BOOK OF LUKE

REPENTANCE

LUKE 13:1-5

Gospel Repentance consists of…

(1) A true sense of one’s own guilt and sinfulness;

(2) An understanding of God’s mercy in Christ;

(3) An actual hatred of sin and turning from sin to God; and

(4) A persistent endeavor after a holy life in a walking with God in the way of his commandments.

The true penitent is Conscious of GUILT, Conscious of POLLUTION, and Conscious of HELPLESSNESS.

Thus he understands himself to be just what God has always seen him to be and declares him to be – LOST.

I. REPENTANCE CONSISTS OF A TRUE SENSE OF ONE’S OWN GUILT AND SINFULNESS

A. Conscious of GUILT, Psalm 51:4, 9, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

B. Conscious of POLLUTION, Psalm 51:5, 7, 10, Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

C. Conscious of HELPLESSNESS, Psalm 51:11, “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.” Psalm 109:21, 22, “But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me. 22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.”

II. REPENTANCE BRINGS AN UNDERSTANDING OF GOD’S MERCY IN CHRIST

A. The Penitent sinner learns to hope in God’s Mercy, Psalm 33:18, “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;”

B. He learns that salvation is by the Mercy of God, Titus 3:5, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”

1. The sinner’s works play no part in his salvation, Job 9:20, “If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.”

2. Through His Mercy we become one of His own, 1 Peter 2:10, “Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

3. He cleanses us by the washing of the Word of God, 1 Corinthians 6:11, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

III. REPENTANCE BRINGS AN ACTUAL HATRED OF SIN AND TURNING FROM IT TO GOD

A. The repentant sinner hates that which is NOT true, Psalm 119:128, “Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.”

1. Now he hates lying, Psalm 119:163, “I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.”

2. He hates ungodly thoughts, Psalm 119:113, “I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.”

3. His thoughts of God have become precious, Psalm 139:17, “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!.”

B. The sinner sees himself as God does, Job 42:5-6, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. 6Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

C. The sinner’s repentance moves him to trust the Lord, 2 Corinthians 7:10, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

IV. THE REPENTANT SINNER IS MOVED TO A PERSISTENT EFFORT TO LIVE A LIFE OF FAITH

A. In walking with God in a worthy manner, Colossians 1:10, “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;”

B. According to the teachings of God Word, Psalm 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

C. That we might please the Lord, 1 John 3:22, “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”

CONCLUSION

Repentance is the first step toward receiving Jesus Christ as one’s Saviour. This is a changing of the mind about our morals as taught in the Word of God. It is a changing of the mind about ourselves as we look into the mirror of the Word of God.

We trust God’s Word as being the truth. John 8:32 says, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” This is real freedom!

PRAISING GOD FOR WHAT WE HAVE HEARD

LUKE 2:20

Introduction:

The shepherds had seen the Lord, the promised Savior of Israel. The Scriptures have prophesied the coming of the Savior since the time of Adam and now they had seen God’s promise fulfilled.

They were full of praise for the Lord. They were overwhelmed by the glory of those events. They could only praise God for His great blessing.

I. THE SUBJECT OF THEIR PRAISE WAS THE GOOD NEWS OF THE SAVIOR

A. Praise for what we have heard, the TRUTH, Ephesians 1:13, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”

B. Praise for the ONE whom we have NOT seen, 1 Peter 1:8, “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:”

1. We love the Lord Jesus even though we have not seen Him, John 14:21, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

2. We believe Jesus having not seen Him, John 20:29, “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

a. The Apostle John has seen the Lord, 1 John 1:1, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;”

b. What he saw and heard he declared unto us, 1 John 1:3, “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

C. Praise for what we have experienced, 2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

D. Praise for what we shall experience, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

1. The Resurrection of ALL of the Saints who have gone on before us, Revelation 20:5, “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

2. The Rapture of the LIVING Saints at His Coming, James 5:7, “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

II. THE PRAISE OF OBEDIENCE

A. Hearing must be jointed by faith, Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

1. Without faith it is impossible to please God, Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

2. For Righteousness of God is by Faith in Jesus Christ, Romans 3:22, “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:”

B. Faith must be jointed by obedience, Hebrews 5:9, “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;”

1. Obedience shows our love, John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

2. Our obedience must be to God’s commandments, Acts 5:29, “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”

a. Obedience establishes our testimony for Christ, Romans 6:4, Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

b. Our Obedience determines TO WHOM we are servants, Romans 6:16, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

CONCLUSION

God has blessed us with the hearing of the truth of God’s Word. He has saved those who have trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior. He has blessed us with many blessings and will yet bless us more in the near future at His Second Coming. We wait patiently for that coming.

LIFE’S ANXIETY

LUKE 10:38-42

Introduction:

In verse 40, “But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.” We see Martha FRETTING, “But Martha was cumbered about much serving,” RESENTING, “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?” and DICTATING, “bid her therefore that she help me.”

In his book Overcoming Anxiety, Dr. Gary Collins says that a person’s anxiety may be…

Specific- like a barking dog…

Free floating (does not know why).

Acute (it comes quickly, at high intensity, for a short duration), or

Chronic (low intensity, longer lasting).

Normal (when there is real danger) or

Neurotic (abnormal feelings of discomfort when danger is mild or non-existent). A neurotic person is one who worries about things that never happened in the past, unlike a normal person who worries about things that never happen in the future.

I. THE CAUSES OF ANXIETY IN THE BELIEVER.

A. Lack of facts, Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

1. Worry is a lack of trust in God, which stems from a lack of knowledge of God.

a. Who God is, John 14:8-9, “Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”

b. What He is like.

2. This is all linked to a deficiency of divine truth.

B. Fear.

1. “Worry is emotional distress caused by anticipating unknown adversity.”

2. “Worry is a thin stream of fear that trickles through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a wind channel that drains away all other thoughts.”

A. Lack of Faith, Romans 14:23, “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

B. Foolishness, Matthew 6:26-30.

1. The birds (regarding food), v. 26.

2. The body (no control over how long we will live), v. 27.

3. The flowers (they are well clothed), vs. 28-30.

II. THE CONSEQUENCES OF ANXIETY.

A. Anxiety causes EMOTIONAL damage; a person is robbed of joy and peace,

B. Anxiety causes PHYSICAL damage.

1. Butterflies in the stomach.

2. A lump in the throat.

3. Cotton in the mouth.

4. Rapid heart beat.

5. Insomnia.

6. Loss of appetite.

C. Anxiety causes SOCIAL damage.

1. A chronic worrier is not much fun to be with.

2. Friendships cannot flourish in an atmosphere of anxiety.

D. Anxiety causes SPIRITUAL damage, Matthew 13:22, “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.”

III. THE CURE FOR ANXIETY.

A. Learn to trust the Lord, Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Psalm 37:3, “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.”

B. Delight thyself in the Lord, Psalm 37:4, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

1. With exceeding Joy, Psalm 43:4, “Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.”

2. Be glad in the Lord, Psalm 104:34, “My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.”

C. Commit you way to the Lord, Psalm 37:5, “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”

1. Get your head on right, Proverbs 16:3, “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.”

2. Make your request known to God, Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

D. Rest in the Lord, Psalm 37:7, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”

1. Cast your burden upon Him, Psalm 55:22, “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

2. He cares for you, 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

B. Learn to cast your cares on the Lord, 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

C. Learn to pray, Philippians 4:6-7, “6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

D. Learn to share and bear your burdens, James 5:16, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

E. Learn to live one day at a time, Matthew 6:34, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

CONCLUSION

Don’t let things bother you as they did Martha. Sit at the feet of Jesus and learn the Word of God. This will give us what we need to cope with life without so much anxiety.

Taken from “Dispositions that Destroy” by Jerry Locke.

GLORY TO GOD

LUKE 2:8-14

The announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ was the greatest event this world has ever known. The angels of Heaven sang and praised God for the Glory of the Father had arrived on the earth.

The New Testament begins with the Glory of God declaring the birth of His only begotten Son, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

I. CHRIST THE LORD, THE GLORY OF GOD.

John 17:4-5, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”

A. Blessed be the King, Luke 19:38 “Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.”

1. With the coming of the King comes peace to His servant, Romans 8:6, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

2. With the coming of the King comes a sword to the lost world, Matthew 10:33, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.”

B. Blessed be the King of Israel, Isaiah 44:23, “Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.”

1. At the coming of the Saviour all the earth will sing to the glory of God, Isaiah 42:10, “Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.”

2. The Heavens will sing for His glory, Isaiah 49:13, “Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.”

II. JESUS CHRIST IS THE GLORY OF THE CHURCH.

Ephesians 3:21, “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”

A. He is the Redeemer of man, Ephesians 1:7, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” Philippians 2:11, “And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

B. He is the Founder of the Church, Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

C. The Church is to the praise of His grace, Ephesians 1:6, “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

1. Christ loved His Church, Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;”

2. Jesus bought with His own blood, Acts 20:28, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

III. JESUS WILL BE GLORIFIED BY EVERY CREATURE ON THE EARTH AND IN HEAVEN.

Revelation 5:13, “And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.”

A. The ANGELS will praise Him, Luke 2:13-14, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

B. Every man will praise Him, Philippians 2:10-11, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

CONCLUSION

All men will glorify Jesus Christ. Some will do so as born-again believers while others will do so because they are forced to do so. Some will praise in this life as those who have received Him as Saviour. Others will have to admit that He is Lord as they stand before the God of Heaven in judgment. Then it will be too late because they rejected Him will living on this earth.

FAITH THAT IS SEEN

LUKE 5:17-20

Introduction:

How can faith, being an invisible quality or attitude, be seen? New Testament faith acts in accordance with what it asserts to be true. Faith that claims validity but sees obedience as a nonessential extra is bogus. Jesus taught that those who LOVE (i.e., trust, believe in) HIM will also DO what He commands, John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Let’s look at faith:

I. WHAT IS FAITH?

A. The PERSUASION of the mind that a certain statement IS TRUE.

1. Faith in the GOSPEL of Christ, Philippians 1:27, “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;”

2. Faith is the BELIEF of the TRUTH, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:”

3. The PRIMARY IDEA of faith is TRUST, Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

a. God’s WAYS are INCOMPREHENSIBLE, Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

b. His judgments are UNSEARCHABLE, Romans 11:33-34, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?”

c. Yet the Lord is RELIABLE and FAITHFUL, 1 Thessalonians 5:24, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”

B. Belief, a FORM of doctrine, Ephesians 4:5, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism,”

1. There is only ONE GOSPEL of Christ, i.e., one faith, Galatians 1:6-7, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.”

2. It is the BELIEF OF THE TRUTH that opens the gates of heaven, Isaiah 26:2, “Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.”

II. BOGUS FAITH

A. Faith that SPEAKS, but DOES NOTHING, James 2:17, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

1. NOt BASED in God’s LOVE, 1 Corinthians 13:3, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”

2. FEIGNED faith, 2 Peter 2:1-3, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”

B. Faith that FOCUSES ON MAN, Jeremiah 17:5, “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.”

C. Faith that is HYPOCRITICAL, (a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess), Matthew 23:27, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.”

III. AUTHENTIC FAITH

A. Faith that BRINGS SALVATION, Hebrews 10:39, “But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”

B. Faith that is ACTIVE, James 2:20-22, “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?”

C. Faith that is KNOWN, Ephesians 1:15, “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;”

D. Faith that PLEASES God, Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

CONCLUSION

The faith of the Word of God is faith that is seen. It is faith that is active, accomplishing the will of God. It is not a put-on to be seen, but, rather, a trust in the Lord motivated by God’s love for man. It is an authentic faith.