Luke 11:42-44

We strive to do what is right out of our love... not out of our need to impress others. 

LOVE and MERCY please GOD. We must keep in mind that the letter of the Law kills the hope of an imperfect people but the salvation of the Cross gives hope to all of humanity.

What does God require of us?

He requires us to be fair

to forgive quickly

and to remain humble knowing that it is all about Him and not about us. 

Micah 6:8

Justice and love for God Echoes the two greatest commandments (Luke 10:27–28), as well as the teaching of the prophets. The reference is to Mic 6:6–8, whose third element of all acceptable religion, “walking humbly with God,” comprehends both “love” and “faith.” Faithlife Study Bible

The Law spoke of tithing all produce, but what constituted food was debated. Some Pharisees took the strictest interpretation and counted almost anything, including spices. However, they neglected two basic things that the prophets also had warned about: love and justice. The NKJV Study Bible.

The Pharisees, the paragons of purity, were in fact the height of uncleanness.

Luke 11:42–44 (NKJV)

⁴² “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. ⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.”

The Gospel of Luke

In the salvation of the CROSS everything that we need to complete our journey back to GOD has been provided. The birth, death and the resurrection of JESUS THE CHRIST assures us of the power of the HOLY SPIRIT to raise us from the dead and get us safely home.

Christ within us is the hope of glory!

The Gospel of Luke

For Luke, Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Son of God, the Servant through whom God works, and the Lord who is called to sit at God’s right hand exerting His authority and giving the Spirit to those who believe. Though aspects of God’s plan are fulfilled in Jesus’ First Coming, other parts of the plan remain to be fulfilled when Jesus returns.

Luke wrote his Gospel to reassure Theophilus, a Gentile and a new believer, that God was still at work in the Christian community founded by Jesus. Luke presents God’s grace as revealed in Jesus’ ministry on earth.

The last section portrays the final controversies, the trial, the death of Jesus, and the Resurrection and Ascension. The book ends with Jesus telling the disciples to wait for the coming of the Spirit. By now, they should have realized that everything that had taken place in Jesus’ life was promised in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. Jesus is the promised Messiah. Forgiveness of sin can be obtained only through Him. The disciples were witnesses to this fact; their mission was to share this Good News with all nations, not merely the Jews. Jesus gave them this task, but He also provided them with the power to carry it out. Thus it is clear that Luke’s Gospel centers on God’s plan to provide salvation to the world.

Peter called this coming of the Spirit “the beginning” because the real fulfillment of God’s promise of salvation would start in those people united by the Spirit to establish the church. The disciples were to remain in Jerusalem until the Spirit empowered them on the day of Pentecost.

The disciples’ sorrow over Jesus’ death had been totally reversed. Now the disciples awaited the promise of God with joy. Luke’s account continues in the Book of Acts. There he records the disciple’s initial response to Jesus’ commission to preach to all the nations. The NKJV Study Bible. 

Luke 24:49–53 (NKJV)

The Ascension

⁴⁹ Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

⁵⁰ And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. ⁵¹ Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. Amen.

With God all things are possible...

Even those who walked with JESUS and experienced His miracles first hand would deny Him. Only with the power of the HOLY SPIRIT can we stand as followers of JESUS. What is impossible for mere man is made possible with CHRIST WITHIN… our only hope of giving GOD the glory He deserves. satan will use our guilt and shame to keep us away from GOD’S  will for our life.

All the disciples, not just Peter, would fall away.

The rooster crow is usually thought to refer to the third Roman watch, from midnight to 3 a.m. The NKJ Study Bible

Jesus states that the disciples—even Peter—will abandon Him. He takes them to a secluded place to pray, but the disciples, failing to grasp the urgency of His distress, fall asleep. A short time later, an armed mob led by Judas arrives to arrest Jesus. As predicted, the disciples flee. Faithlife Study Bible

Matthew 26:31–35 (NKJV)

³¹ Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:

‘I will strike the Shepherd,

And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

³² But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

³³ Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”

³⁴ Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

³⁵ Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”

And so said all the disciples.

John 13:36–38 (NKJV)

³⁶ Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”

Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”

³⁷ Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”

³⁸ Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.

³¹ And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

³³ But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”

³⁴ Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

John 13:36–38 (NKJV)

³⁶ Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”

Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”

³⁷ Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”

Mark 2:17

I am a sinner saved by grace…I do not take it lightly. 

That the CREATOR of all knows my name and cares about me is way above my comprehension level but I know it to be so. The HOLY SPIRIT has been near to me since childhood, knows all of my sins, and loves me anyway and I humbled beyond measure.

Jesus did not condone the activities of sinners, but required repentance—a change of mind that recognizes the need of a Savior and recognizes Jesus Christ as the only Savior.

The NKJV Study Bible.

Jesus is neither affirming nor denying that the Pharisees are righteous. He is simply pointing out that the call to repentance and offering of forgiveness are for those who need it—sinners. 

Faithlife Study Bible

Mark 2:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ When Jesus heard it, He said to them,  “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Matthew 18:11 (NKJV)

¹¹ For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

Matthew 9:13 (NKJV)

¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Hosea 6:6 (NKJV)

⁶ For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,

And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Micah 6:8 (NKJV)

⁸ He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?

1 Samuel 22:20-23

Our actions have consequences. Thank you FATHER that through the blood of JESUS we are able to live.  until we totally get it we just keep repeating our mistakes. All of us are subject to the evil of this present age but we are not left helpless and alone to fight off the forces of darkness.With the power and continual teachings of the HOLY SPIRIT within we can overcome our weaknesses.

We will learn the lessons the easy way or the hard way... but we will learn them.

Abiathar had not been among the 85 priests killed by Doeg at Gibeah. He escaped from Nob before the massacre. David recognized that his deception led to the massacre of the priests and their families. In the sovereignty of God, the destruction of the priests of Nob was a partial fulfillment of the prophesied judgment on Eli’s house. But the sovereignty of God never nullifies personal responsibility for one’s actions. David and Abiathar were both regarded as enemies by Saul. David offered Abiathar protection. The priest remained with David and provided a valuable service. He brought the ephod with him and inquired of the Lord for David. NKJ Study Bible

David admits culpability for this tragedy, which testifies to his maturity and difference from Saul. Faithlife Study Bible

This was Abiathar, who repaired to David in the forest of Hareth, rescuing, with his own life, the high priest’s vestments. On hearing his sad tale, David declared that he had dreaded such a fatal result from the malice and intriguing ambition of Doeg; and, accusing himself as having been the occasion of all the disaster to Abiathar’s family, David invited him to remain, because, firmly trusting himself in the accomplishment of the divine promise, David could guarantee protection to him. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible 

1 Samuel 22:20–23 (NKJV)

²⁰ Now one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. ²¹ And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the Lord’s priests. ²² So David said to Abiathar, “I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of all the persons of your father’s house. ²³ Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe.”

John 14:25-28

In our loneliest days, in our darkest hours ….He is there! To guide us, comfort us, and direct us… the HOLY SPIRIT never leaves us. What a blessing this has been in my life and I am sure in yours also. 

God is good all of the time.

The customary good-bye among the Jews was to say shalom, meaning “peace.” The Lord was about to depart, so He added to this farewell by saying, My peace. The word My is emphatic. This is no conventional wish; this is Jesus’ personal, special grant of peace. The peace that Christ gives banishes fear and dread from the heart, for Jesus is in control of all circumstances. As the humble, submissive Son, Jesus submitted Himself to the authority of His Father. NKJ Study Bible 

The Greek term used here, paraklētos, refers to a legal assistant in a court who pleads someone’s case before the judge. The judge is God, and people are judged based on whether they follow Jesus’ command to believe that eternal life comes through His death and resurrection. The Spirit, as God’s means of communication on earth, instructs believers and leads them to follow God’s will. The Spirit gives them access to God, His plans, and His wisdom. He can do so because of Jesus’ sacrifice for sins. 

Jesus wants His disciples to know that His coming suffering and death is not the end of His ministry; it is the beginning of His ministry’s final purpose and the completion of God’s will for Jesus’ life. Faithlife Study Bible

John 14:25–28 (NKJV)

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. ²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ²⁸ You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.

The Lord's Supper

The LORD’S SUPPER is the outward manifestation of the mercy and grace of a loving FATHER. whose only desire is that all of His creation come to Him through the sacrifice of His Son, JESUS CHRIST. Everyone who accepts this free gift in atonement for their sins will live  through the power of the HOLY SPIRIT….spending the rest of eternity with GOD, who gave the perfect life of his only begotten SON in exchange for their sin filled one.

Communion is not to be taken lightly but with extreme reverence for the magnitude of the pain and suffering Jesus endured out of His love for the Father and for us.

Jesus’ body was the final sacrifice that would atone for sins, just as the Passover lamb signified the atonement for the people’s sins every year. This is My blood of the new covenant refers to the covenant that had been promised in the OT. The Lord Jesus specifically said that His blood is shed for many for the remission of sins. By receiving the Lord’s Supper, Jesus’ followers accept Jesus as the Messiah who suffers and dies on their behalf.

The Passover meal includes four (sometimes five) cups of wine; this is likely the third, the cup of blessing.

Some view the broken bread as representing Jesus’ body, which would soon be broken for their sins. Others interpret this statement more literally. Some interpret this is My blood metaphorically, meaning that the contents of this cup represented Jesus’ blood that would be shed for our sins. Others give the statement a more literal interpretation.

NKJ Study Bible

Jesus states that His imminent death enacts the new covenant centered on forgiveness This anticipates God’s kingdom when Christ will reign on the throne of David. Today He is seated with the Father on His throne and intercedes for us.

Faithlife Study Bible

Matthew 26:26–29 (NKJV)

²⁶ And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

²⁷ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. ²⁹ But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

Mark 14:22–25 (NKJV)

²² And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

²³ Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. ²⁴ And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. ²⁵ Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Luke 22:19–20 (NKJV)

¹⁹ And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

²⁰ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

Luke 11:33-36

The light of JESUS CHRIST illuminates all the darkness in man and exposes it for what it is…sin. By the power of the HOLY SPIRIT the darkness is eliminated precept by precept. 

The change in you is for all those around you to see. By your good works you become the hands and feet of Christ to others.

A person can become like light, a living picture of what God’s Word teaches, by concentrating on the light of the truth. 

The NKJV Study Bible.

In Matthew 5:14–16 Jesus uses this analogy to encourage His disciples to show their belief through their actions. 

Faithlife Study Bible.

Luke 11:33–36 (NKJV)

³³ “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. ³⁴ The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. ³⁶ If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

Matthew 5:14–16 (NKJV)

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Jonah 2:7-9

Sometimes life stacks events one upon another with no breathing room. It has been this way for Timmy and I for the last few months. An ongoing issue with me that includes scheduled trips to the surgery center every five years, my elder father with Alzheimer's had eye surgery, recent trips to hubby’s DRs for routine testing and now an episode ending in a trip to the ER with his cardio assuming it was a TIA…even the new puppy needs testing at a  vet cardio for a heart murmur. WTHeck! There will be necessary testing for Tim that he is not comfortable with.

All things are in the hands of God. 

He promises that he will never leave us nor forsake us when we place things out of our control into His. He is so very able to keep us in perfect peace when we hand it to Him.

Jonah declares that he will keep his promise, a pledge both to sacrifice and to acknowledge God’s help. It is the Lord who delivers His people. God acts on behalf of His creation and the redeemed community to insure a relationship with them. The NKJV Study Bible. (2007). (Jon 2:7–9). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

Mercy—Jehovah, the very idea of whom is identified now in Jonah’s mind with mercy and loving-kindness. As the Psalmist styles Him, “my goodness”; God who is to me all beneficence“the God of my mercy,” literally, “my kindness-God.” Jonah had “forsaken His own mercy,” God, to flee to heathen lands where “lying vanities” (idols) were worshipped. But now, taught by his own preservation in conscious life in the fish’s belly, and by the inability of the mariners idols to lull the storm, estrangement from God seems estrangement from his own happiness. Prayer has been restrained in Jonah’s case, so that he was “fast asleep” in the midst of danger, heretofore; but now prayer is the sure sign of his return to God. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Jonah 2:7–9 (NKJV)

⁷ “When my soul fainted within me,

I remembered the Lord;

And my prayer went up to You,

Into Your holy temple.

⁸ “Those who regard worthless idols

Forsake their own Mercy.

⁹ But I will sacrifice to You

With the voice of thanksgiving;

I will pay what I have vowed.

Salvation is of the Lord.”

Psalm 18:6 (NKJV)

⁶ In my distress I called upon the Lord,

And cried out to my God;

He heard my voice from His temple,

And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

Job 22:27 (NKJV)

²⁷ You will make your prayer to Him,

He will hear you,

And you will pay your vows.

Ezekiel 34:10

God takes care of those who place their total trust in Him alone! He takes care if the marginalized of society and no one can snatch them from His loving arms.

The crimes of Israel’s leaders come under review before their punishment is pronounced.The NKJV Study Bible.

Ezekiel 34:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”

Psalm 72:12–14 (NKJV)

¹² For He will deliver the needy when he cries,

The poor also, and him who has no helper.

¹³ He will spare the poor and needy,

And will save the souls of the needy.

¹⁴ He will redeem their life from oppression and violence;

And precious shall be their blood in His sight.

Acts 19:1-7

There are two baptisms, one of salvation found only in JESUS CHRIST and one of the power and unity of the HOLY SPIRIT. Both are equal in importance. Salvation is for eternity but the power of the HOLY SPIRIT enables us to live the life of a CHRIST follower here on earth and to get us safely home.

Acts 19:1–7 (NKJV)

19 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples ² he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

³ And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”

So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”

⁴ Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. ⁷ Now the men were about twelve in all.

These 12 men had been baptized into the baptism of John the Baptist, but they had never heard about the Holy Spirit. All they knew was that One mightier than John was to come. They did not know that Jesus the Messiah, the One mightier than John had already come. He had died for their sins, had been raised from the dead, had ascended to the Father, and had already sent the Holy Spirit. They needed to hear the rest of the gospel. As soon as this happened, these men could place their faith in Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit.

 The NKJV Study Bible. (2007). (Ac 19:2–6). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

This is likely a reference to an act related to worship (see note on 10:46), not miraculously speaking in another person’s native language (compare 2:4–6). In Acts, speaking in tongues is related to the Holy Spirit indwelling and empowering believers (2:4–6; 10:45–46).

 Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ac 19:6). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Matthew 3:11 (NKJV)

¹¹ I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Matthew 28:19 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,