in a test of everysphere of human temptation: body, mind, and spirit (Luke 4:1-13).

WithJesus’ Galilean ministry (Luke 4:14-9:50), Luke will present the essence of theGood News,[1]culminating at Luke 9:20 with Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ. Hereat the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in the power of the Spirit, Jesusencounters unbelief in the rejection in his hometown synagogue of Nazareth (Luke4:14-30).[2]But in today’s passage he finds believing faith in the Capernaum synagogue andvictory over the devil (Luke 4:31-44).

Exposition: Notewell,

1. JESUS HAS AUTHORITY TO HELP THOSE INSPIRITUAL NEED (Luke 4:31-37)

a. At Nazareth in the last passage(Luke 4:14-30), Jesus announced from Isaiah 61:1-3 that his mission was todeclare the good news to the poor and to release the prisoners. Now in Luke4:31-44 he demonstrates that calling. The primary focus remains on Jesus’teaching and preaching of the Good News of the Kingdom as seen in the bookendsto the section (Luke 4:31-32, 43-44), and the miracles confirm the message thatGod’s Kingdom is breaking into human history (cf. Mark 1:21-28).

b. Luke4:31 – He went down to Capernaum:Luke is describing the geography. Jesus walks from the high valley at Nazarethdown to Capernaum at the edge of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum will become hisbase of operations in the Galilee region. The chief ruler of synagogue inCapernaum is Jairus, whose daughter Jesus would raise from the dead.

c. At Capernaum, in contrast with theunbelieving Nazareth synagogue, the congregation was not just enamored at theway he spoke, but they were “amazed at his teachingbecause his message had authority” (Luke4:32). First they were amazed at the content. He spoke the word of God plainly fromthe text. He was able to unfold the Scriptures in an understandable way andbrings forth truth that no other teacher had revealed. But second they wereamazed at the authority with which he spoke. Jesus did not rely on centuries ofrabbinical opinion to back up everything he said. He simply stated the truthand let it stand for itself with his own authority backing it up.

d. Luke4:32 – Amazed at his teaching:The rabbis of Jesus’ day based everything they said on hundreds of years ofhistoric rabbinic interpretation of Scripture. What stunned Jesus’ listeners atCapernaum was that Jesus spoke as if He had authority Himself (for Luke, throughthe Holy Spirit, Luke 3:22; 4:1, 14, 18) and did not need to quote anotherrabbi for his authority. What amazed them even more was Jesus’ power which wasdemonstrated in casting out a demon. The Jewish and pagan exorcists used longincantations and magical liturgies to do their work, trying to scare thespirits away, and their secret was invoking the name of a spirit with higherauthority to get rid of the lower one. Jesus simply commanded and the spiritsobeyed, amazing the people.

e. Luke4:33-34 – literally,A man “having a spirit of an unclean demon.” The demon speaks in the plural(us). The Ha! Is an interjection of surprise and displeasure or may be theimperative of the verb eao, meaning “letus alone!” “I know who you are!” Knowing the spirit’s name was a way of gainingpower over it, and the spirit may have been making a futile attempt to expressauthority over Jesus. The spirit knew that before the beginning of the MillenniumKingdom that Satan and those serving him would be bound and that Christ wouldreign over an earth delivered of Satan’s power and influence (Rev. 20:1-3).Jesus commanded silence for two reasons. First, he did not want a demon’stestimony of his authority. Second, he wanted to preserve the human dignity ofthe man who had been victimized by the demon.

f. The title here, “Holy One of God” isnot a traditional title for the Messiah, but it has been used to describe Aaron (Psalm 106:16), the first HighPriest of God whose misspent intercession and sin brought him failure with regardto the Golden Calf. Jesus, our Great High Priest who lives forever to savecompletely those who call on him, ever living to intercede for us at the right hand of the Father. (Heb7:23-28). Samson (Judges 13:7; 16:7),the mighty man of God and the first called to a life-long Nazirite vow, whose weaknessand selfishness brought him to failure. Jesus is the Mighty Man of God and notonly the fulfillment of the Nazirite vow, but indeed the Nazarene whoseauthority, power, and eventual selflessness would bring hope and healing to theentire world through the Cross. Elisha(2 Kings 4:9) was a prophet of Israel who raised the widow’s son from the dead.His name has the same Hebrew verb root, ysh,(Eli-yesha, “God saves” as Jesus (Yeshua, “Yah saves”). Jesus came as aProphet, raising the dead and being raised from the dead Himself to defeat thedevil’s works. We see Jesus fulfilling perfectly the roles of High Priest,Jesus the Nazirite, and Jesus the Prophet.

g. Luke4:35-36 – So in adramatic display of the fulfillment of Isaiah 61 in their hearing, a demoncried out, “Ha, What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?” (the very townwhere his authority was not honored). Have you come to destroy us? I know whoyou are – the Holy One of God!” (Luke 4:34). Jesus’ first public miracle wasdeliverance from a demon, what Isaiah 61 calls releasing the oppressed. Inswift, short, sharp authority, Jesus silenced the evil spirit and commanded itcome out of the man. No incantations, no prolonged magic, no pleading. Only asevere, “Be muzzled. Come out.” His authority demonstrated itself by coming outof the man without harming him (Luke 4:35).

h. Luke4:35-36 – All the people were amazed. InNazareth they were amazed at his teaching (Luke 4:22). In Capernaum they wereamazed at his power (Luke 4:36). We are so familiar with the NT’s telling ofJesus’ domination of demons that we can hardly imagine how stunning thisencounter was to a first-century Jew. No elaborate rituals or incantations likethe professional exorcists who were around. And the congregation’s response tothis display in the middle of their worship service? Amazement. Recognition ofhis authority. Spreading the word about Jesus Christ all over the region.

i. APPLICATION: Perhaps you find yourself in spiritualneed today. You have done all you know to do, but there is some controllingsin, something you cannot overcome, some addiction, something that plagues yourspirit. Jesus has authority to help you in your spiritual need. You need onlyto ask Him to rescue you. There may be some who have lost control in some areaof your life, and you feel that something else controls you in that area. Jesusovercomes the works of the devil. Confess and repent of your sin; forgive thosewho have hurt you; command the spirit to leave you in Jesus’ Name. If you arein Christ, you have His authority to do that.

j. APPLICATION: We have another application fromthe synagogue. Our congregations thrive when they submit to Christ’s authority.Now I doubt that anyone expected to see a demon come out of an otherwise normalsynagogue member when the parishioners arrived that Sabbath morning inCapernaum. But Jesus’ presence brought miraculous deliverance. The submissionof God’s people to Christ’s authority brought about Christ’s cleansing,Christ’s power, Christ’s healing, and Christ’s peace.

k. APPLICATION: And one more thing. Submission toChrist’s authority also brought about evangelism.The text says that news about him spread throughout the surrounding area(4:37). How did that happen? It happened because that congregation, amazed andsubmitted to Christ’s authority, talked about that Jesus. They told theirneighbors and their coworkers about Jesus. They told their families aboutJesus. They spread his fame and made his name great in that region.

Bringing the sick to Jesus at Capernaum

2. JESUS HAS AUTHORITY TO HELP THOSE INPHYSICAL NEED (Luke 4:38-44)

a. Jesus’ authority is furtherdemonstrated in healing and deliverance with others in Capernaum.

b. Luke4:38-39 – Though SimonPeter and Andrew were probably born and reared in Bethsaida (John 1:44), Simonowned a home in Capernaum, and it has been discovered and excavated. Christiansymbols have been found on its walls, suggesting that it was used as a housechurch in the first and second centuries AD. Paul mentions Simon Peter’smarriage in 1 Cor. 9:5. Simon’s father-in-law had probably passed away, andSimon and his wife had taken her widowed mother into their home. It was common tocare for one’s family.

c. Ancient medical writersdistinguished between small fevers and great fevers. The clarification providesevidence for Luke the physician’s authorship. Now Jesus rebukes a fever as hedid the demon, demonstrating his authority over physical illness. It does notmean Luke thought the fever had a demonic connection. He distinguishes betweenphysical and spiritual ailments (Luke 4:40-41; 7:21; 13:32), though he makes aconnection with some illnesses (Luke 8:29; 9:39; 11:14; 13:11). Disease, likedemonic oppression, is part of the fallen world in which we live, and whichJesus came to save.

d. Normally a fever, especially a majorone, leaves us weak and nearly helpless. But Jesus’ rebuke not only heals, itrestores! Peter’s mother-in-law began to show hospitality, a high value in thatculture, and the senior woman of the house had responsibility to make surehospitality was given. She is completely healed.

e. APPLICATION: Luke invites us to see thatwhatever the ruin of our life, at Jesus’ rebuke of sin, we are saved and healedfrom the consequences of sin, and spiritual health and vitality will be mostsurely restored. Not only that, we are saved from the power of sin in our dailylives.

f. Luke4:40-41 – Sickness:And Isaiah 61’s very words begin to be fulfilled. One of Luke’s themes is Jesus’concern for the sick and the poor, and we see it here (and Luke 7:22; 14:12-14,21; 16:19-31). People in biblical times did not blame all disease on demons assome liberal commentators and professors would have you believe. Luke is aphysician, and he distinguishes here between the two, as he does elsewhere inhis Gospel and Acts. Jesus has power over both natural and supernatural ills. Notethat they brought them when the sun was setting at the end of Sabbath, when theycould do the work necessary to carry their sick without violating the Sabbathcommandment. Demons identified Jesus as the Son of God when they departed (2Sam 7:14; Psalm 2:7; 89:26).

g. APPLICATION: You came here today scared becauseof a physical need. Jesus has authority to help you in your physical need. Itcould be a health need, a financial need, a transportation need, a grocery need,a work-related need, an unemployment need, all physical needs. Cry out toJesus. Ask Him for wisdom. Ask him to supply your need. Ask him to heal orprovide. Tell a pastor or deacon privately about what is happening so that thischurch can help.

3. JESUSHAS AUTHORITY TO HELP THOSE IN GOSPEL NEED (Luke 4:42-44)

a. Luke4:42 – We see inMark 1:35 that Jesus withdrew to a solitary place where he could pray. It wasnearly impossible to be alone in ancient towns, with their narrow streets andsometimes twenty people living in common one-room houses. In archaeological excavationsin Capernaum, researchers have found that most blocks in Capernaum consisted offour homes facing a common courtyard. Capernaum, like many villages, were oftenbuilt close together, and in order to find a place alone, one had to ariseearly in the morning.

b. Luke4:43 – The good news of the Kingdom:Luke has already made reference to David’s Kingdom (Luke 1:32-33), but here he makeshis first explicit reference to the Kingdom of God, a theme Luke will developthroughout his Gospel and Acts (Luke 9:2; 10:9, 11; 11:1-4, 18-20; 12:31-31;13:18-21; Acts 1:3; 8:12; 19:8; 28:23, 31). The kingdom of God meant both God’ssovereign reign over the universe and the establishment of his righteouskingdom on earth. Saying God’s kingdom is near (Luke 10:9, 11) is to say thatGod is about to intervene in human history to deliver the righteous and judgethe wicked and establish peace, justice, and righteousness. The onset of God’sKingdom is an open challenge to Satan’s power and control. In the wilderness,Satan was on offense (Luke 4:1-13), but since Jesus’ defeat of the devil there,now Jesus and the Kingdom are on offense, moving in and liberating captives.Luke will end the sequel to his Gospel, the book of Acts noting that Paul waspreaching the Kingdom in Rome, the center of the Roman Empire (Acts 28:23, 31).

c. Now here we are sitting with one another.Will we submit to Christ’s authority? Will we celebrate Christ’s Word, eventhough it offends our personal, religious prejudice? Will we spread His famethroughout our region? May Christ grant it by His authority.

Invitation:

Jesus has authority to help you inyour gospel need. We all have done wrong things and fallen short of God’s planfor us, and though the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal lifefound in asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins and submitting your life tohim. Would you do that today?

[1] As Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 giveshis thesis there for Acts.

Psalm 86 - Intercessory Worship

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:07:25 PST

Are you holding on to a promise fromthe Lord, something He has promised you, and it is long in coming? Is yourexpectation being stretched? Are you getting weary? Are you feeling desperate,or even despairing? Is He not moving according to your time frame? Are yousaying, “Why, Lord? Where are you? Where is the answer? What is happening? Whythe silence? When will you move and fulfill your promises?

You have searchedyour heart for sin. You’ve pleaded. You’ve bargained. You’ve pouted some.You’ve felt sorry for yourself. You’ve gotten scared. It doesn’t take much forpanic to seize you. God seems so far away that your prayers seem to fly shortof the throne as if you were shooting birdshot at the moon.

If anyone in Scripture did those verythings, David did. He had been anointed as the next king of Israel (1 Sam 16).He had killed a giant (1 Sam 17). He had been hailed as a great leader (1 Sam18:7). But he was not yet king. Instead, he was running for his life from theking he served, King Saul, who hated him in jealousy (1 Sam 18:8).

In Psalm 86, we find a prayer(tephillah) of David. He is desperate for an answer and needs God’s mercy andprotection (Psalm 86:1-4). Tephillah means intercession, entreaty,supplication, a hymn, or prayer set to music and sung in worship. This is themost general Hebrew word for prayer and was used in the titles of five Psalms:17, 86, 90, 102, and 142. (See also Psalm 72:20.) Tephillah is intercessoryworship. David sang his prayer for God to be near and hear his cries, for theLord’s Presence to stay close, for God to deal with his enemies, and for theLord to come and glorify Himself.

Tephillah is used in other places inthe Bible. Habakkuk’s revival prayer is intercessory worship (Hab 3:1). It is areciprocal, or two-way prayer. Jesus quoted Isaiah 56:7 when he cleansed theTemple, saying, “My house will be called a house of tephillah (intercessoryworship) for all nations (Mark 11:17). All the nations and all the peoples arethe subject of intercessory worship, and Christ’s Glory is the object of it(Rev 7:9).

Intercessory worship waits on God. Itwaits to hear the word of God (Psalm 86:11). It feels the heart of God. Itworships before Him who is faithful and loving (Psalm 86:12-13). Intercessoryworship acknowledges that He is and will accomplish His purposes on the earthin the response to grateful hearts. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus called on hisFather with a hallowed Name and asked that “Your will be done, Your Kingdomcome, on earth as it is in heaven,” ending with a focus on God’s Kingdom,“Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. (Matt 6:9-13).

Intercessory worship is faith inaction. We don’t yet see the answer, but we know the character of the One whois forgiving (Psalm 86:5), who is faithful to His Name, to His Glory, and toHis Promises (Psalm 86:8-10). Intercessory worship is as simple as singing, “Heis Lord,” because it declares the authority of Jesus’ rule over all.Intercessory worship praises God even when the situation does not changeimmediately, because we know His character, and we trust His purposes (Psalm86:14-17). And we praise Him for His answer that He will bring in His appointedtime.

Adapted from Sylvia Gunter, Prayer Essentials 2.

Look for new Fair Trade logos

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:58:06 PST

These logos on products like coffee and tea tell you that they were produced without the use of child or slave labor or involved in human labor trafficking.

Look for them and buy products with these labels.

New logo

Old logo

Bridge animation

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 18:13:02 PDT

Radical Desperation for His Presence

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:35:06 PST

Paul gives us two conditions for intercession in the church: holyhands, and no anger or dissension (1 Tim 2:8). Getting right before God, andthen getting right with each other. God wants all kinds of prayers, requests,intercession, and thanksgiving (1 Tim 2:1). He enjoys common, simple prayers. TheLord enjoys radical, passionate prayers. We pray best when we admit ourweakness and ask the Holy Spirit to take control of our prayer (Rom 8:26-27).

Have you ever been at a place where you were so weak that youhad no other option than the Lord? If you haven’t been there, your time iscoming. That’s not to scare you, but to warn you that if you want to walk withthe Lord, you need to know that He will train you to trust Him. He will leadyou into the valley of the shadow of death so that you can learn to know thatHe is always with you, so that His rod and His staff may comfort you (Psalm23:4).

When you get to the place where you realize that God is youronly hope, your commitment to prayer will grow. Then you will find that therehas been a table prepared before you, a feast of bounty, in the very presenceof your enemies. You will be anointed and set apart for the next assignment Hehas for you, and your cup will overflow (Psalm 23:5). To get there, the Lordcalls us to a more radical desperation for Him than we have ever had.

He will call you first toa radical purity. TheLord has a zero tolerance for impurity in His vessels, those who carry Histreasure in jars of clay (2 Cor 4:7). He will teach you the difference betweenthe holy and the common and be able to judge between the clean and the unclean(Ezek 44:23). He calls us to walk in purity so that we can be vessels used for noblepurposes (2 Tim 2:20-21).

Next, He will call youto a radical passion.He will call you to love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength(Deut 6:5; Matt 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). He will teach you the differencebetween praying for an answer and seeking His glory (Exod. 33:18; Deut. 5:24;John 15:8). He will fire your heart with passion for His Glory, the ultimatepurpose of prayer (1 Chron 16:10; Psalm 105:3).

Then, He will call youto radical submission. Submission to Jesus Christ as Lord is the key to prevailing in prayer(James 4:7, 10; Luke 22:42). Until you accept the absolute futility of yourflesh and self and submit radically to the will of the Lord, we will notprevail. Submission leads to doors of opportunity to shine His light and makeHis Name known.

Fourth, He will callyou to a radical unity. You will learn the value of submission to one another in Christ Jesus(Eph 4:1-6; 5:21). Submission to oneanother brings about the power of agreement in prayer (Matt. 18:19-20). Beinggathered together does not simply showing up to a meeting. We must learn thatwe are not gathered together for ourselves’ sake. We are gathered together forthe Lord’s sake, for His Name, for His purposes, for His Kingdom, for HisGlory. When the Lord is the focus of the gathering, there is a unity of agenda –His agenda. There is a unity of leadership – His leadership. There is a unityof intercession – His Will being prayed according to His Word. O how good andpleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity. For there the Lordbestows His blessing (Psalm 133:1, 3b).

Next, He calls us to aradical agenda. Ourpreconceived notions and worldly priorities must be turned out for the agendaof His Kingdom to be written on our hearts. This is done through prayer. TheHoly Spirit guides us into all truth, but we must listen (Psalm 25:5; 43:3; John16:13). “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done” is not a quaint phrase (Matt 6:10).It is a powerful intercessory request to make His priorities our agenda. TheBody of Christ desperately needs to reassess our stereotypes, our expectations,and our roles. We must move from an agenda to keep the machine going for ourown benefit to expanding the Kingdom for His Glory.

Finally, He will callyou to a radical consecration. Over and over the Lord called His people to consecratethemselves, to set themselves apart for His work in His way. He called thembefore the Exodus from Egypt (Exod 12:15; Luke 12:1; 1 Cor 5:6-8), before Godmet Moses on the mountain (Exod 19:10), before crossing the Jordan (Josh 3:5),before God revealed sin in the camp (Josh 7:13), before David was anointed King(1 Sam 16:5), before bringing the Ark of the Covenant to the place the Lord hadassigned (1 Chron 15:12), before the revival under Hezekiah (2 Chron 29:5),before God pours out His Spirit (Joel 1:14; 2:15), before the ministry of Jesusbegan (Matt 3:2), and before Jesus went to the cross (John 17:19). Intercessionis not something you do. It is something God does through you.

The times in which we live are radically serious, and theycall for radically intense prayer. We need radically committed people to prayradically important prayers, desperate prayers, passionate prayers, deep andfiery prayer. Lukewarm prayer, compromised prayers won’t do. It is time webecame desperate for God in these desperate times. It is time we reject ourprevious reliance on the flesh and grow in our hunger and thirst for God (Psalm42:1-2).

PRAYER: Lord, we need You to set our focuson You. “We have trivialized the grandeur of meeting You, as if approaching Youwas a matter of routine spiritual hygiene. To our shame, we’ve become proud ofhow well we have mastered the rituals. We’ve made worship predictable and safe.So we’ve come to You heartless and highminded, as bored as we are proud. Break through our pride. Gather us our waywardhearts and ravish us with wonder. Astonish us greatly in Your presence.Surprise us with Your supremacy. Stun us with how dangerous You are. Bear downupon us so brilliantly that the cloud of our clever religious pride willevaporate in the radiance of Your Glory.”[1] Jesus,work in me your redemption from all iniquity, wickedness, and lawlessness.Purity me, sanctify me, cleanse me for Yourself and Your Glory. Make me zealousfor doing what is right (Titus 2:14). Work a radical work of desperate love forYou in me. Make me eager to do Your will.

Adapted from: Sylvia Gunter, PrayerEssentials for Living in His Presence (Birmingham, AL: Father’s Business,2000), vol. 2.

[1] SteveHawthorne, Seek God for the City

Straight-talking Billy Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 01:50:57 PDT

Excerpts from an often-repeated Billy Sunday revival sermon follow:

Billy Sunday
"Come on you slanderers; come on you assassins of character. Come on you sponsors of harlotry; come on you defamers of God and enemies of the Church; come on you bull-necked, beetle-browed, hog-jowled, peanut-brained, weasel-eyed four flushers, false alarms and excess baggage. I’ll fight you until hell freezes over, and then I’ll buy a pair of skates and tackle you on the ice.”

"I'm against sin. I'll kick it as long as I've got a foot, and I'll fight it as long as I've got a fist. I'll butt it as long as I've got a head. I'll bite it as long as I've got a tooth. And when I'm old and fistless and footless and toothless, I'll gum it till I go home to Glory and it goes home to perdition!"

"The trouble with many men is that they have got just enough religion to make them miserable. If there is not joy in religion, you have got a leak in your religion. Some haven't religion enough to pay their debts. Would that I might have a hook and for every debt that you left unpaid I might jerk off a piece of clothing. If I did some of you fellows would have not anything on but a celluloid collar and a pair of socks.

Billy Sunday at the White House with staffer
Some of you have not got religion enough to have family prayer. Some of you haven't got religion enough to take the beer bottles out of your cellar and throw them in the alley. You haven't got religion enough to tell the proprietor of the red light, "No, you can't rent my house after the first of June"; to tell the saloon-keeper, "You can't have my house when the lease runs out"; and I want to tell you that the man who rents his property to a saloon-keeper is as low-down as the saloon-keeper. The trouble with you is that you are so taken up with business, with politics, with making money, with your lodges, and each and everyone is so dependent on the other, that you are scared to death to come out and live clean-cut for God Almighty.

"The matter with a lot of people is that our religion is not complete. Why, I am almost afraid to make some folks laugh for fear that I will be arrested for breaking a costly piece of antique bric-a-brac.

"To see some people you would think that the essential of orthodox Christianity is to have a face so long you could eat oatmeal out of the end of a gas pipe. Sister, that is not religion; I want to tell you that the smiling, happy, sunny-faced religion will win more people to Jesus Christ than the miserable old, grim-faced kind will in 10 years.

Billy Sunday preaching
"I pity anyone who can't laugh. There must be something wrong with their religion or their lives. The devil can't laugh.

"I have seen women come down the aisle by the thousands, men who drank whiskey enough to sink a ship. I see fallen women come to the front by scores and hundreds, and I have seen them go away cleansed by the power of God.

"I saw a woman that for 27 years had been proprietor of a disorderly house, and I saw her come down the aisle, close her doors, turn the girls out of her house, to live for God. I saw enough converted in one town where there were four disorderly houses to close their doors; they were empty; the girls have all fled home to their mothers."

Finally, you can find the help you need

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:55:51 PST

Luke 4:14-30 - Jesus Rejected

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 02:12:31 PDT

Jesus Unrolls the Book, (James Tissot 1894)

Alot of big announcements are being made these days with a lot of fanfare andhype and big money behind them and with a lot of grandiose promises about hopeand change and fixing the world we know, but there was an announcement twomillennia ago in a small synagogue in a tiny, overlooked community in theMiddle East that changed the course of human and cosmic history. What happened thereteaches us a lot about life’s priorities and the importance of believing insomething worthwhile. The announcement, found in Luke chapter four, however,did not turn out like we might have expected.

Pray and Read: Luke 4:14-30

Key Truth: Lukewrote Luke 4:14-30 to teach believers that we must embrace Jesus andhis mission and not reject it; we must operate in belief and not in unbelief.

Key Application: Today Iwant to show you what God’s Word says about believing in Jesus and his mission.

Sermon Points:

1. Embracebelief in Jesus and his mission (Luke 4:14-23)

2. Rejectunbelief in Jesus and his mission (Luke 4:24-30)

Contextual Notes:

Lukebegins his gospel with a birth narrative showing that Jesus is the ComingMessiah who fulfills God’s promises both to Abraham and to David (Luke 1-2),and our job is to trust in Him. That trust begins with repentance, proclaimed Messiah’sForerunner John the Baptizer (Luke 3:1-20). With Jesus’ baptism (Luke 3:21-23a),Luke shows us that Jesus is the promised Messiah, who will be God’s sufferingServant through his sacrificial death. With Mary’s genealogy, Luke reminds usthat Jesus fulfills not only the Davidic and Abrahamic Covenants, but unlike fallenand sinful Adam, he is also is a completely obedient Son of God (Luke3:23b-38). So clearly is Jesus the ideal Man, that he defeats Satan himself ina test of every sphere of human temptation: body, mind, and spirit (Luke4:1-13).

NowLuke opens Jesus’ Galilean ministry (Luke 4:14-9:50) and begins to present the essenceof the gospel.[1]This section of the Galilean ministry will climax at Luke 9:20 when Peterconfesses that Jesus is the Christ. The work of Jesus’ ministry here at Luke 4:14 begins in thepower of the Spirit, and his initial press is great (Luke 4:14-15, 22). Oh, butthings come to a screeching halt in his hometown synagogue in Nazareth. Here,Jesus encounters the prejudice, rejection, and anger of his own neighbors andfamily at what had been his big announcement, the launching of his ministry.What was their problem with him? That is what this sermon is about. Let’s readLuke 4:14-30 and explore this passage together.

Exposition: Notewell,

1. EMBRACE BELIEF IN JESUS AND HISMISSION (Luke 4:14-23)

a. Luke 4:14 – Jesus went into the desert in the fullnessof the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1) and he departs in the power of the Spirit (Luke4:14), having defeated the devil at his own game. So far, Jesus’ conception(Luke 1:35), baptism (Luke 3:21-22), temptation (Luke 4:1) and now his ministry(Luke 4:14) are all linked to the work of the Holy Spirit, the third person ofthe Trinity.

b. APPLICATION: Jesus is modeling for us thedependence on the empowerment of the Spirit. If he did it, how much more do weneed the Holy Spirit’s empowerment?

c. Luke4:16-17 – Luke hasbeen meticulous about his gospel, but this passage is not in chronologicalorder. Since the time of Augustine (5^th C), it has been thought thatthis event is the same as that “prophet has no honor in his own hometown” eventin Mark 6:1-6/Matt 13:53-58.[2]Why would a meticulous Luke do that? Luke is beginning his presentation of whatthe Gospel is all about, and he is setting a synagogue of unbelief (Nazareth,Luke 4:14-30) over against a synagogue of belief (Capernaum, Luke 4:31-44).

d. The first century synagogue servicebegan with prayers and blessings, then a number of readings from the HebrewBible.[3]Readers were designated for each passage, and if a visiting rabbi or someone ofdistinction was present, it was courteous to invite him to read from theProphets.[4]Jesus was reared by Joseph and Mary in Nazareth (Luke 2:4, 39, 51; 4:16), andwas already being called a preacher in Capernaum and Galilee (Luke 4:23). Inaccordance with custom, as a man of thirty, Jesus is invited to read andcomment on the scroll of Isaiah.

e. Luke4:18-19 - Jesus choosesto unroll and read from what we know today as Isaiah 61. Jesus reads from noneother than Isaiah’s identification of the Messiah Himself and his work as aKing (Isa. 11:1-2), a Prophet (Isa. 61:1-2) and a Servant (Isa. 42:1). It is alaunch pad for his ministry, what he will do, and how he will bring trueJubilee (Lev 25). Jesus sits to expound the text as is customary. He has nohesitation saying that He is the fulfillment of this Messianic passage, eventhough saying so is a political statement that not too many years earlier (AD6) a messianic-style revolt caused the Romans to level the city of Sepphoris,only four miles away.

f. Whyis it so significant that in the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus chose thispassage of Scripture to read (Luke 4:14-30)? The passage from Isaiah 61 wherethe Messiah Himself speaks for himself. He does just that in the synagogue inNazareth.

g. Isaiah 61:1 – The Spirit of the SovereignLord is upon Me -In a Trinitarian reference, the Messiah speaks saying the Father sent him withthe power of the Holy Spirit. “He has mashach-ed (anointed) me,” here a directadmission that He is the Messiah that Isaiah has described (also Isaiah 11:2; 42:1;48:16; Psalm 45:7). And indeed the Spirit was upon him at birth (Luke 1:35); atbaptism (John 1:32; 3:34). And he is to set prisoners free, the Hebrew textmaking sure we understand it is complete liberty, from slavery of blindness (Isaiah6:9-10; 35:5; 42:7; 49:9; Psalm 146:8)

h. Isaiah 61:1-2 The Year of the Lord’sFavor: This is areference to the 50^th Jubilee Year (Leviticus 25). Israel neverseems to have observed a Jubilee year, but the Lord proclaims one here. The messianicprophecy was quoted by Christ in the synagogue in Nazareth, but only in part.He closed the scroll after reading the proclamation of the Lord’s favor andmade no mention of ‘the day of vengeance of our God’ (Luke 4:17-21). Thisincident is significant for several reasons.

i. First, Jesus was announcing publicly thatHe was the Messiah promised by the prophets, and he chose the passage where theMessiah speaks for himself. The Servant is Christ

ii. Second, it suggests two comings of Christhere, the first to save, and the second to judge. This ‘day of the Lord’ thatother prophets talk about – Jesus and the Apostles did too (Matthew 12:36; Luke21:22; Romans 2:5; 2 Peter 2:9). The Judge will be Jesus (50:11; John 5:25-30).

iii. Third,it reveals howJesus viewed the Old Testament (as the gospel) and illustrates interpretationof the OT. Predictive passages typically are not clear as to time and may linkevents separated by many years.

i. Luke 4:22 – “All spoke well of him” -He announces thatthe Messianic promise has now become fulfilled in Him. His hearers are deeplyimpressed. It is Jesus’ gracious words (literally, his words of grace), that winimmediate approval (cf. Acts 14:3).

j. There is a note of perhaps unbelief,“Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” (Luke 4:22), but on the other hand with the publicknowledge of Joseph’s direct lineage to David, perhaps caused some to wonder ifindeed this son of David was One to come. In this little town of around 1,600people, everyone knew Jesus, and because they know him and where he comes from,they are less open to thinking about him in new ways. Jesus knows that. He quotesa proverb known in both Greek and local Aramaic which probably means, “proveyour worth as a physician” or “Heal your own people rather than outsiders.”

k. APPLICATION: Jesus is clear that he has comeand his mission is to go to those whom no one else wants, those who arebeneath, who are on the margins, who are poor, who smell bad, who are oppressedof the devil, who are not like us. When we come to Christ and we submit to Hisregime, we submit to his priorities. His priorities are to minister to thosewhom no one else wants to deal with and to take his Name to all the nations,whether they live here in Bend of the River community or the Tri-Counties orwhether they are in New York or South Asia or the Horn of Africa, we are calledto spare nothing, to hide behind no excuse, to proclaim his name to the nationsfor His Name’s sake and for the Glory of His coming Kingdom.

2. REJECT UNBELIEF IN JESUS AND HISMISSION (Luke 4:24-30)

a. Luke4:24 – Jesus usesthe Hebrew word Amen, a word usually used at the end of a saying to confirmthat it is true and valid (Deut 27:15; Psalm 41:13). To confirm his authority,Jesus uses it at the beginning and in doubles (Amen, Amen; Verily, Verily;Truly, Truly). He tells them that if they do not believe, then it is because noprophet is accepted (favored) in his hometown (Luke 4:24; Jeremiah 1:1;11:18-23). Just as Isaiah 61 is to bring favor, so the people do not favor theOne who brings them favor. He came to his own, but his own did not receive him(John 1:11).

b. Jesus’ rejection here foreshadowshis coming rejection by the whole nation. This is why, Jesus says, God had tosend his prophets to be cared for by Gentiles (and the socially weak (a poorwidow) and marginalized (a leprous Syrian oppressor) at that) because of the unbeliefin Israel (Elijah & widow of Zarephath, 1 Kings 17:1, 7-24; 18:1; Elisha& Naaman the Syrian, 2 Kings 5:1-19, 30; Syria and Sidon were particularlydespised by Jews). God’s favor to the Gentiles here in Luke 4 foreshadows the missionof God in Luke’s book of Acts. The question here is this: Will Israel receive herMessiah in faith? Will they accept a Savior who has come with grace for all whobelieve – Gentile as well as Jew?

c. Hiscommentary changes the crowd’s attitude. Jesus was saying that those who believed God’s Wordwere not Israel, but instead Gentiles.[5]Hated Gentiles, who have persecuted and oppressed them for centuries, tramplingthe Holy Land and stealing its wealth. They were outsiders. Jesus is sayingthat they were in fact, superior in faith to them! When they understood Jesus’point that God’s grace extends to all the nations, the anger boiled over. Theyhonestly felt that they had a right to God’s special favor over and aboveothers who were not Jews, who were outsiders, who were on the other side of theworld, of whom they had never heard, on whom they looked down as being beneaththem.

d. APPLICATION:Let’s guard againstthis attitude that we have some special position or favor with God, that wedeserve him to save us and bless us. If we live in Christ because of God’sgrace, let’s not be upset if He displays grace to someone we think is lessdeserving than ourselves.

e. APPLICATION: At Nazareth, Luke says that thecongregation at first “spoke well of him” and were “amazed at his gracious words” (Luke 4:22).They were polite. They were properly religious. But when he explained to themthe text which he had read in the scroll at Isaiah 61, that God’s graceextended even to the Gentiles (Luke 4:24-27), their polite religiosityevaporated before the heat of their fury at the truth (Luke 4:28). Jesus haddared violate their religious prejudice, their long-time way of doing things.Didn’t he understand that “we’ve never done it that way before,” or thoughtthat way before? You mean that you are going to sit there and tell us that theWord of God is supposed to tell us how to think? Their anger turned to violenceand attempted murder. But their offense was rooted in self-centeredness. Theyhad not submitted to his authority. They spoke well of him only so long as hedid as they expected him to, as long as he towed their line, as long as he wasloyal to them and the way they did things. And Jesus? How did he handle thatfurious response? Jesus didn’t defend himself. He didn’t fight back. He walkedaway.

f. Our congregations respond toChrist’s authority in similar fashion. We know how to be polite and courteous.We know the correct religious platitudes and pseudo-gracious words and tones touse. The Chinese have nothing on us. We have our own religious tonal language.But don’t cross the line, or the fury will explode. Don’t offend our religiousprejudice or we will remove you, you vile speaker of truth. The root of courseis the same as what plagued the Nazareth synagogue -- disdain for Christ’s authority. Some of ushave been in church so long that we actually begin to believe that the churchbelongs to us, and that we are in charge. In fact we aren’t. Jesus is the onewho sits in authority, not you and me. Jesus walked away from the synagogue atNazareth. He’s a gentleman. He will not force himself on those who reject hisWord. And then we sit and wonder why our churches are dying.

g. APPLICATION: And how often do we react the waythese Nazarene Jews did? How often do we insolently demand that God follow ouragenda, meet our needs, satisfy our desires, and proceed according to ourschedule. There’s a little children’s song that matches this attitude, “If Ihad a little blue box to put my Jesus in, I’d take him out and (kiss, kiss,kiss) and put him back in again.” Instead, our calling as believers is to seekHis face humbly and submit ourselves to Him (He is called Lord for a reason,after all), to understand His priorities and then follow His will for His glory, not for ourown. It may be that what God intends to do in our lives is something we findunthinkable at first. When Christ makes His will known, we must resist theimpulse to rebel.

h. Luke4:28-30 - Theiranger was such that they tried to lynch the Lord Jesus at his first (and probablylast) sermon in his hometown. Not only that, they didn't mind breaking both civil and moral law. The Roman government alone had alegal right of execution and it was the Sabbath, and killing someone was not onlyimmoral but work! They were so angry that they were going to break both civillaw and moral law to kill him. It wouldn’t have bothered his hometown thatJesus quoted Scripture to the devil in the desert (Luke 4:1-13), but when hequoted it to challenge unscriptural traditions and prejudices in them, they were enraged. Their plan was to throw him off a precipice and stone him to death.Whether the Lord hides him (Jer. 36:26) or they somehow just stop for a moment,Jesus walks through the crowd unharmed. His hour had not yet come.

i. APPLICATION: Every rebellion in our lives ofsin is a symbolic effort to force Jesus off a hill and cast Him from His rightfulplace on the throne of our lives.

Invitation:

But a day was coming when they wouldpress in on him and be willing to break civil and moral law to have him crucified.That day sealed his death and brought us freedom. That day at Calvary He gavehis life for every one of us who would receive Him. Will you receive Him now?

[1] Just as Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 giveshis thesis there for Acts.

[2] N.B. Stonehouse, The Witness of Luke to Christ, 70-76. Somesee this event as Jesus’ first trip to Nazareth and Mark 6/Matt 13 a secondtrip. Others see this event as out of chronological order (cf. Luke 4:23b) butkey in showing the difference between unbelief (Nazareth synagogue) and belief(Capernaum synagogue).
[3] The strict lectionary readings werenot yet set, most think, but no one really knows how exactly a first century synagogue was conducted, and they may havebeen unique to the synagogue. Thus, he “found the place where it is written,”i.e., from my reading, Jesus chose what he wanted to read.

[4] Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah,1:430-450.
[5] Remember the Jewish priestZechariah’s unbelief in the Temple (Luke 1:18)?

Mixed message

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:28:31 PST

Unfortunately so many churches send mixed messages.

Pablum for Christians

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:38:47 PST

Comfort in His Presence

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:33:56 PST

In this old fallen world, life deals us blows. Perhaps theblow is a broken marriage. Perhaps it is bad news at the doctor’s office (Psalm41:1-3). Perhaps it is the loss of a dearly loved one. Perhaps it is a layoff.Perhaps it is an errant child or grandchild. Perhaps it is a lie. Perhaps it isthe sheer crushing strength of stress. Perhaps it is the ache of a violation yearsago. Perhaps it is betrayal or rejection. Perhaps it is the devouring beastcalled depression. Perhaps it is being blindsided by your best friend. Perhapsit is the deep water of financial insecurity or unspeakable loss. Perhaps hopedeferred has made your heart sick. Or discouragement, disillusionment, despair,depression, deceit, delusion, dead works, distrust, disgrace, disappointment,even death.

The refiner’s fire burns away the dross and brings forth thepure gold (Jer 9:7; Zech 13:9; Mal 3:2-3;1 Cor 3:11-15; 2 Tim 2:21). A hard principle is that the refining fires mostoften come through those closest to us. Only the submissive act of standing onthe Word of God produces the transforming power that brings forth thepriceless.

When we come out on the other side of the trials and tests, we canagree with the Psalmist, “Remember the word to Your servant, / Upon which Youhave caused me to hope. / This is my comfort in my affliction, / For Your word hasgiven me life. / The proud have me in great derision, / Yet I do not turn asidefrom Your law. / I remembered Your judgments of old, O Lord, / And have comfortedmyself. It is good for me that I have been afflicted, / That I may learn Yourstatutes. I know, O Lord, that your judgments are right, / And that infaithfulness You have afflicted me. / Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness befor my comfort, / According to Your word to your servant. Let Your tendermercies come to me, that I may live;” (Psalm 119:49-52, 71, 75-77).

The God of all comfort (2 Cor 1:3-5; Psalm 23:4; Isaiah40:1) provides for those who grieve in Zion, and He specializes in beauty fromthe ashes, gladness for mourning, and praise for despair with a vision forbuilding oaks of righteousness for the display of His splendor (Isaiah 61:3).

Bystaying centered on the truth of God’s Word, we can work through the grief andanger, the numbness and regrets, the blame and doubts. We must fix our eyes onJesus (Heb 12:2-3), who runs to the cry of those in need of mercy (Heb 2:18; 2Cor 9:8).

Cry out to Him. You can trust Him (Psalm 25:16-17; 34:6, 15). Let Himcarry you (Psalm 55:22; 121:1-8; 1 Peter 5:7). Let Him counsel you in the night(Psalm 16:7; 32:8). Let Him comfort you through His promises (2 Thess 2:16-17;Heb 13:5-6). You’ll need to return to them many times. Let Him fill you withjoy (Psalm 16:11; 30:5; 90:15; John 16:20; Phil 4:4). Take courage in Him (Josh1:9; Psalm 27:14; 31:24; 138:3). Find your rest in Him (Deut 33:12; 37:27;Psalm 9:9; 16:1; 62:1, 5; Matt 11:28-30). True healing is only found in Jesus’presence (Psalm 34:18; Isaiah 49:8-9; Joel 2:25-26; Phil 3:10, 14).

Having experiencedHis comfort, you can minister healing and comfort to others (2 Cor 1:4). Don’twaste your sorrows. Let God give you opportunities to pray Christ’s comfort forothers. He will bring you divine appointments and use you to minister the comfortof Jesus to them.

Luke 4:1-13 - Jesus' Temptation

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 13:47:51 PST

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness (James J. Tissot, 1886-94)

Contextual Notes:

Followinga birth narrative focused on Jesus’ fulfillment of the Abrahamic and Davidiccovenants (Luke 1-2), Luke focuses his Gospel on the beginning of Jesus’ministry. He begins with the message repentance from Messiah’s Forerunner Johnthe Baptizer (Luke 3:1-20), then Jesus’ baptism (Luke 3:21-23a) with itsmessage that He is the promised Messiah, who will fulfill the role of theLord’s suffering Servant through his sacrificial death. Luke then insertsMary’s genealogy, proving that, like Matthew 1, Jesus fulfills both the Davidicand Abrahamic Covenants, adding also that unlike Adam, Jesus is the true Son ofGod (Luke 3:23b-38).

NowLuke shows Jesus’ last stage of preparation and the first and most importantchallenge in beginning his ministry – demonstrating that he is the true Son ofGod by refusing temptation in every area. Coordinated by the Holy Spirit, Jesusheads into a desolate area to fast and permits Satan to test the weakenedMessiah. Luke demonstrates that Jesus is the ideal human being, unlike thefallen Adam and Eve (Luke 4:1-13). Luke wants you to see that Jesus issteadfastly obedient to the will of His Father in contrast to both Adam thefirst son of God (Luke 3:38), and Israel God’s son (Exod 4:22-23) and firstservant. The true Son of God (not in a Garden but in a desert) and the trueServant of God in the wilderness will emerge from this temptation.

Key Truth: Lukewrote Luke 4:1-13 to teach believers that through Jesus we canovercome temptations of the flesh, the mind, and the spirit.

Key Application: Today Iwant to show you what God’s Word says about temptation.

Pray and Read: Luke 4:1-13

Sermon Points:

1. ThroughJesus we can overcome temptations of flesh (Luke 4:1-4)

2. ThroughJesus we can overcome temptations of mind (Luke 4:5-8)

3. ThroughJesus we can overcome temptations of spirit (Luke 4:9-13)

Exposition: Notewell,

1. THROUGH JESUS WE CAN OVERCOMETEMPTATIONS OF FLESH (LUKE 4:1-4)

a. Luke 4:1 – Holy Spirit: Jesus’ conception (Luke 1:35),baptism (Luke 3:21-22), temptation (Luke 4:1) and his ministry (Luke 4:14) areall linked to the working of God’s Spirit.

b. Luke 4:2 – Temptation: This Greek verb root is peirazo, (to test or to tempt) is anevent which places us under great pressure. James tells us that God nevertempts people in the sense of luring them to do evil (James 1:13). God doestest, however, as he permits the devil to test Jesus, to demonstrate that wecan overcome in his strength. Adam and Eve failed. You and I through Christ canovercome.

c. Luke 4:2 – The devil is a fallen angel (Isaiah 14:11-15; Ezek 28:11-19) inrebellion against the Creator God. He is hostile to human beings (1 Peter 5:8;Acts 10:38; Job 1-2), appeals to man’s sin nature (Gen 3; John 13:2; Rev 12:9),and exercises great power in this world through the sin of those same people(Eph 2:2; 2 Cor 4:4; 1 Tim 3:7). But he is far from all-powerful. Believersthrough Jesus’ resources can stand against his schemes (Eph 6:11) and resisthim so that he will flee from us (James 4:7).

d. Luke 4:2 – Fasting: Medicine tells us that 30-40 daysof total fasting depletes the body’s resources and causes intense hunger andnear exhaustion. Even in this weakened state he remained true to his commitmentby trusting and acting on God’s Word. Both Moses (Deut 9:9; Exod 34:28) andElijah fasted 40 days (1 Kings 19:8), and Israel was in the wilderness 40 years.

e. Satantempts Jesus onthree levels,[1]the desires of the flesh (Luke 4:1-4), the desires of the eyes (Luke 4:5-8),and the pride of life (Luke 4:9-13). Seen another way (1 John 2:16), Jesus was temptedin every area of his existence as a person, in his body, in his mind, and inhis spirit.

f. Theseare the same three kinds of temptations in the Garden of Eden: “When the woman saw that the treewas good for food (desire of the flesh), and that it was a delight to the eyes(lust of the eyes), and a tree to be desired to make one wise (boasting oflife), she took of the fruit and ate (Gen 3:6). The first man did not resist,but the last man did (Rom 5:12-21; 1 Cor 15:21-22, 45-49; Heb 4:15).

Luke 4:1-4	Body	Desires of flesh	Flesh
Luke 4:5-8	Mind	Lust of the eyes	World
Luke 4:9-13	Spirit	Pride of life	Devil

g. And Jesus settles the issues like agood rabbi, by quoting Scripture. The first is to use his supernatural power tosatisfy his purely material needs by turning stones to bread. Besides being100% God as the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus is also 100% human beingwith normal mortal needs.

h. Yet there is a logical incongruityon Satan’s part in this temptation for me. How do you ask Someone who createdyou, who has supernatural powers beyond yours, to satisfy his own purelymaterial needs? Wouldn’t a Supernatural Person have the ability to overcomenatural hunger if he wanted without temptation? But this is the perfect Man, but a Man with natural hunger nonetheless.

i. Luke 4:3-4 – If you are the Son ofGod, tell this stone to become bread: Thedevil subtly challenges Jesus to fulfill his hunger and at the same time provehis Messiahship (Isaiah 49:30; John 6:30ff) by performing a form of witchcraftcalled shape changing. Jesus quotes Deut. 8:3, knowing that he could depend onGod’s provision of manna in the wilderness because God was his Father as he wasIsrael’s (Deut 8:5).

j. APPLICATION: “Our first temptations are oftenthrough our physical nature or our temporal circumstances, provision, ourphysical health, financial pressure. Remember the subject of this temptationwas a real man with a mind as liable todiscouragement, despondency, and the depression that come from physicalweakness as yours and mind Remember also that it is your faith that the enemyassails, and discouragement is usually the gateway to doubt and unbelief. Yourworst faults and falls are not so important to the great enemy of your soul asthe use which he intends to make of them in crushing your spirit and destroyingyour confidence. Remember, then, the stirring message of Peter who was tempted:‘Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothersthroughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings’ (1 Peter 5:9).‘So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded’ (Heb 10:35),”[2]and remember that “no temptation has come to you except that which is common toman. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you canbear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you canstand up under it” (1 Cor 10:13).

2. THROUGH JESUS WE CAN OVERCOMETEMPTATIONS OF MIND (LUKE 4:5-8)

a. Luke 4:5 – kingdoms of this world: They may have been giventemporarily to the devil (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2, theydid not belong to him Dan 4:32) as an usurper (1 John 5:19), but they have beenpromised to the Messiah (Psalm 2:7-8; Luke 3:21). Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13,which prohibits idolatry (Deut 6:14), a commandment anyone who worships acreated, fallen angel like the devil would violate. No created being can demandor receive that which belongs to Creator God.

b. APPLICATION: This next attack was on hisambition, his future, his plan for growth and expansion, and he is presentedwith the opportunity for compromise. If only he would put himself beholden to apolitical boss, join a certain organization, follow a certain unwritten andunofficial order to make someone happy or to appease someone so that you can“get along,” but Jesus refused the bribe. He didn’t need the devil’s crown. Hehad a mightier dominion waiting for him one day when He could say, “Allauthority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and makedisciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:18-19).

3. THROUGH JESUS WE CAN OVERCOMETEMPTATIONS OF SPIRIT (LUKE 4:9-13)

a. Satanreturns a third time to the attack in an appeal to his spiritual pride byquoting Psalm 91:11-12, but he omits “in all your ways,” thus changing ageneral rule of life to one clearly contrary to God’s will. The Lord againanswers from Deuteronomy 6:16.

b. Itis striking that all three of Jesus’ quotations are drawn from contexts aboutIsrael’s being tested by God (Deut 8:2), putting God to the test (Deut 6:16) inthe wilderness at Massa when the Israelites refused to accept that God wasamong them until He gave them a sign (Exod 17:7). Jesus is a true Israelite,not putting the Lord to the test, but trusting His Father’s word at his baptism(Luke 3:21-22).

c. APPLICATION: “¹⁷Therefore, in allthings He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a mercifuland faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to makepropitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For in that He Himselfhas suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” (Heb2:17-18). “¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathizewith our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yetwithout sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:15-16).

Invitation:

[1] Matthew’s second and thirdtemptations are Luke’s third and second respectively. Over a period of sixweeks, in the midst of this great temptation, it need not be seen as acontradiction, but merely a difference in what each Gospel emphasizes. Somehave seen in these temptations a message to the contemporary politics of firstcentury Judea. The first temptation parallels the Herodians, who would havekept the masses quiet by feeding them; the second the Sadducess who werewilling to cooperate (and compromise) with the Romans to maintain theirposition; and the third the Pharisees were the nationalists who hoped for amiraculous intervention of the Lord Himself.

[2] A.B. Simpson, Christ in the Bible Commentary, 4:274.

Luke 3:21-38 - The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus

noreply@blogger.com (Gene Brooks) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 13:25:58 PST

Contextual Notes:

InLuke’s birth narrative (Luke 1:4-2:52), Luke demonstrates that whether there isunbelief (the priest Zechariah) or belief (Mary, Elizabeth, Shepherds, Anna,Simeon), the Messiah has arrived who has fulfilled the Abrahamic and Davidiccovenants. The Forerunner John called the people to repentance and holy livingaccording to the Scriptures (John 3:1-20). Now Messiah Himself arrives on thescene to both inaugurate his ministry with baptism and divine confirmation ofhis identity and also demonstrate his ancestral claim to Messiahship.

Key Truth: Lukewrote Luke 3:21-38 to teach believers that Jesus’ baptism and genealogyconfirm him as Messiah, King of Israel and Lord of the Nations.

Key Application: Today Iwant to show you what God’s Word says about Jesus’ baptism and genealogy.

Pray and Read: Luke 3:21-38

Sermon Points:

1. Jesus’baptism confirms Him as Messiah (Luke 3:21-23a)

2. Jesus’genealogy confirms Him as Messiah (Luke 3:23b-38)

Exposition: Notewell,

1. JESUS’ BAPTISM CONFIRMS HIM ASMESSIAH (Luke 3:21-23a)

a. Jesus’baptism marks the beginning of his public ministry. For Luke, the descent ofthe Holy Spirit on Jesus signifies his “anointing” as the Messiah and hisempowerment to accomplish the task God had set for him (Luke 4:1, 14, 18). Thevoice from heaven is a divine confirmation that Jesus is the Messiah and theSon of God (Matt. 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11).

b. Luke 3:21 – Prayer is an important theme in Luke’sGospel to watch. Luke portrays Jesus praying at significant points in hisministry: at baptism (Luke 3:21); after cleansing a leper (Luke 5:16), beforecalling the Twelve (Luke 6:12), before Peter’s confession (Luke 9:18), at theTransfiguration (Luke 9:28), before teaching the disciples to pray (Luke 11:1),for Peter to be restored (Luke 22:32); in the Garden (Luke 22:41, 44), for hismurderers from the cross (Luke 23:34), and with his last breath (Luke 23:46).

c. Asa result, heaven opens, an image common in apocalyptic literature about the endtimes. The point here is that He is the Revelation and that the Jesus is thefulfillment of all of Scripture.

d. Luke 3:22 – Holy Spirit descendedlike a dove. Someinterpret here a connection with Gen 1:2 and the hovering over the waters,making Jesus part of a New Creation. Others allude to Gen 8:8-12 where Noah’sdove represents God’s deliverance after judgment. Neither interpretation hasstrong verbal parallels. The main point is that Luke wants us to know that theLord in Trinitarian fashion has publicly signified that this Jesus is theMessiah, the second person of the Trinity.

e. Luke 3:22 – “You are My Son, whom Ilove: The voicealludes to Psalm 2:7 (Messiah’s divine sonship and legitimate rule from Zion);Isaiah 42:1 (The faithful Servant is identified as God’s chosen one; andperhaps Gen 22:2, 12, 16 (where Isaac is described as Abraham’s only son, whomyou love with Isaac being prophetic of Jesus and Abraham’s willingness to offerhis son as prophetic of the Father’s willingness to offer His. If all threeallusions are present, Luke is making an extraordinary statement about Jesus’identity. He is the promised Messiah, whowill fulfill the role of the Lord’s suffering Servant through his sacrificialdeath.

f. APPLICATION: The connections made here betweenthe Old Testament and the Gospel of Luke give us clear confidence that Jesus isthe promised Messiah to come whose sacrifice of his life on the Cross andsubsequent Resurrection defeated death and brought the fulfillment of thecovenants of Abraham and David to fruit. This is the hope of the Gospel, and itis available to all the nations, even you. Will you confess your sin to him andsubmit your life to this Jesus? He loved you enough to die for you. He isliving now, sitting at the right hand of the Father. Will you make him yourLord?

2. JESUS’ GENEALOGY CONFIRMS HIM ASMESSIAH (LUKE 3:23B-38)

a. Thegenealogy that follows is not just space filler. It fits an important part ofLuke’s Gospel to provide further confirmation that Jesus is the Messiah.Remember that all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching,correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness. Some passages of Scriptureare not “more inspired” than others.

b. Literally, verse 23b reads: “And Jesus himself was beginningabout thirty years, being son, as was supposed, of Joseph, of the Eli, of theMattat, of the Levi, etc. If Joseph is the son of Eli, then it contradicts withMatt. 1:16 which says Jacob was the father of Joseph, but both genealogiesemploy unusual language with respect to Jesus, both asserting that he had nohuman father in the ordinary sense. Luke distinguishes Joseph from Jesus’ directancestry by not including the word “the” before Joseph in the original Greek.By omitting the article, Joseph’s name is separated from the genealogical linkand set aside on its own. Luke gives the geneaology of Mary, daughter of Eli,making Jesus the grandson “of the Eli” while Jesus’ relationship with Joseph isportrayed as “son, as supposed,” not actually.

c. Whatdo the genealogies mean? Simply, Matthew’s genealogy is the genealogy of Josephwho was Jesus’ legal father (Luke 4:22; John 1:45; 6:42). Just as in Matthew’sgenealogy, Luke traces Jesus’ ancestry back through David and Abraham,confirming that he is the fulfillment of the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants,something we have seen in all the songs and angelic announcements of the birthnarrative.

d. Buthow can Jesus claim David’s throne if he is not descended through the Kinglyline of Solomon? Against him is that even if Luke’s genealogy is Mary’s andgoes back to David, royal descent is not counted through the mother. If Jesusis not Joseph’s physical father, even if legally adopted, cannot satisfy 2 Sam7:12’s promise to David. No?

e. Firstof all, inheritance could be passed through the mother under the Law as long asthe daughter married within the bloodline (the daughters of Zelophehad, Num 27;36:6-7). Mary did marry within the bloodline of Judah, of David, and possiblyJacob and Heli were brothers as well.

f. Second,we do know from the field of medicine the natural processes involved infertilization cause the father’s mitochondrial DNA never to be passed on to hischildren. Mitochondrial DNA are passed only through the female from onegeneration to the next. Mitochondria enable the body toaerobically respirate and without mitochondria, human tissue would be unable tosustain its metabolic pathway – without the mother’s mitochondria, the newperson’s tissue would produce so much heat that it would boil.[1]Unless the Lord overruled this process then, Jesus carriedHoly-Spirit-overshadowed, human mitochondrial DNA – what the theologians call human nature – from his mother.

g. So – did Jesus have Mary’s DNA, hergenetic data? Theshort answer is yes, he did. There are two reasons. One is scientific. The moreimportant one is Scriptural. He not only fulfilled 2 Sam 7:12, but also Gen3:15: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between youroffspring (seed) and her Offspring (seed); He will bruise and tread your headunderfoot, and you will lie in wait and bruise His heel.” Paul explainsin Galatians 3:16, “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as referring to many, but rather to one, ‘Andto your seed,’ that is, Christ.” Galatians 4:4 “But when the proper timehad fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born subject to theregulations of the Law.”

h. Jesus is the seed of Abraham through whom all nationson earth will be blessed and the seed of David who will reign forever onIsrael’s throne. Yet there are differences with Matthew’s genealogy (Matt. 1).Matthew’s begins with Abraham. Luke goesall the way back to Adam, pointing to Luke’s point that Jesus is for all thenations, not just Israel.

i. Luke 3:23 – Thirty was viewed in Jewish andGreco-Roman cultures as an appropriate age to enter public service. Priestsbegan their work at age 30 (Num 4:3). Joseph enter Pharaoh’s service at age 30(Gen 41:46). Ezekiel was called as a prophet at age 30 (Ezek. 1:1). Moresignificantly, David began his reign at age 30 (2 Sam 5:4), following in hisfather David’s steps.

j. Zerubbabel (Luke 3:27) – was appointed governor of Judeaby the Persians after the Exile. He supervised the rebuilding of the Temple(Ezra 3:2, 8) and was exhorted by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to finishthe rebuilding (Hag 1:1-15; Zech 4:6-10). He shows up in both the Matthean andLukan genealogies.

k. Luke 3:31 - Nathan, son of David – The third son of David, born at Jerusalem (1Sam 5:14). Mary is descended through him.

l. Luke 3:38 - The son of Adam, the sonof God – Adam being the “son of God” meansthat he was directly created by God andnot born of another person. There is an implicit comparison to Jesus, too. Thefirst son of God failed in obedience to God. The true Son of God will succeedwhen tested (Luke 4:1-13).

m. APPLICATION:Jesus is theMessiah promised to Israel and the Jews, and the genealogy (that at first seemsout of place, but in reality is placed exactly where Luke wants it to proveMessiah’s identity) is further evidence, corroborated with Matthew to the publicJewish synagogue records of the day. Any rabbi could have easily disputed Jesus’identity based on their own public genealogical tables, but none did. Jesus isthe son of David and the son of Abraham. What does this mean to you? It meansHe is the Promised One on whom the Hope of the Nations rests. Embrace Him asthe One who saves you from your sins. Submit to Him as the Sovereign God whorules all. Hail Him as the King of the Nations. Receive Him as Lord.

Invitation:

[1] http://www.bibleanswerstand.org/QA_DNA.htm

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