Category: LUKE

Re:Verse passage – Luke 6:46-49 (day three)

“The torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

How does one become a good person? That question has a long pedigree. The Greeks, who knew nothing of Moses, asked it before Christ walked the earth. The addressing of that question, as those same Greeks knew and Jesus repeatedly asserted, requires nothing less than a devotion to the re-ordering of one’s whole life. But that is hard (see Jesus’s words on the narrow way), and the temptation is strong to condense that transformative quest into a multiple-choice exam to which one must give the right answer in order to obtain eternal life. A right answer is what the Pharisees sought, and still their house fell. Right living, on the other hand, is possible only by apprenticing oneself to the Lord Jesus, the sure foundation.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 6:46-49 (day two)  

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Vs. 46

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” Matthew 7:21

Lip service is not heart service. Everyone of us, to some degree or other, finds ourselves in this situation. We give deference to whomever we are speaking with, and then act in a manner that is contrary to those words. It is often easier to just say what people want or like to hear in their presence. To honor them with titles, platitudes, or promises only to do whatever is truly dwelling in our hearts. Jesus, however, doesn’t operate on that level. His concern is for what lies buried in your heart. He is not  convinced by your words. Oftentimes it is easier to say what people want to hear, but if we form that habit with people what does that say about our relationship with Jesus? As James would remind us from our last study; let your yes be yes, and your no be no. You will never have to second guess what your promised if it is always the truth.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 5:33-39 (day seven)

“But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.” vs 38

Speaking in what would seem to be riddles, Jesus was getting the people ready for what was to come.  The weakness of the flesh made the Law incomplete (Rom 8:3), so Jesus was bringing something new, something fresh: a new covenant.

“And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.'” Revelation 21:5

Speaking again in what would seem to be riddles, Jesus is getting us ready for what is to come. The weakness of the flesh made this world incomplete, so Jesus is bringing something new, something fresh: a new earth.

“They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:23 (KJV)

No riddles, but still, the message remains the same. Though our flesh may make us feel incomplete, Jesus is bringing His mercies new and fresh every morning! What new mercies does God have in store for you today?

Re:Verse passage – Luke 5:33-39 (day six)

⁷ “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find… Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”-Jesus, Matthew 7:7-8

Jesus’ parables were an invitation to seek the truth. Far more than illustrations, they were treasure maps meant to lure treasure hunters.

For those listening, patches and wineskins, were a door to be opened to fulfilled promises. To those not listening, or seeking, to those who already had it all figured out, the parables were a pronouncement of judgment.

That’s why Jesus said, “When your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness.” (Matthew 6:23) What we seek shapes our whole life.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 5:33-39 (day five)

Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them?”

Isn’t Jesus’ answer to the Pharisee’s question remarkable?  In His question (answer) back to them, Jesus emphasizes the mission and ministry of His Father.  As we think about this season of Advent, we understand that Jesus’ coming over 2000 years ago, was the promise that God would send Emmanuel (God with us).  In addition, not only the ministry of God, but the mission of God- to bring Peace and Joy to the human heart.  The angels declared “good tidings of great joy- which shall be for all the people” (Luke 2:10).  Does your heart feel the celebration that Christ came to bring?  Like a wedding! No need to fast right now (because of this news)-  the Savior has come to be with “all the people” (you and me) and bring to them (us) a cause and desire to celebrate His presence now with us and in us because of the indwelling Holy Spirit and His provision of salvation.

God with us, God restoring sin-filled and broken human hearts with the joy and forgiveness of the Gospel.  That’s the Good News of the Advent season.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 5:33-39 (day four)

“No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment;”

This text begs us ask ourselves if we are standing in the way of receiving the full grace and forgiveness that God offers through Jesus. Often times, we assess our lives – have I gone to church at least once this month (yes)? Have I tithed a little bit (yes, some)? Have I served somewhere for any amount of time (yep) – by the number of boxes that we can check off. Then, the boxes we check off can trick us into thinking, “I must be in good standing with God right now. Phew.” However, if we miss a box, we might passively ask God to help us do better in the future and to forgive us for not checking that box off. Many of us have probably been stuck in that cycle at some point in our lives, or still are.

But that’s not what Jesus wants. That’s not how God wants us to live. A legalistic approach to following God will get us nowhere. Jesus came bringing new garments that are more incredible and glorious than we can ever imagine and offered for us to be clothed in those garments. But, there are still those of us asking if we can just cut a little patch from the robe that Jesus offers. We might think we don’t want or need the whole thing. But Jesus didn’t come to hand out patches. He came to clothe us and to offer us the life and salvation that only He brings. He came to make all things new, including us, if we will let Him clothe us with His garments. So, stop patching your old garment and trade it in for Jesus’ grace-filled one!

Re:Verse passage – Luke 5:33-39 (day three)

“No one puts new wine into old wineskins.”

Much has (rightly) been made of this parable – or more correctly, collection of parables. Is the gospel “new wine?” Is Jesus’s way of practicing faith a “new wineskin?” Is the old wineskin the establishment Pharisees? Maybe. Varying interpretations abound. So what’s one more? Here it is: What if Jesus is simply saying that life with him is a life of learning to pay attention to what fits the moment you’ve been given? Jesus says in essence, “Just as everybody has learned that new wine requires new wineskins, so my disciples are learning what is required by the circumstances in which they find themselves.” Feeling overwhelmed by the moment is a point of great pain for you. Jesus can teach you to understand what is most needed in that moment. What a joy.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 5:33-39 (day two) And they said to Him, “The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciplesof the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink.” vs. 33

The Pharisees are in the weeds. Just a few verses prior to this passage they are complaining to Jesus about who he eats with, and here they are concerned with whether he eats. As is often the case in these exchanges these religious leaders they have missed the point entirely. This tactic is not unknown to us. If we find that we cannot argue from a strong position, we attack peripheral or petty things. We focus on shallow unimportant areas that don’t ultimately move anyone forward. The next time you feel the need to push back on someone consider your position first. Are you operating out of love, and does it ultimately matter. Otherwise you’re just in the weeds.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 5:33-39 (day one)

Join us as Senior Pastor Chris Johnson, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty, and Associate Pastor Bryan Richardson walk us through Luke 5:33-39 in our Winter  Re:Verse Series: “LUKE – Learning from the parables of Jesus.”