Context: Jesus leads His disciples to the Mount of Olives (the Garden of Gethsemane is on the Mount of Olives).  Before leaving them to pray, He instructs them in verse 40, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”  After being in agonizing prayer and sweating blood, He returns and finds His disciples sleeping.  Jesus wakes them with the same command He gave in verse 40.

Luke 22:46 – “and He said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.’”

Observations: I am reminded that when Jesus taught the disciples to pray, He used the words: “Lead us not into temptation” (Luke 11:4).  Temptation, or circumstances that could lead to sin, does not equal sin.  Scripture tells us to not just pray that we will not sin, but to remove ourselves from situations that could lead us to sin.  This is the prayer that Jesus asks his disciples to pray at the final hour.

Application: I must pray that I will not enter into temptation.  I also should put safe guards in my life to separate myself from situations that could lead to sin.

Are there situations in your life that could tempt you?  What do you need to do about it?

Context: Jesus is teaching in Jerusalem during the last week of His life.  With all the people listening (including the teachers of the law) Jesus says to His disciples:

Luke 20:46-47 – “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.  They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

Observations:  Jesus is speaking against the pride of the religious leaders – they like their flowing robes, love to be greeted with respect, love the most important seats, and for show make lengthy prayers.  (thrown in this mix is devouring widows’ houses).  He says that these men will be punished most severely.

Application:  I must not fall in love with impressing others.  I must seek to serve and not to be served.  My public faith must be driven by my private faith.

How do you guard yourself against the pride of the religious leaders?  What practical steps can you take today to avoid hypocrisy?

Context: Jesus is sharing the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.  After the death of both men, Lazarus is in Heaven, “Abraham’s side,” and the rich man is in hell, “Hades, where he was in torment… in agony… in fire.”  The rich man cries out to Abraham and asks him to send Lazarus to “dip the tip of his finger in water and cool (his) tongue…”  Abraham says that the rich man received his reward on earth, and that now there is a chasm that separates Heaven and hell.  The rich man responds with these words:

Luke 16:27-28 – “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’”

Observations:  I am not a fire and brimstone kind of guy.  That being said, we carry the responsibility to not only be a messenger of the incredible gift of life in Christ, but also the responsibly to warn of the eternal torment for those who reject Christ.  In some ways, we have a message from hell…  “Send _______ to my family… let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.”

Application: I must prayerfully look for opportunities to lovingly warn others of the eternal consequence of sin.

Have you ever heard someone give the warning that the rich man asks for in an effective way?  Read the ending of the parable.  How should that affect our application?

Context:  Someone has asked Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him.  Jesus will follow verse 15 by telling the parable of the Rich Fool who built extra storehouses for grain and then died.

Luke 12:15 – “And He (Jesus) said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’”

Observations:

• Take care and be on your guard (extra emphasis)
  • Against all covetousness (greed, desire to have more)
    • For one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

Apply:  I must be on guard against covetousness.

Prayer:  “Lord, help me to work to give my life to changing the world for Your glory and not trying to possess things in the world that ultimately are meaningless.”

Are you on your guard against covetousness?

Context:  There is a a change of scene after Jesus was at Mary and Martha’s house.  He will follow this question with the Lord’s Prayer.

Luke 11:1 – “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’”

Observation:  What must it have been like to watch the Son of God talk to God?  Out of all of the things the disciples could have asked Jesus to teach them, we see them ask Jesus to teach them to pray.

Application: “Lord, teach me to pray!  I want to be communicating with You in the way You intend.”

Is prayer an active part of your life?  Ask God to teach you to pray.  Read Jesus’ response in verses 2-4 and meditate on it.

Context:  Jesus has been asked by an elder of the Jews to come and heal a centurion’s important servant.  On the way to the centurion’s house, one of the centurion’s friends delivers a message to Jesus.   Jesus will “marvel” in verse 9: “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”  Here is what the centurion says to Jesus through his friend:

Luke 7:6-8 “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy to have You come under my roof.  Therefore I do not presume to come to You.  But say the word, and let my servant be healed.  For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Observation:  Faith understands the authority that God has over all things.

Application: I must approach God in prayer with a confident realization that He can command anything to be done, and it will be.  I want to speak of His authority.

Do you have this kind of faith in the authority of God?

Context: After spending the night in prayer on a mountain, Jesus elects His disciples and then teaches a great crowd His sermon on the plain.  Half-way through the sermon, He focuses on loving your enemies.  Jesus concludes this section with the following words.

Luke 6:36 – “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Observation: The mercy that we show others should be equal to the mercy that God has shown us.

Application: I will look for opportunities today to show supernatural mercy – not giving people what they deserve.

Is there someone in your life that you need to be merciful to, just as your Father has been merciful to you?

Join me and the PCBC singles as we read through the New Testament on the Project 345 plan.

Context: Jesus has worked a miracle.  After teaching from a boat, He instructs Simon (Peter) to, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”  Simon explains that they had already fished all night and didn’t catch anything.  When they let their nets down, the load of fish is greater than their nets or boats can handle.  Simon is afraid and says, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

Luke 5:10 “…Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’”

Observation: Jesus gives Simon a higher calling.  He invites him to rise above the natural task and move to the supernatural task.  He wants him to be part of the life transformation business.

Application: “Lord, I want to be a fisher of men.  I want to be used by You to catch people, bring them into the kingdom of God and into relationship with Jesus.”

Have you accepted God’s call on your life to bring people to Him?  What do you need to do today to be faithful to that call?

Context: Mary has been told by an angel that she will be the Messiah’s mother.  This promise has been confirmed by her trip to visit her relative Elizabeth – John the Baptist’s mother.  Her words as she begins her song are similar to Zechariah’s words at the beginning of his song later in this chapter.

Luke 1:46-47 – And Mary said:
”My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…”

Observations:

–       Mary’s soul

• Glorified God

–       Mary’s Spirit

• Rejoiced in God

Application: I want to bring God glory from the inside out.  My outward expressions of praise must be an overflow of my soul and Spirit.

Are you focusing on God today?  Meditate on Him and posture yourself with a heart that glorifies and rejoices in God.

Context: Paul has just explained that we are saved by grace through faith and how that relates to both Jews and Gentiles (grafting into a vine).  He then introduces a doxology that starts with “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”  A few verses later he concludes with…

Romans 11:36 – “For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things.
 To Him be the glory forever! Amen.”

Observation:

• All things are from God, through God and for God.
• All things are to bring God glory… forever.

Apply:  I must include God in every part of my day.  I will look to glorify Him as I seek direction (from), power (through), and purpose (for).

Are you grafted into The Vine?  Is your life source from Him, through Him, and for Him?