Author: Larry Soape

Re:Verse passage – Luke 18:9-14 (day four)

Verse 14 – “…for everyone who exalts himself will humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

If you were to do a Word Search in Scripture of the word ‘humble’, you would find it all through Scripture.  Several characteristics are evident through the search.  Lesson 1 – Humility is a necessary factor in our relationship with God.  Lesson 2 – There is a difference between being humble and being humbled.

Humility is a choice we make before God that recognizes who God is and who we are in relation to Him.  To be humbled before God is a position we are forced into in order to help us understand who God is.  One state is rewarding, one is…well…humbling!  We can choose our state of heart and mind before God.  If we choose to be humble, Isaiah 66:2 says God will look upon us.  If we choose pride, we can expect to be humbled before God. Which will you choose?

Re:Verse passage – Luke 16:1-18 (day four)

“Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? (V.11)

We may not have great wealth and riches…the disciples certainly did not.  They probably figured Jesus was not talking to them with this parable.  He was talking to all of us though.  If we are not faithful with little, Jesus says we will not be faithful if our circumstances change and we have a lot.  Our basic character will not change just because our circumstances are different.

Extend this parable beyond money.  How have we stewarded the gospel message?  Have we invested it into the lives of others?  Or, have we held the gospel to ourselves and not been faithful to share with others?  God will hold believers accountable for the true riches they possess.  The gospel should be shared and invested .  We are stewards of God’s message of forgiveness and salvation.  Be faithful to share the good news!

Re:Verse passage – Luke 15:11-24 (day four)

In pride, the son asked for his inheritance.  It was his, he deserved it…or so he thought.  He was no longer willing to live under his Father’s decisions…he could make his own choices!

When we reject Christ, we are just like the prodigal.  We want to control our own life.  For him, it resulted in his fall to the bottom of life.  Fortunately for him, he recognized his total depravity.  There was nothing he could do to resolve his situation.  His Father was his only hope.  Christ is our only hope.  Left to our sin, we have no way of salvation.  The prodigal had nothing to offer his Father.  He threw himself on the grace of his Father in hopes of receiving at least enough to sustain life.  What the son discovered was the boundless love of his Father.  When we come to Christ…with nothing to offer that is deserving of grace and love…we receive forgiveness and heirship through His sacrifice.  What we could not possibly do on our own, Christ bestows to us freely.  Are you ready to come home?

Re:Verse passage – Luke 15:1-10 (day four)

It is likely that the name, Erdmann Neumeister, does not ring a bell with you.  God had given Erdmann a special gift…when he read Scripture, he was able to verbalize the truth of that Scripture into the form of a hymn.  It was the early 1700’s when Neumeister penned the words to “Christ Receiveth Sinful Men.”  This hymn, based on this parable in Luke 15, repeats a reoccurring message of Jesus…go after the lost!  (The hymns of our faith are great teachers of the theology of God’s Word.)

“Sinners Jesus will receive; Sound this word of grace to all Who the heavenly pathway leave, All who linger, all who fall.”  Christ is reaching out to the sinners and calling us to dine at His table.  Neumeister understood that we, as believers, have a responsibility to search for the one who does not know Jesus.  Then, we celebrate when they are found.  Sounds like a great invitation to missions!

Re:Verse passage – Luke 14:12-24 (day four)

Remember the context of where Jesus was teaching…He had been invited to one of the Pharisee’s home, for the purpose of entrapping Him in some misstep.  The other guests were scrambling for the best seats at the table and Jesus had already rebuked them for their self-centeredness and greed.

Jesus lays out a scenario that would never have occurred with this group of people.  The guest’s pronouncement of the pending blessing in heaven (v.15) was the expectation that they…the Pharisees…would be the ones enjoying the honor at the great banquet in heaven.  The Pharisees saw their own righteousness and works as their pass into heaven.  It was a rejection of God’s grace for man who could never earn his way to heaven.

Where is your trust placed for forgiveness of sin?  Is it your personal righteousness or God’s grace?  “For by grace we have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  (Ephesian 2:8-9)

Re:Verse passage – Luke 13:1-9 (day four)

We sometimes, mistakenly, portray Pilate as an indecisive, weak leader.  He could not make his own mind up and he bowed to the pressure from the Jewish leaders.  Make no mistake though…Pilate was a ruthless, powerful leader.  In our passage this week, we see him executing some Galileans and desecrating their religion.  As powerful as he was, Pilate was used by God to fulfill His plan.

Pilate was an unwilling participant in God’s kingdom work.  He probably never knew he had participated.  As a believer, hopefully, we are different…we want to be a part of God’s plan and work.  We watch and listen for where God is at work and then join Him in that work.  In order to do that, we need to learn the things only God can do.  When we see one of these actions, we know it is God.  Henry Blakeby wrote an entire course, Experiencing God, to teach us to develop this intimate relationship with God.  Is your heavenly radar up?  Do you know what to watch for and are you watching?

Re:Verse passage – Luke 12:13-21 (day four)

Rabbis were often called upon to settle minor conflicts to avoid going before a judge.  Jesus refused to be drawn in to this family squabble.  He recognized that there was no legal settlement that could occur unless both brothers dealt with their underlying character flaw of greed.  Both brothers were demonstrating this errant character quality.  Thinking only of the benefit to yourself rather than what God would want or what might benefit others is a fatal flaw of character.

Jesus spoke of being “rich toward God”…what does that mean?  How can we be rich toward God?  What can we do to build a strong, stable foundation of Christ-like character?  Seeking the mind of Christ…putting others before yourself…spending time in God’s Word…faithful and consistent prayer…giving generously to the needs of others…seeking first the Kingdom of God…all of these can lead to true riches.  Lasting riches that bear fruit for eternity should be each of our goal!

Re:Verse passage – Luke 11:5-13  (day four)

Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray.  As was His custom, He used parables to drive home the point.  This week’s parable uses a contrast to paint the picture of prayer.  Jesus is not advocating asking over and over until God is worn down…He is saying if this friend will finally respond to the need, how much more will the loving Father answer our prayer.  God stands ready in His love and mercy to pour out His Spirit upon us.

How has God answered prayer for you recently?  Have you stopped to thank Him for His answers?  We may still remain consistent and persistent in prayer, but we learn to recognize when God has given His answer.  We have a hymn in our hymnal that was written nearly one hundred years ago.  The chorus sings:

Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
(Hymn #644)

Re:Verse passage – Luke 10:25-37 (day four)

We live in a ‘hurry up’, ‘no patience’, ‘my schedule is important’ world.  We get so involved in our own importance and drive to succeed that we often fail to see those around us in need.  In our parable, one would expect the religious leaders to quickly respond to assist the wounded traveler.  They were, after all, the example of how God would have us to live.  Instead, they refused to even pause to investigate.

The Samaritan was different.  He had compassion.  He put aside his own business, and responded to the needs of the Jewish traveler.  He was a neighbor.  Are you a neighbor to those around you?  Are you too busy or uninterested to see opportunities to join God in His work?  Will you put aside your busy schedule to share the gospel or lend a listening ear?  A follower of Christ stands out among the rest…loving your neighbor as yourself speaks volumes to the lost world.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 8:1-15 (day four)

While each of these soils represents a different person and how they respond to the Word of God, they can each show up in our lives at any given time.  Depending on how we have cultivated our heart or not, (repentance, anger, bitterness, disobedience, or hardening your heart) we may experience all of these responses at one time or another.  The soil of our heart requires daily cultivation to avoid the influence of the culture around us.  If we ignore the care of our heart, we will become hardened and unfruitful in our response to God.

What is the condition of your heart?  Do you desire an honest and good heart that is fruitful to God?  You can only produce good fruit with careful attention to the care of the soil of your heart.  Verse 15 ends with one key word—perseverance or steadfastness.  You have to give ongoing care to your ‘soil’ to maintain your fruitfulness.