Day #298

Sermon - Audio
Luke 10-11, John 10:22-42- Reading
Luke 10-11, John 10:22-42 - Audio

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Luke 10-11 and John 10:22-42

Luke 10

v. 3 – “as lambs in the midst of wolves.” “Lambs” implies that the disciples should not attempt to gain converts by force; the spread of the gospel is to come through preaching the “good news” of Jesus. The principle that genuine religious commitment cannot be compelled by force sets Christianity in clear contrast to Islam, Hinduism and many other religions.

v. 4 – “greet no one” – Such greetings were lengthy and time-consuming, unlike today where we greet on the run.

v. 6 – “(peace) will return to you” – God’s peace comes only to those who respond. Where there is no response, there is no ensuing peace of God.

v. 13 – The judgment of Tyre and Sidon will be less severe than Chorazin and Bethsaida, for the former cities would have repented had they experienced Jesus’ ministry.

v. 15 – Capernaum will receive the severest judgment because they witnessed Jesus’ ministries and miracles to a great extent.

v. 20 – “Do not rejoice” – The Seventy–Two needed to get their priorities right. Salvation is more important than power over spirits.

v. 36 – Jesus’ question corrects the lawyer’s improper question (v.29) the question is not “who is my neighbor?” but “how can I be a neighbor?”

Luke 11

v. 8 – Friendship would not be enough to make him get out of bed, but persistence on the part of the asker would be. Effective prayer is to be persistant.

v. 9 – The three verbs - ask, seek, knock – encourage prayer as a continual habit of life.

v. 10 – “everyone who asks receives” – This doesn’t mean that believers always receive what they ask for, because God is wiser than they are and has better plans for His children than they could imagine.

v. 17-19 – Unity is strength and division is weakness. If Jesus had been in league with Satan, but had simultaneously worked against Satan, He would have been weakening His own kingdom. The followers of those who accused Jesus also cast out demons. If demons could only be cast out by the power of Satan, the followers of Jesus’ accusers were guilty too. That the accusers did not condemn their own followers proved that their accusations were false.

v. 21-22 – Satan is like a strong man in complete control of his house (the people under his power). But Jesus is stronger than Satan and over throws him. This is a vivid way of saying that the kingdom of God is not simply a matter of helpful teaching; it involves the power to overcome Satan.

v. 29 – The sign of Jonah refers to Jonah’s three days and nights in the belly of the great fish, as Jesus’ resurrection after three days in the tomb would be a sign to the Jews of His day.

v. 31 – The queen of the South refers to the queen of Sheba. She came a long distance to see Solomon and hear his wisdom, whereas “something greater than Solomon” (the Son of God and His wisdom) has come to them and the people reject this and ask for a sign.

v. 32 – Even though the Ninevites were wicked, they at least repented at the preaching of Jonah. How much greater condemnation for those who refuse to repent at the teaching Jesus, who is greater than Jonah?

v. 34 – An eye that is healthy describes a spiritually healthy way of looking at things. A bad eye, or evil way of looking at things, results in a life full of moral and spiritual darkness.

v. 36 – When a person is filled with the light of Christ, it will affect his or her whole being.

v. 39-41 – Keeping the traditions that the Pharisees had added to scripture was like cleansing the outside of the cup but leaving the inside full of greed and wickedness. Those things that are within are the things in a person’s heart. If the believer first offers his heart to God, then everything is clean; that is, God will accept the good he does even if he does not follow the outward traditions required by the Pharisees.

v. 42-44 – The first set of woes is against the Pharisees.

v. 44 – Coming in contact with a grave made a person unclean. But if the grave had no marking, people might walk over it and become unclean without knowing it. Likewise people who follow the Pharisees are deceived, for they become unclean before God without even knowing that the Pharisees have led them astray.

v. 45-54 - The second set of woes is directed at lawyers (scribes of the Pharisees).

v. 46 – The lawyers added extra traditions, making the laws almost impossible to keep.

v. 52-54 – The last woe condemns the lawyers for their interpretations of scripture that deprive the people of the knowledge needed to understand salvation. Not only do they refuse to enter God’s plan and be saved, but their distorted interpretations keep others from truly knowing God.

John 10:22-4

v. 26 – “you do not believe because you are not part of my flock” implies that God must first give them the ability to believe and make them part of His people with a new heart.

v. 34 – Jesus’ point in quoting Psalm 82:6 is that if human judges can in some sense be called gods, this designation is even more appropriate for the one who truly is the Son of God.