Luke 12 - 13 (26th October) - Vivien

Luke 12:1 - 12

Can't Hide Behind a Religious Mask
Continuing from chapter 11, after rebuking that hypocritical behaviour of the Pharisee, Jesus started to warn his disciples not to be like the Pharisee. Be honest because you can’t hide anything from God in the first place. 纸是包不住火的. So don’t play with fire.

Fear the right person. Don’t do stuff that displease God, because we want to avoid trouble from God. What the bad can do to you is temporary, but dishonouring God can bring about an eternal impact! You are of high worth in God’s eyes. So don’t find your value in man, which leads to compromising to the standard of the world.

When you are put on the spot, believe that the Holy Spirit will come in your defence; this is a promise!

Luke 12:13 – 21

The Parable of the Rich Fool
“Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’” v15

When God bless, He wants us to bless others. Don’t be greedy and accumulate wealth only for your selfish desire. When we die, we can’t bring any of those along to heaven.

Luke 12:22 – 34

Do Not Worry
The Jesus summarized that we don’t have to worry about life. Often we are worry about our significance in this society, which may lead us to sin. Not that we want to sin, but we are pressured. How many times have we compromise our standard due to pressure from friends, boss and colleagues?

Do the right thing, be it giving to the poor, and your riches will be in heaven, one that is eternal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.

Luke 12:35 – 48
Watchfulness

We need to be ready for the coming of Jesus. As the hour of His coming is unknown, we need to be ready 24/7. We can view this in another way; we don’t know when God will call us home. You’ll never know if you will last till tomorrow. The question is “Will you be ready to go?” Are you going to tell God that you are not ready to be called home, can You give me a moment?

Are there things that you have not settled? Maybe somebody that you have not asked for forgiveness from or somebody you have not forgiven. Or have you said “I love you” or expressed your love to your parents and siblings?

Jesus wants to remind us that when more is given to us, more will be expected of us, which is logical. When more is given it proves that you have the capability to handle, so naturally more is expected. This is being a good steward.


Luke 12:49 – 59

“Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” v 51

There will be a time where divisions are stirred up, even within a family. When all else fails, who are you depending on? Will you decide to give up being Christian, and think that that is your fate? Or are you going to hold on to the godly principles that you have acquired after so many years of walk with God?

Jesus was criticizing those who were interpreting the Times. They were stating the obvious and deceiving people actually. God warned against such people.

Luke 13:1 - 9

Repent or Perish
Jesus was teaching about the importance of the heart condition. Is any evildoer much worse of a sinner then an unrepentant Christian? Clearly the answer is NO! Actually the Christian should be judged more heavily, because in Chinese we call it 明知故犯 (We know the rules, but we still go otherwise). So nobody can escape from judgement, even Christian. A person who is unrepentant, I would say has not truly known God, and do not belong to God’s Kingdom. So repent or perish.

Luke 13:10 – 17

A Crippled Woman Healed on the Sabbath
Jesus healed a lady who was crippled for 18 years on Sabbath, and as usual the synagogue rulers were grumbling about it. Over here we can see that certain infirmity can be a spiritual attack, and it could last for many years!

When the synagogue rulers were making noise about healing on Sabbath, Jesus retaliated with a simple example that was so relevant to their lives. If they knew how to show mercy to their livestock and untied them so that they can have a drink, then what’s more for a human being who had been tied for 18 years! With that they were defeated flat!

Luke 13:18 – 21

The Parable of the Mustard Seeds and the Yeast
Jesus gave 2 examples of the Kingdom of God. And both are physically small (or tiny) but produce a huge outcome! God never despise the weak. Instead, often He uses the weak to do great and mighty things to humble the proud.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5b

It is a reminder for us not to look down on the things that are small (be it task, talent and possession), what matters is not the size of the object, but the attitude of the subject. Be humble.
Luke 13:22 – 30

The Narrow Door
“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.” v 24

Which door is easier or more attractive to enter, the narrow one or the wide one? Many will choose the wide one. Why make life so difficult to choose a narrow one to enter? But that is like the door of Satan. Very attractive and worldly, so that people will fall for it. In this world that we live in, we are always bombarded with temptations.

So the Bible has already warned us to MAKE EVERY EFFORT! It will not be easy to enter a narrow door, but it is definitely worth it! Don’t be locked out to realize how foolish you were to choose the seemingly better way. That reminded me of an email that I’ve read long time ago, where Satan invited a couple to a country club-like hell to entice them. So when the couple compared it with heaven, they decided that hell seems like a better place to stay in. then when they were finally brought to hell again to be locked forever, it was hell, duh! Satan is deceptive in every way! So beware and know the Word of God, so that you will be wise.

Luke 13: 31 –35

Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem
Not all Pharisees are bad. Here are some good ones. They told Jesus to leave Jerusalem because Herod wanted to kill Jesus. But Jesus refused to, because He knew very clear why He was there. And He would continue with His mission knowing the end result would be physical torment and death. When we are clear with our purpose in life, fear will not be overpowering. If we want to live a life to the fullest, we need to have a purpose-driven life with God in the centre of it all.