Betrayal

Luke chapter 21 contains an account of what is commonly referred to as the Olivet discourse, in which Jesus comments on the future of the world, Jerusalem, and those who have questioned Him about the things to come. Matthew 25:13 says, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” Jesus, though He indicates what signs to watch for, is more concerned about how His disciples face everything that God brings their way (trial, tragedy, judgment, redemption).

And so it is even for us today. He wants us to face the future, understanding the signs of the times, but undeceived by false interpretations. He calls us not to be terrified, but to trust in God and testify of Jesus Christ our Redeemer. He intends that we be not discouraged by the unfolding of the final events, but that we bear up under them because our Savior is drawing near. He cautioned, especially, against becoming complacent during the wait; such as carousing, drunkenness, and living as if the master will not return (Luke 12:45-47,21:34). Instead, we are to be watching for His coming, praying without ceasing, obeying His commands that He might find us faithful servants upon His return when He comes with “power and great glory.” (Luke 12:43,21:28&36)

Whether it is the final day and hour, or a daily trial, the principles are clear, Christians must understand and respond properly to the times in which God places them, for God’s glory and the sake of the gospel. “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.” (Hebrews 10:35-39, NKJV)

Questions... questions

Questions...When the fullness of the times had come, God sent forth His Son...

Luke, chapter 20 records some of the final conflicts between Israel’s authorities and the Incarnate Son of the Living God. "And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them. So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor." (Luke 20:19-20, NKJV)

The chief priests and scribes sought to either excite government intervention or a popular rejection by laying before Jesus the landmine questions of their day:

~How are we to behave towards the Roman occupation? Pay their taxes or not? Is it religiously lawful? Answer ‘yes’; lose popularity. Answer ‘no’; be arrested.

~Why would any intelligent person believe in a resurrection? It isn’t reasonable; Moses didn’t teach it. With this question they hoped to portray Jesus as a fool before the crowds. Jesus, our Lord, deftly swept away their most clever challenges, exposing their false piety, false intellectualism, and their stubborn disbelief.

Although they were greatly concerned with the questions of politics and intellectual integrity, they were scarcely concerned with the most important question both in their day and in ours—who is the Christ, just a man or Lord of all? Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.” He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’?" (Matthew 22:42-44, NKJV)

So who is the Christ--just a man or the Lord of all? Answer correctly by faith; inherit eternal life. Fail to answer; spend eternity in hell. Tragically they could not or would not answer that question...WILL YOU?

A Question of Authority

"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves." (Romans 13:1-2, NKJV) God is very concerned about authority because God is the source of all legitimate authority.

In Luke chapter 20 Jesus reveals some very important principles concerning God’s appointed authorities. Primary to all of those principles is Jesus’ words in chapter 19 “My house shall be...” God owns everything and God’s ownership rights supersede the rights of every other authority. He owns the temple, the priests are His servants. He sent the prophets (including John) because He owns the people; they are the sheep of His pasture and His vineyard. The leaders are merely vinedressers and shepherds. He made Jesus heir, exalting Him as Lord over all. He established government—it is to be honored. He gave His Word and it is not to be disregarded.

1 Peter describes what happens to us when we recognize God’s ownership becoming submissive to His authority, His messages, and His purposes. We desire the pure milk of His Word and seek to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to Him, proclaiming His praises, coming to Christ as to a precious living cornerstone as royal priests, a holy nation, a spiritual house—HIS OWN special people. Serving, suffering, submitting, and shepherding for God’s glory.

FRUIT FROM HIS VINEYARD!

A Question of Ownership

God cannot be contained in temples (2 Chron. 6:18), however, His temple in Jerusalem is where he chose to manifest His presence, His glory, and his Name to mankind. Though the temple was built in Jerusalem, it ultimately belonged to God.
When Jesus entered the temple in Luke 19, He came as Prophet, Priest, and King. He cleansed the temple, proclaimed the truth, and reminded the Jewish leaders that the temple was not their own to do with as they saw fit, but it was “His Father’s house,” existing for His Father’s purposes.
The Jerusalem temple ceased to exist long ago, but let us, who claim the Lord Jesus as savior, be reminded of this truth: "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NKJV)
Jesus Christ has cleansed us, proclaimed the truth, and taken ownership of us as His temple. We are not our own to do as we see fit, but each one of us is a temple of the Holy Spirit existing for the Father’s purposes. "I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;" (1 Timothy 2:8, NKJV) A house of God’s Word, a house of prayer, a house of love, a house of welcome, a house of God-glorifying ministry. Peter put it like this: "But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 4:7-11, NKJV)
It’s a question of ownership: to whom do you belong?

Digging Deep

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. As God works in us both to will and to do according to His good pleasure we are to work that transformation out in newness of life. In Luke 6, Jesus taught that as His disciples set their mind on things above, they will understand their present circumstances from and eternal perspective. He also taught if their hearts are sourced in heavenly love, it will be manifest in word, intent, and deed even to those who hate them. There are to be no Christian Pharisees, but rather disciplers who are forgiving, not condemning; constantly discerning and humbly dealing with their own faults in the presence of a holy God, before they may be used by God to help remove the specks of fault in their brothers. Only as our hearts and minds are transformed by Christ will we have any treasure to share with those around us. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NKJV) The religious person who is not willing to go deep with Jesus, to the heart of every matter, will only build a life of superficialities that will not withstand the trials of life. If our relationship with Christ is digging deep into our “willing” and our “doing”, He is founding our lives upon His bedrock and we shall not be moved when trial come. “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13, NKJV)

Faith and Obedience

In Luke Chapter 17, Jesus commanded “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” The response of the apostles is interesting. When faced with the daunting command to be constant forgivers, they asked the Lord to “increase our faith”. Without a faith that believes that God exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him, it is impossible to please God. Jesus described the power of just a little faith, Luke 17:6, and then focused their attention on the real issue. When forgiveness of another is called for, are they WILLING to forgive and forgive again? From God’s perspective forgiving one another is our duty as His servant. Forgiveness is the one aspect of the model prayer that Jesus chose to expound upon, Matthew 6:12,14-15 “And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.” “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Forgiving one another is the subject of an entire parable that Jesus told Peter, Matt. 18:21-35, which ends, “Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” The disciple certainly has faith enough, but the question of forgiving is not about rewards but duty Luke 17:7-10 “And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ” Forgiving a repentant person is not requested, but commanded. It is not an extraordinary service of the super faith-filled, it is rather a basic daily duty that God expects of all who are called by His name. Colossians 3:12-13 “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”(NKJV)

Coming Home

Psalm 32:1-5 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. Sweet forgiveness, like a rushing wind blowing the dirt and grime out of our souls, relief from the bone deep decay and groaning that haunts us when we cover, minimize, justify, or deny our own sin. Such was the psalmist David’s state--his ‘vitality was turned into the drought of summer.’ The drought was only broken when he acknowledged his sin to God, confessing not hiding his transgressions. In Luke 15 the prodigal finds himself in a similar situation. After sinning against God and his father, ‘wasting his possessions in prodigal living,’ he came to his senses in a pigsty. Luke 15:17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! He recognized that his father was good and generous. Romans 2:4 says...’the goodness of God leads us to repentance. With a humble and contrite heart he determines to go and confess his sin to his father and to ask for help. Luke 15:18-19 “I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.’ The son takes action and turns his back on the far country and comes home to his father, where he is embraced, welcomed, and restored. When we first come to Christ and whenever we sin, we come to repentance in much the same way as did the prodigal son and David. Recognizing the Father’s goodness and generosity, with humble and contrite hearts, we turn our backs on the far country and head home to be embraced by our heavenly Father through Jesus, our Lord. Admitting that we can’t do anything about our sin, we seek His grace, His help in our time of need. Trusting Jesus’ promise that the one who comes to Him, He will by no means cast out. (John 6:37) And then...like a rushing wind... sweet cleansing. (1 John 1:9)