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26 July: Luke 15: the Chapter of the “LOST”
Last week we looked at who we are as Christians, and we found out that Christians are God’s children as a new ‘Christ-like’ people who are united and bring glory to God and we share the awesome responsibility of sharing God’s plan of salvation. We are the embodiment or living illustration of God’s love for man – we are His ambassadors!
And what advantage might we have as being His ambassadors? We can know with assurance that He has our back. He is in our corner providing the armor we need and giving us His Word to guide us and sustain us. Consider these three passages: Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you & help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Rom 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, those who have been called according to His purpose.”
Following the Lord cannot be anything but a blessing to and for us. But today I want to consider the alternative. What if we decide to try life on our own merits, ability and wisdom:
A prime illustration of that scenario is found in Luke 15: there is a parable there that we know as ‘the Prodigal Son.’ When you look at the parable of the Prodigal Son you see very soon the actions of someone who certainly wants to do things his own way. The son leaves the presence of his father with his inheritance and goes off to live the lifestyle he desires in a foreign land. You just have to know that this decision was made to get him away from that quiet voice whispering in his ear (his father’s voice).
The “lost or prodigal son”, so to speak, happens because he wants to live a life of fun and pleasure without having to hear his father’s voice in his ear preaching about being careful and wise and “thinking” about what he is doing. If you remember his brother accused the younger son of squandering his money on harlots, but the parable doesn't say that. If you asked me, I think he spent his money on ‘buying’ friends. He is in a foreign land – and at least initially, he would be very much on his own having to figure out what to do and where to go. The prodigal would need to find some support and encouragement and one sure fire way to do that is to entice people to come to him because, drum roll, he has money and therefore entices them by what he can provide. I am sure you can imagine how a young person with a large sum of money would behave. You can imagine the number of parties and accumulations of toys and impressive possessions he would purchase. AND, as you might expect, things do not go well in the long run.
So, fast forward: he is completely out of money, no real job to earn a living and he finds himself feeding pigs to sustain himself. Finally, he comes to his senses and returns home. He is simply hoping to be accepted as a servant in his father’s house. And surprisingly, and thankfully, what happens is that his father unconditionally accepts him back home.
Now consider the other parables which this one is grouped with in Luke 15. Consider the ‘Lost Coin’. The ‘Lost Coin’ parable also has a happy ending (the coin is recovered), but one wonders how such a valuable item becomes ‘lost’? Was it so taken for granted that there was little care or protection given to its possession? You know the old saying about how things are often times not truly appreciated until they’re lost. That seems to be the case here. Something of extreme importance was simply unappreciated until it was lost.
The other parable in this chapter is the parable of the ‘Lost Sheep’. Again, the parable ends on a happy note by the shepherd finding the lost sheep and returning it back to the flock. But the question that comes to my mind is to ask how it is that the sheep becomes separated from the others and eventually finds itself lost? Do you think the lost sheep is like the prodigal son and it intentionally wanders off or do you think it is more like the lost coin and it simply, inadvertently gets lost. It gradually wanders off to some other place and then moves forward to yet another place and then so on and so on until, before you know it, it has lost the sight and sound of all the other sheep – and shepherd. By its lack of attention and its disregard for where it was going it eventually found itself separated and lost. If it wasn’t for the watchfulness of the shepherd, the sheep’s story would likely end with it being invited to dinner – as the main course.
So, what is the warning here? Why did Luke record these parables for us and more to the point – why did Jesus share these parables with His audience. What would be one of those points that we should gain from the stories?
I think one such point is that those things that are not valued and cared for are very much likely to be lost. And what do we have that should be extremely valuable to us in our lives? I think James addresses that answer very well: James 1:12 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
What is James addressing here? He is telling us the importance of persevering and staying true to our calling. As I reminded you at the beginning of this lesson, last week we saw our role as God’s children united together to bring glory to God. So, has our desire to worship together, to fellowship with one another, to encourage and help the Family when and where we can. Isn’t that the message in Heb 10:24,25 – we are NOT to forsake the assembly so that we can seek ways to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. Similarly, 1 Thess 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you are also doing. When you look at the end of Acts 4, you see the early Church doing exactly that as they sold their possessions and gave them so that “there was not a needy person among them”.
So how do we avoid going off into our own world and living for ourselves?
1) We keep our thoughts on things above by reading the Word (Ps 1:2 “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.) which has been provided for us to train us and guide us Col 3:2,3 “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” 2 Tim 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired for teaching/training…
2) and keep ourselves in the fold/family and we make our worship time with the family a priority. Eph 5:19 “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord. Acts 246,47 “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.
3) We need to be diligent with keeping our prayer life a priority Phil 4:6 “… but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Eph 6:18 “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”
4) Stay busy in the Lord’s work: 1 Cor 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain”.
Remember these words spoken by the Lord: Matthew 25:21, 34 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” “Then the King will say to those on His right (sheep), ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
If we are faithful and steadfast in living our lives with and for the Lord then we will certainly hear those wonderful words. Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Let us approach every task with a mindset aimed at increasing our effectiveness and glorifying God. Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” Paul and Peter take this mental attitude and applies it to real life: Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” 1 Peter 4:10 “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
So let’s make sure that we are staying on the path that God wants us to travel out of love for Him and a desire to be that Good Samaritan that we have been called to be.
If there is a struggle or difficulty that we can help you with then please come forward and let us know or contact one of your brothers/sisters and let them know. **
19 July: Who Are We as Christians?
Our identity in Christ is foundational to understanding who we are and how we fit into God’s grand design with our lives. We should know that God does have a plan for us.
1 Cor 6:19,20 “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.” You can see here that we belong to God. God is not going to bury a resource but will instead use it to bring Him glory. Jesus says in Mtt 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
We can find in Scripture, time and again, passages which explain our spiritual condition and how that guides our lives. In 2 Cor 5:17 Paul makes it clear that our identity comes from our union with Christ: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come". Similarly, we see in Gal 4:4,5 “But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son… so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” In Christ, God redeems/restores what was broken. Through faith, we are made new, adopted into God’s family, and called His beloved children. Who are we as Christians – we are God’s redeemed people.
Eph 2:1-5 “And you were dead in your offenses and sins, 2 in which you previously walked according to the course of this world . . . 3 Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh,. . . and were by nature children of wrath, just like the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)”. This rescue happens when God unites sinful people with the living, risen, and ascended Christ and seats them “with Him in the heavenly places” (v. 6). This rescued community, Paul says, is God’s “workmanship” that He “created” in order that we might do the “good works [that] God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (v. 10) We see this even more clearly in 2 Cor 5:18ff “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation … Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ … so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Who are we as Christians – we are God’s handiwork with the responsibility to bring God’s salvation to the lost. In these verses we can see that it is the plan of God to redeem us and send us to work in His kingdom. How many parables like the “sheep and goats”, the “5,2,1 Talent servants and the Good Samaritan illustrate for us the way in which we are to “love our neighbor”? (the second greatest commandment)
There is a second purpose in living our lives which is for God’s community. Eph 2:19 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household.” This adoption into God’s household/family happens through obedience to the gospel, making us “sons and daughters of God” (2 Cor 6:18). This unity in Christ is especially spelled out in 1 Cor 12:12 “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.” This mindset regarding our unity together, without exception, is further explained in Eph 2:14,15 which states that God has reconciled to Himself groups that used to identify—and exclude—each other based on ethnicity. He has “broken down . . . the dividing wall of hostility” between them so that “He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace”. This non-hostile, united mind in Christ will also serve another purpose: Rom 15:5-7 “Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.” We are a united people glorifying and bringing glory to God. Is it possible that this is what Jesus had in mind when He said: John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Who are we as Christians – we are a loving, united people/family of God.
This new people which God has brought together, Paul continues in Eph 2, are the building blocks of God’s holy temple, whose foundation is the apostles and prophets and whose most important stone is “Christ Jesus himself” (v. 20). The building blocks of that temple are the individuals drawn from all social groups who make up God’s newly created people and who are now closely joined together in unity (vv. 21–22).
Putting off the old human being and putting on the new human being “created after the likeness of God” (vv. 22–24) means learning to control one’s anger, working honestly and giving generously to others, speaking graciously rather than with malice, and not lying to one another (vv. 25–31). In short, it means imitating Jesus’s kindness and God’s love (4:32–5:1), something that makes sense for people created in God’s image (Gen. 1:27).
Who are we as Christians? We are a new people. We are a “Christ-like” people, or as Peter put it: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light" (1 Pe 2:9).
Who are we as Christians? We are the embodiment or living illustration of God’s love for man. And as God’s ambassadors – He has called us to live in loving unity with each other across all kinds of national, ethnic, and social boundaries and therefore to bear witness to the beautifully complex wisdom of the God “who created all things” (Eph 3:9). In a world of confusing, competing, and often false truth claims, the church’s willingness to be “imitators of God” by “walking in love” will give credibility to a gospel message that would otherwise seem too good to be true. We are God’s people who is the ‘light’ leading the lost to God.
12 July: Who Will Be Our Leader?
Rom 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
1 Cor 10:11 “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction . . .”
Last week we looked at why following Jesus was a beneficial thing – it connected us to the heavenly Father so that we become His adopted children and all the inherent blessings that comes with be a child of the Creator of the universe.
One of the blessings which we enjoy is that of having God’s Word to lead us, guide us and teach us. That is what these two passages are trying to tell us. We have written records of all types of historical events and conversations which teach us and illustrate for us what is pleasing to our heavenly Father.
One such passage that we should consider is found in Romans 13:
Romans 13:1 “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
Paul establishes the idea that being obedient to our higher authorities is the correct thing to do since it is God who is working behind the scenes. If we are to be obedient to our civil authorities, then we are certainly too obedient to our religious authorities. This is particularly true when it is God whose authority we are under. We see an issue regarding this with Israel. 1 Sam 8:5,8 “And they said to Samuel, ‘Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the (other) nations. ….’ The Lord said to Samuel, ‘Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.’” The people then clarify what it is they want: 1 Sam 8:19,20 "No, we must have a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to judge us, to go out before us, and to fight our battles".
You can clearly see here that they are wanting to put their trust in human agency which they can see rather than trust in their unseen God who has historically provided for them time and time again. Jesus addressed a similar problems with God’s people following human wisdom and tradition rather than obeying God’s laws: Mtt 15:3 “He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? We see during Jesus’ lifetime that the Jewish leaders were still putting their trust in their own wisdom rather than that of God’s.
We can see from God’s words that wanting a human king to rule over them was a form of rebellion – an unwillingness to put their trust in God. Amazingly enough God accepts their rebellion and works with it so as to continue His relationship with His children. Within this human king scenario, in an effort to protect them, He sets boundaries and gives guidelines for them to follow within this new situation.
In Deuteronomy 17:14-20 we see a number of instructions that must be followed and I want to consider them today:
“When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I want a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman. 16 Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’ 17 And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold. 18 And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by carefully keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.”
1) The first point that we see is the need for us to let God choose our leaders!
1) V. 15 “You may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose” – even though Israel has rejected God to be their one and only King, He still instructs them to follow His directions and His leader. God is placing His leader(s) over Israel in order to protect and lead His people down the right path. The same is true with regard to our church leaders today. We need to ensure that they are the godly men who are following God’s guidance: 1 Timothy 3:2 “Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach…” 1 Thess 5:12,13 “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work.”
Acts 14:23 “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.” Titus 1:9 “He (Elder) must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”
Elders are to be significant figures in our spiritual communities. They serve as leaders, guides, and mentors, helping us navigate our faith journey. They lead by example and nurture our spiritual growth. In choosing our church leaders we must do so wisely to ensure they are obedient servants of God’s word and will.
The second instruction given in regard to God’s leaders was in regard to foreign leaders:
2) V. 15 cont.: “choose one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman.”
Israel is told to choose a countryman for their leader in order to minimize the chance that they will be lead away from God’s laws and statutes. Paul cautions us in a similar fashion: Col 2:8 “See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ.” It is critical as to who we let teach and guide us. Eph 4:11,12 “And He gave some as …. pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service; to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”
2) The second point in God’s instructions was that we are to trust in Him and not human wisdom or capabilities.
3) God’s instructions continue: V. 16 Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses. The mention here for acquiring many horses is in reference to a power base that a king would have to make war. More horses = more power which precludes the need for God’s help. A couple of weeks back we looked at lessons on the armor of God. The armor given us, with instructions, is God providing for us with a means to win our spiritual battles. In Deuteronomy, the king is to rely on God’s help not his own power. Historically, Scripturally, one Israelite King was punished by God for attempting to rely on an alliance with Egypt in order to resist Babylonia instead of relying on God. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Phil 4:13,19 “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength. … And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” We must learn to trust in Him in all things both great and small.
3) A third point in these instructions is that we are not to allow anything to cause us to waiver in our Christian walk.
4) The fourth instruction from God: V. 17 And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away 1 Kings 11:4 “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.” In Deut 13:6-10 warns us not to listen to anyone, even family members, with regard to idols. In fact such people are to be stoned to death. In 1 John 4:1 John instructs believers, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." And Jesus Himself warns us: Mtt 7:15 "Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves."
This metaphor illustrates the deceptive nature of false teachers who appear harmless but are dangerous to the spiritual well-being of believers. Paul emphatically states in Gal 1:6-9 “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse!" We should be willing to go the extra mile to ensure that the practices we conduct in our lives are God approved!
4) The fourth point in this passage illustrates how important it is that we ‘KNOW’ God’s instructions and teachings so that we can faithfully follow them:
5) The fifth instruction given: V. 18,19 “Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statues, that his hear may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the firth or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the m ids of Israel.”
Deuteronomy 17 sets the pattern for the kind of godly king God’s people need, and it exemplifies how we too can and should live our lives in a way that is pleasing to the Lord!