| Date post: | 17-Jul-2015 |
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Spiritual |
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Luke 17-18
Ash Wednesday The former things will not be remembered Fear God The Kingdom Of God is ldquowithin usrdquo or ldquoin our midstrdquo Can Children Understand The Gospel God Is Good The Little Apocalypse 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus Noahs Ark Seen Fire And Brimstone We Ought To Pray Fear God Persistent Prayer Seventy times seven Tithing Tithes Tithe Children Came To Him
Photo by Ken Stillwell Watch Out
Lets read Luke 171-10
2
Luke 174 Seventy Times Seven
bull NAU Luke 174 And if he sins against you seven times a day and returns to you seven times saying I repent forgive him
bull Christians should absolutely be the most forgiving people on the entire planet We alone of all humanity should completely and thoroughly understand the joy of being forgiven And we should want to give that gift to everyone So forgive others as God has forgiven you
bull I have often heard it said that Christians are the only ones that shoot their wounded This should not be
bull NAU John 87 helliprdquoHe who is without sin among you let him be the first to throw a stonehellip
bull NAU Romans 310 as it is written THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS NOT EVEN ONE
bull NAU Romans 323 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
bull NKJ Colossians 313 hellipforgiving one anotherhellip even as Christ forgave you so you also must do
Luke 176Little Faith
bull NAU Luke 176 And the Lord said If you had faith like a mustard seed you would say to this mulberry tree Be uprooted and be planted in the sea and it would obey you
Lets read Luke 1711-19
5
Luke 1712 An Attitude Of Gratitudeby Michael Belcher
bull ldquoTwo men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table
bull rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquobull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God
does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said
bull ldquoPeel itrdquobull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an
attitude that we should have everyday and every hourhelliprdquo
Luke 1712 An Attitude Of Gratitudeby Michael Belcher
bull With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise himhellip But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Lets read Luke 1720-37
8
Luke 1721 The Kingdom Of God is ldquowithin usrdquo or ldquoin our midstrdquo
bull NAU Luke 1721 nor will they say Look here it is or There it is For behold the kingdom of God is in your midst
bull NIV NET NAS NAU hellip in your midst
bull NIVO YLT NKJ KJV hellipwithin you [looks like a KJVrsquoism]
bull NJB CSB hellip among you
bull ESV hellip midst of you
bull Strongs lt1787gt ἐντός entos
bull Meaning within among
bull Usage inside(1) midst(1)
bull Notes Or within you a Luk 1723 9
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NIVO NKJ hellip come near to you
bull YLT KJV hellip come nigh unto you
10
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NAU Luke 92 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing
bull NAU Matthew 107 And as you go preach saying The kingdom of heaven is at handrsquo
bull NAU Matthew 31 hellipJohn the Baptist came preachinghellip 2 Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
bull NAU Matthew 417 From that time Jesus began to preach and say Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
11
Luke 1722-37The Little Apocalypse
bull Luke 17 is often called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it covers the end times scenario as a summary of Matthew 24
12
Luke 1724 Like The Lightning
bull NAU Luke 1724 For just like the lightning when it flashes out of one part of the sky shines to the other part of the sky so will the Son of Man be in His day
bull NAU Zechariah 914 Then the LORD will appear over them And His arrow will go forth like lightning And the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet And will march in the storm winds of the south
Luke 1725
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull ldquolt1074gt γενεά genea
bull Meaning race family generationhelliprdquo
bull This is the same word as used in Matthew 2434 to identify who would not pass away till all prophecy is fulfilled Does it make more sense in this verse context that Jesus would suffer at the hands of all the people who lived at that time or that he would suffer at the hands of the Jews the race bloodline family who would crucify him
bull Also what did Jesus mean by many things14
Luke 1725Rejected By This Generation genea
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull Jesus was not rejected by everyone who lived at that time All the apostles thousands of disciples in the great multitudes of the triumphal entry did not reject Him
bull However the nation of Israel through their leaders rejected Him Exactly as prophesied
bull NAU John 111 He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him
bull NAU Isaiah 533 hellipwe did not esteem Him
bull NAU Psalm 226 hellipdespised by the people
bull NAU Isaiah 497 Thus says the LORD the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One To the despised One To the One abhorred by the nation To the Servant of rulers Kings will see and arise Princes will also bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You
15
Rose Book of Bible Charts Maps And
Timelines Volume 1
bull 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
bull Prophecies more than 1200 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in green
bull Prophecies more than 800 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in yellow
bull Prophecies more than 500 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in blue
16
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Lets read Luke 171-10
2
Luke 174 Seventy Times Seven
bull NAU Luke 174 And if he sins against you seven times a day and returns to you seven times saying I repent forgive him
bull Christians should absolutely be the most forgiving people on the entire planet We alone of all humanity should completely and thoroughly understand the joy of being forgiven And we should want to give that gift to everyone So forgive others as God has forgiven you
bull I have often heard it said that Christians are the only ones that shoot their wounded This should not be
bull NAU John 87 helliprdquoHe who is without sin among you let him be the first to throw a stonehellip
bull NAU Romans 310 as it is written THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS NOT EVEN ONE
bull NAU Romans 323 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
bull NKJ Colossians 313 hellipforgiving one anotherhellip even as Christ forgave you so you also must do
Luke 176Little Faith
bull NAU Luke 176 And the Lord said If you had faith like a mustard seed you would say to this mulberry tree Be uprooted and be planted in the sea and it would obey you
Lets read Luke 1711-19
5
Luke 1712 An Attitude Of Gratitudeby Michael Belcher
bull ldquoTwo men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table
bull rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquobull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God
does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said
bull ldquoPeel itrdquobull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an
attitude that we should have everyday and every hourhelliprdquo
Luke 1712 An Attitude Of Gratitudeby Michael Belcher
bull With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise himhellip But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Lets read Luke 1720-37
8
Luke 1721 The Kingdom Of God is ldquowithin usrdquo or ldquoin our midstrdquo
bull NAU Luke 1721 nor will they say Look here it is or There it is For behold the kingdom of God is in your midst
bull NIV NET NAS NAU hellip in your midst
bull NIVO YLT NKJ KJV hellipwithin you [looks like a KJVrsquoism]
bull NJB CSB hellip among you
bull ESV hellip midst of you
bull Strongs lt1787gt ἐντός entos
bull Meaning within among
bull Usage inside(1) midst(1)
bull Notes Or within you a Luk 1723 9
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NIVO NKJ hellip come near to you
bull YLT KJV hellip come nigh unto you
10
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NAU Luke 92 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing
bull NAU Matthew 107 And as you go preach saying The kingdom of heaven is at handrsquo
bull NAU Matthew 31 hellipJohn the Baptist came preachinghellip 2 Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
bull NAU Matthew 417 From that time Jesus began to preach and say Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
11
Luke 1722-37The Little Apocalypse
bull Luke 17 is often called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it covers the end times scenario as a summary of Matthew 24
12
Luke 1724 Like The Lightning
bull NAU Luke 1724 For just like the lightning when it flashes out of one part of the sky shines to the other part of the sky so will the Son of Man be in His day
bull NAU Zechariah 914 Then the LORD will appear over them And His arrow will go forth like lightning And the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet And will march in the storm winds of the south
Luke 1725
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull ldquolt1074gt γενεά genea
bull Meaning race family generationhelliprdquo
bull This is the same word as used in Matthew 2434 to identify who would not pass away till all prophecy is fulfilled Does it make more sense in this verse context that Jesus would suffer at the hands of all the people who lived at that time or that he would suffer at the hands of the Jews the race bloodline family who would crucify him
bull Also what did Jesus mean by many things14
Luke 1725Rejected By This Generation genea
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull Jesus was not rejected by everyone who lived at that time All the apostles thousands of disciples in the great multitudes of the triumphal entry did not reject Him
bull However the nation of Israel through their leaders rejected Him Exactly as prophesied
bull NAU John 111 He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him
bull NAU Isaiah 533 hellipwe did not esteem Him
bull NAU Psalm 226 hellipdespised by the people
bull NAU Isaiah 497 Thus says the LORD the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One To the despised One To the One abhorred by the nation To the Servant of rulers Kings will see and arise Princes will also bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You
15
Rose Book of Bible Charts Maps And
Timelines Volume 1
bull 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
bull Prophecies more than 1200 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in green
bull Prophecies more than 800 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in yellow
bull Prophecies more than 500 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in blue
16
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 174 Seventy Times Seven
bull NAU Luke 174 And if he sins against you seven times a day and returns to you seven times saying I repent forgive him
bull Christians should absolutely be the most forgiving people on the entire planet We alone of all humanity should completely and thoroughly understand the joy of being forgiven And we should want to give that gift to everyone So forgive others as God has forgiven you
bull I have often heard it said that Christians are the only ones that shoot their wounded This should not be
bull NAU John 87 helliprdquoHe who is without sin among you let him be the first to throw a stonehellip
bull NAU Romans 310 as it is written THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS NOT EVEN ONE
bull NAU Romans 323 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
bull NKJ Colossians 313 hellipforgiving one anotherhellip even as Christ forgave you so you also must do
Luke 176Little Faith
bull NAU Luke 176 And the Lord said If you had faith like a mustard seed you would say to this mulberry tree Be uprooted and be planted in the sea and it would obey you
Lets read Luke 1711-19
5
Luke 1712 An Attitude Of Gratitudeby Michael Belcher
bull ldquoTwo men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table
bull rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquobull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God
does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said
bull ldquoPeel itrdquobull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an
attitude that we should have everyday and every hourhelliprdquo
Luke 1712 An Attitude Of Gratitudeby Michael Belcher
bull With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise himhellip But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Lets read Luke 1720-37
8
Luke 1721 The Kingdom Of God is ldquowithin usrdquo or ldquoin our midstrdquo
bull NAU Luke 1721 nor will they say Look here it is or There it is For behold the kingdom of God is in your midst
bull NIV NET NAS NAU hellip in your midst
bull NIVO YLT NKJ KJV hellipwithin you [looks like a KJVrsquoism]
bull NJB CSB hellip among you
bull ESV hellip midst of you
bull Strongs lt1787gt ἐντός entos
bull Meaning within among
bull Usage inside(1) midst(1)
bull Notes Or within you a Luk 1723 9
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NIVO NKJ hellip come near to you
bull YLT KJV hellip come nigh unto you
10
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NAU Luke 92 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing
bull NAU Matthew 107 And as you go preach saying The kingdom of heaven is at handrsquo
bull NAU Matthew 31 hellipJohn the Baptist came preachinghellip 2 Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
bull NAU Matthew 417 From that time Jesus began to preach and say Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
11
Luke 1722-37The Little Apocalypse
bull Luke 17 is often called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it covers the end times scenario as a summary of Matthew 24
12
Luke 1724 Like The Lightning
bull NAU Luke 1724 For just like the lightning when it flashes out of one part of the sky shines to the other part of the sky so will the Son of Man be in His day
bull NAU Zechariah 914 Then the LORD will appear over them And His arrow will go forth like lightning And the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet And will march in the storm winds of the south
Luke 1725
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull ldquolt1074gt γενεά genea
bull Meaning race family generationhelliprdquo
bull This is the same word as used in Matthew 2434 to identify who would not pass away till all prophecy is fulfilled Does it make more sense in this verse context that Jesus would suffer at the hands of all the people who lived at that time or that he would suffer at the hands of the Jews the race bloodline family who would crucify him
bull Also what did Jesus mean by many things14
Luke 1725Rejected By This Generation genea
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull Jesus was not rejected by everyone who lived at that time All the apostles thousands of disciples in the great multitudes of the triumphal entry did not reject Him
bull However the nation of Israel through their leaders rejected Him Exactly as prophesied
bull NAU John 111 He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him
bull NAU Isaiah 533 hellipwe did not esteem Him
bull NAU Psalm 226 hellipdespised by the people
bull NAU Isaiah 497 Thus says the LORD the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One To the despised One To the One abhorred by the nation To the Servant of rulers Kings will see and arise Princes will also bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You
15
Rose Book of Bible Charts Maps And
Timelines Volume 1
bull 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
bull Prophecies more than 1200 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in green
bull Prophecies more than 800 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in yellow
bull Prophecies more than 500 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in blue
16
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 176Little Faith
bull NAU Luke 176 And the Lord said If you had faith like a mustard seed you would say to this mulberry tree Be uprooted and be planted in the sea and it would obey you
Lets read Luke 1711-19
5
Luke 1712 An Attitude Of Gratitudeby Michael Belcher
bull ldquoTwo men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table
bull rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquobull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God
does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said
bull ldquoPeel itrdquobull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an
attitude that we should have everyday and every hourhelliprdquo
Luke 1712 An Attitude Of Gratitudeby Michael Belcher
bull With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise himhellip But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Lets read Luke 1720-37
8
Luke 1721 The Kingdom Of God is ldquowithin usrdquo or ldquoin our midstrdquo
bull NAU Luke 1721 nor will they say Look here it is or There it is For behold the kingdom of God is in your midst
bull NIV NET NAS NAU hellip in your midst
bull NIVO YLT NKJ KJV hellipwithin you [looks like a KJVrsquoism]
bull NJB CSB hellip among you
bull ESV hellip midst of you
bull Strongs lt1787gt ἐντός entos
bull Meaning within among
bull Usage inside(1) midst(1)
bull Notes Or within you a Luk 1723 9
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NIVO NKJ hellip come near to you
bull YLT KJV hellip come nigh unto you
10
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NAU Luke 92 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing
bull NAU Matthew 107 And as you go preach saying The kingdom of heaven is at handrsquo
bull NAU Matthew 31 hellipJohn the Baptist came preachinghellip 2 Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
bull NAU Matthew 417 From that time Jesus began to preach and say Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
11
Luke 1722-37The Little Apocalypse
bull Luke 17 is often called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it covers the end times scenario as a summary of Matthew 24
12
Luke 1724 Like The Lightning
bull NAU Luke 1724 For just like the lightning when it flashes out of one part of the sky shines to the other part of the sky so will the Son of Man be in His day
bull NAU Zechariah 914 Then the LORD will appear over them And His arrow will go forth like lightning And the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet And will march in the storm winds of the south
Luke 1725
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull ldquolt1074gt γενεά genea
bull Meaning race family generationhelliprdquo
bull This is the same word as used in Matthew 2434 to identify who would not pass away till all prophecy is fulfilled Does it make more sense in this verse context that Jesus would suffer at the hands of all the people who lived at that time or that he would suffer at the hands of the Jews the race bloodline family who would crucify him
bull Also what did Jesus mean by many things14
Luke 1725Rejected By This Generation genea
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull Jesus was not rejected by everyone who lived at that time All the apostles thousands of disciples in the great multitudes of the triumphal entry did not reject Him
bull However the nation of Israel through their leaders rejected Him Exactly as prophesied
bull NAU John 111 He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him
bull NAU Isaiah 533 hellipwe did not esteem Him
bull NAU Psalm 226 hellipdespised by the people
bull NAU Isaiah 497 Thus says the LORD the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One To the despised One To the One abhorred by the nation To the Servant of rulers Kings will see and arise Princes will also bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You
15
Rose Book of Bible Charts Maps And
Timelines Volume 1
bull 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
bull Prophecies more than 1200 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in green
bull Prophecies more than 800 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in yellow
bull Prophecies more than 500 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in blue
16
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Lets read Luke 1711-19
5
Luke 1712 An Attitude Of Gratitudeby Michael Belcher
bull ldquoTwo men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table
bull rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquobull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God
does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said
bull ldquoPeel itrdquobull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an
attitude that we should have everyday and every hourhelliprdquo
Luke 1712 An Attitude Of Gratitudeby Michael Belcher
bull With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise himhellip But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Lets read Luke 1720-37
8
Luke 1721 The Kingdom Of God is ldquowithin usrdquo or ldquoin our midstrdquo
bull NAU Luke 1721 nor will they say Look here it is or There it is For behold the kingdom of God is in your midst
bull NIV NET NAS NAU hellip in your midst
bull NIVO YLT NKJ KJV hellipwithin you [looks like a KJVrsquoism]
bull NJB CSB hellip among you
bull ESV hellip midst of you
bull Strongs lt1787gt ἐντός entos
bull Meaning within among
bull Usage inside(1) midst(1)
bull Notes Or within you a Luk 1723 9
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NIVO NKJ hellip come near to you
bull YLT KJV hellip come nigh unto you
10
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NAU Luke 92 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing
bull NAU Matthew 107 And as you go preach saying The kingdom of heaven is at handrsquo
bull NAU Matthew 31 hellipJohn the Baptist came preachinghellip 2 Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
bull NAU Matthew 417 From that time Jesus began to preach and say Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
11
Luke 1722-37The Little Apocalypse
bull Luke 17 is often called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it covers the end times scenario as a summary of Matthew 24
12
Luke 1724 Like The Lightning
bull NAU Luke 1724 For just like the lightning when it flashes out of one part of the sky shines to the other part of the sky so will the Son of Man be in His day
bull NAU Zechariah 914 Then the LORD will appear over them And His arrow will go forth like lightning And the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet And will march in the storm winds of the south
Luke 1725
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull ldquolt1074gt γενεά genea
bull Meaning race family generationhelliprdquo
bull This is the same word as used in Matthew 2434 to identify who would not pass away till all prophecy is fulfilled Does it make more sense in this verse context that Jesus would suffer at the hands of all the people who lived at that time or that he would suffer at the hands of the Jews the race bloodline family who would crucify him
bull Also what did Jesus mean by many things14
Luke 1725Rejected By This Generation genea
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull Jesus was not rejected by everyone who lived at that time All the apostles thousands of disciples in the great multitudes of the triumphal entry did not reject Him
bull However the nation of Israel through their leaders rejected Him Exactly as prophesied
bull NAU John 111 He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him
bull NAU Isaiah 533 hellipwe did not esteem Him
bull NAU Psalm 226 hellipdespised by the people
bull NAU Isaiah 497 Thus says the LORD the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One To the despised One To the One abhorred by the nation To the Servant of rulers Kings will see and arise Princes will also bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You
15
Rose Book of Bible Charts Maps And
Timelines Volume 1
bull 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
bull Prophecies more than 1200 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in green
bull Prophecies more than 800 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in yellow
bull Prophecies more than 500 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in blue
16
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1712 An Attitude Of Gratitudeby Michael Belcher
bull ldquoTwo men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table
bull rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquobull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God
does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said
bull ldquoPeel itrdquobull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an
attitude that we should have everyday and every hourhelliprdquo
Luke 1712 An Attitude Of Gratitudeby Michael Belcher
bull With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise himhellip But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Lets read Luke 1720-37
8
Luke 1721 The Kingdom Of God is ldquowithin usrdquo or ldquoin our midstrdquo
bull NAU Luke 1721 nor will they say Look here it is or There it is For behold the kingdom of God is in your midst
bull NIV NET NAS NAU hellip in your midst
bull NIVO YLT NKJ KJV hellipwithin you [looks like a KJVrsquoism]
bull NJB CSB hellip among you
bull ESV hellip midst of you
bull Strongs lt1787gt ἐντός entos
bull Meaning within among
bull Usage inside(1) midst(1)
bull Notes Or within you a Luk 1723 9
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NIVO NKJ hellip come near to you
bull YLT KJV hellip come nigh unto you
10
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NAU Luke 92 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing
bull NAU Matthew 107 And as you go preach saying The kingdom of heaven is at handrsquo
bull NAU Matthew 31 hellipJohn the Baptist came preachinghellip 2 Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
bull NAU Matthew 417 From that time Jesus began to preach and say Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
11
Luke 1722-37The Little Apocalypse
bull Luke 17 is often called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it covers the end times scenario as a summary of Matthew 24
12
Luke 1724 Like The Lightning
bull NAU Luke 1724 For just like the lightning when it flashes out of one part of the sky shines to the other part of the sky so will the Son of Man be in His day
bull NAU Zechariah 914 Then the LORD will appear over them And His arrow will go forth like lightning And the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet And will march in the storm winds of the south
Luke 1725
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull ldquolt1074gt γενεά genea
bull Meaning race family generationhelliprdquo
bull This is the same word as used in Matthew 2434 to identify who would not pass away till all prophecy is fulfilled Does it make more sense in this verse context that Jesus would suffer at the hands of all the people who lived at that time or that he would suffer at the hands of the Jews the race bloodline family who would crucify him
bull Also what did Jesus mean by many things14
Luke 1725Rejected By This Generation genea
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull Jesus was not rejected by everyone who lived at that time All the apostles thousands of disciples in the great multitudes of the triumphal entry did not reject Him
bull However the nation of Israel through their leaders rejected Him Exactly as prophesied
bull NAU John 111 He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him
bull NAU Isaiah 533 hellipwe did not esteem Him
bull NAU Psalm 226 hellipdespised by the people
bull NAU Isaiah 497 Thus says the LORD the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One To the despised One To the One abhorred by the nation To the Servant of rulers Kings will see and arise Princes will also bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You
15
Rose Book of Bible Charts Maps And
Timelines Volume 1
bull 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
bull Prophecies more than 1200 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in green
bull Prophecies more than 800 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in yellow
bull Prophecies more than 500 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in blue
16
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1712 An Attitude Of Gratitudeby Michael Belcher
bull With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise himhellip But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Lets read Luke 1720-37
8
Luke 1721 The Kingdom Of God is ldquowithin usrdquo or ldquoin our midstrdquo
bull NAU Luke 1721 nor will they say Look here it is or There it is For behold the kingdom of God is in your midst
bull NIV NET NAS NAU hellip in your midst
bull NIVO YLT NKJ KJV hellipwithin you [looks like a KJVrsquoism]
bull NJB CSB hellip among you
bull ESV hellip midst of you
bull Strongs lt1787gt ἐντός entos
bull Meaning within among
bull Usage inside(1) midst(1)
bull Notes Or within you a Luk 1723 9
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NIVO NKJ hellip come near to you
bull YLT KJV hellip come nigh unto you
10
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NAU Luke 92 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing
bull NAU Matthew 107 And as you go preach saying The kingdom of heaven is at handrsquo
bull NAU Matthew 31 hellipJohn the Baptist came preachinghellip 2 Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
bull NAU Matthew 417 From that time Jesus began to preach and say Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
11
Luke 1722-37The Little Apocalypse
bull Luke 17 is often called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it covers the end times scenario as a summary of Matthew 24
12
Luke 1724 Like The Lightning
bull NAU Luke 1724 For just like the lightning when it flashes out of one part of the sky shines to the other part of the sky so will the Son of Man be in His day
bull NAU Zechariah 914 Then the LORD will appear over them And His arrow will go forth like lightning And the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet And will march in the storm winds of the south
Luke 1725
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull ldquolt1074gt γενεά genea
bull Meaning race family generationhelliprdquo
bull This is the same word as used in Matthew 2434 to identify who would not pass away till all prophecy is fulfilled Does it make more sense in this verse context that Jesus would suffer at the hands of all the people who lived at that time or that he would suffer at the hands of the Jews the race bloodline family who would crucify him
bull Also what did Jesus mean by many things14
Luke 1725Rejected By This Generation genea
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull Jesus was not rejected by everyone who lived at that time All the apostles thousands of disciples in the great multitudes of the triumphal entry did not reject Him
bull However the nation of Israel through their leaders rejected Him Exactly as prophesied
bull NAU John 111 He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him
bull NAU Isaiah 533 hellipwe did not esteem Him
bull NAU Psalm 226 hellipdespised by the people
bull NAU Isaiah 497 Thus says the LORD the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One To the despised One To the One abhorred by the nation To the Servant of rulers Kings will see and arise Princes will also bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You
15
Rose Book of Bible Charts Maps And
Timelines Volume 1
bull 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
bull Prophecies more than 1200 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in green
bull Prophecies more than 800 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in yellow
bull Prophecies more than 500 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in blue
16
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Lets read Luke 1720-37
8
Luke 1721 The Kingdom Of God is ldquowithin usrdquo or ldquoin our midstrdquo
bull NAU Luke 1721 nor will they say Look here it is or There it is For behold the kingdom of God is in your midst
bull NIV NET NAS NAU hellip in your midst
bull NIVO YLT NKJ KJV hellipwithin you [looks like a KJVrsquoism]
bull NJB CSB hellip among you
bull ESV hellip midst of you
bull Strongs lt1787gt ἐντός entos
bull Meaning within among
bull Usage inside(1) midst(1)
bull Notes Or within you a Luk 1723 9
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NIVO NKJ hellip come near to you
bull YLT KJV hellip come nigh unto you
10
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NAU Luke 92 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing
bull NAU Matthew 107 And as you go preach saying The kingdom of heaven is at handrsquo
bull NAU Matthew 31 hellipJohn the Baptist came preachinghellip 2 Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
bull NAU Matthew 417 From that time Jesus began to preach and say Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
11
Luke 1722-37The Little Apocalypse
bull Luke 17 is often called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it covers the end times scenario as a summary of Matthew 24
12
Luke 1724 Like The Lightning
bull NAU Luke 1724 For just like the lightning when it flashes out of one part of the sky shines to the other part of the sky so will the Son of Man be in His day
bull NAU Zechariah 914 Then the LORD will appear over them And His arrow will go forth like lightning And the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet And will march in the storm winds of the south
Luke 1725
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull ldquolt1074gt γενεά genea
bull Meaning race family generationhelliprdquo
bull This is the same word as used in Matthew 2434 to identify who would not pass away till all prophecy is fulfilled Does it make more sense in this verse context that Jesus would suffer at the hands of all the people who lived at that time or that he would suffer at the hands of the Jews the race bloodline family who would crucify him
bull Also what did Jesus mean by many things14
Luke 1725Rejected By This Generation genea
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull Jesus was not rejected by everyone who lived at that time All the apostles thousands of disciples in the great multitudes of the triumphal entry did not reject Him
bull However the nation of Israel through their leaders rejected Him Exactly as prophesied
bull NAU John 111 He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him
bull NAU Isaiah 533 hellipwe did not esteem Him
bull NAU Psalm 226 hellipdespised by the people
bull NAU Isaiah 497 Thus says the LORD the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One To the despised One To the One abhorred by the nation To the Servant of rulers Kings will see and arise Princes will also bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You
15
Rose Book of Bible Charts Maps And
Timelines Volume 1
bull 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
bull Prophecies more than 1200 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in green
bull Prophecies more than 800 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in yellow
bull Prophecies more than 500 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in blue
16
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1721 The Kingdom Of God is ldquowithin usrdquo or ldquoin our midstrdquo
bull NAU Luke 1721 nor will they say Look here it is or There it is For behold the kingdom of God is in your midst
bull NIV NET NAS NAU hellip in your midst
bull NIVO YLT NKJ KJV hellipwithin you [looks like a KJVrsquoism]
bull NJB CSB hellip among you
bull ESV hellip midst of you
bull Strongs lt1787gt ἐντός entos
bull Meaning within among
bull Usage inside(1) midst(1)
bull Notes Or within you a Luk 1723 9
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NIVO NKJ hellip come near to you
bull YLT KJV hellip come nigh unto you
10
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NAU Luke 92 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing
bull NAU Matthew 107 And as you go preach saying The kingdom of heaven is at handrsquo
bull NAU Matthew 31 hellipJohn the Baptist came preachinghellip 2 Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
bull NAU Matthew 417 From that time Jesus began to preach and say Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
11
Luke 1722-37The Little Apocalypse
bull Luke 17 is often called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it covers the end times scenario as a summary of Matthew 24
12
Luke 1724 Like The Lightning
bull NAU Luke 1724 For just like the lightning when it flashes out of one part of the sky shines to the other part of the sky so will the Son of Man be in His day
bull NAU Zechariah 914 Then the LORD will appear over them And His arrow will go forth like lightning And the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet And will march in the storm winds of the south
Luke 1725
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull ldquolt1074gt γενεά genea
bull Meaning race family generationhelliprdquo
bull This is the same word as used in Matthew 2434 to identify who would not pass away till all prophecy is fulfilled Does it make more sense in this verse context that Jesus would suffer at the hands of all the people who lived at that time or that he would suffer at the hands of the Jews the race bloodline family who would crucify him
bull Also what did Jesus mean by many things14
Luke 1725Rejected By This Generation genea
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull Jesus was not rejected by everyone who lived at that time All the apostles thousands of disciples in the great multitudes of the triumphal entry did not reject Him
bull However the nation of Israel through their leaders rejected Him Exactly as prophesied
bull NAU John 111 He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him
bull NAU Isaiah 533 hellipwe did not esteem Him
bull NAU Psalm 226 hellipdespised by the people
bull NAU Isaiah 497 Thus says the LORD the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One To the despised One To the One abhorred by the nation To the Servant of rulers Kings will see and arise Princes will also bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You
15
Rose Book of Bible Charts Maps And
Timelines Volume 1
bull 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
bull Prophecies more than 1200 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in green
bull Prophecies more than 800 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in yellow
bull Prophecies more than 500 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in blue
16
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NIVO NKJ hellip come near to you
bull YLT KJV hellip come nigh unto you
10
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NAU Luke 92 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing
bull NAU Matthew 107 And as you go preach saying The kingdom of heaven is at handrsquo
bull NAU Matthew 31 hellipJohn the Baptist came preachinghellip 2 Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
bull NAU Matthew 417 From that time Jesus began to preach and say Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
11
Luke 1722-37The Little Apocalypse
bull Luke 17 is often called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it covers the end times scenario as a summary of Matthew 24
12
Luke 1724 Like The Lightning
bull NAU Luke 1724 For just like the lightning when it flashes out of one part of the sky shines to the other part of the sky so will the Son of Man be in His day
bull NAU Zechariah 914 Then the LORD will appear over them And His arrow will go forth like lightning And the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet And will march in the storm winds of the south
Luke 1725
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull ldquolt1074gt γενεά genea
bull Meaning race family generationhelliprdquo
bull This is the same word as used in Matthew 2434 to identify who would not pass away till all prophecy is fulfilled Does it make more sense in this verse context that Jesus would suffer at the hands of all the people who lived at that time or that he would suffer at the hands of the Jews the race bloodline family who would crucify him
bull Also what did Jesus mean by many things14
Luke 1725Rejected By This Generation genea
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull Jesus was not rejected by everyone who lived at that time All the apostles thousands of disciples in the great multitudes of the triumphal entry did not reject Him
bull However the nation of Israel through their leaders rejected Him Exactly as prophesied
bull NAU John 111 He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him
bull NAU Isaiah 533 hellipwe did not esteem Him
bull NAU Psalm 226 hellipdespised by the people
bull NAU Isaiah 497 Thus says the LORD the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One To the despised One To the One abhorred by the nation To the Servant of rulers Kings will see and arise Princes will also bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You
15
Rose Book of Bible Charts Maps And
Timelines Volume 1
bull 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
bull Prophecies more than 1200 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in green
bull Prophecies more than 800 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in yellow
bull Prophecies more than 500 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in blue
16
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
NAU Luke 109 The kingdom of God has come near to you
bull NKJ Luke 109 And heal the sick there and say to them`The kingdom of God has come near to yoursquo
bull NAU Luke 92 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing
bull NAU Matthew 107 And as you go preach saying The kingdom of heaven is at handrsquo
bull NAU Matthew 31 hellipJohn the Baptist came preachinghellip 2 Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
bull NAU Matthew 417 From that time Jesus began to preach and say Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at handrdquo
11
Luke 1722-37The Little Apocalypse
bull Luke 17 is often called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it covers the end times scenario as a summary of Matthew 24
12
Luke 1724 Like The Lightning
bull NAU Luke 1724 For just like the lightning when it flashes out of one part of the sky shines to the other part of the sky so will the Son of Man be in His day
bull NAU Zechariah 914 Then the LORD will appear over them And His arrow will go forth like lightning And the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet And will march in the storm winds of the south
Luke 1725
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull ldquolt1074gt γενεά genea
bull Meaning race family generationhelliprdquo
bull This is the same word as used in Matthew 2434 to identify who would not pass away till all prophecy is fulfilled Does it make more sense in this verse context that Jesus would suffer at the hands of all the people who lived at that time or that he would suffer at the hands of the Jews the race bloodline family who would crucify him
bull Also what did Jesus mean by many things14
Luke 1725Rejected By This Generation genea
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull Jesus was not rejected by everyone who lived at that time All the apostles thousands of disciples in the great multitudes of the triumphal entry did not reject Him
bull However the nation of Israel through their leaders rejected Him Exactly as prophesied
bull NAU John 111 He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him
bull NAU Isaiah 533 hellipwe did not esteem Him
bull NAU Psalm 226 hellipdespised by the people
bull NAU Isaiah 497 Thus says the LORD the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One To the despised One To the One abhorred by the nation To the Servant of rulers Kings will see and arise Princes will also bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You
15
Rose Book of Bible Charts Maps And
Timelines Volume 1
bull 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
bull Prophecies more than 1200 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in green
bull Prophecies more than 800 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in yellow
bull Prophecies more than 500 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in blue
16
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1722-37The Little Apocalypse
bull Luke 17 is often called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it covers the end times scenario as a summary of Matthew 24
12
Luke 1724 Like The Lightning
bull NAU Luke 1724 For just like the lightning when it flashes out of one part of the sky shines to the other part of the sky so will the Son of Man be in His day
bull NAU Zechariah 914 Then the LORD will appear over them And His arrow will go forth like lightning And the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet And will march in the storm winds of the south
Luke 1725
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull ldquolt1074gt γενεά genea
bull Meaning race family generationhelliprdquo
bull This is the same word as used in Matthew 2434 to identify who would not pass away till all prophecy is fulfilled Does it make more sense in this verse context that Jesus would suffer at the hands of all the people who lived at that time or that he would suffer at the hands of the Jews the race bloodline family who would crucify him
bull Also what did Jesus mean by many things14
Luke 1725Rejected By This Generation genea
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull Jesus was not rejected by everyone who lived at that time All the apostles thousands of disciples in the great multitudes of the triumphal entry did not reject Him
bull However the nation of Israel through their leaders rejected Him Exactly as prophesied
bull NAU John 111 He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him
bull NAU Isaiah 533 hellipwe did not esteem Him
bull NAU Psalm 226 hellipdespised by the people
bull NAU Isaiah 497 Thus says the LORD the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One To the despised One To the One abhorred by the nation To the Servant of rulers Kings will see and arise Princes will also bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You
15
Rose Book of Bible Charts Maps And
Timelines Volume 1
bull 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
bull Prophecies more than 1200 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in green
bull Prophecies more than 800 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in yellow
bull Prophecies more than 500 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in blue
16
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1724 Like The Lightning
bull NAU Luke 1724 For just like the lightning when it flashes out of one part of the sky shines to the other part of the sky so will the Son of Man be in His day
bull NAU Zechariah 914 Then the LORD will appear over them And His arrow will go forth like lightning And the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet And will march in the storm winds of the south
Luke 1725
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull ldquolt1074gt γενεά genea
bull Meaning race family generationhelliprdquo
bull This is the same word as used in Matthew 2434 to identify who would not pass away till all prophecy is fulfilled Does it make more sense in this verse context that Jesus would suffer at the hands of all the people who lived at that time or that he would suffer at the hands of the Jews the race bloodline family who would crucify him
bull Also what did Jesus mean by many things14
Luke 1725Rejected By This Generation genea
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull Jesus was not rejected by everyone who lived at that time All the apostles thousands of disciples in the great multitudes of the triumphal entry did not reject Him
bull However the nation of Israel through their leaders rejected Him Exactly as prophesied
bull NAU John 111 He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him
bull NAU Isaiah 533 hellipwe did not esteem Him
bull NAU Psalm 226 hellipdespised by the people
bull NAU Isaiah 497 Thus says the LORD the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One To the despised One To the One abhorred by the nation To the Servant of rulers Kings will see and arise Princes will also bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You
15
Rose Book of Bible Charts Maps And
Timelines Volume 1
bull 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
bull Prophecies more than 1200 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in green
bull Prophecies more than 800 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in yellow
bull Prophecies more than 500 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in blue
16
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1725
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull ldquolt1074gt γενεά genea
bull Meaning race family generationhelliprdquo
bull This is the same word as used in Matthew 2434 to identify who would not pass away till all prophecy is fulfilled Does it make more sense in this verse context that Jesus would suffer at the hands of all the people who lived at that time or that he would suffer at the hands of the Jews the race bloodline family who would crucify him
bull Also what did Jesus mean by many things14
Luke 1725Rejected By This Generation genea
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull Jesus was not rejected by everyone who lived at that time All the apostles thousands of disciples in the great multitudes of the triumphal entry did not reject Him
bull However the nation of Israel through their leaders rejected Him Exactly as prophesied
bull NAU John 111 He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him
bull NAU Isaiah 533 hellipwe did not esteem Him
bull NAU Psalm 226 hellipdespised by the people
bull NAU Isaiah 497 Thus says the LORD the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One To the despised One To the One abhorred by the nation To the Servant of rulers Kings will see and arise Princes will also bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You
15
Rose Book of Bible Charts Maps And
Timelines Volume 1
bull 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
bull Prophecies more than 1200 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in green
bull Prophecies more than 800 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in yellow
bull Prophecies more than 500 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in blue
16
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1725Rejected By This Generation genea
bull NAU Luke 1725 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation [genea]
bull Jesus was not rejected by everyone who lived at that time All the apostles thousands of disciples in the great multitudes of the triumphal entry did not reject Him
bull However the nation of Israel through their leaders rejected Him Exactly as prophesied
bull NAU John 111 He came to His own and those who were His own did not receive Him
bull NAU Isaiah 533 hellipwe did not esteem Him
bull NAU Psalm 226 hellipdespised by the people
bull NAU Isaiah 497 Thus says the LORD the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One To the despised One To the One abhorred by the nation To the Servant of rulers Kings will see and arise Princes will also bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You
15
Rose Book of Bible Charts Maps And
Timelines Volume 1
bull 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
bull Prophecies more than 1200 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in green
bull Prophecies more than 800 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in yellow
bull Prophecies more than 500 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in blue
16
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Rose Book of Bible Charts Maps And
Timelines Volume 1
bull 100 Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
bull Prophecies more than 1200 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in green
bull Prophecies more than 800 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in yellow
bull Prophecies more than 500 years before Jesus birth are highlighted in blue
16
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1726 Noah
bull NAU Luke 1726 And just as it happened in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man
bull Q Who was the greatest financier in the Biblebull A Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else
was in liquidation
bull Q Who was the greatest female financier in the Biblebull A Pharaohs daughter She went down to the bank of
the Nile and drew out alittle prophet
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull ldquoAs they rose toward the 15000-foot plateau on the west side of Mount Ararat they spotted a familiar looking dark form It looked almost like the drawing of Noahs Ark developed from the descriptions provided by others who had seen what they thought was the Ark in this area The year was 1989
bull Chuck Aaron and Bob Garbe both seasoned creationists estimated that the visible portion of the dark object was about 60 feet wide 30 feet high with about 225 feet of it extending out of the ice and snow The next morning they returned to the site and shot more video and photographs With a storm moving in working time was limited
bull The following year other researchers returned to the site in a helicopter While they could not land they were able to get much closer to the site to get better pictures From their vantagehellip
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1727 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT Was Noahs Ark Seen In 1989
bull point they concluded that the object was simply an unusual rock formation ndash a typical story in the search for Noahs Ark
bull Its a good thing that our faith in the truth of Gods Word does not depend on physical evidence Many creationists feel that even if the Ark were discovered and moved to Times Square in New York unbelievers would eventually concoct their own explanation to discredit the story of Gods judgment in the Flood
Photo Little Ararat (left) and Mt Ararat (right) (PD)
httpwwwcreationmomentscomradiotranscriptswas-noahs-ark-seen-1989
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull Notes Photo View of Mt Ararat from Turkey bull Courtesy of Henri Nissen (CC-BY-SA 30)
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
TODAYS CREATION MOMENTWHAT WOULD THE SIGHTING OF NOAHS ARK MEAN
bull In our previous program we heard how two creationists had scaled Mount Ararat and had filmed an object projecting from the ice near the summit That object looked very much like Noahs Ark The year was 1989 and other creationists at the time could have reported with great fanfare that Noahs Ark had indeed been discovered
bull But thats not how science works Confirmation of the discovery was necessary and the following year other creationists using a helicopter found that the object was simply a rock formation Some Christians think that confirmation of Noahs Ark will cause millions to come to Christ However this is unlikely to be the case We are reminded of the rich man in hell who asked that Lazarus be sent back from the grave to warn his brothers about the judgment Jesus said Even though the dead be raised still they will not believeThere is something else Confirmation of the Ark resting too high on the mountain to be explained by a local flood would instantly make thousands of liberal theology books good for nothing more than heating fuel Even liberal scholars would be forced to accept what they now consider to be ignorant myths of a pre-scientific age They would be forced to deal with our message that the Word of God is true in every subject that it mentions
bull NAU Luke 1631 But he said to him If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1729 Fire And Brimstone
bull NAU Luke 1729 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all Sparks fly from a welderrsquos torch in China
PHOTOGRAPH BY JODI COBB NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
23
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1625 1732 The Former Things Will Not Be Remembered
bull NAU Isaiah 6517 For behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind
bull NKJ Isaiah 4318 Do not remember the former things Nor consider the things of old
bull NAU Jeremiah 316 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land declares the LORD they will no longer say The ark of the covenant of the LORD And it will not come to mind nor will they remember it nor will they miss it nor will it be made again
24
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Lets read Luke 181-8
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull NAU Luke 181 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
bull ldquoDear CompassIf Predestination is true then what is the purpose of prayer In particular intercessory prayer If the outcome of the situation being prayed for has already been determinedmdashwhat is the value of my prayer Do prayers ever produce a result different from what would have happened anyway In the case of a miracle healing if predestination is at work then theoretically the miracle would have occurred regardless of the prayers Or does predestination only refer to our salvation and no other areas of our lives
bull ANSWER Prayer changes things How and under what principle God doesnt reveal to our understanding other than that Hes God and can do what He wants Most likely the problem of understanding the
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 181 We Ought To Pray
bull predestination application to prayer lies in our attempt to decipher a limitless God with limited understanding But any way you slice it prayers are certainly not fruitless For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears attend to their prayer mdash1 Peter 312 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much mdashJames 516
bull the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick mdashJames 515
bull This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer mdashMark 929bull Praying that God may open up to us a door for the word mdash
Colossians 43bull Therefore when God instructs us to pray we should praybull Devote yourselves to prayer mdashColossians 42 in everything by
prayer let your requests be made known to God mdashPhilippians 46 pray at all times Ephesians 619 devoted to prayer mdashRomans 1212helliprdquo
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 182 Fear God
bull NAU Luke 182 saying In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man
bull Job 19 Then Satan answered the LORD Does Job fear God for nothing 10 Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land
bull Ecclesiastes 813 But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God
bull Oswald Chambers said ldquoThe remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything elserdquo
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 185 Persistent Prayer
bull NAU Luke 185 yet because this widow bothers me I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out
bull NAU Isaiah 627 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth
bull NAU 1 Thessalonians 517 pray without ceasingbull NAU 1 Samuel 1223 Moreover as for me far be it
from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you but I will instruct you in the good and right way
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 181-8 Persistent Prayer
bull The main point of the parable of the persistent widow is that if even a corrupt judge could be persuaded by persistence entreating So how much more should we cry out to the Lord with persistent prayers
bull Might also want to pray that you dont get a harsh judge like this onehellip
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 186 The Unrighteous Judge
bull NAU Luke 186 And the Lord said Hear what the unrighteous judge said
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Lets read Luke 189-17
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
bull Play the hymn A Rich Young Man Luke 18 (Simple Living)flv
33
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1812 Ash Wednesday
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Fasting can be an issue of religious pride
bull Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) Wednesday February 18 2015
bull NAU Matthew 617 But you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face
bull gotquestionsorg says ldquoJesusrsquo command to ldquowash your facerdquo seems to conflict with the practice of rubbing ashes on onersquos face on Ash Wednesdayrdquo
34
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1812 Tithing Tithes Tithe
bull NAU Luke 1812 I fast twice a week I pay tithes of all that I getrsquo
bull Luke 1142 But woe to you Pharisees For you pay tithe of mint and rue hellip
bull Matthew 2323 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law justice and mercy and faithfulness but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others
bull Hebrews 77+9 hellipAbrahamhellipreceived tithes paid tithesbull These are the only NT NASU uses of tithing tithes tithebull Micah 68 He has told you O man what is good And what does
the LORD require of you But to do justice to love kindness And to walk humbly with your God
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1816 Children Were Brought To Him
bull NAU Luke 1816 But Jesus called for them saying Permit the children to come to Me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
bull Mark 1013
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Matthew 1913 Children Were Brought To Him
bull Matthew 1913 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Children Came To Him
bull NAU Luke 1815 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them but when the disciples saw it they began rebuking them
bull NAU Matthew 1913 hellipsome children were brought to Himhellip
bull NAU Mark 1013 And they were bringing children to Himhellip
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1817 Can Children Understand The Gospel
bull NAU Luke 1817 Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at allrdquo [Mark 1015 Matthew 183 Luke 1817 1 Corinthians 1420]
bull Dwight L Moody said ldquoIt is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His wordsrdquo
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Lets read Luke 1818-27
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1819 God Alone Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819 And Jesus said to him Why do you call Me good No one is good except God alone (Mark 1018)
bull NAU 3 John 111 Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good The one who does good is of God the one who does evil has not seen God
bull Psalm 54 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness No evil dwells with You
bull NAU Numbers 2319 God is not a man that He should lie Nor a son of man that He should repent Has He said and will He not do it Or has He spoken and will He not make it good
bull NAU Hebrews 618 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to liehellip
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl
Who Says God Is Good
bull NAU Luke 1819hellipNo one is good except Godhellip
bull As Scott Rae puts it ldquoMorality is not grounded ultimately in Gods commands but in his character which then expresses itself in his commands In other words whatever a good God commands will always be good
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull Matthew 2324 ldquoYe blind guides which strain out a gnat and swallow
a camelrdquobull Some Christians give others the idea that Christianity is a dull and
joyless faith and that God is stern and humorless But God is the One Who created humor
bull For example did you ever hear of the Bug Bible Published in 1551 the Bug Bible got the name when for some unexplainable reason ldquoThou shalt not be afraid for the terror by nightrdquo from Psalm 915 was printed as ldquoThou shalt not be
afraid of any buggies by nightrdquo Human error was also presumably responsible for The Wicked Bible published in 1717 The Wicked Bible got its name because the word ldquonotrdquo was left out of one of the Commandments leaving the Commandment to read ldquoThou shalt commit adulteryrdquo
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1820 TODAYS CREATION MOMENT
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF THE BIBLEbull One of the most amusing word plays was by Jesus Himself and
is found in Matthew 2324 Here Jesus warns hypocrites about straining at gnats and swallowing camels In Aramaic the language Jesus spoke the word for gnat is nearly identical to the word for camel The verbal humor which is an excellent way of teaching produced a simple slogan that was easy for the common man to remember ldquoBlind guides who strain out a galma and swallow a gamlardquo
bull Despite occasional human printing errors we can be sure that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God And despite Godrsquos sincere earnestness in calling us to Himself we can also be sure that He created humor
bull Notes Dr Crypton ldquoMathematics in the Biblerdquo Science Digest May 1985 p 78 Photo Close-up of the error in The Wicked Bible
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1820 Divorce VS Murder
Exodus 2013 You shall not murder A respectable lady went into the pharmacy walked up to the pharmacist looked straight into his eyes and said I would like to buy some cyanideThe pharmacist asked Why in the world do you need cyanideThe lady replied I need it to poison my husbandThe pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed Lord have mercy I cant give you cyanide to kill your husband Thats against the law Ill lose my licence Theyll throw both of us in jail All kinds of bad things will happen Absolutely not You CANNOT have any cyanideThe lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacists wife
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied Well now thats different You didnt tell me you had a prescription
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1822 All That You Possess
bull Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Meldquo
bull Martin Luther quoted as having soon ldquoI have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all but whatever I have placed in Gods hands that I still possessrdquo
bull Mark 1021 Looking at him Jesus felt a love for him and said to him One thing you lack go and sell all you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1822 Honor God With Our Wealth
bull NAU Luke 1822 When Jesus heard this He said to him One thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow Me
bull Proverbs 39 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1825 the eye of a needle
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Godrdquo 26 They who heard it said Then who can be savedrdquo 27 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with Godrdquo
bull This is not a difficult gate to enter it is impossible to enter And the context determines that its about eternal salvation Only God can save men
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1825 Eye Of A Needle bull The Archaeological Study Bible says ldquoAs illustrative as these theories are
they in fact diminish the force of Jesus words The point is not that salvation is difficult without God but that it is impossible without him Jesus contrast of the largest animal known in Palestine with the smallest of holes created a vivid and memorable illustration The fact that modern day gates have been so named can most likely be attributed to the influence of this and similar statements within the Talmud and the Koran In other words the term needlersquos eye gate most likely did not precede the teaching rather the popularity of the term evidently came about because of the teachinghellip Bible readers do not do well to beware of legendary pseudo ndash archaeological interpretations which can be quite misleading and even distort or undermine the true meaning of a Biblical text
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1825 Camels
bull NAU Luke 1825 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1827 All Things Are Possible
bull NAU Luke 1827 But He said The things that are impossible with people are possible with God
bull Corrie ten Boom said ldquoIf all things are possible with God then all things are possible to him who believes in Himrdquo
bull NAU Mark 923 1027 1436 And He was saying Abba Father All things are possible for You remove this cup from Me yet not what I will but what You willldquo
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1827
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Lets read Luke 1828-43
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1830 God Has Promised
bull Luke 1830 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come eternal liferdquo
bull God has not promised skies always blueflower-strewn pathways all our lives throughGod has not promised sun without rainjoy without sorrow peace without painBut God has promised strength for the dayrest for the labor light for the waygrace for the trials help from aboveunfailing sympathy undying love
bull Annie Johnson Flintbull 1 Corinthians 1519 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only we are of all
men most to be pitiedbull 2 Corinthians 54 For indeed while we are in this tent we groanhellipbull James 12 Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various
trialsbull 1 Peter 16 In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if
necessary you have been distressed by various trials
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1831 Up To Jerusalem
bull NAU 1 Kings 1228 So the king consulted and made two golden calves and he said to them It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem behold your gods O Israel that brought you up from the land of Egypt
bull NAU Ezra 111 hellipSheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem
bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull The late Hassidic Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to quip ldquoDid you
know that the Jerusalem is the highest city in the worldrdquo Many were skeptical but he was correct at least in the spiritual sense The exacting Hebrew states that ldquoAbraham went down to Egypthelliprdquo and when the people return from the Babylonian exile ldquothe exiles ascendedrdquo Biblical verse teaches that no matter where a person is in the world their spiritual compass should always indicate the direction of Jerusalem as ldquouprdquo
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Jerusalem Daily PhotoIlan Rosen brings us this picture of golden
Jerusalem in its evening glory
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
In closing Ambucycles
bull Jerusalem Inspiration ldquoGod is the ultimate savior Life and death are in His handshellip Every one of us should strive each day to imitate the ways of God United Hatzalah lives this maxim to the fullest rescuing lives each day in Israel Now YOU have the opportunity to share in Hatzalahs work and be part of rescuing lives as well hellipyour donation to United Hatzalah will be put towards a gift of life saving equipment to help strengthen Hatzalahs abilities to imitate God and save lives
57
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
THE END
bull Jerusalem Daily Photo
bull Ambucycles ready for action in Jerusalem
58
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
THE END
59
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
bull Matthew 1331 He presented another parable to them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 1712 Ten Leprous Men Ingratitude
bull NAU Luke 1712 As He entered a village ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him bull An Attitude Of Gratitudebull Michael Belcherbull Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence The storming bull followed in hot pursuit and it was soon apparent they wouldnrsquot make it Terrified the one shouted to the other
ldquoPut up a prayer John Wersquore in for itrdquo John answered ldquoI canrsquot Irsquove never made a public prayer in my liferdquo ldquoBut you mustrdquo implored his companion ldquoThe bull is catching up to usrdquo ldquoAll rightrdquo panted John ldquoIrsquoll say the only prayer I know the one my father used to repeat at the table rsquoO Lord for what we are about to receive make us truly thankfulrsquordquo
bull If there is one sin that most prevalent today it is the sin of ingratitude God does so much for us Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done In fact most professing Christians donrsquot even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives We are much like the little boy who was given an orange by a man The boyrsquos mother asked ldquoWhat do you say to the nice manrdquo The little boy thought and handed the orange back and said ldquoPeel itrdquo
bull For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hourbull To magnify this point I want us to examine the account of the ten lepers in Lukersquos Gospel and see some important truths concerning an attitude of gratitudebull Messagebull I The Position Of Allbull Look at verses 11 and 12 ldquoAnd it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee And as he entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar offrdquobull We see here the position of the lepers Firstlybull middot They Were In An Awful Position- Luke says here they stood afar off The disease of lepercy was a painful disease but the physical pain was not the most terrible part of the disorder Lepers were separated They were shut out and cast off It seems here that these
lepers were shut out to an area away from everyone else They were shut out from their Family No one knows how long it had been since they had felt the touch of their wife or the kiss of their children They were shut out from their Friends Friends no longer came over or invited them to go somewhere with them They were shut out from Fellowship of the church Notice that Jesus on his way to Jerusalem entered into a certain village and there met the lepers The religious crowd had no room for these leprous menBut most awful they were shut out from the Father Here is Jesus the only way to the Father and they stood afar off from him Sinners are not near God they are afar off And they cannot and will not draw near on their own Do you know what kept them at a distance The Law The law shut them out The law set forth the conduct of lepers The law said when you pass one pass on the other side and cry out Unclean Unclean Sin puts us in an awful position And they were all in this awful position
bull middot They Were In An Approachable Position- Here are these men living shut out lives But I am grateful this morning that where the law says man cannot go Jesus goes What the law declares off limits Jesus barges in When the law passes on the other side Jesus makes it a point to make contact Oh listen Jesus came to save sinners He went this way on purpose because even in the awful position sin puts us in Jesus is able to reach us and to save us My family canrsquot help me my friends canrsquot help me the church canrsquot help me but Jesus can And while we stand afar off from him he does not stand afar off from us When they could not get to Jesus Jesus got to them When they could not come to him he came to them
bull But they were all in the same positionbull II The Prayer Of Allbull Now look at verses 13 and 14 ldquoAnd they lifted up their voices and said Jesus Master have mercy on us And when he saw them he said unto them Go shew yourselves unto the priests And it came to pass that as they went they were cleansedrdquobull All ten utter the same prayer Notice two things here quicklybull middot Their Observation- They saw and they sensed their need You donrsquot pray and call out for help unless you feel your need The reason sinners donrsquot come to Christ for salvation is that they donrsquot sense their need But the loneliness and the pain of this disease were
evident to these ten lepers They knew they needed help and there was none to be found except maybe in this one called Jesus whom they heard healed the sick There is no doubt they need help so they cry out for mercybull middot Their Obedience- Prayer without obedience is useless Jesus tells them to go to the priest Now the priests had no power to cure but he had the authority to declare the one cured clean And to issue the certificate of cleanliness so that all would be sure of his
healing But do notice that they were not healed immediately but they were healed as they went As they obeyed the command of the Lord they were healed So not only did all pray to Jesus but Jesus healed also all physicallybull III The Praise Of Onebull Verses 15-19 ldquoAnd one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan And Jesus answering said Were there not ten cleansed but
where are the nine There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger And he said unto him Arise go thy way thy faith hath made thee wholerdquobull Here is the key to the whole issue All were in the same awful position All prayed and all were healed Yet only one of the ten returned to offer thanksgiving Noticebull middot The Opportunity Of Praise- And one of them when he saw that he was healed turned back He saw a reason to praise He saw a difference Jesus had made He saw a change wrought by Christ He saw an opportunity to praise God Many see their need to pray
but donrsquot see their need to praise I donrsquot know how it happened we are not told here But maybe as they walked toward the priestrsquos house He began to notice his skin loosing that scaling white appearance Or maybe they passed by some people and he expected that they would run to the other side and yell Unclean Unclean But it never came I donrsquot know how he came to the conclusion but when he saw that he was healed he stopped going the one direction and made a bee-line to Jesus Christ He had reason to praise God They all had reason to praise God but only one saw it
bull middot The Object Of Praise- Where are the other nine I have no doubt that after they were declared clean by the priest they made their way to be with their family and their friends To hug and kiss the wife and the children To visit with Mom and Dad To talk with friends Their minds were occupied on all that the blessing brought to their lives But one One loved his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to hug and kiss his wife and children just as much as the others One wanted to spend time with his friends just as much as the others One wanted to enjoy the blessing just as much as the others But one had his priorities in order One did not get so wrapped up in the blessing that he forgot the blesser One put family friends and fellowship on hold so that he could worship the one that made his being with his family and friends possible
bull Notice that with a loud voice he glorified God With the same loudness and intensity he cried for mercy he glorified God Many times we cry loud for help and low with praise But with the same zeal we sought help we should praise him And he fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was a Samaritan Oh he was not a Jew he was not worthy of this healing He was not worthy to receive Godrsquos help But by grace he was healed and he comes to worship the one who unconditionally healed him And he got more than the others did They received physical healing from a distance But this one not only received physical healing but he got close to God and worshipped him as Lord and received spiritual healing God may chose to physically heal a man from a distance but spiritual healing comes only when we fall prostrate before the feet of Jesus Christ and worship him as Savior and Lord His faith did not save him but it connected him to the one who could save him
bull CloseThere was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church One day they came to the pastor and told him the wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle The pastor said ldquoThatrsquos a wonderful gesture on your part He asked if it was ok to tell the congregation and they said that it was So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead sonOn the way home from church another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to his wife ldquoWhy donrsquot we give a gift because of our sonrdquo And his wife said ldquoBut our son didnrsquot die in any conflict Our son is still aliverdquo Her husband replied ldquoThatrsquos exactly my point Thatrsquos all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to Godrdquo
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Solid Ground by Stand To Reason March April 2012 by Greg Koukl Who Says God Is Good
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
bull The Pharisee And The Tax Collectorbull Thursday April 17th 2014Parablesbull Q Re Luke 189-14 the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector For whatever reason I love this scripture but at the same time it scares
me Irsquom sure Irsquom to look at the very first part of the scripture for the context But I am thankful for so many things that could be part of my life but are not Irsquom not on drugs or alcohol I donrsquot commit crimes etc I know this is not from my own power I know it is the Lord But how can I pray to express my thankfulness for not being caught up in these lifestyles without it seeming that Irsquom exalting myself like the Pharisee
bull A Herersquos the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collectorbull To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else Jesus told this parable ldquoTwo men went up to the temple to
pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed lsquoGod I thank you that I am not like other peoplemdashrobbers evildoers adulterersmdashor even like this tax collector I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I getrsquo
bull ldquoBut the tax collector stood at a distance He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said lsquoGod have mercy on me a sinnerrsquobull ldquoI tell you that this man rather than the other went home justified before God For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who
humble themselves will be exaltedrdquobull As you pointed out the context of this parable is people who are confident of their own righteousness and look down on everyone else Notice the
Pharisee appears to be thanking God but hersquos really bragging about himself And he made no mention of the fact that regardless of his external behavior at heart he was still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bull Therersquos nothing wrong with being thankful for a good life as long as you give the credit for everything to God as you have done and recognize that yoursquore still a sinner in need of forgiveness
bullbull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherpharisee-tax-
collectorutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
bull The Parable of the Persistent Widowbull Saturday April 26th 2014Featuredbull Prayerbull A Bible Study by Jack Kelleybull People ask ldquoIf the Lordrsquos return is a foregone conclusion (Matt 2436) why is it important for me to pray for itrdquo In this study we will answer this question using the Parable of the Persistent Widow as our guidebull Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said ldquoIn a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men And there was a widow in that town
who kept coming to him with the plea lsquoGrant me justice against my adversaryrsquobull ldquoFor some time he refused But finally he said to himself lsquoEven though I donrsquot fear God or care about men yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she wonrsquot eventually wear me out
with her comingrsquo ldquobull And the Lord said ldquoListen to what the unjust judge says And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night Will he keep putting them off I tell you he will see that they get justice and
quickly However when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo Luke 181-8)bull Letrsquos Put This In Its Proper Contextbull The background for this parable is found in Luke 1720-37 A pharisee had asked the Lord ldquoWhen will the kingdom comerdquo This question established that the context for all that follows is the coming kingdom In response
the Lord told him that he shouldnrsquot think of the kingdom as something he could watch for because the kingdom is ldquowithin yourdquobull When Luke wrote this the Holy spirit prompted Him to use an interesting word for the one we translate ldquowithinrdquo because it also means ldquoin your midstrdquo In the general sense I believe Jesus was speaking of phase one of the
Kingdom the ldquoinvisiblerdquo phase that consists of born again believers all over the world But in the specific sense He was also speaking to the Pharisee telling him that the personification of the kingdom was standing right there in front of Him
bull Then He told His disciples that one day soon they would long to see one of His days (days like this one when He was with them) but would not see it (Luke 1722) He continued with an abbreviated description of events leading up to the time of His return The rest of Luke 17 is sometimes called ldquothe little apocalypserdquo because it speaks of end times events like itrsquos a summary of Matt 24
bull After that He told them the parable of the persistent widow His point was that if even a corrupt judge could eventually be persuaded by the persistence of a widow someone without standing or influence in their day how much more likely would the Lord be to respond to the persistent prayers of His people
bull Itrsquos Not The Only Time Wersquove Been Told Thatbull ldquoPray without ceasingrdquo Paul wrote in 1 Thes 517 Good advice Earlier the Lord had given us similar instructionbull ldquoAsk and it will be given to yourdquo He said ldquoSeek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be openedbull ldquoWhich of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake If you then though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask himrdquo (Matt 77-11)bull Itrsquos funny in a way how the Lord longs for our participation in His plan He knows what we need before we ask (Matt 68) yet He wants us to ask He knew we were going to pray for salvation before He created the world yet
He wants us to say the sinnerrsquos prayer (Romans 1017) His return is a foregone conclusion yet He wants us to keep praying for it and to never give up till the day it happens Itrsquos almost as if Hersquos saying our prayers could influence the timing
bull If so it wouldnrsquot be the only time Through His disciples He told the Jews in Jerusalem that as the time for the Great Tribulation draws near to pray that it will not begin on a Sabbath or in the winter (Matt 2420) Does that mean He would alter the start date of the worst period of judgment ever to befall humanity to accommodate the needs of what will surely be a religious minority Does prayer really have that kind of power
bull To drive home the point He began in the widowrsquos story the Lord closed with a question ldquoHowever when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earthrdquo(Luke 188) Though His return is certain will there be anyone left with the persistence to still be praying for it when He comes
bull Prayer Powerbull The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective the Bible tells us (James 516) sufficient to forgive sins and heal the sick And if the above examples are any indication to influence the timing of Godrsquos plan as
well But the lack of persistence in our prayers can indicate a lack of desire as well as a lack of faith Do people not pray for the Lordrsquos return because they donrsquot really want Him to return yet or because they donrsquot think Hersquos going to or both
bull The widow hounded the judge to a point where he thought her obnoxious and he answered her request just to get her off his back Jesus was telling us God rewards our persistence as well And Paul said therersquos a crown in store for all those who long for the Lordrsquos coming (2 Tim 418)
bull Pray without ceasing Ask and it will be given to you Be persistent especially when praying for His return Let the Lord know that at least in some hearts therersquos still faith on Earth Maybe if enough of us persist in this we can hasten the day of His coming You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah 04-26-14
bull httpgracethrufaithcomtopical-studiesparablesthe-parable-of-the-persistent-widowutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Watch What You Ask For heart stop
bullMartha C Kaptan tells that ldquoMy granddaughter overheard conversations about an occasional heart problemmdashloud beatingmdashI experienced when I would try to sleep One evening her father heard her concerned prayer
bull And Lord Jesus please make Grandmas heart stop so she can get some restrdquo
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Age Of Accountabilitybull Raptured Childrenbull Thursday April 17th 2014Rapturebull Q I am searching scripture looking for something that tells me that the children under the age of accountability will also be
taken in the rapture A friend asked me this and I told her that yes they would be removed at the rapture but could not back-up my statement with scripture that actually spells that out
bull A The idea that all children under the age of accountability will be taken in the rapture comes from two places The first is Matt 18 Verse 3 says we have to change and become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven That means children are the model to which all believers have to conform in order to enter the kingdom Verse 10 says that all children have an angel in constant contact with the Father This leads us to conclude that all children belong to God
bull The second place is Romans 79 Here Paul wrote about being alive apart from the law but then the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died Since he was still physically alive he had to be talking about spiritual death So he was saying that before the age of accountability he had eternal life But as soon as he reached the age where he became accountable forhis sins he was scheduled for death and needed to find a way to regain eternal life
bull Put it all together and it appears that all children are born with eternal life They belong to God and and their sins are not counted against them The way adults become like them so we can have eternal life is to be born again because then we become a child of God again (John 112-13) and our sins are no longer counted against us (Romans 718-20) This makes all children and born again adults equally qualified for the rapture
bull httpgracethrufaithcomask-a-bible-teacherraptured-childrenutm_source=feedburneramputm_medium=emailamputm_campaign=Feed3A+Gracethrufaith+28GraceThruFaith29
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Luke 183 Persistent Prayer Mount Scopus
bull Do not give Him silence until He establishes Jerusalem as a source of praise in the Landbull ISAIAH (627) bull Jerusalem Inspirationbull Interestingly the same Hebrew word that here means lsquosilencersquo דמי da-mee can also
mean lsquobloodrsquo דם dam Commentators explain the connection in light of Ezekiel (166) ldquoby your blood you shall liverdquo The hidden meaning behind this verse is ldquoby your silence you shall liverdquo In relationships the truism ldquosilence is goldenrdquo can protect against an insensitive remark and also when it comes to our relationship with God oftentimes we canrsquot comprehend His ways and become frustrated even angry with the suffering we see in this world Nevertheless we must try to emulate Aaron who loses two of his sons yet according to the Bible ldquoand Aaron was silentrdquo Learn more Hebrew with a free word-a-day email
bull Jerusalem Daily Photobull Noam Chens photo of the Old City from Mount Scopusbull Luke 183 There was a widow in that city and she kept coming to him saying Give me
legal protection from my opponent
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
Are We Truly or Superficially Thankful
bull httpwwwsermonaudiocomplaypopupaspSID=1125141559542
68
