To Know the Truth (Page 3)
Salvation is for the Righteous (Luke 18:15-30)
To live in the place where the living God dwells requires righteousness. Such righteousness is only present in God and therefore requires absolute dependence on God for his righteousness. But the human heart is so full of self-worshiping idolatry that we cannot do righteously nor bring ourselves to…
Salvation is for the Unrighteous (Luke 18:9-14)
A fundamental truth of Christianity is that Jesus came to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15), that is, people who are unrighteous and living in sin. Unfortunately, the opposite is often communicated. Many people have it in their minds that Jesus saves those who are worthy of being saved. This passage in…
Hope for Weary Hearts (Luke 18:1-8)
In this passage, Jesus gives his disciples the “secret” to living the Christian life without “losing heart”…persevering prayer. The disciples are commanded to pray at all times. They are to understand that the Christian life can only be lived and succeeded in by relying on the power of God moment by moment. Amazingly, the Apostle Paul who…
The Righteousness of Reverent and Joyful Praise (Luke 17:11-19)
In this passage, Jesus heals 10 lepers of their affliction. However, only one leper, a Samaritan, is revealed to truly understand what has been accomplished for him. Out of the 10, he is the only one who turns to Jesus in praise, praising Him for for His goodness. If we see and understand what has…
Generous Hearts and Eternal Gain (Luke 16:1-13)
In this passage, Jesus gives the church some convicting words. He says the sinful people of the world better understand the ways of their world than Christians understand the Kingdom and how to be wise within it. The wicked know how to game the ways of the world to their own advantage. To the…
The Prodigal Father and His Two Lost Sons (Luke 15:11-32)
Jesus tells the story of a father who receives back his lost son son with grace and mercy. Though the title of the story is usually The Prodigal Son, this is about the prodigal (meaning lavish or extravagant) mercy and grace of God who receives lost children with open arms.
A Good Shepherd Finds His Sheep (Luke 15:1-10)
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who comes to seek and save that which has been lost. He is the promised Messiah. The one who promised in Ezekiel 34 that he, himself, would come to search for his sheep. Ezekiel 34:11, 16 “For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and…
The King’s Demand of Allegiance (Luke 14:25-35)
Sometimes titled, “The Cost of Discipleship,” this passage reveals the qualifications for following Jesus. Any one who would follow Jesus must give him their full allegiance. Our hearts are prone to give allegiance to many things (idols, false gods, earthly passions). However, we must…
A Misplaced Priority and an Eternal Rejection (Luke 14:15-24)
In this passage, a man refuses to accept Jesus’ hard words that only the humble will sit at the eternal Kingdom table with Jesus. He assumes that he will be an honored guest at the table. But Jesus says that people like him will not enter because they have in fact rejected the dinner…
Exaltation for the Humble, Shame for the Proud (Luke 14:1-14)
On the Sabbath, in the presence of the Pharisees, Jesus heals a man with a dropsy, a physical condition where the soft tissue of the body massively swelled with water probably due to severe heart disease (perhaps liver or kidney failure). Jesus uses the opportunity to reveal that the Pharisees are…
