LUKE CHAPTER 11

LUKE CHAPTER 11

SCRIPTURE

Today I will summarize Luke chapter 11 where Luke wrote about Jesus teaching the people about prayer and casting out demons, and where Jesus scolded the Pharisees and scribes.   One day one of Jesus’s disciples asked him to teach the group how they should pray.  Jesus said,” When you pray, say Father, May, your holy name be honored, may your kingdom come.  Give us day by day the food we need. Forgive us our sins, for we forgive everyone who does us wrong and do not bring us to hard testing.  But deliver us from all that is evil.   Amen.

Jesus said,” Let me tell you about prayer.”  It is important that you are persistent when you pray.  Think about it.  If one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and you say,” Lend me some food.” “A friend of mine has just come in and I don’t have anything to feed him.”  Your friend will say,” Go away.” “It is midnight and my family is in bed.” If you keep asking him the same thing, over and over, he will give you what you want to get you to stop asking.  If you do the same thing with God, he will answer you.  Think with me again.  If you have a son and he says,” Dad, I am hungry. Would you give me some food?” You won’t give him a live snake or a live scorpion, will you?”  Even though you people are evil, you will still give good things to your children.  Now consider the father in heaven.  

He is good and there is no evil in him at all.  He will give you the Holy Spirit if you ask him.   One day Jesus cast out a demon from a man, and the crowds were amazed.  Jesus said,” Let me tell you a little about what happens about a demon is cast out.  That demon goes out of a man and passes through waterless places.  It seeks rest, but it, can’t find any.  Then it will seek to go back into the same man it came out of, and if it finds that it can indeed go back inside that man, it will take 7 more demons with it.  That man is worse off than before.  Not many people understood what Jesus was talking about.   One Woman spoke up from the crowd and said, “Your mother is blessed because she gave birth to you.”  Jesus said, “That is incorrect.  I will tell who is truly blessed.  Blessed are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”  Jesus never liked it when people tried to flatter him with their words.  He always went on the attack when that happened.  Jesus said, “This generation is wicked.  You want to see a miracle, but I won’t show you a miracle, except one. 

I am going to give you the sign of Jonah.   Just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for 3 days and 3 nights, In, this way the son of man will be a sign for the people of this day.   The men of Nineveh, who repented at the words of Jonah will witness against you on judgment day.   The Pharisees and scribes spoke up and started saying, “You cast out demons because you use the power of Satan.” Jesus replied, “Your sons try to cast out demons too.  Do they use the power of Satan?  If Satan is fighting against himself, his kingdom will fall.  No, that is not how all this work.  I cast out demons by the finger of God.  The kingdom of God has come upon you.  If you are not with me.  You are against me.  Jesus continued to speak to the Pharisees.  He said, “Woe to you, Pharisees.  You clean the outside where people can see.  But inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness.  You pay tides to outwardly observe the law in front of people, but you disregard justice and you do not love God.  You love all the best seats in the synagogues, and you make long prayers in the market for others to see.   You are like hidden tombs full of dead bones, but no one sees them because they are hidden.” Some teachers of the law spoke up and said,” When you speak this way to the Pharisees, you insult us too.”  Jesus said, “indeed I do.”  “Woe to you teachers of the law.” You weigh down people with burdens you say are law.  You won’t even help anyone lift those burdens.  You and your fathers killed the prophets of old. 

You have taken away true knowledge of God from the people.   You are not going to heaven, and you hinder those who want to go when they listen to you.  This angered the teachers of the law greatly.  From this moment on, both the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to be very hostile to Jesus and plotted his death.

OBSERVATION

The thing I think the Lord wants us to understand after reading this chapter is how Jesus taught us to pray.   He wanted us to focus on the father in heaven, and that he would be glorified through their requests.  God wants us to see that we should be persistent in prayers, even though he knows what we need already.  The Lord wants us to see that the father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.   God wants us to see that Jesus spoke the truth, no matter the consequences and that we should do the same thing.  He even scolded the religious leaders of that day and told them that they were not going to heaven and that they were preventing people who wanted to go from getting there.  He said they only cared about what people saw on the outside, but did not love God at all.  Since God can see if you are motivated by your love for him or not.  I want to encourage you to love God sincerely, instead of only paying lip service to him.  Do you rejoice in God’s law? Do you love reading the holy scriptures?  That is one indicator that you are on the right track.  If you know that this doesn’t describe you, there is Good news! There is still time to repent and obey his command to love him with all of your beings.  You can ask God to change you.  Why don’t you do this right now?  Why don’t u place your faith in Jesus Christ for salvation?  Jesus conquered hell and death.  His return is near.  God said if you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord.  You will be saved.   

The biggest and most obvious proof God loves us is that he sent Jesus his beloved son to die on the cross as our substitute.   Imagine our amazing God sitting up in heaven, looking down through the ages, unspeakable grieved over our countless wrong thoughts and actions.  Knowing we can never make up for them, knowing we’ll never be good enough/clean enough to enter his holy presence.  Knowing our habit of bouncing right back to choosing sin.  What should I just God do?  Who could blame him for banishing us to eternal suffering and separation from him?  But our loving and merciful God has decided to ensure our eternal safety and life with him by offering up the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  Jesus Christ, the son of the Living God, exchanged his life to give you righteousness.  With this act of selfless, saving love, we have got our ticket to reveal in God’s presence forever.  There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for the other.

PRAYER

Lord God, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth.  You, who faithfully keeps your promises when I walk with you.  You, who always stands ready to receive when I turn back in repentance from sin.  Lord, I sometimes listen to my deceitful heart and I am tempted to think that you don’t love me.  Then I remember you revealed your unfailing, encompassing love by sending your one and only son into the world.  You gave him up as a sacrifice for my sins so that I could come alive through him.  And how I’ll live with you in eternity because of your great love and his great sacrifice.  Father, please flourish my heart with your genuine love that will benefit other people and me.  God help me to love you more than Gold and silver.  Enable me to freely give you my best offerings.  Let me freely give without grudges.  Please grant me the grace to forgive people that have offended me.  Empower me to exercise forgiveness even when it is not convenient.  I ask this all in the name of your beloved son our lord Jesus Christ.   Amen.