Luke 19:10–"For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost."
God's heart is for salvation. He has a heart to seek the lost but, even more so, to save the lost. God did this through His Son, Jesus, who died as a substitutionary atonement for the sins of mankind. All of this is to say that God saves sinners. This is the core of the Gospel, the very core of God's heart. The Gospel is, after all, Good News. Let us always remember this.
Showing posts with label Luke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Luke. Show all posts
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Luke 2:11-A Son Is Born
Luke 2:11-"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
The very heart of Christmas is summarized in this verse. That on this day, Christmas day, we celebrate one simple, historical fact: a son was born in Bethlehem, who claimed, among many things, to be the Christ, God's very Som and foreordained Savior of mankind. If there were an irreducible theological reality of Christmas it would be that we are commemorating and celebrating the birth of Jesus the Messiah whose exacting purpose was to save mankind from sin. Let us place this at the centre of Christmas. Amen!
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Luke 2:6-7–The Birth Occurs
Luke 2:6-7–"And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn."
As has been noted many times before, there are so many wonderful elements to the Christmas narrative, from the prophesies fulfilled to the angels singing. But the heart of the message comes down to this basic element: the birth of a king in the lowliest of settings. We should not forget the juxtaposition of this, that God Himself condescended to human form: the King became a servant. This is the very essence of the Christmas message and we should remember it!
As has been noted many times before, there are so many wonderful elements to the Christmas narrative, from the prophesies fulfilled to the angels singing. But the heart of the message comes down to this basic element: the birth of a king in the lowliest of settings. We should not forget the juxtaposition of this, that God Himself condescended to human form: the King became a servant. This is the very essence of the Christmas message and we should remember it!
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Luke 2:13-14–Angels Singing
Luke 2:13-14–"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those whom He is well pleased.'"
Think of the scene: you and some fellow shepherds are out tending to the flocks one night when an angel appears in all his glorious splendor. The angel tells you not to be afraid–a near impossibility considering the sight–and then he tells you and your friends that the prophesied Messiah has been born in a nearby town and that you should go and see Him as He is laid in a manger in swaddling cloths. But the, as if this weren't miraculous and awesome enough, a choir of angels appears and with loud, booming voices like peels of thunder sings out: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those whom He is well pleased."
Wow! What a sight!
To be sure, there is an entire sermon series on this scene alone, however, I want to simply point to the chorus sung by the angels. What a beautiful phrase and sentiment! But it is brimming with theological weight and density. It would be good for us to consider this as Christmas closes in on us. Think about it: this choir of angels could have sang about anything but they chose this. We should ask ourselves why? Perhaps the answer will give us a good insight into who God is and what Christ did...
Think of the scene: you and some fellow shepherds are out tending to the flocks one night when an angel appears in all his glorious splendor. The angel tells you not to be afraid–a near impossibility considering the sight–and then he tells you and your friends that the prophesied Messiah has been born in a nearby town and that you should go and see Him as He is laid in a manger in swaddling cloths. But the, as if this weren't miraculous and awesome enough, a choir of angels appears and with loud, booming voices like peels of thunder sings out: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those whom He is well pleased."
Wow! What a sight!
To be sure, there is an entire sermon series on this scene alone, however, I want to simply point to the chorus sung by the angels. What a beautiful phrase and sentiment! But it is brimming with theological weight and density. It would be good for us to consider this as Christmas closes in on us. Think about it: this choir of angels could have sang about anything but they chose this. We should ask ourselves why? Perhaps the answer will give us a good insight into who God is and what Christ did...
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Luke 1:67-70–Zechariah's Song!
Luke 1:67-70–"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets of old,"
This is only a portion of one of the beautiful praises in all of Scripture. We read that an angel of the Lord came to an elderly couple who had been without child and prophesied that a son would be born, a prophet who would herald in the coming of the Messiah. Zechariah, having been informed by the angel, doesn't believe in the prophecy that he and his wife would be blessed with a son. As a result of this doubt, Zechariah is ridden with muteness, unable to speak until his son, John, is born. But as soon as John is born and named Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit and utters this beautiful and profound song of prophecy and praise. It is this utterance that I point you to today. Consider the great adoration that Zechariah heaps upon the Lord!
This is only a portion of one of the beautiful praises in all of Scripture. We read that an angel of the Lord came to an elderly couple who had been without child and prophesied that a son would be born, a prophet who would herald in the coming of the Messiah. Zechariah, having been informed by the angel, doesn't believe in the prophecy that he and his wife would be blessed with a son. As a result of this doubt, Zechariah is ridden with muteness, unable to speak until his son, John, is born. But as soon as John is born and named Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit and utters this beautiful and profound song of prophecy and praise. It is this utterance that I point you to today. Consider the great adoration that Zechariah heaps upon the Lord!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Much Will Be Required Of Those Who Have Been Given Much
Luke 12:48–"Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required..."
This is one of those distinctly Christian principles: that those who have been blessed are responsible to reflect that blessing unto others. To be sure, this instills an immense responsibility to those who have been blessed. In truth, though, every person has been blessed with immense riches beyond measure. Thus, by extension, everyone of us is to be held accountable for the gifts that God has given us. Keeping this perspective before us will go a long way to keeping our focus fixed and our feet from wandering.
This is one of those distinctly Christian principles: that those who have been blessed are responsible to reflect that blessing unto others. To be sure, this instills an immense responsibility to those who have been blessed. In truth, though, every person has been blessed with immense riches beyond measure. Thus, by extension, everyone of us is to be held accountable for the gifts that God has given us. Keeping this perspective before us will go a long way to keeping our focus fixed and our feet from wandering.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Denying Self but not like Lot's Wife
In Luke 9, Jesus lays it all out: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself daily and take up his cross and follow me."
This is no mean task. God is not mincing words, this is unequivocal language. I think of the alternative: not denying self and not taking up the cross to follow Christ. What would this mean? Surely it would mean not only the utter lack of God's presence but, by extension, the cold reality of hell both in this physical state and unto eternity.
I think of the famous story of Lot's wife (Gen 19:23-26): turning back at the life she was leaving. Not only did she not receive the blessings that God had intended for her family leaving Sodom, but she was turned to a pillar of salt for her disobedience and her lack of faith. She was not willing to deny herself; the irony is that it cost her her life.
This begs the question: how have you done today at denying yourself? Have you taken up your cross recently? All the words of Scripture are all for not if they are not implanted into our hearts. It is not enough to read them, to recite them, to memorize them; we need to live the words. Christ's commands need to become the very way we live. Let us strive for this very thing!
This is no mean task. God is not mincing words, this is unequivocal language. I think of the alternative: not denying self and not taking up the cross to follow Christ. What would this mean? Surely it would mean not only the utter lack of God's presence but, by extension, the cold reality of hell both in this physical state and unto eternity.
I think of the famous story of Lot's wife (Gen 19:23-26): turning back at the life she was leaving. Not only did she not receive the blessings that God had intended for her family leaving Sodom, but she was turned to a pillar of salt for her disobedience and her lack of faith. She was not willing to deny herself; the irony is that it cost her her life.
This begs the question: how have you done today at denying yourself? Have you taken up your cross recently? All the words of Scripture are all for not if they are not implanted into our hearts. It is not enough to read them, to recite them, to memorize them; we need to live the words. Christ's commands need to become the very way we live. Let us strive for this very thing!
Friday, December 21, 2012
Jesus Reads from Isaiah
Immediately after Jesus was baptized the Gospels remark that He was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness for forty days of fasting in which He was tempted thrice by Satan. At the end of those forty days, after being nourished by the ministering angels, Jesus returned home from the wilderness.
Luke records that upon returning home to His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and picked up the scroll of Isaiah and began to read:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19; Jesus quoting Isaiah 61:1-2).
After reading this passage, Jesus then rolls up the scroll and says: "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
Jesus was pretty bold. When He read this passage and then told the people that it was about Himself, we can be certain that it ruffled more than a few feathers.
Jesus could never be accused of pulling punches to cater to diplomacy or political correctness. He was unabashedly concerned with His mission, which was to live a perfect, sinless life, to teach about God's Word, and to die a horrendous death, all for the purpose of glorifying God and saving mankind from sin. He never swerved nor did He ever deviate from that path.
But, to be sure, He was not always the most popular among the religious folk because He had a nasty habit of making a scene and challenging the status quo. He hated religious hypocrisy, He despised religious pride, and He could not stand flippant apathy towards the things of God. We should never forget this!
Luke records that upon returning home to His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and picked up the scroll of Isaiah and began to read:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19; Jesus quoting Isaiah 61:1-2).
After reading this passage, Jesus then rolls up the scroll and says: "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
Jesus was pretty bold. When He read this passage and then told the people that it was about Himself, we can be certain that it ruffled more than a few feathers.
Jesus could never be accused of pulling punches to cater to diplomacy or political correctness. He was unabashedly concerned with His mission, which was to live a perfect, sinless life, to teach about God's Word, and to die a horrendous death, all for the purpose of glorifying God and saving mankind from sin. He never swerved nor did He ever deviate from that path.
But, to be sure, He was not always the most popular among the religious folk because He had a nasty habit of making a scene and challenging the status quo. He hated religious hypocrisy, He despised religious pride, and He could not stand flippant apathy towards the things of God. We should never forget this!
Friday, December 14, 2012
Peter Catches Fish and Sees His Sin
In Luke 5, Luke records a very interesting event. Luke fleshes out the calling of the first disciples alongside the sea. Luke's research and reporting are keen and the narrative expresses a certain richness to the event that Matthew, Mark, and John left out.
Image the scene: a group of professional fisherman had been out all night to no avail. Only empty nets and tired backs after an arduous, fish-less night. As they are cleaning up their gear, a local Rabbi comes up to them and tells them to go back out, only this time to the deeper waters. One of them, the outspoken one, politely questions the obvious foolishness of the Rabbi, but to appease the request, they ship off shore and lower the nets. Within little time, their nets are stretched to breaking under the weight of the fish. There are so many fish that another boat has to come and help them haul in the catch. As they reach the undulating shores, the one who spoke up leaps out onto the sand and falls to his knees at the feet of the Rabbi, crying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."
Peter, the one who falls at Jesus' feet, was a professional fisherman. He had spent most of his adult life honing his craft. He knew the fish and he knew the job. When Jesus sends out the crew again, Peter must have been simply astonished by the idiocy of this man. But as the fish fill the nets to breaking, Peter is utterly stunned.
Peter's response, as we would think, should have been to hire Jesus on the spot. Offer this Rabbi a percentage of the catch and live fat and rich for the remainder of his days. However, Peter's response is in stark contrast to this. Peter falls to his knees because before Jesus he truly sees the depth of his own sin; no more veil, no more mask, just a real convicting image of his own sin before the Lord.
It was this magnificent display of divine power that hit Peter directly in his heart. The only reasonable response was to fall down in humility and reverence. If only this would be our own response to encountering the Lord Almighty!
Image the scene: a group of professional fisherman had been out all night to no avail. Only empty nets and tired backs after an arduous, fish-less night. As they are cleaning up their gear, a local Rabbi comes up to them and tells them to go back out, only this time to the deeper waters. One of them, the outspoken one, politely questions the obvious foolishness of the Rabbi, but to appease the request, they ship off shore and lower the nets. Within little time, their nets are stretched to breaking under the weight of the fish. There are so many fish that another boat has to come and help them haul in the catch. As they reach the undulating shores, the one who spoke up leaps out onto the sand and falls to his knees at the feet of the Rabbi, crying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."
Peter, the one who falls at Jesus' feet, was a professional fisherman. He had spent most of his adult life honing his craft. He knew the fish and he knew the job. When Jesus sends out the crew again, Peter must have been simply astonished by the idiocy of this man. But as the fish fill the nets to breaking, Peter is utterly stunned.
Peter's response, as we would think, should have been to hire Jesus on the spot. Offer this Rabbi a percentage of the catch and live fat and rich for the remainder of his days. However, Peter's response is in stark contrast to this. Peter falls to his knees because before Jesus he truly sees the depth of his own sin; no more veil, no more mask, just a real convicting image of his own sin before the Lord.
It was this magnificent display of divine power that hit Peter directly in his heart. The only reasonable response was to fall down in humility and reverence. If only this would be our own response to encountering the Lord Almighty!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Call to Scripture amidst Christmas
The content of this blog is not one of teaching, as it were. Instead, this is a simple call to reading the Scripture. This season, this Christ-mass season, the world unites in commemorating a single historical event. Across the globe, there are many held holidays of the cultures and nations of the world, but there is a distinct uniqueness to the story of Jesus, the baby born in a manger stall who grows from His seemingly bucolic surroundings to be the most influential person to have ever lived.
It is in the Holy Scriptures that we come to know this Jesus. When we come into contact with the Scripture, the Holy Spirit commits them to our hearts and it comes alive within our chests. For this season, then, we should make an ample pursuit of the Word of God in reference to Jesus' birth.
Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-3 will certainly present enough to chew on...
It is in the Holy Scriptures that we come to know this Jesus. When we come into contact with the Scripture, the Holy Spirit commits them to our hearts and it comes alive within our chests. For this season, then, we should make an ample pursuit of the Word of God in reference to Jesus' birth.
Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-3 will certainly present enough to chew on...
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Denying the Self
Luke 9:23: "And He said to them all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'"
This striking and convicting statement by Jesus is directed at not only His immediate disciples who will go on after His resurrection to lead the Church, but it is also directed at us. The point is clear and succinct: God wants us to give Him our very best and to not let anything prevent us from this utter and total commitment.
When it comes to our faith, to our dedication, there is no substitute for recklessly-abandoned, wholly-devoted faith that is ready at a moments notice to give up, if need be, anything and everything in total submission to Christ and to His Word. This is Christianity. This is the Word of Christ. There is no "half-way" or "moderate" form of Christianity that is anything less than disbelief and lukewarmness.
We should be always and ever eager to give up more of ourselves so as to be filled with more and more of Him. This is the deal. There is no "trial" version, no "Christianity Lite" for people to try for a taste of this Christ thing. Therefore, we should keep this at the forefront of our minds whenever we would consider limiting our devotion by not going that extra mile, by not caring that extra bit, or ignoring the friend that needs a helping hand or ear. Let us then always keep this before us as we strive to live as Christ has called us to live.
This striking and convicting statement by Jesus is directed at not only His immediate disciples who will go on after His resurrection to lead the Church, but it is also directed at us. The point is clear and succinct: God wants us to give Him our very best and to not let anything prevent us from this utter and total commitment.
When it comes to our faith, to our dedication, there is no substitute for recklessly-abandoned, wholly-devoted faith that is ready at a moments notice to give up, if need be, anything and everything in total submission to Christ and to His Word. This is Christianity. This is the Word of Christ. There is no "half-way" or "moderate" form of Christianity that is anything less than disbelief and lukewarmness.
We should be always and ever eager to give up more of ourselves so as to be filled with more and more of Him. This is the deal. There is no "trial" version, no "Christianity Lite" for people to try for a taste of this Christ thing. Therefore, we should keep this at the forefront of our minds whenever we would consider limiting our devotion by not going that extra mile, by not caring that extra bit, or ignoring the friend that needs a helping hand or ear. Let us then always keep this before us as we strive to live as Christ has called us to live.
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