THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO Chapter 6"Tour. Sabbaths. [1 -
11]" This
Bible Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription/ location Luke 6:1 "And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that He went through the corn fields; and His disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, bubbing them in their hands." What is this sabbath, and why is this important to note that the second sabbath followed after the first? Sabbath means "rest", So what is our rest suppose to be today? We read in Colossians 2 whereby the sabbaths were nailed to the cross at the time of Christ's death. Jesus Christ became our sabbath or rest. If you claim any other rest other than Christ, you are not in Christ. So this is what this verse is all about. Many times a holy sabbath, or feast day would fall in the middle of the week, so the second sabbath for that week is known to be on the Saturday of our week, and could not be confused with one of the feast day sabbaths that might fall in the middle of the week. Remember that Passover comes 14 days after the spring equinox, no matter what day it would fall on. That makes Passover or a holy feast day a first sabbath when it falls say on a Tuesday or Wednesday. God doesn't change as man does, and you can count on His plan every year. The reaction of these Pharisees to Jesus and the disciples plucking and eating these ears of corn in this manner, in the corn field and on the sabbath, is quite similar to what we see today in many churches. Their laws of the protection of their Sabbaths, is very much like the traditions of the churches today, even those that go against the Word of God. If you violate one of their sacred traditions of men, these church men and women want you out of their presence. Today, the traditions of Easter, such as the bunny and eggs, the services facing the east are all based on the heathen festivals of Ishtar worship and tradition. Yet down through the years churches have adopted them to these traditions and made them something sacred. They have dropped the word "Passover", and even call this time "Easter", after the heathen goddess Ishtar. Probably the most touchy subject in churches today is that of the traditional "rapture doctrine". This doctrine says that Christ will return prior to the sixth trump, and fly those souls out of the earth before Satan arrives to torment the earth with his great tribulation. The problem with the whole traditional doctrine of the rapture theory is that God has told us that He is against those that hunt souls to teach their souls to fly. [Ezekiel 13:18-21] A mentally ill woman back in 1830 had a dream and from this dream came what is know today as the rapture doctrine. They base this on I Thessalonians 4:14-18, and completely leave out verse 13, the verse that sets the subject for the five following verses. Paul was writing this letter to answer the question that is stated in verse 13, as to where the dead were following death. I Thessalonians 4:13; "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep [koimao-dead], that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope." The heathen believed that when you died, that is it, there is no life after death. When you put the body in the ground, the the soul was under the earth also. That is as the heathen believed. Paul was writing these verses to give hope to life after death to these Thessalonian believers. When you drop this verse, and play with the next five, changing the meaning of a few words, you come up with this tradition of men of the fly away theory. If you read on in the next chapter you would find that those living in their flesh body at the time Satan is here on earth will witness Satan sitting on the side of the north in Jerusalem, claiming to be God. That is the "abomination of desolation" that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:15, when he quoted Daniel 9:27. This time is coming, and to us living in these final days of the end time, we should be watching Jerusalem for these end time events so that we will not be deceived. These traditions that the Pharisees were getting all upset about were just as Christians would become aroused over someone speaking against or violating their traditional doctrines. It just didn't matter to them if it were true or not, only that it was accepted as the truth. What the law of Moses said didn't matter to these Pharisees, just as what the New Testament and Paul's letter to the Thessalonians said doesn't matter to many churchmen today. If some leader of the congregation said it's true, than they accepted it as the truth. In some congregations you can't take communion unless you have your letter in at that church office; and on and on it goes. Some man or church board sets the laws, the dos and don'ts, and violation of their rules are what is accepted over the Word of God. Don't be so harsh on these Pharisees if you can't understand what is going on in large part in the church systems of these end times, today. You are really hurting when it gets to the point where you as a believer and part of the body of Christ, can't fellowship with other believers in Christ, as an equal. When man's traditions put a wall between believers, then God's instructions from His Word have been set aside. That wall could be the music that is played, the clothes you ware, or the willingness to follow a set of man's rules. When God's Word takes the back seat to the reasoning of man in forming his religious thought, you come up with all sorts of religious forms. Are they of God? It doesn't matter to them, for all that matters is what is accepted with our little group or congregation. Most people do not know when their church system parts from the truths of God's Word. This was the same reasoning that these Pharisees had, when they saw Jesus and the disciples out there in the field on the Sabbath, picking raw corn and eating it. That was a form of work and forbidden on the sabbath. Luke 6:2 "And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, "Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?" According to who's law, man's or God's. Luke 6:3 "And Jesus answering them said, "Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him;" So Jesus asked these Pharisees if they had not read what was stated in the true Law as it was in David's day. This is similar to what many Christians would say today. We are of the New Testament, we are not suppose to read the Old Testament. That is not what Jesus taught, for that is where all of his teaching came from; the Old Testament. We are suppose to understand all the Old Testament, for Christ quoted it constantly, as did Peter and Paul. If you have, then you will understand a little better what Jesus is about to say here. Luke 6:4 "How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priest alone?" No, David went beyond what Jesus and His disciples were doing here, for they went in the tabernacle and ate the shew bread right of the altar off God. David and his men took the bread that was set aside for the Levitical priests alone and their families, and ate it. Luke 6:5 "And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath." The Son of man is the Lord of the sabbath, of all rest. Your rest is your peace of mind, that part of your mind that sets order to what you do and think. Those thing that you can not change or affect, you leave to the Father to take care of. Our peace of mind is in the Lord Jesus Christ, and His Word: for He allows us to know what tomorrow will bring, and what the results of our actions will be while we are living in this world of flesh man. Those things that are negative in our lives, the Word leads us around it, through it, or gives us the ability of ordering it out of our lives. When we are in Christ, that is the only rest that we can count on. So what happened to David on that day Jesus is talking about. David and his men was on the run from King Saul, who was trying to kill David. They had been on the run for several day, and David and his men did not have time to stop and eat. They came to the tabernacle, and went to the altar, and took of the bread that was set aside as "shew bread". David also took a sword from the altar also for his defense. This sword that he took was Goliath's sword that David used years before to cut off his head. David was truly a man after God's own heart. David was in the genealogy that Christ would come from, and also from the priest line, so the sabbath was a work day for the priest. Once you are one of the elect, you are of the priest line, once you know that the false messiah is coming first. Sure, you will be delivered up to the false messiah, and the Holy Spirit will speak through you, and you are not to premeditate what you will say first. The priest must work on the sabbath and he must also eat, and that is what the shew bread is all about. It is the bread set aside for those required to work on the Sabbath. Jesus and His disciples were not picking the corn for profit but to eat, just as the shew bread was set at the altar for the consumption of the priests and their families. We are to drop seeds of truth right were we are at, and the job sight may be a bad place to start. If you have eyes to see and ears to hear, you are automatically in the category that Christ is speaking of here. It is important to know the key of David, for that would explain who the Kenites are, and why they would ask the questions that these Pharisees are doing here. To these Pharisees, this sabbath is a game day for them, it is the day that all the people bring their money to them. These laws of the Old Testament have been modified to where they fit their own traditions complete, and when one violates one of these traditions, they are tampering with the offering plate. They have made the giving of the people's money to them a very sacred thing. Jesus and His disciples were out doing God's Work, and there should be no restrictions under the law. Luke 6:6 "And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that He entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered." Notice here that Jesus is not in some bar, but in a synagogue, a church teaching. There was a man in the synagogue that everyone knew, and he had a withered right hand. Everybody in the synagogue knew this young man, for he had been in the church for a long time. Luke 6:7 "And the scribes and Pharisees watched Him, whether He would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against Him." The Pharisees were watching to see if Jesus would heal this man on the sabbath day. They knew that Jesus was come to teach in their church and probably put this young disabled person out there where Jesus could not help but see him. This is what these church people, these religious leaders of the day were doing, trying to catch Jesus doing something that went against their traditions that they could charge Him with back in Jerusalem. These men are setting up Jesus to take a fall right before the congregation. What kind of people and church are these? This is called entrapment. They are making a blessing of the gift of God of healing like it was a sin. Luke 6:8 "But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, "Rise up, and stand forth in the midst." And he arose and stood forth." Almighty God, through His Son Jesus the Christ knows exactly what these people were thinking as their reasoning came to mind. He knows what you are thinking as your thoughts come to mind. You don't have to say the words, just think the thoughts. With this in mind, Jesus told the man with the withered hand, "Stand up and come up here." The man did just as Jesus said. Luke 6:9 "Then said Jesus unto them, "I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?" Jesus is confronting the congregation here and He was addressing them as to what was right and lawful to do on the sabbath. The subject here is what was lawful on the sabbath day. "Life" as used here is pertaining to your eternal soul, not that part of your that dies and goes into the grave, and returns to the dust of the earth in time. Jesus asked is it right to do good or to do evil. To save a soul, or to destroy that soul. Destroy is the base of Satan's name, the "destroyer". In religious circles, sometimes their traditions and false doctrine become more important than what is written in the Word of God. Im Mark 3:5 tells us of this same healing, and in verse five; "And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man, "Stretch forth thine hand." And he stretched ip out: and his hand was restored whole as the other." Did you get that, Jesus became very angry with these Kenite Pharisee Jews at their disbelief, and Jesus healed this man right in front of them, yes on their sabbath. Christ was angery with them. Luke 6:10 "And looking round about upon them all, He said unto the man, "Stretch forth thy hand." And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other." Here in Luke, this anger that our Lord had against these Kenite Pharisees is covered over, yet that young man, Mark recorded the entire thing for our knowledge. Luke 6:11 "And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus." So when this young man was healed, what did the congregation do? They were filled with madness and sought amongst themselves what they could do to Jesus. Why did they hate Jesus so much for healing this young man that was in their congregation? They wanted to kill Jesus right there in the church house. What kind of church are we talking about here? In the name of religion and for the protection of their traditions and doctrine men do some mighty strange things. It is to bad men do not take the time to learn the truth. Truth are those things that are written in God's Word. Mark tells us what they did next. Mark 5:6 "And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him." Here again we see how these Pharisees sought to murder Jesus, and even plotted with the government to do their wicked tasks. Did they lay hands on Jesus? No, Mark 5:7 "But Jesus withdrew Himself with His disciples to the sea:" Luke 6:12 "And it came to pass in those days, that He went went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." This is starting another point here in verse 12. When something is bothering us in this life, it is good to talk it over in detail with our heavenly Father in prayer. There are many events going on, and many people trying to stop His ministry and even murder Jesus. We have problems in our lives also, and it is good to take them before the Lord to allow him to lead our minds into what we should do. Sure, we are to do what we can, and leave those things that are out of our control to the Father to handle. Jesus told us in Matthew 11:28; "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." We come to the Father in prayer in Jesus name, when we labor in matters that are to much for us. Jesus is telling you to do this. Matthew 11:29 "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." A "yoke" is a frame that harnesses two animals in bondage together, so that the each animal will pull only the weight that it is able to. When the load gets to heavy, the weight is shifted from the weaker one to the stronger animal. Jesus is telling you that He is humble and willing to become to whatever level your are in and on, for the sake of harnessing Himself to you and your load. When you hook up to our Lord, there is rest for your soul. Matthew 11:30 "For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." When Jesus is harnessed by yoke to your burdens they become light, for those things that you can't handle, He will. All He asks of your is to take His yoke upon you, and we do that in prayer and submission to His will and Word. We start taking that yoke through repentance in Jesus name, and take the faith to submit to Him. Luke 6:13 "And when it was day, He called unto Him His disciples: and of them He chose twelve, whom also He named apostles;" Jesus disciples are those twelve that are under the disciplined training by the Lord. They will not become Jesus' apostles until the training is over. A disciple is one that disciplines himself in a certain set way. The difference between a disciple and an apostle is that an apostle is one sent forth to do a mission. An apostle already is trained and his mind is set in the ways of his teaching. So Jesus is calling twelve to be trained, disciples; that will in time become His apostles, those sent forth to give the Gospel of the Word of God. They will have the mission to telling of the love of Jesus, the life, death and resurrection of our Lord; Why? because they witnessed it all taking place. They will be God's ambassador to the people of this earth age, telling of the Kingdom of God that shall come upon this world, and the life and peace that we can have when we are part of God's kingdom. God expects each of us that claim the name of Christ to be His ambassadors for Him. The ambassador should know all about his kingdom, and what is expected of those that are to go to and become citizens of his kingdom. God has spelled this out in His Word, do you know enough to be God's ambassador? So now Jesus will list the twelve that He has selected as His disciples. Luke 6:14 "Simon, (whom He also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew," Luke 6:15 "Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes," Luke 6:16 "And Judas, the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor." "Iscariot" means the builder of cities, he also was the one that kissed the Lord in his betrayal the night before his crucifixion. Luke 6:17 "And He came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of His disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear Him, and to be healed of their diseases;" Keep in mind that all twelve of these disciples were now starting their training for their position as apostles later. Jesus had become very will known by this time, and people were starting to flow from the entire area, from Jerusalem to Lebanon of today, for the sake of getting healed and to hear the teachings of Jesus. The twelve would be present to witness all that would be said and done by Jesus. Note that Tyre and Sidon were mentioned here, as they were the stronghold of the Kenites. The people knew that Jesus had the power to heal, for His power had been witnessed all over the country side. Remember that young fellow with the withered hand? What did the Pharisees do when Jesus went against their traditions? They went to the Herodian's the government, and plotted with many other to kill Jesus. The people knew of Jesus, the government knew him, and the sick knew of Jesus. Here they all came. They wanted Divine miracles of healing for their loved ones, traditions on nor tradition. The word gets around and large crowds form even today when people want healings. The Healer is almighty God, and He heals right where you are. The man that presents himself as a healer is a fake, for only God heals. God gets the glory and takes all the credit. There is no charge, of offering at God's healing, and the price is free, except there is a requirement of faith. Luke 6:18 "And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed." It is important that you know the difference between "disease" and "unclean spirits", they are not the same. Someone that is filled with unclean spirits do not have a disease, but are occupied by evil spirits. This is not a medical sickness, and only the power of almighty God that is given to those that love and trust Him, can order them out of the lives of that person, and back where they came from. The ordering must be "IN THE NAME OF JESUS", for there is no other name under heaven that hold that power. If you can't discern spirits, be careful how you handle this. A person with unclean spirits will show it in their eyes. The eye mirrors the soul, and if you have spiritual discernment you instantly are aware of the problem within that soul. Luke 6:19 "And the whole multitude sought to touch Him: for there went virtue out of Him, and healed them all." This word "virtue" is" dunamis, an inherent power; the power of reproducing itself: and in our English language it is called "dynamics, or dynamo." The word "out" is also important to note, in the Greek is "para", of the genitive form in the Greek, it denotes "from beside, implying the source is from where everything proceeds or comes from. A Divine power went forth out of Jesus the moment they touch Jesus and they were healed of their sickness, diseases, and unclean spirits. What an awesome thing that these disciples witnessed. Luke 6:20 "And He lifted up His eyes on His disciples, and said, "Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God." The next seven verses deals with the Beatitudes, that also recorded in Matthew 5. Luke also includes some of the woes right along with the blessings. In Matthew you have the eight beatitudes and you have to go to Matthew 23 for the 8 woes. For each blessing, there is a "woe" condition, something to be aware of. Notice here that Jesus is addressing His disciples directly. Even though many are present, the message if for those that will be Jesus' apostles in time, the twelve in training. "Blessed are the humble that are before God." How do you treat the Father? are you humble before God in your prayers? Do you give the respect that He deserves as the Father and Creator of your soul? He is the Supreme authority, and that is why we call Him Lord. Addressing our Lord properly, gets us the key to His kingdom, whereby He hears our prayers. Luke 6:21 "Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh." "Happy are you that hunger now:" for truth from the Word of God. When you seek the truth from God's Word from His Spirit, the Holy Spirit will reveal it to your mind and soul. You ask for it, and He gives it to you. Get it. No ask, No get. If you get, and understand the truth, you will be happy. Today there is a famine that is covering the earth and that famine is for the hearing and understanding the truth from God's Word. Amos tell us; Amos 8:11 "Behold the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord." Sure in that day men shall go from sea to sea and around the world seeking for the truth, and they will not find it anywhere. We are in the final days of this earth age of flesh man, according to the prophecies of God's Word. The time is coming when you will either be sealed or you won't; there will be no fence sitters. Those sealed with the truth will not be taken by Satan the Antichrist; and the rest will. Why? They will be deceived by their own traditions and doctrines into believing Satan's lies, and God will allow it. We are in that time of weeping now, as we see family members slipping in to the ways of this world, with all the drugs and pit falls. But for those that are blessed with the truth and hold fast, there is a time coming of great joy. Luke 6:22 "Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake." The point drawn to here is why people hate you and don't want to be around you. Why do they talk about you, and speak evil of you? Is it because of wickedness in your life, or for the sake that you are spreading the Word of God, and they simply can't stand to hear of Jesus. Your words convict them of the sin in their life, and they just don't want to hear those words. Our minds should be focused on what God thinks and not what people think. When you teach God's Word there are many churches and companies that just don't want you around. It is bad for them and their business. Get it. It's not you, but the words coming out of your mouth, the smile and peace that you reflect in your face, is hard for their conscience and they just don't want to be around you. When you teach God's Word chapter by chapter and verse by verse, rightly dividing the Word, they will separate you for them and their traditions, and separate you from their company, and falsely accuse you of teaching something that you do not. They will create an idea and say that you promote that teaching, for the sake of drawing attention away from themselves. Expect it, they will call you evil and even a cult; it is going to happen; and when it does, thank our Father for just as He promised that it would happen, you can expect the blessings of God coming your way. The cult is a group that insists on doing all your thinking and planning of your life for you. There is no room for the thought process in a cult. When your study group teaches you how to study for yourself, that is not a cult, for you become able to make judgments and decision on your own. You learn how to chose right from wrong, good from evil, and you follow only the path that Jesus has led us to follow; not some man. Luke 6:23 "Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets." Jesus is telling his disciples that when they do this to you, rejoice and leap for Joy, for that is exactly what they did to the prophets that went before you. This will be a sign that you are blessed of God, and that great rewards are set aside for you in heaven. Praise God, what a promise to each of us individually. Think of poor old Jeremiah in the dung pit up to his ears, for the sake of telling the king and religious leaders that they were going into Babylon. We are going into Babylon of the end times, and they will accept your words just as they took Jeremiah at his Word. Jeremiah knew the truth and he stuck by God's Word...are you willing to do the same in these times. Our heavenly Father did not forget Jeremiah and He will not forget you either. Luke 6:24 "But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation." This is being rich with ill-gotten gains, not the blessings of God. If you work your business according to God's Word and instructions and you have made a lot of money, God expects his portion, but He also expects you to enjoy the rest. That is what the blessings of God is all about. If you rip the people off, and gain a fortune, that is your eternal reward, for but a vapor of time compared to the eternity. This verse is a woe, a warning to you, as to how you gained the wealth that you have. You may enjoy it for a time, but in due time, it will be all over. Luke 6:25 "Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep." This goes back to the separation of the fat cattle from the lean cattle by our Heavenly Father. This is a woe from God, a warning to you fat cats. Those that have grown fat by ripping off the sheep are going to face the consequences in due time. You may laugh now at your successes, but there is a great time of mourning coming. Luke 6:26 "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers of the false prophets." When everyone is talking good of you, padding you on the back, and looking up to you; look out. Many so called teacher of today preach for the sake of pleasing the people, making money for the offering plate, and of course try not to disturb people's minds in the way that they live. They never rock the boat in their denomination, in their communities, and in their sermons. That is just as the false prophets of Jeremiah's time were, they said what the people wanted to here, what the king wanted to hear, and what their peers wanted to hear from them. When Babylon came, what happened to them? They all were destroyed as trouble makers. Even Babylon didn't want them around, why? they just could not be trusted, they were a pack of liars and trouble-makers. Notice that this is a woe from God, to wake up His teachers and followers. So this gets to the intent of what you are teaching and why you do not teach the Word of God as it is intended to be taught. If you think that you can play games for the sake of a little glory at the time, it is just not worth what ever you get. Luke 6:27 "But I say unto you which hear, Love you enemies, do good to them which hate you," This verse is directed strictly to only those that have ears to hear the truth with understanding. This is addressed to the disciples and apostles of Christ, to God's elect. We can afford to love and do good to them which hate us. We have to rock the boat a little so if there is anyone that has to be waken, they will wake up. Some times it takes a little tough love to show people of this world that we do love them. If there is a weakness in some Christians life, we want to wake them up, so they can repair that weakness and become stronger. If someone is following false teaching, the only true love there can be is to point out the truth. To love an enemy is to correct that enemy. Luke 6:28 "Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you." We are to pray that our heavenly Father will give them everything that they have coming to them. If they are using you despitefully, they need a correction to their life. If they curse you for living and doing things the way God's word leads you, God also needs to touch their lives with the iron rod: That is the way that God blesses them, and it is what we are to pray for. Luke 6:29 "And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also." Again, from verse 27, God is speaking to the elect, those who have the ears to hear the word of the Lord with understanding. If you are of the elect, sealed in your mind with the truth, and when you are trying to tell someone of the Word, and they hit you, smite you on the cheek for what you have said, Jesus tells us to offer the other cheek also. This is not saying that you have to be abused because you are a Christian, no, you don't have to take the abuse of the world as many teach. However for the sake of the Lord, and the teaching of His Word, we are to be mindful that the Word goes against this person's nature. The light of the Word shines down on the darkness that person is in, and it hurts enough to strike out at the one shining the light. God is teaching His disciples how to go forth and teach and when there is a problem, what to do in those critical times. Luke 6:30 "Give to every man that asketh of thee and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again." This verse is aimed to the level of a tax collector, or a legal obligation to the country or governmental unit that you are living under. It is telling you to pay your taxes that are required of you. When you pay it, don't expect anything in return. This is addressing the giving in excess of that is expected, and making a bribe to a governmental official. Pay what is fair and due, and go about your business. Luke 6:31 "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." This is the golden rule, to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you have done this, you have followed the ten commandments. The golden rule is the entire rules for life all rolled into one easy lesson. Treat others as you want to be treated. Luke 6:32 "For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them." You have to mature in God's Word enough to know that all people on the face of the earth are God's children. Whether you agree with them or not, you can still respect their rights to live their life in peace. Sure through the choices they make will either make their life peaceful or difficult, but that is their choice, and is the purpose of flesh man, to chose God or Satan, good or evil, the right path or the wrong path. Their choices determine whether God will bless or curse them. Stop and think for a moment; when you teach the majority of the people about Christ's love for them, and the gift of God, they will reject it, and turn from the Lord. That is the right God gives each of us in this age of flesh man. We determine the course for our own lives, and then in the end, after judgment day, we will either chose God and eternal life, or Satan and the lake of fire. Luke 6:33 "And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same." Even a sinner will do good to another sinner. A Kenite will do good to other Kenites. This is nothing new. However, when people treat you badly, then how do you treat that person. This determines if you have learned the lesson Jesus is trying to teach His disciples. Luke 6:34 "And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again." If you lend to people and expect interest from that gift, there is nothing good to what you have done, for even the Kenites and loan sharks lend to make money off others. Say someone has undergone a great loss, this is saying that we are to give and not expect to get something in return. Share with them that need help and don't expect anything back for that gift. If you lend to a brother, then only expect back what you have lent to him. Luke 6:35 "But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." Sure, if there is someone that you just don't get along with, and they are in a bind; help them. Why? Your act of kindness may lead them to the Lord Jesus Christ. When some family is in real trouble, you can show them what real Christian love is, by making an effort to help them in some way. Sometimes love is hard to do, and you have to correct their thinking a little; but we must follow the ways of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sure this even ties into verse 22, for many will hate you for the sake of your position taken as a Christian. Be gentle even to those that do evil to you. Luke 6:36 "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." "Merciful" as given here is being "compassionate". We are to become compassion-ate before other, even when we are making our stand for the Lord. However don't just make friends in this world, but make friends with those that want to make a difference, make a stand in the world for the Lord. Luke 6:37 "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:" It is important that we learn to be forgiving of those that offend us. Why? If we don't forgive other, God will not forgive us. However there is one that you must learn to forgive and that is yourself. When you ask the Father to forgive your sin, then learn to forgive yourself also. If God is going to take that sin to the depths of the deepest sea from you, why would you continue to beat yourself over the head with that sin. Learn to forgive yourself. Gossip is judging, and forming a judgment or opinion over the matter and condemning for that act. Watch out my friend, for the way you treat that dear soul is the way God is going to give judgment on your soul. Gossip and to condemn some one are both serious sins. When you hear gossip, nip it right where it started, and force the truth to the surface. Luke 6:38 "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom, For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." This is not saying, "give all you have and God will replenish it." That is a lie. Many ministries will rob from you by misquoting this verse. God expects you to use good common sense. If you have a product that is your livelihood, and you give all your product to God, then what are you going to sell. You have nothing. Your out of business, that is not the way God works. God doesn't like to bless a fool, and if you gave everything you have away, that is what you are, a fool. The analogy here is that when you do give, make it something that you can afford and don't hold back from giving the gift once you decide to give it. Don't hold back, or give an after-though that it wasn't good judgment. When you decide to give, determine what is right and affordable and then get on with it and your life. When you bless others, God will bless you also. Use common sense. God's tithe is not your to give, but goes to where you are taught. What you give is up and over the tithe. If your church teaches 5 percent of your spiritual instruction, then give five percent of the tithe. If a radio or television ministry is giving you 80 percent of your instruction, then that is where 80 percent goes. Free loaders and begging ministries get nothing. Don't let anyone put you on a gilt trip that you have to give every time the plate comes around or someone thinks up a new ministry service. Then you are dealing with beggars rather than servants of God. God will not allow his ministers to go out carrying their begging bag. Luke 3:39 "And He spake a parable unto them, "Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?" This is a parable to be applied in a certain case. If the lights go out, it would be good to have a blind person handy to lead us to the source of light. They know how to get out of the place. So this is not talking about physical blindness, but spiritual blindness. Are you going to let some biblically illiterate person do your translation for you? This spiritually dead person is going to tell you of the plan of God, and are you going to give him your valuable time. Shoot, the only spiritual thing that he knows how to do is pass the offering plate, and put it into his pocket. Friend, you had better follow somebody that has their eyes and ears open to the truth of God's Word, and led by the Spirit of God. If he is heading to the ditch, that is exactly where you will end up also. The only problem in this parable, is that the spiritual ditch is the abyss, that is where Satan and his followers are headed. You can end up in hell following a spiritually blind person. Luke 6:40 "The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master." You start with discipline in your instruction, learning by knowledge and your mis-takes. In time you will learn and mature to the point from those instructions that God expects you to be a teacher to others. Get it. You don't stay on the milk of the word all your life, but you must get into the meat and mature spiritually. The milk of the Word is salvation and baptism, and if that is all you are taught, you will never mature. God wants you to move from the milk into the meat of the Scriptures to where you can be of service to Him and to those around you. If you stay focused on the Word of God, and apply it to your life, you will know where people are leading you in the wrong direction. There is only one master teacher and that is Christ Himself. When you follow His pattern and teaching, you will be right on course and be as the Master, on the right path. Luke 6:41 "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" Remember the eye mirrors the soul, and if there is a problem in your brother's life; look out, for you could have greater problems in your life. Pay attention to your own problems before you try to clear up his. A mote is a speck of dust, and the beam is something very large. People get a lot more judgmental on others than they are on themselves. Luke 6:42 "Either how canst thou say to thy brother, `Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye,' when thou thyself belodest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye." In short, clean up your own problems before you mess around with others. The mote spoken of here is the mote of deception, that of following blindly teachers that do not teach the Word of God. You know that if you get something in your eye, even the smallest particle, it blinds you completely. Well if you get a little dust of wrong teaching in your spiritual eye, it does the same thing, it blinds you to the truth. It won't take long following a lie, that you will be off there in a spiritual ditch in your life. Straighten out your own understanding before you try to straighten out your brother. You do that by staying focused on the Word. It doesn't take long to stray off on some worldly path, heading in the wrong direction. Luke 6:43 "For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." A good tree is a good man, and a corrupt tree is a man that is corrupt. All it takes is a little common sense to see the persons fruit. If his deeds are good, then he is good, and if his deeds or fruit is corrupt, that is exactly what he is. The deed and fruit are the mirror of his soul, good or bad, corrupt or righteous. Your eternal life depends on what kind of fruit that you, the tree bring forth. God is the judge and He pays close attention to what kind of fruit or deeds you are producing. Luke 6:44 "For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not hather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes." The bramble bush is a thorn bush, and the trees are people. The bramble bush tells the trees that as long as you stay in my shadow, I will be your king. The problem was that the bramble or thorn bush has no shadow. This bramble bush is the symbol for Satan, and as long as you try to stay in Satan's shadow, you will not produce any of the righteous fruit. Friend, there is no protection under Satan's vines they are nothing but thorns. Grapes come only from the vine that Christ is the branch. Do you get the parable Jesus is talking about here? If you are attached to the branch of Christ's vine you will produce the fruit that God expects of your. Thank God that He does the pruning when we get to far off the path. So the point here is to look at the fruit of a person to tell what he is really like. Luke 6:45 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." So how do you tell what a person is like? You listen to the words that are coming out of his mouth. If his soul and heart is of God, he will speak of the things of God and His Word. If his heart and soul are evil, that is what he will talk about. If all that comes out is gossip and tripe about people, that evil is the mirror image of his soul. If that person looks for the good and blesses every one that comes in contact with, and his ways are the path that our Lord Jesus Christ set, that is a righteous man. The con artist may appear to be good, when in fact he is evil, and that is why we look at his deeds and the words that flow from his mind. Some people are wicked to their very core. When there is a problem that comes up, face it at the beginning, or it will come up over and over. The heart of the person will cause the deeds that are done by him, and when it appears, it will come up again and again. Luke 6:46 "And why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" The word Lord as used here is "Supreme authority". God is asking you, why do you call me your Supreme authority, and yet you will not follow the things that I tell you to do. Jesus is saying, if you are mine, you will do the things that I say. You call Me your Supreme authority and you don't listen to a thing I say; so your are lying to yourself all the time. Jesus is calling you a liar if you call yourself a Christian and do not follow the Words He has sent to you. Luke 6:47 "Whosoever cometh to Me, and heareth My saying, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:" Luke 6:48 "He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock." If a man is building a house or building, he is going to bedrock to set his foundation: Then that house is solid, it will not be shaken by any wind or storm. When you let God, the Rock be the Supreme authority in your life, you are going to the bedrock spiritually. You will be successful in your life. Luke 6:49 "But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great." In this case, the man did not go to bedrock to build his house, and when the storms of live come, they get blown away spiritually. For you to survive spiritually in our generation, every thing in your life must be on the Supreme authority of the Word of God, on His instruction to your soul and mind. That is not impossible for it is reading and studying His Word, and allowing His Spirit to lead you in all parts of your life. When you allow your mind to drift into instruction that goes against the Word of God, in a short time, that is exactly what where your words and deeds will follow. Stay focused on the Word, and live your life to where the fruit coming out of your mouth and deeds will reflect the purity of your very soul. You know that God will test your fruit, so why would you mess around with teachings that go against His Word? Jesus Christ is the Book, He is the Word and the Supreme Authority for our lives.
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