January 31st, Saturday: Luke chaps. 11-12

We'll learn about His generosity.

If Jesus, John the Baptist, the Twelve all needed to pray - how much more do we need to pray?

We must put God's concerns first, because prayer is based on sonship, not friendship – we're part of the family.

God is a loving Father, not a grouchy neighbour.

He gives us what we need.

He neither slumbers nor sleeps.

And He doesn't become irritated when we ask for help.

We'll talk about His authority.

More dangerous than open hostility is attempted neutrality.

An empty life is an opportunity for Satan to move in and take over.

The only sign we need is the sign of Jonah.

Our Lord's resurrection from the dead.

Jesus has won the victory over the prince of darkness.

Obey Satan and you'll let in darkness rather than light, and soon you'll not be able to see or to distinguish between them.

We'll learn about His honesty.

He was a guest in a home, but Jesus did not flatter His host or the other guests by avoiding the truth.

His words, by the way, were kind of stinging.

These were a bunch of religious experts.

He exposed their hypocrisy and condemned them for their sins.

We'll learn about a fearful heart.

See, when you fear people, you start to hide things and this is what leads to hypocrisy.

Being two-faced, you fail to confess Christ openly and depend on the Holy Spirit.

And this silence becomes your witness.

And it silences your witness.

When you fear God alone, you need fear no one else.

And you can boldly witness for Christ.

You're important to God and you're very precious in His sight.

So never fear what people can say or do

We'll look at a divided heart.

The word translated 'worry' means to be 'pulled about.'

And that is what worry does to you.

If your heart is centered on Christ and trusting wholly in Him – you'll have a united heart that fears God alone

If your treasures are heavenly, you need not worry.

No enemy can take them.

We'll read about a cold heart.

We're God's servants, and He expects us to be faithfully doing our work when Jesus Christ returns.

But when we stop looking for His coming, loving it and longing for it – well, our hearts grow cold.

And we become very worldly.

The Lord will deal with careless servants when He returns.

So we are to be ready at all times, looking for His sure and certain return.

January 30th, Friday: Luke chaps. 9-10

And we'll see that Christ equips us.

He will never send us out to do a task, without first giving us what we need.

We're prone to trust what we have.

But we should trust in Him alone.

Because He is all sufficient.

If we're in His will, we will have His supply.

“Where He guides, He provides.

Where God leads, He feeds.”

Make sure it's Him doing the guiding.

We'll see that Christ enables us.

How could 12 men feed 5000 people? - only through the enabling of the Lord.

Or it was the Lord who did the miracle - they only distributed the blessing.

Christ is looking for clean, empty hands that He can fill.

And Christ encourages us.

See, if you confess that Christ is Son of God and Saviour, and take up your cross and follow Him – He will reveal to you His kingdom and His glory.

When you experience the glory of God, the demands of discipleship becomes blessings that carry you along in joyful obedience.

And Christ endures us.

What strange words from the lips of Jesus!

'How long shall I be with you and bear with you?'

You see, He has to bear with our unbelief and failure, our spiritual blindness, our pride, our lack of love, and our lack of dedication.

Is Jesus blessing you, or just bearing with you?

What makes you serve?

What is your motivation?

See, Jesus was not limited to the 12.

70 others obeyed Him and helped to reap the harvest.

But the labourers are still few.

Oh yeah, lots and lots of people professing Christianity, but the labourers are few.

And here we'll learn why.

The ministry is difficult and dangerous.

Lots of folks who wants to go into ministry have stars in their eyes about it.

But the true ministry of the Lord is difficult and dangerous, but it's also very rewarding.

Are you obedient to His call?

That is the main question.

What makes you rejoice?

When the disciples rejoiced over their successful ministry, Jesus told them to rejoice because they were citizens of heaven.

Because their names were written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

After all, their work might not always be successful - but their salvation would never change.

Jesus rejoiced because the Father's will was being accomplished in their lives.

What brings joy to your heart?

What makes you pause?

It cost something to be a real neighbour.

Do you pause to help, when you see injustice and hurt?

Or like the priest and the Levite – do you look for an escape?

You know you're never more Christ-like than when you feel another's hurt, and you seek to help.

What makes you listen?

Here's the basis for all ministry – taking time to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear His Word.

It's important to serve the Lord and serve others.

But it's even more important to delight your Lord by spending time with Him.

Are you so busy serving Him that you have no time to love Him and listen to Him?

Charles Wesley wrote, 'Faithful to my Lord's commands, I still will choose the better part'

Serve with careful Martha's hands and loving Mary's heart.

January 29th, Thursday: Luke chaps. 7-8

Luke 7

'I am not worthy!' was the centurion's confession of humility.

And his confession of faith was, 'Say the word!'

See, that was his great faith at work there.

And Jesus was astonished at the faith of this Roman centurion!

'You just say the word, Lord, and I know my servant will be healed!'

It's great faith when we trust Christ to work just by speaking the word.

We can never deserve His blessings.

But we can ask for them in faith.

True rest - Christ's invitation for us to come to Him for rest.

The sinful woman had heard that invitation and had come to Christ, and she had found rest.

She was ashamed of her past, but she was not ashamed of her Saviour, or of her tears.

She did not expect it.

Nobody knew that Jesus will arrive and break up the funeral.

Never despair, because your Lord may surprise you, at the last minute, and do the impossible for you.

He did not understand it.

We're talking about John the Baptist in Luke 7:18-35.

When the Lord is not doing what you would have expect Him to do – tell Him about it and listen to His Word.

You may feel that your ministry has failed.

But you are not the judge.

Let Jesus have the final word.

She could not hide it.

The sinful woman trusted Christ and He saved her.

Now she wanted to express her love to Him.

See, true faith cannot be hidden.

True faith shows itself in love and worship.

Our hearts are transformed as we worship God.

And the good news is, if you're looking for God – let's just begin to worship Him, because Scripture is very clear, 'God inhabits the praises of His people.'

So if you want to get into God's presence, all you have to do is lift your hands, look up and begin to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.

And you will be in His presence.

And wisdom and the things that you need would be imparted during that time at a very deep level.

You may not be consciously aware of the work God is doing deep in your heart.

But as you worship, you may be rest assured that He is working in your heart.

Simon the Pharisee was blind.

He could not see himself, the Lord, or the woman.

He did not know the debt that he owed.

Luke 8

We'll be reading about a multitude hearing the Lord.

Jesus was not impressed by the crowds that followed Him.

Because He knew the spiritual conditions of their hearts.

The parable of the sower helps us examine our hearts to see how we respond to the Word.

But it's not enough to hear the Word, we must also obey it, and trust it when the time of testing comes.

And of course the time of testing will surely come.

What parallels do we find in Scripture with the Israelites of the Biblical days and our country today?

Ron Mel in his book, 'Right with God,' says, “when God says heed my Word, we need to remember that He had watched countless people walked across this planet. He has watched the pain and the trouble that have come from every violation of His commands.”

How could a loving God do less than warn us?

How could He do less than set His protective fences down across the landscape of our lives, and urge us to walk safely within them?

The Ten Commandments are those fences – to keep us safe.

Back in Deuteronomy 8:19, the Word says, 'If you forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them. You will certainly be destroyed.'

We may think God exist to bless our nation.

But according to Scripture, our nation exists to bless God.

We'll also hear about the multitude rejecting Him.

You'd think that the healing of the Gadarene demoniacs would have endeared Jesus to the people.

But the opposite was true.

The citizens were more concerned about pigs and money than about people and mercy.

The man who begged to go with Jesus, the one who was healed – well, he's the sanest one of all.

We'll read about a multitude welcoming Him.

This was on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, near Capernaum.

Why did they welcome Him?

Probably not because of their love for Him, but because they had seen many of His miracles and wanted Him to meet their needs.

If Jesus were coming today – would you welcome Him? And why?

We'll reading about a multitude thronging Him.

The people wanted to get next to Jesus so He could help them.

But though they throng Him, they did not have the touch of faith that the poor sick woman had.

Being in the crowd is no assurance of receiving the blessing.

Sometimes God has to get you away from the crowd before He can meet the need.

January 28th, Wednesday: Luke chaps. 5-6

Luke 5

Now if you had fished all night and caught nothing, would you be ready to go fishing again?

One reason Jesus called several fishermen to be His disciples was that they never quit.

Peter may have thought he knew more about fishing than Jesus did.

But he did what Jesus commanded.

And the Lord honoured his obedient faith.

No failure is final if you come to the Lord for a new start.

We'll see Jesus' response to sickness.

Lepers were not to approach people, but the man came to Jesus in desperation.

And Jesus healed him.

The offering that Jesus referred to, is described in Leviticus 14, and pictures the salvation work of the Lord.

Something for us to ponder.

Jesus' response to success.

You know, the crowds sought Him.

He was very popular, but Jesus withdrew to pray and commune with the Father.

He did not allow popularity to detour Him from the Father's will.

Vance Hafner said, 'Success can feather our nests so comfortably, that we forget how to fly.'

Jesus' response to sinners.

He forgave the paralytic.

He forgave Matthew the tax collector.

And Matthew's friends trusted Him because He is the 'friend of sinners.'

We can often forget that when it come to dealing with people in the world and of the world.

Never forget that Jesus is a 'friend of sinners.'

He could not forgive the religious know-it-alls of His day, because they thought they already knew it all.

He could not forgive the scribes and Pharisees, because they would not admit they were sick and in need of new clothes.

Luke 6

We'll be reading about true values.

In His ordination sermon for the apostles, Jesus emphasized the true spiritual values of life in contrast to the false values of the Pharisees.

Comfortable living is not always Christian living.

We'll read about true love.

Yes, God's people have their enemies, no doubt, even as Jesus did.

We must be Christ-like in the way we treat them.

We must be giving and forgiving.

And we must pray for them.

Not that God would destroy them, but that He would change them, change their hearts.

The best way to conquer an enemy is to make him a friend.

Keep your heart right with God and the Lord will produce the good fruit in your life.

We'll read about true obedience.

True obedience is not just words, but deeds.

It causes us to act on what we believe, and what we're obeying.

It involves hearing the Word and doing it.

You know, Judas was with Jesus just like the rest of the disciples, every day for three years.

He walked with the Lord.

He talked with the Lord.

He studied under His teaching.

He witnessed the miracles.

Judas knew Jesus intimately, yet Judas betrayed Him - It's amazing, I know.

Judas knew the vocabulary, but he did not do the will of God.

And when the storm came, his house fell.

January 27th, Tuesday: Luke chaps. 3-4

Luke 3

We'll be reading about prophecy.

God's message did not come to any of the great leaders of that day.

It came to John the Baptist, the last and the greatest of God's prophets.

John's ministry was foretold by the prophet Isaiah.

John was a prophet who was the subject of prophecy.

We'll also read about ministry.

John was privileged to prepare the nation for the Messiah, and then present Him to them.

John preached against sin and told the people to repent.

He gave specific instructions to his converts on how to put their faith into practice.

He was inspecting fruit, getting to the root of sin, and warning about wrath to come.

Would you accept that kind of ministry?

We'll be reading about mystery.

Son of God is baptised.

The Spirit lights upon Him like a dove.

And the Father speaks His approval from heaven.

Never forget that all of the Holy Trinity is involved in your salvation.

And we'll read about history.

The genealogy is that of Mary, whose father was Eli.

Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus, though that's what the people assume.

The genealogy of Joseph was found in Matthew chapter 1.

It was unusual to pay attention to the genealogy of a woman, which shows Dr. Luke's concern for neglected people.

Gentile history and Jewish history are in the hands of Almighty God, fulfilling His purposes.

Luke 4

We'll be reading about the Conqueror.

You can be filled with the Spirit, and obedient to God's will, and still experience temptations and trials.

Because He faced the Enemy and conquered, Jesus can identify with you and your temptations and can help you win the victory.

It's not a sin to be tempted - Jesus was tempted.

But it is a sin to yield.

Satan's promises, 'All will be yours.'

But in Jesus Christ, you already have all things.

And Satan can give you nothing.

And that is exactly what he always gives.

Nothing.

We'll read about the preacher.

The Spirit not only gives us victory, but He leads us and empowers us for service.

The text for our Lord's message was Isaiah 61:1-2.

it describes what Jesus came to do, and what He is still doing in lives today.

The people in the synagogue wanted a comforting sermon, not a convicting sermon.

When Jesus mentions God's grace to the Gentiles, the people became angry and threw Him out.

They forfeited His blessings because they rejected His word.

We'll read about the Healer.

You know, Jesus fulfilled His commission by bringing healing and deliverance to the poor and needy by the authority of His Word.

Had He not overcomed the devil privately, well Jesus could not have defeated him publicly.

The same is true in our lives.

While the preaching of His Word is His major ministry, Jesus had compassion on the sick, and He healed them.

We may not have the power to heal, but He does.

And we can comfort and assist those who are needy.

And we can do it all in Jesus' name.

You know, Jesus' response to submission is not enough to 'believe in God'.

People say 'Oh yes, I believe in the Lord.'

Well that's not really the question.

The real question is – Who is Jesus Christ to you?

Is He your Lord?

Do you bow to Him?

Do you submit your will, the totality of your life to the Lordship of Christ?

That's the real question.

January 26th, Monday: Luke overview & chaps. 1-2

Overview of Luke

Luke was a physician and probably a Greek, the companion of Paul in some of his journeys.

Dr Luke wrote the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts.

Both of which are records of journeys: Christ's journey to Jerusalem, and Paul's journey to Rome.

Luke wrote with the Greeks in mind, and presented Jesus Christ as the perfect Son of Man, the compassionate Saviour.

He mentions women, children and the poor often in his gospel.

'Joy' and 'rejoicing' are repeated many times.

There's also an emphasis on prayer, and on God's love for the whole world.

Luke addressed both books to Theophilus, his name literally means 'lover of God.'

Theophilus was a Roman believer, possibly an official who needed grounding in the faith.

Luke's approach is simple.

He records our Lord's birth and early life, His baptism and temptation, His ministry in Galilee, His ministry en route to Jerusalem, and His final week of ministry in Jerusalem.

As we read the gospel of Luke, we'll come to love the compassionate Son of Man, who cares for those in need and wants His message of salvation to be taken to the whole world.

Luke 1

We'll read about serving.

His disappointment at not having a son did not keep Zechariah from serving the Lord.

Be faithful.

You never know when God's angel may arrive.

Zechariah has the faith to keep on praying, but when the answer came, he did not have the faith to accept it.

He looked at his limitations rather than God's great power.

Unbelief produces silence.

Faith opens your mouth in praise to God.

We'll be learning about submitting.

What an honour to be chosen as the mother of the Messiah.

Mary humbly submitted to the Lord because she had faith that He would keep His promise.

Her decision would bring her sorrow and suffering.

But she willingly yielded.

She was blessed among women because of the great grace of God given to her.

All who trust Christ as their Saviour are highly graced by the Lord.

We'll read about singing.

A pregnant Jewish girl from Nazareth engaged to marry a poor carpenter.

What did Mary have to sing about?

Well, she sang about the Lord – what He did for her; for all who fear Him, and she sang for His people, Israel.

God gives power to the weak, thrones to the lowly, and food to the hungry.

But the strong, the rich and the mighty go away empty.

Our God is a good God.

Zechariah praised God for what He would do for His people, His people Israel.

It was the dawning of a new day, because the Messiah was about to be born.

God keeps His promises and is faithful to His covenants.

Luke 2

You cannot escape Jesus Christ.

His birth affected Caesar's politics, the ministry of angels and the activities of common man.

In that day, shepherds were looked upon with disdain.

But God singled them out to be the first human messengers of the Messiah's birth.

His coming touched worshipers and even scholars.

The angels sang about Him and He is still the theme of the greatest music.

Luke wrote about Him and He is still the subject of the greatest literature.

The shepherds hastened to behold Him.

And He is still at the center of the greatest art.

Teachers listened to Him and marveled.

And He is still the focal point for all truth and wisdom.

In His development, Jesus was perfectly balanced.

Intellectually, He had wisdom.

Physically, He had stature.

Spiritually, He had favour with God.

And socially, He had favour with man.

And He is still the greatest example for childhood and youth.

He alone is worthy of our worship.

So come let us adore Him.

January 25th, Sunday: Mark chaps. 15-16

When you face the unjust assaults of an evil world, remember Jesus.

The world says, 'Defend yourself!'

But Jesus was silent.

The world says, 'Pamper yourself!'

But Jesus refused the drug.

The world says, 'Save yourself!'

But Jesus remained on the cross and finished the work the Father gave Him to do.

The chief priest were guilty of envy, and Pilate was guilty of compromise.

Their sins led to the release of an evil man, the embarrassment of an innocent man, and the death of a good man.

Yet envy and compromise are not looked upon as terrible sins today.

The question is: should they be?

He arose.

Because they forgot His resurrection promises, the women were in sorrow and worrying about the future.

Who will roll away the stone?

When they learned that Jesus was alive, their first response was fear, and not faith.

But then, they became the first heralds of the resurrection.

The angel had a special word for Peter, who were no doubt still grieving His sins.

The Living Christ gives you something to rejoice in, something to talk about, and something to look forward to.

He goes before you.

And we'll read about the fact that He appeared after he arose.

This section summarises the Lord's resurrection appearances.

All to whom He appeared to became witnesses of His resurrection, just as we should be today.

And we'll read about the fact that He ascended.

The Servant is the Sovereign at the Father's right hand.

He humbled Himself into obedience, and God exalted Him in glory.

But He is not idle for He is working with his people, as they take the gospel to every nation.

What an encouragement to be a witness for your Lord!

January 24th, Saturday: Mark chaps. 13-14

This is Mark's version of the Olivet Discourse, written with Gentile readers in mind.

If we're going to be ready and faithful in this last days, we must heed the admonitions of Jesus.

Take heed that no one deceives you.

Political and geological disruptions will give false prophets and false Christs great opportunity to deceive people.

Persecution against God's people will either strengthen us or weaken us.

Olivet Discourse: aka 'The Sermon of the Mount' aka 'the Beatitudes' which is given on the Mount of Olives

Take heed to what Jesus taught.

The Word of God is the only dependable light in this dark world.

Jesus has told us beforehand what to expect and what to avoid, and we must heed His words.

His Word is dependable and durable - so trust Him.

Take heed, watch and pray.

During the tribulation period, various signs will signal Christ's return to earth.

But believers today are looking for the Saviour, and not for signs.

'Be alert and keep praying' is His admonition.

'Do the work I've given you to do.'

You want to be found faithful when He comes, and He could come today!

Tribulation: the hardships that Christ's followers would have to go through.

There is preparation for betrayal.

Judas solved the chief priest's problem by offering to lead them to Jesus.

But how do you conveniently betray the Son of God?

Is it not a costly endeavour in every way?

We'll be reading about preparation for burial.

Mary's heart of active worship brought joy to Jesus, and malice to the heart of Judas who had wanted the money she had spent.

Other women came to anoint Him after His burial, but Mary did it when He could be encouraged by her love.

We'll be reading about preparation for fellowship.

It meant much to Jesus to spend those hours with His disciples.

He loved them, and their presence encouraged Him.

He took the cup and the bread of the Passover, and transformed them into memorials of His own blood and body.

For He wanted the disciples to remember Him.

And He wants you and me, His present day disciples to remember Him.

We'll read about preparation for danger.

The good fellowship in the upper room made the 12 forget the danger outside.

So Jesus gave them a warning.

Peter was not the only one who boasted and felt self-confident.

'And they all said likewise.' it says here in Mark 14:31

So heed His warnings, He knows what's coming.

We'll read about preparation for death.

Jesus revealed the conflict in His holy soul as He faced bearing the sins of the world on the cross.

See, when you have a Gethsemane experience, pray what he prayed.

And that was, 'Not what I will, but what You will.'

Peter had a sword, but Jesus took a cup.

You need not fear the cup the Father had prepared for you.

Jesus could submit to the abuse of men because He had already submitted to the will of God.