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LUKE CHAPTERS 13 & 14 KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel See previous page Lk 13,1-9 (51g) Judgment >> Judging the Church with the world >> No partiality between saved and unsaved – This story addresses the issue of why bad things happen to good people. This question is partially answered in the statement Jesus made to the rich young ruler, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone” (Mk 10-18). Why bad things happen to good people is a misnomer right off the bat, for there is no such thing as good people; there is only faithful and unfaithful. Jesus said in Lk 11-13, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” thus, Jesus declared all mankind evil in the sight of God. For people to ask why bad things happen to good people indicates what they don’t know about the teachings of Christ, but if someone insisted on an answer, then let faith be the mediator between people and their circumstances, in that way faith is the mediator between God and man, and there was no partiality with God. Going back to our verse in question, one could be a good person or a bad person, but if we don’t repent of our unbelief, we will all likewise perish. God uses the bearing of fruit as His criterion by which He chooses His people for eternal life, and that without partiality. The only thing that makes a person good is faith in Jesus, and faith without fruit is no faith at all. We can replace a working faith with repentance, which gets right to the root of the problem; repentance has faith embedded in it, bearing the connotation of a changed life. Lk 13,1-5 (19j) Sin >> Self righteousness will twist your mind (52d) Judgment >> Judging Church with world >> Law judges sin >> Law finds all men guilty of sin (174f) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Form of godliness >> Self righteousness >> Comparing yourself with sinners (175k) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Ignorance >> Ignorant of what God means >> Ignorant of the meaning of God’s works – Telling them that they would all likewise perish, we could talk about the Roman takeover in A.D. 70 or even talk about hell, stressing that if we don’t repent, we will all likewise perish in our sin. Jesus was mostly teaching against the fallacy of karma, which is an aspect of Hinduism, the oldest known religion in the world, existing long before the time of Christ, which became entrenched in Jewish culture and tradition (Judaism). The teaching of Karma says that whatever we do will return to us, whether good or evil. An accident occurred and a building fell on eighteen people, killing them, and the people who reported to Jesus thought they must have done something evil to deserve it, but Jesus rejected this mindset and thus rejected the notion of Karma. The building just randomly fell on them. Hindus also believe in reincarnation; man a natural tendency to believe in superstition (interpreting circumstances as orchestrated by a god), making Hinduism the basis for many false religions. Hinduism is the very essence of superstition, and superstition attempts to replace the works of God with a false explanation that leads people into error. Living as a Hindu is like trying to drive a car using the rearview mirror, looking where we’ve been to see where you’re going. While the past is a general predictor of the future, it cannot tell us about sharp bends in the road ahead or about oncoming traffic. Jesus told them the reality of God that if we don’t repent, we will all die in your sin. See also: Hinduism 178c / Hinduism (Karma - God does not baby-sit mankind); Jn 5-14; 26f (178c) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Presuming the facts about the circumstances >> Presumption interprets our observations – Jesus was addressing the false teaching of perhaps the oldest religious concept in the world, karma, which asserts that whatever happens to us is deserved, whether good or bad. When something bad happens, according to karma, it is proof that we committed a sin and now the unseen forces are punishing us, but Jesus debunked this notion, saying that God is not in the background making sure that everybody gets what they deserve; instead that is what final judgment is designed to do. If Karma were true, it would have a ripple effect inadvertently changing ten other people’s circumstances, endlessly reverberating throughout the population, until the whole system turned into a haphazard fiasco, which we observe in the world today without Karma. We know that God is great, but He is not interested in all that business. Most religions are designed to enslave mankind, but Karma is designed to actually enslave God! If there were any truth to karma, it would be that God has interwoven certain principles into His creation to repay man for the good and evil that he does on a cause-and-effect basis. The book of Proverbs supports this theory. See also: Hinduism; 193j (193j) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Repent >> Consequences of not repenting – In place of karma, God has scheduled a day of judgment (the White Throne Judgment Rev 20,11-15) when He will repay mankind for all the evil he has done. Jesus’ answer to those who believe in karma is that if they don’t repent, they will all likewise perish, meaning even the so-called good people will receive what they would call bad karma. Outside repentance there is no good karma, and repentance has nothing to do with Karma, and so the Scriptures do not support Karma either way. Hindus expect good karma to come to them based on their own definition of good and evil, which means they can do whatever they want by simply seeing others doing evil and themselves doing good, though they are no better than the people they are judging. This way they can still sin and expect good karma, and so in this way they manipulate their own religion. People can also criticize Christianity for having been utterly manipulated over the centuries, but that is apart from the goodness and divine character of God. See also: Hinduism 175k KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 13,6-9 (31k) Gift of God >> Gift of His grace >> Grace is the work of God – This is a parable about God accepting us under the condition that we bear fruit. It is also an example of God’s grace working in our lives after our hearts have grown weary of doing good. There were plenty of trees in the vineyard that produced fruit, but there was one that didn’t. Like the sheep that goes lost, the good shepherd going after it, leaving the 99 in open pasture until He found it (Mat 18,12-14), so the vineyard-keeper devoted His full attention to this one tree, for “it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.” Had the shepherd not pursued the lost sheep it would have been eaten by wolves, and had the vineyard-keeper not given special attention to this tree, it would have been cut down and thrown into the fire. (45d) Judgment >> God judges our walk in the Spirit >> For not bearing fruit – When it says, “Why does it even use up the ground?” that was the Father speaking. This is what God thinks of people who call themselves Christians and do not bear fruit (Gal 5-22,23). This person was struggling with his faith and was about to lose it, but God gave him more time. The tree was using up valuable resources and giving nothing in return, but Jesus interceded for it. If we do not bear fruit, even with Jesus interceding for us, the consequences are merely deferred for a season. If the tree will not produce fruit, the Father will and cut it down and throw it into the fire (Jn 15-6) and replace it with one that will produce fruit (Mat 21-43). The struggling Christian planted in good soil had everything going for him, but he just couldn’t make a go of Christianity, until Jesus came along and cultivated his soil. (64c) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Limits of God >> God has limited patience -- These verses go with verses 24-28 (83f) Thy kingdom come >> Intercession >> Jesus stands in the gap >> He is our mediator (126i) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Patience >> The patience of God >> God is patient (128k) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing fruit >> Living a fruitful life >> It is a way of survival – The only criterion God uses to judge us is whether the tree bears fruit. It doesn’t matter if the person says he believes or is an important member of society or has an honorary degree; it only matters that the tree obeys the Holy Spirit. By that He will lead us down a trail of good works. In that sense God is aloof to the godless man and the sinner, though He is highly personable to his children through His indwelling Holy Spirit. God uses the bearing of fruit as His criterion by which He chooses His people for eternal life, and that without partiality. If we bear fruit, then we are acceptable, but if not God will cut us down and throw us in the pile of dead trees and set a match to them. (157d) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being hell-bound >> Being displeasing to God >> Leading a fruitless lifestyle (170j) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Temporary >> Back-sliders are temporary -- These verses go with verses 24-28 (175a) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Form of godliness >> Trying to bend kingdom principles (186a) Works of the devil >> The result of lawlessness >> Blasphemy >> Unwilling to obey the revelation from heaven >> Unwilling to walk in God’s ability -- These verses go with verses 24-28 (193f) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Repent >> Bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance >> Instruction to the Church (197e) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Man withers when he is in control >> Fruitlessness >> A fruitless life offends God – As Christians we should bear fruit, and if we don't, it is a sign that we don't belong to Him. He will work with us, but if He comes up empty-handed after all the work He has invested in us, eventually He will give-up on us. "Why even waste the ground!" He will cut us down and plant another tree in our place that produces fruit. This is a parable against Israel, saying to the Jews that if they don’t bear fruit, God will cut them down and plant the gentiles in their place to carry the gospel to the nations. God even in the New Testament is to be feared. Someone might say, ‘God was heavy-handed in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament He is a puppy dog.’ Remember this, God never bypassed Israel until the New Testament, and if we try to be Christians the way Israel tried God, He will bypass us too. What did Paul say? “For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off” (Rom 11-21,22). The safest place is obeying God. He will take care of our mistakes so long as we bear fruit, but if we try to take advantage of his kindness, then we should fear. (206l) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Eternal security? >> Perish in your sin >> Perish from a lack of fruit (starvation) – If we don’t bear the fruit of the Spirit, God will remove us, but it won’t be based on any one sin we committed, but on our lifestyle over a course of many years. God is more concerned about our entire life than He is about any particular sin we may have committed. This parable is saying that bearing fruit is not an option; that is, the decision we made to become a Christian was the decision to be fruit bearers. He will give us time to repent, but after due time if He sees no fruit, He will cut us down and throw us into the fire. Since we are talking about bearing the fruit of the Spirit, that makes the vineyard keeper the Holy Spirit. The Father inspects us for fruit, and the Holy Spirit says, ‘Let Me work with him a little longer; I will spend time with him and if he responds favorably, fine, but if not, cut it down.’ Heb 3-15 says “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me.” God is patient and will work with us, but once he sees that His efforts are in vain, He will pull us from the rich soil by the roots and cast into the fire (see John chapter 15). (215b) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> God Has Good Timing >> God’s time is sufficient (225i) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about the garden of the kingdom >> Parables about plants KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 13,10-17 (39j) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Jesus defeated this world system >> Jesus defeated Satan in the world (115g) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Laying on of hands >> Seeing signs, wonders and miracles Lk 13,10-16 (119j) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Curse of sin is broken >> Bondage of Satan is broken – It is healings like this that legitimized Jesus as a true healer and miracle worker. A charlatan could send someone to approach Jesus bent over and let Him lay His hands on her, and then suddenly straighten up and proclaim to the crowd that she has been healed, but it says she was in that condition for eighteen years. She’s not going to put on a façade for 18 years for anybody. Doctors could probably find a medical explanation for her illness, but that does not dismiss Jesus’ prognosis of her. Notice that Jesus did not cast out any demons, but simply healed her body, closing the door of opportunity on these spiritual entities, like He had healed so many people before her. Nor did He tell her to quit sinning, that is, she did not bring this on herself. Lk 13,10-13 (123d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Spiritual affection >> Compassion >> Reaching out to those in need – This woman had a disease that took years to bend her spine, and Jesus healed her in a moment. Some diseases are unknown by medical science to ever reverse, so if it did, it would be a miracle no matter how long it took. How much more of a miracle is an irreversible disease suddenly reversed? This is God at work doing what He wants, when He wants and how He wants. God doesn’t do things the way people do; he doesn’t reduce hours of research into a pill that the patient takes once a day until healed. Jesus laid His hands on her and that was it. How the Father performed healing through His Son was incomprehensible. Even in heaven we will not know how he does these things. If He gives us authority to perform miracles some day, we won’t know how He does them through us. (144j) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Healing >> Methods of healing >> Healed by Jesus’ touch – Try to imagine comprehending how God heals. We all know that He does it by His Spirit, but is there actually a rational way to understand this? If it were comprehendible, wouldn't it be too complicated for anybody to understand? Even thinking about it leads to doubletalk! The biggest riddle man would ever try to unravel would be how God performed healing through His Son on a woman with this disease, taking just a moment, yet this was a very little thing to God. He is the creator of the universe. It says after He created the heavens and the earth, He rested, so at least that was a little difficult for Him. He rested on the seventh day, and commanded us to do the same. Lk 13-12,13 (216a) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> Suddenly >> Being healed without delay – There are times when God doesn’t heal at all, and in other cases He heals in a way that time is all but excluded, happening immediately, and nobody knows why. Sometimes we wonder if He even has His reasons. If we are suffering and we need healing and God didn’t heal us, we wouldn't care about His reasons, but this attitude is wrong in that God’s reasons are embedded in His divinity. He is also an eternal being and everything that happens in the temporal realm will be made of no consequence. He refuses to think like us. He came in the form of a man, and made to live like us on a temporal plane, and He felt like us when things happened, and He hasn’t forgotten any of it. The experiences Jesus had in the flesh are memories that will remain with Him forever. He didn’t come here to experience our plight to later forget it, and so our own experiences we too will forever remember. We will remember the faith we showed the Lord when circumstantially there was no cause to trust Him. The most trustworthy person who ever lived, we could never trust like we can trust God. People fail, but Jesus never fails, and with Him all things are within the realm of possibility. Lk 13,14-17 (178k) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Hypocrisy >> Jesus rebukes the Pharisees >> Rebuked for accusing Jesus of Sin – It is not against the law to do good on the Sabbath. The point of the Sabbath was to lay one day aside to relax and enjoy life and worship God. If they wanted to untie their donkeys and lead them to water, that was perfectly legal, and if Jesus wanted to free this woman from a satanic illness on the Sabbath He could do that too. There was no difference in what He was doing and what His enemies did every Sabbath. The Pharisees had nothing to say about this, which proved the motive of their complaint. They were trying to keep Him from performing miracles because He was the real deal, and they were phonies from the inside-out. They were like snake oil salesmen who followed the circus and tried to make a prophet on their bogus product. Then Jesus came with the Holy Spirit anointing, which was a genuine product, and He was offering it for free. It was a great deal, and the Pharisees couldn’t compete with Him and wanted Him off their block. Lk 13,14-16 (162k) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Being slaves of men >> In bondage to the burdens of men >> In bondage to religion Lk 13-14 (16k) Sin >> Continuing in sin to avoid the light >> Suppressing the truth they cannot deny – The synagogue official was totally ignoring the fact that Jesus just performed a miracle; what mattered to him was obeying the law according to his interpretation of it. Jesus healed the woman within the confines of the law; He was infringing on his business of religion. The synagogue official devised an excuse to suppress the Lord, using the Sabbath hoping to stop Him at least one day a week, and he couldn’t even do that. His complaint was that Jesus was doing work on the Sabbath, but it was the Father who actually performed the miracles, and God does not live under the limitations of the law that He instituted to constrain man’s flesh. All Jesus did was lay His hand on the woman; that is perfectly legal on the Sabbath. If God wants to work on the Sabbath He will, and these depraved, religious minded imps weren’t going to stop Him. (76d) Thy kingdom come >> Wicked motives >> Motives based on envy (200k) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Excuses for rejecting Christ >> Putting God in a no win situation Lk 13-15,16 (103f) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Spirit like water >> Cleanses you from the desire to sin (119j) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Curse of sin is broken >> Bondage of Satan is broken KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 13-18,19 (137g) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturity >> Maturing in Jesus is hard work >> Maturity is the process of growing – The farmer had a mustard seed and threw it in the good soil of his garden. He didn’t throw it on a road or among thorns or in the rocks, nor did he grow it. The seed just grew, meaning God was causing the growth, so very little of this is actually up to us. God is the one who performs all these things. However, we do have a very small role, yet an important one. Through a mere function of time the seed transformed into a tree all by itself, which possessed the ability to grow according to the specifications of a mustard plant. It was no longer a seed anymore but a tree now that could produce seeds of its own, and it became useful to the birds that nested in its branches. This tree represents a mature Christian, who no longer thinks like a child but is able to bless God and render service to people in need. Lk 13-20,21 (113j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Filled with the Holy Spirit (246hh) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Demonstration of God’s kingdom >> God demonstrates His glory >> Materializing the inner man – The woman took a lump of dough and poked a hole to the center and poured leaven into it and then collapsed the hole with the leaven inside and set it in a warm moist place and waited, and the leaven worked its way through the lump of dough until the whole lump became leavened from the inside-out. Jesus said this is like Christianity. God deposits His Holy Spirit in a person when he is born-again, and the seed of God’s Spirit that He planted in his heart grows and matures so that he is able to manifest the Kingdom of God, putting it on display through the members of his body. God started at his innermost being and slowly radiated to his extremities as an external demonstration of an inward work, called the anointing. Lk 13-21 (225a) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The holy of holies >> The Kingdom of God is in your spirit Lk 13,22-28 (218a) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> You cannot control the judgment of God >> You cannot control how God responds to rejection – This is a scary word picture from the Lord; He answered the question, “Are there just a few who are being saved” with a definite ‘Yes’. He elaborated on it saying, “Strive to enter by the narrow door,” adding that many will “seek to enter and will not be able.” It’s hard enough to enter a narrow door, much less one that is closed and locked. What happened here? Did someone have a change of heart? A person died and then suddenly desired to know the Lord and wanted to get saved. The person may have lived 70 or 80 years yet never gave God a serious thought, until he was dead. He only knew and cared about his life in the flesh. Friends and family were standing around him when he passed-away in the comfort of his home and assumed that everything was okay between he and God, and then he woke-up and realized that he was a stranger to Him. KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 13-22 (2c) Responsible to avoid offending God >> Keep your commitments >> Complete God’s calling in your ministry >> Christ did as our example (100j) Thy kingdom come >> Devotion >> In your ministry to God >> Fulfill God’s calling in your life -- This verse goes with verses 31-33 (129k) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Being in one accord >> Single minded >> Determination -- This verse goes with verses 31-33 (149g) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Preaching the word to the world >> Sowing the seed – This was Jesus’ manner of evangelism: He usually had a destination, and along the way He would talk to whomever He happened to meet. He taught His disciples this same method, and the ministers of the Church in the beginning all conducted their ministries in much the same way. In fact, when the persecution in Jerusalem drove Christians from the city, it says they went in search of a new place to hang their hat and met new people along the way and many were converted to the faith and the word of God spread rapidly, so that more people came to the Lord because of the persecution. Lk 13,23-30 (195j) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Lord, Lord >> Lip service – God’s concept of righteousness is vastly different from ours by one critical point: He is God! He judges between righteousness and lawlessness based solely on the question of idolatry, for example, a person could do all kinds of good deeds for others but not do them for God, which He would consider idolatry. That may sound unfair, but it goes back to the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before Me… for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God” (Exodus 20,3-5). Whether we like it or not, God judges righteousness and lawlessness based on whether our motives are for His purpose or for ours, hence lawlessness is not always against the laws of man, which is meant to curb human behavior that is deleterious to civilization, whereas God’s law is meant to direct man into worship with Him. This has the effect of narrowing our relationship with God, and that is why Jesus called it a narrow way. When presenting the gospel, people tell us to go preach to somebody else because they don't need it; they never killed anybody. However, just because we live within the law doesn’t make us godly people. (197d) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Spiritual laziness >> Rebelling against where God wants you to go >> Refuse to enter His rest – The Church has turned off the world largely by its phony televangelists. At a time when the Church is hardly persecuted, we think people would be rushing into the Kingdom of Heaven, but it doesn’t work that way. The Church being so much like the world is the reason persecution is rare, and it is also the reason few are being saved. When the Church becomes worldly, it is no longer clear why people need to be saved. Jesus said in Jn 7-7, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.” Now that Jesus has risen from the dead and ascended to the Father, the Church’s position in the world is to be an “example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified” (Tit 2-7). At the preaching of the gospel the Church was heavily persecuted as it testified against the world that its deeds were evil. This is the offense of the gospel, but when the Church integrates into the world, the offense is removed, and without offense, neither is there salvation. The door of salvation is closed, obscured by hypocrisy, which is a great evil of the Church. A day is coming when the door even of heaven itself will be shut; then salvation will be impossible. (202k) Denying Christ >> Running from God >> Wicked men cannot approach the throne of God >> Goats are unsaved church attendants – The people said, “Lord, open up to us.” but God said to them, “I don’t know where you are from.” They answered, “We ate and drank in your presence and you taught in our streets.” They mentioned specific experiences with Jesus, but Jesus did not know them. The person who knows God is the one who has His Holy Spirit dwelling in him (Rom 8,9-11). This is what defines His children. It says that the indwelling Holy Spirit is a pledge, and the fact that we are a good host is our pledge to Him that we believe in Jesus. The complaint Jesus had with those knocking on His door demanding that He open up to them was that they rejected the Holy Spirit and refused to be born-again, and for this reason He called them evildoers. They were more interested in leading a sinful life of unbelief than knowing and loving God. Their relationship is with demons, and for this reason God sends them to hell, a place that was initially prepared for the devil and His angels. (209c) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Personal relationship >> Counterfeit relationship through religion >> I never knew you Lk 13,23-27 (47i) Judgment >> God Judges the world >> Hell is the absence of God – That no one wants to go to hell doesn't mean they want to go to heaven. When a person dies, he meets God apparently by the pearly gates just as the many jokes about haven have suggested; people know these things, but they don’t believe they will actually happen to them. They will see with their eyes the glory of heaven, but they will not taste of it (2Kings 7-1,2). God will say, ‘Here’s what could have been yours;’ now “depart from me you cursed into everlasting punishment.” People think God is evil for this, but if the man were actually interested in heaven, he would have found it in his heart to go there. God made a hell for good reason, His presence is worse than hell itself to the unredeemed. It is a place that God has prepared for those who don’t want Him, and if they don’t want Him, then they can’t have any part of Him, including His many gifts, a sunny day, rain, a cold glass of water….’ Above all, Hell is a place of great angst for those who don’t want heaven or hell, who would rather they had never been born. KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 13,24-28 (60c) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> The second coming / End time revival – The people came saying, “Lord, open up to us!” They apparently thought they were in right standing with God. There is a Great Endtime Revival coming, a great ingathering of souls, equaling or surpassing the number of souls saved throughout the entire age of grace, so we are talking about many millions of people. However, there will be many religious people during that time who think they are saved but will refuse to participate in this revival. They will demonize this revival, knowing it is a work of God from the signs and wonders associated with it, thus blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Then suddenly the door will be shut. Some say the door represents the Rapture, which could well be the case, which means those knocking on the door are left behind. They will say, ‘Lord, Lord, You forgot us,’ and He will answer behind the door, “I don’t know where you are from,” as though to say, ‘Where were you when I called?’ The Father knows all things, and He knows the hearts of all men, but Jesus only knows what the Father tells Him; He only prays for those whom the Father has given Him (Jn 17-9), but the rest of the world, the vast majority of the human race, Jesus has no idea where they are from, for they are not of His sheep. (64c) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Limits of God >> God has limited patience -- These verses go with verses 6-9 (70i) Authority >> Sin of familiarity >> There are times when God cannot discern our needs (140a) Temple >> Temple made without hands >> Hiding place >> The doorway – There will be a time when the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, ending the opportunity for salvation. God shuts the door at the moment of a person's death. He had 70 to 80 years to walk through the open door afforded to him throughout his life, a standing invitation into paradise; he could have walked through it any time, but when he died, the door was shut. This is not God being sadistic; He has certain desires and expectations of us just like we have of Him; He wants us to believe in Him. He does not have an identity crisis; He knows that He is a great king and that He is the one and only God of creation, and He deserves our worship and our adoration. If He doesn’t get it in this life, He doesn’t want it in the next life, because then it will mean nothing. (170j) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Temporary >> Back-sliders are temporary -- These verses go with verses 6-9 (173j) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >> Unholy sacrifice >> Penance of lip service (176g) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Zeal without knowledge (Spirit w/o the word) >> Intensity without insight (186a) Works of the devil >> The result of lawlessness >> Blasphemy >> Unwilling to obey the revelation from heaven >> Unwilling to walk in God’s ability -- These verses go with verses 6-9 (198a) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Man withers when he is in control >> Unteachable >> Resisting the knowledge of God (214b) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> God’s timing transcends our comprehension >> God’s time does not make sense to the natural mind (218b) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> You cannot control the judgment of God >> You cannot control how God responds to rebellion – This door that was shut indicates first of all that God stood off his throne, suggesting that He is about to act, and everything He does changes the course of man. Last time God stood off His throne, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to the earth, and the world has never been the same since. Therefore, when he gets up and shuts this door, the world will radically change. This door represents a cut-off point of salvation from the minute He gets up and closes the door. It also represents certain times in Church history when revivals begin and end. When a nation is not in revival, it is very difficult to be saved. There are some social movements that mimic revival, but no change of heart occurs, except that man continues to grow worse, but when God stirs His Spirit, people are saved, a change of heart occurs and society as a whole improves; even the unbeliever’s outlook is brightened by the afterglow. (222h) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Do not give what is holy to dogs >> God shares no intimacy with dogs >> God does not let dogs in His house (223g) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Miss God >> Missing the point >> Miss the meaning of being with Jesus – These were people who lived in Jesus' day. They gathered around Him and watched Him perform miracles. Some were even healed of their diseases, yet they did not believe in Him. This verse pertains to more than the people who were alive in His day; the word of Christ is not irrelevant to us, so how does this apply to us? “We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.” Certain people who have gone to church for years but were never saved will bang on the door demanding entry. We might think this applies to a small minority, but not so fast. Some people attend church to meet their social needs, like other people attend the local bar; it’s just a matter of taste. (232f) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Count the cost >> Procrastination KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 13-28,29 (34d) Gift of God >> Believer owns everything >> New creation belongs to us Lk 13-28 (47f) Judgment >> God Judges the world >> Hell is a place of torment – Those who get the door of heaven slammed in their faces will not survive it; they will have nowhere else to go but hell. Those of His sheep communed with Christ and digested the word of God in His presence, while the rest heard the word preached to them from the pulpit but never believed in Him. They will be cast into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying” (Rev 22-15). “Outside” means anywhere but inside, does this describe the location of hell? The vision that God has of His kingdom is that it eventually overtakes darkness and dominates over all that is wicked and evil, and possesses every aspect of God’s creation, until the only place for the wicked is a certain designated area reserved for them under His feet, indicating that hell will reside at the center of the earth (1Cor 15-27,28). For now hell is any place but heaven, but one day heaven will be everyplace but in hell. (49c) Judgment >> Enemies of God’s righteousness are destroyed (221i) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Kingdom hidden behind the veil from the world >> God hides his divinity from man’s corruption >> The Kingdom of God is from another realm (224k) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The people of heaven >> Traits of people who don’t make it to heaven – When unbelievers die, they will have a glimpse of heaven, but they will not be allowed to enter. There is a little-known story in the Bible about a time when their enemies held Israel captive inside the city, and they ran out of food and resorted to eating pigeon dung. “Then Elisha said, ‘Listen to the word of the LORD; thus says the LORD, Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’ The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said, ‘Behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?’ Then he said, ‘Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it’” (2King 7-1,2). The same will happen to a lot of people one day who never took God to heart. When we look at this passage, it says unbelievers will see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but they being cast-out. They will see heaven with their eyes, but they will not taste of it. Lk 13-29 (224e) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The joyful kingdom >> The marriage supper of the lamb – Coming from all directions and reclining at the Lord's table refers to the Rapture. All are present for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb who were chosen to be there, marking the end of the age of grace, defined as those who served Christ whom they have never seen. Lk 13,31-33 (2c) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> Keep your commitments >> Complete God’s calling in your ministry >> Christ did as our example – Jesus fulfilled His spiritual goals from the Father and hence fulfilled prophecy. Jesus' obedience to the Father fulfilled the principle that no prophet should perish outside Jerusalem. This principle of Scripture is encased in a paradox that the city of God should kill the prophets. The paradox is that crucifying Him was the will of God, yet they did it as an act of rebellion, according to the mystery of lawlessness. Some of the affects of sin cannot be understood by the natural mind, and since we are dabbling in things that are inexplicable, it would behoove us to avoid sin altogether, if possible. This is exactly what Jesus did; He lived without sin, which itself is a mystery. The fact that He was without sin led Him to Jerusalem to be killed by sin. On the way there He performed miracles, which were enveloped in mystery. The gospel of Christ is straightforward, but there is nothing straightforward about God; we cannot understand Him with our natural mind. Everything God does is mysterious, but our spirit understands Him of those who are born of Him. See also: Cross was predestined; 234g / Paradox (Persecution cannot harm us); 1Pet 3-14; 242d (57ha) Paradox >> Opposites >> Jesus pushed Himself to achieve His predestined goals (100j) Thy kingdom come >> Devotion >> In your ministry to God >> Fulfill God’s calling in your life -- These verses go with verse 22 (122j) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Boldness in adverse circumstances >> Do the will of God in the face of adversity (129k) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Being in one accord >> Single minded >> Determination -- These verses go with verse 22 (234g) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Sold out >> Placing no boundaries on your commitment to God >> Completely given over to the will of God – Herod wanted to kill Jesus, who was determined to reach Jerusalem. He had a destiny to fulfill; He was predestined from the foundation of the world to go there, yet He resolutely set his face to the city, so that no one could keep Him from achieving His goal. Since He was predestined to go there, why didn’t He just ride on the gentle breeze that would have faithfully guided Him to His destination? Why did He have to push Himself? Was it Jesus who caused His own fate, or was it destiny like Forest Gump proposed in the Tom Hanks movie? As he concluded in the movie, “Maybe it was both happening at the same time.” These two opposite forces are happening in our lives too, best seen in the ways we push ourselves to achieve His goals that we are predestined to fulfill. See also: Cross was predestined; 2c (247g) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> God’s interests >> God is interested in the cross KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 13-34,35 (46a) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Subjecting your flesh >> Violent take it by force >> Taking the kingdom by force – Situated in the land of Judah, Jerusalem is the city of David, the city where King Solomon built the old covenant temple as the place where God would erect His name. It became the city of God because of David, and Jesus will erect His own kingdom on the city whose kingdoms will have much in common. It says in Revelation that Jesus will rule the earth with a rod of iron, while David too was a man of war. The millennium will be a thousand year age of peace, only because Christ will shut down the skirmishes and the uprisings that will occur, and He will judge fairly between people and nations. Not only will Christ’s kingdom have many similarities to David’s kingdom, their hearts were devoted to the same God (Act 13-22,23). David had to fight many years to establish Jerusalem as the capital of the world, ridding the city and nation of its enemies and achieving peace, though there was discord in his own household that worked against Him, fracturing the nation. David’s son, Absalom, caused Judah to break away from Israel, which were both eventually overtaken by other nations through their unfaithfulness to God and His laws. The word of Moses was that they should take the promise land by force and destroy without mercy those who got in their way, because of their idolatry, and causing their children to pass through fire. David did just that; He took the land by force and destroyed everybody in his way, and judged fairly between the nations, serving God and not man. The city of David is iconic to the kingdom that Jesus will establish on the earth for a thousand years, which is iconic to the eternal kingdom that He will establish on a new heavens and a new earth. David was the prototype of these as a man of war and worship. (60c) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> The second coming / End time revival – The day the Jews as a nation believe in Jesus as their Messiah, is the first day of the great endtime revival. The Jews will lead a revival throughout the world of the gentiles, just as God had intended from the beginning. Billions of people will be saved worldwide prior to Christ's return. When they say “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” they will say it at the advent of the two witnesses before the literal second coming of Christ. The two witnesses mark the beginning of the revelation of Jesus Christ, which will eventually come to fruition at His glorious return. (141a) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Old Testament bears witness to the new >> It bears witness to Jesus >> Prophesy about Jesus’ ministry >> Jesus as the great shepherd (152g) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Prophets >> Jesus is a prophet >> Jesus prophesies to the world (255i) Trinity >> Father, Son and Holy Spirit >> Three in one >> God is one – The things that Jesus says are interesting in terms of the trinity, speaking with the voice of the Father, “How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!” Jesus was there with the Father, who longed to embrace His people, speaking not only with the voice of His Father, but also with His own heart, having the same longings. Lk 13-34 (242a) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Persecution to the death >> Killing God’s prophets (253ed) Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is equal with the Father >> Jesus has all the internal qualities of the Father >> Jesus is God of the Old Testament Lk 13-35 (49a) Judgment >> Nations are destroyed >> Israel judged as an example for us (50dd) Judgment >> Last Days >> Jewish Led endtime revival >> Jews become obedient in the last days – "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." This was a prophecy based on the writings of the Old Testament (Ps 118-26). As Jesus entered Jerusalem the people with one voice said these words, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will say it again when He comes to establish His kingdom on the earth. There is a common misunderstanding about this prophecy. Many Christians think that Israel will come to the realization that Jesus is their Messiah at the very moment of His return, but Jesus said that His return will be light lightning, and there are no moments with lightning. Rather, Israel will come to the realization of Jesus as their Messiah soon enough to lead a Great Endtime Revival that will sweep the world with many millions of souls being saved. In the same way that Samson killed more people at his death than he did in his life (Judges 17-30), so Israel and the Jews will direct more people to salvation at the end of the age than the gentile church did throughout the entire age of grace. (142a) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Old Testament bears witness to the new >> Prophesy about the dispensation >> The end times _________________________________ LUKE CHAPTER 14 KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 14,1-6 (115g) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Laying on of hands >> Seeing signs, wonders and miracles (122j) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Boldness in adverse circumstances >> Do the will of God in the face of adversity (144j) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Healing >> Methods of healing >> Healed by Jesus’ touch (178k) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Hypocrisy >> Jesus rebukes the Pharisees >> Rebuked for accusing Jesus of Sin – Jesus asked them if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath, and then asked, ‘If a son or a donkey fell down a well, would you provide assistance on the Sabbath?’ Pulling a donkey from a well would probably be an all-afternoon project, and they would definitely break a sweat. Working on the Sabbath was one of only a few things they tried to use as an excuse to crucify Him, but His answer was so reasonable, even with a defiled conscience they could not disfigure the facts into something ugly. So, there were exceptions to working on the Sabbath. God’s purpose for the Sabbath was to prevent people from working seven days a week, to protect their servants from being overworked, and to reserve one day a week to worship God. Eventually, they heard Him claiming to be the Son of God, and that is what they used to have Him crucified. They treated Him like any man who didn’t have healing in His hands or the word of God in his mouth or the anointing emanating from His countenance. The love and wisdom He shared proved He was not an ordinary man. He exhibited all the characteristic traits they were looking for in their Messiah, but they rejected Him because (1) He infringed on their business of religion (2) He contradicted their belief systems, correcting them in public, which was very humiliating to their massive egos (3) He did not attempt to deliver Israel from their enemies, the Romans. Lk 14-5 (225m) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about generosity of heart -- This verse goes with verses 12-15 Lk 14,7-14 (14n) Servant >> Ministry of helps >> Helpers take the last place as a better service to you – Everyone has their place in heaven; there is a hierarchy of authority and honor there. In this life we see people pushing their way into positions of authority and power, but in heaven these are positions that God assigns to them, based on their faithfulness and service to others. In heaven God will give some of the noblest places to those who have lived the humblest on earth, and will give the lowest places to the proudest of all. Therefore, if you want the highest place in heaven, seek the lowest place on earth. Seek to be the servant of all, and if you want to be blessed, then be a blessing. (77g) Thy kingdom come >> Humility >> Refusing the glory of man >> Rejecting their admiration – Jesus instructed His disciples to avoid seeking the first place but the last place, so their host may escort them to a more honorable position for all to see. Then He instructed the host not to invite fancy people but the poor, the lamb, the blind and the crippled, because they have no means to repay, and he will be rewarded in the resurrection of the righteous. Jesus put an emphasis on seeking the First Resurrection in the life to come. Nothing greater will every happen to us, in that we will experience all things through the First Resurrection, for without a body it is impossible to experience anything. Similarly, when God gives the wicked a body that can withstand the hellish climate of the underworld, they will wish they had never been born. Currently, people in both heaven and hell are disembodied spirits, living in a spiritual place, spirit on spirit, but if they lived in a physical world without a body, there would be no way to experience their lives. There is great honor in pursuing the rewards of heaven, which will be appended to our resurrected bodies. Everyone will forever know how we lived in this life just by looking at us; those who seek the first place show no interest in the life to come; they care only for themselves and for this world, which is cursed, and for the honor that they can achieve among men, without seeking glory from the one and only God (Jn 5-44). Lk 14,7-11 (56j) Paradox >> Opposites >> He who exalts himself shall be humbled – Someone could turn this into a game; instead of finding the place where he belongs, a person could sit in the last place and wait for the host to find him and raise him to a higher place in the eyes of all. This is just as prideful as sitting in places of honor that belongs to someone else. (77h) Thy kingdom come >> Tapping into the power of God through humility >> The high position of a humble servant – Some of the greatest rewards of heaven will not be crowns or mansions but places of honor in the hierarchy of authority. Those who find themselves in the lowest places will be those who were the most arrogant in this life. Seeking the glory of heaven is to seek the last place. In heaven everything is opposite the ways of the world. In heaven being the greatest servant comes with the greatest honor, and those with great authority will serve, while those in the last place will be served, establishing equality. KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 14,8-11 (225k) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about the wedding feast -- These verses go with verses 16-24 Lk 14,12-15 (34m) Gift of God >> Be generous like your Father >> Give to the poor – If we give a homeless person hope, he might just decide not to be homeless anymore. Hope can do this. (225m) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about generosity of heart -- These verses go with verse 5 Lk 14,12-14 (124f) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Acts of love >> Love does not seek its own (226j) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of heaven >> Levels of reward >> Rewarded by levels of glory in our spiritual bodies – An aspect of God’s repayment for service to others who cannot reciprocate is a glorified body, among other things. Just as stars differ from each other in glory, so the children of God will differ from each other in varying luminal intensities. Lk 14,15-24 (50d) Judgment >> Last Days >> Great Endtime Revival >> Jews lead the world into revival >> Leading the harvest at the end of the age (158j) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit godliness >> Love sickening sweet >> Loving words that lack action – Jesus told this parable based on what the man said in verse fifteen, “Blessed is everyone who shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God!” A man gave a big dinner, and many who were invited made excuses for the reasons they would not come to His dinner, so what Jesus was basically telling the man was, ‘You talk big now, but there are many who will not come to My dinner, and you are probably among them who will excuse yourself from My table.’ What the man said did not give Jesus one ray of hope that he would actually be there at His luncheon that He has planned at the end of the age, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Isn’t that what James said in his epistle? Talk is cheap; action is deep. Jesus would rather see the man living for God than hear him pontificate on his emotions. Speaking words of faith is well, but if actions never follow, then the words mean nothing. KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 14,16-24 (20d) Sin >> Nature of sin >> Motives of unbelief – The land owner can look over his property some other day, and the man who bought oxen can tend his field tomorrow, and the man who recently married can go home to his wife, except that those who attend this feast will never return to their old life. They will venture into a new life in the Kingdom of Heaven, and for this reason they didn’t want to attend the dinner. They weren’t ready to give up this world, being worldly Christians, like those who fill our churches today. This "dinner" refers to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, which celebrates the end of one age and the beginning of another, and the event that occurs prior to it is the Rapture. God Raptures his people and sets them before a table where they will celebrate overcoming the the dragon and his antichrist, and they will be formally introduced to their Savior and Lord, and their old life will be gone forever. At the core of this parable Jesus is saying that if we are not willing to give up this life at a moment’s notice, then we are not fit for the kingdom of heaven. Those who are absorbed in the concerns of this life will not be interested in starting a new life in heaven, being too captivated by their sinful flesh to let it go. Those who have proclaimed their loyalty to God have betrayed Him, and now He is looking for people who will serve Him and prefer the Kingdom of Heaven over this world. (24i) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Jews are envious of the gospel – The man giving the luncheon represents God the Father, the slave is Christ, and the people excusing themselves from the table are Jews. Jesus’ ministry exclusively revolved around the children of Israel; He never ministered to anyone outside His nation with few exceptions, such as the Syrophoenician woman. Jesus invited Israel to His Father’s party, and they declined His offer, so Jesus hit the countryside and there “compel them to come in.” Outside Israel are the gentiles; if the Jews will not receive God’s offer of eternal life, then maybe the gentiles will receive it, stirring the Jews to jealousy. (55m) Paradox >> Lose by gaining >> Lose God’s will to gain your own will (64c) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Limits of God >> God has limited patience (197d) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Spiritual laziness >> Rebelling against where God wants you to go >> Refuse to enter His rest (198c) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Man withers when he is in control >> Ungrateful (200e) Excuses For Rejecting Christ (Key verse) (200f) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Excuses for rejecting Christ >> Selfish ambition >> Having more important things to do – These are lame excuses for not coming to this dinner. Jesus ministered to the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. These are the most likely candidates for heaven. He went into the highways and along the hedges looking for them and introduced people to the Kingdom of God. This life does not have such a strong pull on the misfortunate of the world, so when Jesus comes and shows an interest in them when nobody else did, the people willingly followed Him, whereas those of honor are usually too busy and important to bother with Christ. (202b) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Running from God >> Running to your sinful nature >> Run from God by running to the world (208c) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Salvation verses >> The expectations of God >> God expects us to repent and be saved (215ib) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> The Kingdom of Heaven appears suddenly >> Without warning >> Kingdom suddenly appears when His people are not expecting it – The slave in this story was Christ, who invited the sick and the blind and the lame to His Father's dinner, but this dinner is served at the end of the age, and so Jesus gave the responsibility of inviting the guests to someone else. Those who have vacated their seat was Israel, so Jesus called the gentiles to “Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.” Throughout the age of grace they have sent missionaries into third-world countries and have formally invited many to the feast, and they answered the call and became guests at the dinner prepared for the faithful, replacing those who have excused themselves, but His banquette hall is still not full. This feast, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, is scheduled to occur at the end of the age, since the food is already prepared and on the table. Therefore, we are talking about evangelizing the world in the last hour, and the slave at the end of the age is Israel who will come to believe in Jesus at the last hour, to be specific the 144,000. See also: Great endtime revival; 224e (221g) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Kingdom hidden behind the veil from the world >> God hides from the mind of man >> He denies His kingdom to man’s stubborn will (223j) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Miss God >> Missing the train >> Miss the invitation from God (224e) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The joyful kingdom >> The marriage supper of the lamb – Obviously, those who excused themselves from the table were the Jews, and those who attended the feast ultimately represent the gentiles, but at the end of the age their roles will be reversed; that is, the gentiles will excuse themselves from the table and the Jews will come into faith and invite third-world nations to the feast. The Great Endtime Revival is the most direct application to this parable, since the feast represents the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, which occurs directly after the Rapture of the Church. See also: Great endtime revival; 215ib (225k) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about the wedding feast -- These verses go with verses 8-11. (248i) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Values >> Valuing God >> Do not value things that devalue God (249l) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> World’s perception of wealth >> The world’s wealth has no value >> The world’s idea of wealth opposes the truth KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 14-17 (12l) Servant >> Jesus is the servant of man Lk 14,18-20 (21h) Sin >> Premeditated sin >> Having no intensions of doing the will of God Lk 14,21-24 (69d) Authority >> Righteous judgment (outcome of discernment) >> Righteous anger >> God is angry at sin Lk 14,21-23 (149d) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Compel them to come in >> Forceful persuasion Lk 14-23 (216e) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> Compelled by the Spirit >> God takes advantage of your love for Him >> God’s spirit is irresistible Lk 14-24 (186k) Works of the devil >> The result of lawlessness >> The reprobate >> God’s role in forming a reprobate >> Rejected by God Lk 14,25-35 (202d) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Running from God >> Running to your sinful nature >> Run from God through a lack of character (232e) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Count the cost >> Assess the property before you buy it – A person might jump up and say, ‘I’ll be saved,’ and run to the pulpit to confirm His faith in God, but then His faith doesn’t last, and before he knows it, he’s back to unbelief, only now with a sour experience with God. He is like the man who built half a tower and ran out of money and lost his vision. He is like the seed that fell among thorns and was choked. Jesus would rather we didn't believe in Him, than to believe for a season and then abandon our faith. A person who does this is not giving up on his faith but on God, and God thinks He is worthy of more than that. He doesn’t like it when people give up on Him. Note that our opponent is strong, coming at us with 20,000 soldiers when we only have 10,000; without God's help we will indeed be defeated; The disciple of Jesus has determined in advance that he will need a genuine relationship with Christ through faith; only then will he realistically be victorious. Lk 14,26-35 (108a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Balance between truth and error >> Wisdom brings balance between truth and error (188a) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man>> Die to the flesh >> Dying to self takes discipline – There are things about us that we don’t like, sins we can’t seem to overcome. Jesus says, ‘I want you to kill that,’ referring to a specific sin in our lives, and we tell Him, ‘Lord, I can’t, I’ve been trying and it won’t die.’ Then He tells us, ‘Grab your cross and follow Me; we will die together.’ The two thieves that were crucified on either side of Him represent us, hopefully the one who believed in Jesus. 'Hold on, wait a minute; I thought God hung our sin on Jesus’ cross; why do we still need to suffer?' God wants us to manifest our victory over sin, in that if it doesn’t materialize, then it isn't real. The whole purpose of this life, being born into sinful flesh, is to prove our love for God, and the only way we can do that is to externalize obedience in the members of our bodies, for if we cannot embody our faith, then God says it doesn’t exist. Good intensions are useless. The man in verse 15 who said, “Blessed is everyone who eats bread in the Kingdom of God” had good intensions, but Jesus essentially told him He probably wouldn’t be there. KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 14,26-32 (56g) Paradox >> Opposites >> Seek God’s life by subduing your flesh (139i) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Tear down the old to rebuild the new Lk 14-26,27 (208a) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Salvation verses >> The kindness of God >> The cross Lk 14-26 (234i) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Sold out >> Relinquishing your assets to Christ >> Dispose of every asset except Christ – Obviously, Jesus is not asking us to hate the people we love the most; instead, Jesus is comparing His love for His Father to His love for His mother and brothers, and the balance moves in favor of His Father to such a degree that an objective onlooker might get the false impression that He hates His family members, even His own life, and He is commanding us to love God to the same extent. Jesus is our example of Christianity. When He entered His ministry, He left behind His immediate family and His former life and followed the Holy Spirit in whatever His Father wanted Him to do. This also erased any question of idolatry. Jesus wants us to love Him not just a little but far more than we love our parents or children, far more than we love our wives or even our own lives. Our love for this life and those in it should resemble hatred compared to our love for God. Jesus is saying we may be required to make decisions that will make us appear to our family members that we hate them. God may call us to the ministry, and He may call us to leave everything behind and follow Him. When He calls, we must go, otherwise we are not His disciples. Whatever our religion, when we become Christians, we walk away from those pagan beliefs and exclusively embrace Jesus Christ to the chagrin of those who have expectations of us to believe in their gods. Lk 14,27-35 (4m) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Disciples are chastened by the Lord Lk 14,28-35 (207g) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Salvation verses >> The Kingdom of God >> Investing in the Kingdom of God – Jesus was never quite so poignant about our possessions and materialism than in this statement. He often talked about money and wealth and condemned it, but this time He told us we had to give up everything in order to be His disciple, otherwise we are just half-hearted Christians. Materialism is a form of idolatry. American Christianity with all its materialistic entrapments is a ridiculous imitation of Jesus depiction of what it really means to be His disciple. There are very few material things we actually need; Jesus didn't call the rich but the poor and the blind and the lame, and He told us to jettison our material things and live as we were called. Find the level of bare necessities that we can tolerate and make it our new lifestyle. We don’t own things; they own us! Jesus is not saying we have to give up all our stuff as though it were a test or a wilderness experience; rather, He is saying that possessions make it difficult if not impossible to serve Him, because they tie us down and make us vulnerable to persecution, in that our enemy can threaten us through our things. Shortly after Jesus' ascension Christians were scattered to the ends of the earth, evacuating Jerusalem. They had to give up all their possessions and run for the hills. So Jesus was saying to them that if they can’t give up their possessions, they will stay behind and be tempted to renounce their faith. He was saying that if they want to be materialistic then don’t bother being a Christian. Materialistic Christianity is an oxymoron. Lk 14,28-33 (44f) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Transformed >> Completing the will of God Lk 14-28 (231j) Count The Cost (Key verse) KJV WEB / Parallel Gospel / Navigation Bar Lk 14,29-33 (2f) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> Keep your commitments in your walk with God – It is important as a believer that we follow Christ all the way to the end. There are many Scriptures that speak about enduring to the end (see the topic: Complete). If we fail to finish, God will view our faith as though we never believed. Lk 14-30,31 (202k) Denying Christ >> Running from God >> Wicked men cannot approach the throne of God >> Goats are unsaved church attendants Lk 14-31,32 (225e) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about wealth >> Parables about a king and his kingdom – This parable is in a passage that Jesus spoke about counting the cost, speaking about the Kingdom of Heaven in ways that the Church doesn’t speak about it. Instead, the Church talks about entering heaven by responding to an altar call, for example. The pastor gives an inspiring message, invites converts to the altar to be saved; the person responds, follows the instructions and believes in a set of Bible passages and considers himself saved, and so does everybody in church, including the pastor, because he did what was expected. For the rest of his life he remembers that he went to the front of the Church and publicly vowed his faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, when hard times hit, he will remember that he knelt at the altar and prayed. However, Jesus’ teachings about counting the cost are far more severe than that. It says in verse 25 that a large crowd gathered around Him. If we applied contemporary Christianity to this crowd, we would have to say that whatever promises He made they received, including the promise of salvation and eternal life, but Jesus stopped them in their tracks and said, “If anyone comes to me, and doesn’t disregard his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he can’t be my disciple.” He was saying, ‘There are some of you who think you are My disciples, and you’re not, and when hard times come, you will fall away.’ We must count the cost. We in America talk about dying to self as though it were a matter of closing our eyes and grunting. In other countries they follow Jesus at the cost of everything, imprisoned for their faith, tortured and killed. “Whoever doesn’t bear his own cross and come after me, can’t be my disciple.” If we are not willing to die for our faith in Jesus, much less will we live for Him. There are many who will never be required to make the ultimate sacrifice for their faith. Everyone who is tortured, persecuted and killed for their faith in Jesus Christ know they believe, and so does everyone around them, who have watched them suffer. Some come to Jesus because of the martyr's suffering, others are so hardened, they are completely unaffected. Unless God can crack open their hard-crusted hearts, they will find their place in the lake of fire. Jesus taught that our enemy is at least twice bigger than us, 20,000 to our 10,000, meaning that without the Lord’s help we don’t stand a chance. If we think we will muscle through this life by faith in Jesus without any of it being particularly real, this life will expose our fraudulence. If our lives are so cushioned that we never see trouble, when we meet Jesus, we may wish we were killed for our faith. (226a) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about war Lk 14-34,35 (70k) Authority >> Believer’s authority >> We are the salt of the earth (Preservative) – We are the seasoning of the world and a preservative. We make food taste good; without us the world would merely go through the motions of living; without us it wouldn’t take long for the world to fall apart. There was a time when salt was extremely valuable; in the ancient world it was literally worth its weight in gold, but now we buy a box of salt and think nothing of it. Salt in the form of Christians is just as valuable as ever, except that Christianity for the most part has lost its savor in these last days and have hence lost our value and are destined for the manure pile, because we are not seasoning the world's plate anymore. People's lives are tasteless without us, because then they are ruled completely by Satan, and we know he has no taste. (206l) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Eternal security? >> Perish in your sin >> Perish from a lack of fruit (starvation) (226a) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about salt See next page