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Luke 12:13-21:’How much did he leave?'(please click here)

Two ladies were talking about a rich man who had died. ‘How much did he leave?’ asked one. ‘Everything!’ replied the other. As the saying goes, ‘There are no pockets in a shroud.’ (20).

This is admittedly a disturbing story. I don’t think it is necessarily saying that it is wrong to have possessions, but it gives a clear message that you won’t find your true life in anything material (15). You just won’t! Learn from others. Draw on the lessons of the past. Think about how the writer of ‘Ecclesiastes’ in the Old Testament, tried everything; had everything, but found no satisfaction in any of it. He could have written the song,’But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.’ Consider the lottery and pools winners who have admitted,or shown,that their lives were not enhanced by their winnings.

I think this passage is not so much about the amount of stuff you possess as your attitude to it all. It raises two important questions in particular:

a) Are you looking for life in material things?

b) Do you find your security in what you have? The Bible teaches elsewhere the wisdom of a prudent preparation for the future ( e.g. Proverbs 30:25). But what we have here in the ‘rich man’ is someone who presumed upon a future that he was not going to have. He made his plans without reference to God. (Look at James 4:13-17 and you will see a shiny, bright commentary on this farmer and his attitude.) He was also only interested in keeping his ‘treasure’ for himself. There is no evidence that he thought about sharing or giving.

This section also teaches us not to covet what we do not have. How carefully, then, we must live in a materialistic world in which clever advertisers are constantly sending out seductive messages that ( if we heed them) will cause us to want what we don’t have and will never need. They are like the sirens luring the unguarded onto the rocks by their spellbinding ‘music’. ‘If only you had this…if only you had that…you would be happy.’ It’s a lie. Someone said that materialism is like drinking sea water ( salt water) – the more you have, the more you want.

You have to come away from this parable asking, ‘What does it mean to be ‘rich toward God’?(21). I think there may be a clue in that when this man prospered, there is no record of him thanking God for the blessings, nor asking Him how to use it. A steward does not ‘own’. He or she takes care of the property of another, and they can’t use their boss’s property how the see fit. They have to be in touch with him and listen to his instructions.

From a Christian perspective, good stewardship involves thanking God for all you have and seriously praying for direction in its use.

Prayer: Lord I thank you for bountifully blessing me in ways I do not deserve. I want to say how grateful I am for  all your gifts. If you did not give me another thing I would still have multiplied reasons to thank you. Help me to live gratefully, and wisely and prayerfully, so that I may be rich toward God. This is my true desire.

Luke 12:8-12: Going public.(please click here for todays passage)

I was chatting recently with my colleague Phil, about how many Christians today seem to be suffering from a loss of nerve when it comes to speaking about Jesus. I wonder, what would happen if believers across the UK came out of hiding; stopped wearing camouflage. There are people out there who are attracted by Jesus, and would like to have a conversation about Him. David Watson, a famous evangelist in his day, once observed that the problem with many Christians in the west is that we are like the great Canadian rivers in winter – we get frozen at the mouth!

It strikes me that acknowledging Jesus before men needn’t take a lot of words, but it is about publicly identifying yourself with Christ. The psychiatrist and author, John White, said that fundamentally witness is about honesty: ‘This is who I am. I am a Christian.’ I want to be able to say, and mean it, ‘I am not ashamed’, and demonstrate it by stepping out from behind all my hiding places.

If you go public with your faith you need to take on board verse 4, because it is still a dangerous thing to identify with the crucified Jesus (John 15:18-20). The previous paragraph flows into this one. Let’s be sure of God’s Sovereignty and Fatherly care and concern. Sparrows do fall to the ground, but never behind God’s back (Matthew 10:29).

By the way, don’t be tempted to use this passage as an excuse for a lack of preparation to preach (11,12). Jesus was giving a very specific word about a very definite set of circumstances which had to do with arrest and trial. As a great preacher once said, ‘We can’t pull the wool over people’s eyes. They know when we haven’t prepared.’

Prayer: O Lord, I’m with the psalmist on this one, please open my lips that my mouth may speak forth your praise (Psalm 51:15).

 Luke 12:4-7: His eye is on the sparrow.(please click here)

Cyril Rollinson was nearing the end of his days. A special anniversary was coming up on his calendar; a time to remember the day he became a Christian as a young boy. He thought to himself, ‘ I would love to go and sit in the little Methodist church in Chapeltown (Sheffield) where I gave my life to Christ all those years ago, and give thanks to my Saviour for His goodness to me.’ He happened to mention this to a friend, then wished he hadn’t. His kind friend said, ‘I’ll take you.’ Cyril didn’t want to offend him, but he really wanted to make this ‘pilgrimage’ alone. Anyway, he continued to pray about it. Not long afterwards his friend came to him apologetically and said, ‘I’m really sorry, but I won’t be able to take you after all.’ Cyril was quietly thankful to God that he could go alone, as he had planned. When the day arrived, he took the train to Chapeltown. But once he had exited the suburban Sheffield station he realised the place had changed and he was lost. He set off walking, but he was going in the wrong direction. As he walked up the road, a car came alongside him. The window was wound down and a voice exclaimed, ‘Cyril Rollinson! What are you doing here?’ He looked into the car to see old friends – a husband and wife he hadn’t seen for years. They asked him what he was doing. He told them. ‘Well’, they said, ‘ you are going in the wrong direction. But we are caretakers at that church, and we’re just going there now to do a couple of jobs. So, hop in and we’ll take you!’ While they carried out their responsibilities, Cyril had the privacy to sit alone in the church sanctuary, and thankfully remember the moment he wept his way to Christ as a very much younger men. Then the caretakers took him for some something to eat, and drove him all the way back to Leeds.

Whenever Cyril told this story he would ask questions like: ‘ What if my friend in Leeds had been able to take me?’ ‘What if I’d got into the station at a different time?’ ‘What if I hadn’t taken the wrong turning?’ You get the drift. (Any other time and the building would probably have been locked.)Then would come the wonderful punchline, ‘His eye is on the sparrow!’

Because our Heavenly Father knows us so well, and watches over us, we can live fear- free lives. The only fear required is the totally appropriate reverential fear of God.

Prayer: thank you Lord for your intimate care of our lives, and the peace we can have because of it.

 Luke 11:37-12:9: What are you ‘full’ of?(please click here for todays passage)

‘And yet hypocrites would fain, by means of tortuous windings, make a show of being near to God at the very time they are fleeing from him.’ John Calvin.

Religion is rather fond of  ‘the outside of the cup’ (39). Religious people are concerned with outer appearances. So long as they look good on the surface they don’t care too much about the inner life. I would argue that Christianity is concerned about both the inside and the outside. Integrity matters; the integration of the whole person. Who I seem to be externally must not be a mask to cover the inside. The Christian faith works from the inside out (see 2 Corinthians 4:6). What we are becoming on the interior will more and more show through to the exterior.

Inside we are all ‘full of’ something (39). As a leader ( and Jesus was speaking to religious leaders) what you are full of will spill over into the lives of other people you are leading. That could be good, but it may be bad. Jesus was scathing in His denunciations of the religious leaders in His day. He knew they were full of bad things like:

– ‘greed and wickedness’ (39);

– pride (42, 43);

– death (44);

– hypocrisy (12:1-3);

These religious leaders were unconverted men, so how could they really help anyone else? (52). Those who came into contact with them touched death because the leaders were spiritually dead.

But even if you are a soundly converted person in leadership, there remains the challenge to cultivate the inside of your life so that lovely things are planted there; beautiful ‘flowers’ that will eventually show on the surface. Don’t succumb to the temptation to be play a part. (The word for ‘hypocrite’ means to be an actor). Be real. That starts on the inside. It can’t be slapped on like make-up.

Luke 11:33-36: ‘…full of light…wholly bright…’

MAKE USE OF THE LIGHT (33)
In our home we light a lot of candles, especially when we have visitors coming over. If we want a room to be full of warm light, we don’t ignite the candles then cover them over – or put them in another part of the house where they can’t be seen or enjoyed. We want our guests to ‘see the light’ (33). The words in this verse can refer to Christian witness (see Matthew 5:14-26), but in the context it seems to about having the light of spiritual understanding. On the whole, these verses seem to be a warning against spiritual blindness and hardness of heart. As we saw in the previous verses, ‘something greater’ had come in Jesus (26-32). The people were looking for a sign, while they had the only sign they could ever need right in front of them. The people in general were spiritually blind and hardened in heart towards Jesus, and they did not repent of their sins. They had eyes that did not see.

MAINTAIN HEALTHY SIGHT (34, 35)
Around the age of 40, I was having a routine eye examination. Although I could see well at the time, I think the optician was noticing some slight changes at the back of my eye. He said to me, ‘In a year or two you will probably find that you need glasses.’ He was right. It all happened quickly. At first I began to notice that I couldn’t see to read in electric light. I now can’t read at all without the aid of spectacles. The eye is the organ of sight, and you can see clearly when your eyes are healthy. The light comes flooding in. It is the same with spiritual sight (34). The heart is the organ of spiritual perception (see Ephesians 1:18). Keep your heart eyes healthy. There is a warning in (35) to make sure we are taking in light and not darkness. As we look for truth in the world around us we will discover that not everything that purports to be light ( and enlightening) really is. In search for meaning a person can open  himself/herself up to darkness. Warren Wiersbe warns that ‘There is no “twilight living” for Christians…’ We must not be double-minded. Your body will be ‘full of’ whatever your eye is open to.

SHINE VERY BRIGHT (36)
There is a lot at stake, and (36) may mean that a person who is full of light will illuminate others. As I learned in a song in Sunday School, ‘Jesus bids us shine, with a pure, clear light, like a little candle, burning in the night…’ He wants us to be ‘…full of light…wholly bright…’

Prayer: Lord, as I live in this dark world, help me to keep my heart eyes wide open to your light, and may I radiate it to everyone I meet (Philippians 2:14-16).

Luke 11:29:32: ‘…something greater…’

Here is another indicator that Jesus was not impressed by crowds as such (29). He knew what was in people (John 2:24, 25), and He was quite prepared to preach uncompromising, hard-hitting messages that would whittle down the numbers (John 6:22-71). In any crowd the parable of the sower will be worked out. We should not be impressed by numbers for numbers’ sake. Statistics may tell you something, but they don’t give you the whole story.Our Lord knew that in the crowds there would be people who were seeking a sign and not a Saviour. The lack of repentance showed that (32). There were many others around at that time who were just like Herod (Luke 23:8). They wanted a performance, a circus act. They thought it was ‘showtime’. It is true today that there are many who would like Jesus to do a miracle for them. They would love to have some gospel ‘magic dust’ sprinkled on their heads. But they do not want to live differently, and so they miss out.

Why did Jesus say what He did about the ‘Queen of the South’? (31). I believe it is because she was serious. She humbled herself, and put herself out to benefit from Solomon’s wisdom. She didn’t simply want to ‘see’ something spectacular. More than anything she wanted to ‘hear’ truth. Solomon was a great man, but in Jesus ‘something greater’ has come. He is, as we have seen, ‘one stronger’ (22) and ‘something greater’ (31,32). He is greater than Solomon; greater than Jonah ; greater than the greatest figures in Biblical history.

Will you listen to this greater than Solomon and learn from His instruction?

Will you heed the message of this greater than Jonah and turn to Him from all that you know to be wrong?

Or do you just want to see a spiritual fireworks show?

 Luke 11:27-28: A potential blessing.(please click here for todays passage)

Jesus did not deny that Mary was a blessed woman. Elizabeth had earlier, under the influence of the Holy Spirit’s fullness, pronounced Mary to be ‘Blessed…among women…’ (Luke 1:41,42). Presumably, then, what she spoke was accurate, and Jesus did not contradict Scripture. But He inferred that there is an even greater blessing for those ‘who hear the word of God and keep it!’ So here is a potential blessing for you and me today. Let’s put ourselves in a position to hear God’s Word and put it into practice.

By the way, isn’t that what Mary did? She heard and surrendered (Luke 1:38), and what blessing there was for her and for the whole world .

Prayer: Lord God, keep my ears ever open to your voice, and may my feet be always willing to walk in your paths.

Luke 11:14-26:Someone stronger.           (please click here for todays passage)

There is nothing new about people labelling a work of God as something else entirely (15). I understand that a great evangelical preacher – a much-admired and respected man – referred to the Pentecostal movement as ‘the last vomit of Hell.’ It was a terrible thing to say, and he was mistaken. There is no doubt that we all have to be on our guard against false teaching, but some people in their zeal for truth are in danger of slandering Jesus Himself. How carefully we need to tread. I confess that the task of discerning scares me at times. I know I must do it, but I don’t want to get it wrong. It horrifies me that some Christians are so quick to go into print and denounce fellow believers who see things slightly differently. Whilst there are doctrines of demons abroad in the world, I tend to think that not everything is that gets tarred with that brush. Jesus knows our thoughts (17) and He cares that we think rightly about Him and about truth, but also about our fellow-believers. Let’s try to not shoot our own troops!

Jesus’ argument was magnificently brilliant (17,18). As He was working to overthrow Satan’s Kingdom (14) how could it be said that He was acting by Satan’s power? That was a logically absurd position to take. It would mean civil war in the devil’s domain, and that didn’t make sense. The casting out of evil spirits was one major sign that ‘the Kingdom of God’ had come (20). It pointed to the triumphant power of the Messiah and His victory to be achieved on the cross. The ‘one stronger’ has come and tied up the ‘strong man’. Therefore He is able to plunder His goods. This binding work was achieved at Calvary, and so we see the Kingdom of God advance in this world, and significant battles are won against evil, foreshadowing the end of the war altogether and the final victory.

Then Jesus turned the question round and asked them how their ‘sons’ cast out demons (20), which was a master stroke. It was a question which penetrated to the depths of their motives. Were they with Him or not? (23). Clearly other exorcists were around at the time of Christ, and I wonder whether (24-26) point to the ineffectiveness of any ‘deliverance ministry’ that is not truly in Jesus’Name.

Whatever these verses actually mean, and whatever scurrilous activities demons get up to, let’s never forget that ‘one stronger’ has come, and in the Name of Jesus we have the victory. We’re in a fierce fight, but it’s a fight from victory and not for it.

‘Jesus is stronger than Satan and sin,
Saran to Jesus must bow.’

Prayer: I am so grateful,Lord Jesus, to know that whatever I face that is too strong for me, you are stronger. Hallelujah!

Luke 11:1-13:’…I tell you…'(please click here for todays passage)

I heard about a girl who attended a certain Sunday school. In their group they were praying for a missionary. She wrote to him on behalf of everyone else:’Dear Reverend Smith, we are praying for you. We are not expecting an answer!!!’

If verses 38-42 of chapter 10 balance out verses 25-37 in terms of its teaching about service (showing that although we are to serve, we can become ‘distracted’ by it) then I suggest to you that these verses in chapter 11 bring a balance to 10:38-42 in terms of prayer. Some people see prayer as all mystical. It’s about silence and solitude. Well that is an important and, let it be said, often neglected dimension. But there is more to it than that. It is also about speaking and asking/requesting…and getting answers.

The power of example (1). What you do for good (or ill,sadly) can have an impact on others that is greater than you expect. Seeing Jesus at prayer was the trigger for what happened here. How does the prayer life of Jesus affect you? Does it motivate you to want to pray?

This man was in fact praying when he brought his request to Jesus (2-4), as the passage subsequently shows. It was a prayer immediately answered. Jesus gave a pattern for prayer. It is generally agreed by Bible commentators that although we can say what we have come to call ‘the Lord’s prayer’ verbatim ( and it is surely potent to speak, from the heart, the very words spoken by Jesus) what Jesus has done here is to give us an outline around which to construct our own prayers. It’s a ‘pattern’ which puts God’s concerns first, and only then moves to our own (‘your’ before ‘us’).

But Jesus not only gave them an outline; He also supplied an encouragement in the illustration He went on to use (5-13). Someone said that you could take all the teaching of Jesus about prayer and boil it down to one word: ‘persistence’ (8). This word has also been translated as ‘impudence’ and ‘importunity.’ It points to a ‘never say die’ attitude in prayer. ‘There’s a hungry world out there. Naturally speaking I don’t have the bread it needs for its hunger. But I am not leaving this doorstep until I get what I need to play my part in feeding the starving.’ That’s the feel of it – not disrespectful but desperate. Unless God shows you that you are praying for the wrong thing, you will keep going because you need Him so much.

It is important to understand what the God we pray to is like. Consider the character of the One we pray to. A contrast is drawn here. God is not like the grumpy, unwilling friend in the night time. He is not reluctant to help and give and share. He is our generous Father who loves to give; indeed longs to give, the very best to His children. ”Just look at yourselves’, Jesus says in effect. ”You earthly fathers are ‘evil’. (That is, you each have a sinful nature.) But although you are sadly defective, you are big-hearted towards your own offspring. You ‘know how’ to give them ‘good gifts’. You didn’t need any training. It is instinctive. You just do it. Now ‘how much more’ is that the case with your Heavenly Father?”

Listen to what Jesus tells you about prayer (9). He means every word. ‘And I tell you…’ (9). Let what He says sink in, and knock on Heaven’s door until it happens. Remember Who lives behind it and what He is like.