Category: Bible Studies

A beautiful parable on the love of our Heavenly Father. Grace and Mercy. Unmerited favor…

Luke 15:11-24
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

What love this father had for his son. To receive him back into his arms and his house is just pure grace. No judgement, just grace. To be so full of this pure love and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives is an amazing gift.

Our Father in Heaven waits for us this same way. He blesses us with gifts we don’t even know that we need, and when we squander them and use them for petty things, He welcomes back with open arms. Repentance is a vital part of this, but He knows your heart. The way that this father knew his sone, and then even more.

Our Heavenly Father waits for us with open arms. Our sins forgiven by our Redeemer Jesus Christ, He waits. In love with you.

Amen.
DK

Treasure found…

The Parable of the Lost Coin
Luke 14:8-10

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The definition of repent is change. It does not mean to walk around for a few days sulking or feeling sad. How? Spend time “In the Word.” Read your Bible or go online and read it.

Any change that is geared at pressing toward Jesus is repentance. So repent by changing and handing all problems over to Jesus tonight.

Amen.
DK

He came for me. Be sure that He has and will come for all of us. What a magnificent day it is to be a Gentile…

The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Luke 15:1-7

1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

You know who Jesus is referring to. You have seen them. Perhaps even judged them. Ok. Now. Don’t hold that against yourself. That was never the intention of Jesus. He was not here to persecute us, but rather a He came to Earth as man to redeem and release us. So reframe the judgement and change (repent) today. Go and get them. You know who.

On that amazing day, Jesus rose from the tomb. He rolled the stone away for us to believe. He ascended into Heaven and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. But He left us with something. Something more powerful than anything ever given anyon3. He gave us the Holy Spirit. Accept it. Receive it. Freely. You will grow. Exponentially.

Amen.
DK

This is a pretty tall order. “To hate your family and love your enemy.”, just doesn’t seem right.

Luke 14:25-33

The Cost of Discipleship

25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will notsit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Renouce all. Give it all to Jesus, then you will be free.

Amen.

 Luke 14:34-

Salt Without Taste Is Worthless

34 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Cost of Discipleship

25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

That one is hard. Renounce all that you have. Count it all as loss. After all, life is only temporary, salvation is eternal.

Salt Without Taste Is Worthless

 34 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

 Get out of your comfort zone. Let Jesus mold you. Get too comfortable, and you lose your saltiness.

Amen.

Luke 14:15-24

The Parable of the Great Banquet
15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’

22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

The men the man had invited to the house were required to attend to show their respect. They did not, but instead chose to do things that could wait for another time. This was a slap in the face to the man, and so he instead invited all the poor and crippled to come in. Once they were all taken in, even with room left at the table, the owner refused to allow the ones originally invited to attend.

My fellow Gentiles, we were allowed into the banquet hall to feast with our Father in Heaven. Do not get hung up on this temporary life and its trappings. Eternity is coming for those who believe. Choose to believe today and allow your life to be transformed.

Amen.
DK

A direct instruction to invite the poor and crippled to your house for dinner or to a party. Get out of our comfort zones…

Luke 14:12-14
12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

The resurrection of the righteous is coming. There are many happenings going on right now that point you toward the idea that the End Times are near.

Are you ready? Fear should not exist in you as a believer. But are you ready? Don’t be left behind.

Amen.
DK

Humility…

Luke 14:7-11
7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

I love these versus. What a practical message that Jesus plainly gives us. The incredible idea with humility is, if you speak of your humility, then it’s lost.

Let others exalt you as a humble person, do not seek it. Just allow the Holy Spirit to work from the inside out.

Lord, we love you. Please continue to work in our lives and encourage us to build a stronger relationship with you. Thank you for your finished work on the cross and the forgiveness of all sin.

Amen.
DK

What’s right is right. No place for law in this case…

Luke 14:1-6
1 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. 2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4 But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. 5 And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son[a] or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” 6 And they could not reply to these things.

So, this verse got me thinking. Would I break the law if I knew it was right, regardless of the consequences? The standard answer would be, “It depends.” That is my answer. Jesus not only gave the answer to the Phariees, He posed the question. Then, without fail, Jesus began to teach at a level that was so understandable, that no question was left to be asked.

Many verses get my mind moving toward the gift of discernment. This gift must be nurtured and prayed for daily. For when the time comes, it will be a prized gift for many. To be able to know when to be obedient to the urging in your head because you know that it is the Holy Spirit that is prompting you, is exactly what so many will need when Christ will return. Once you know, and you will, be obedient and trust the Holy Spirit. Regardless of the consequences.

Jesus Saves!
Amen.
DK

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Truth…

31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”

32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!

34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’[b]”

The truth hurt the Pharisees so much, that rather than accept truth, they wanted to kick out the Son of God. Sanctification is painful, many of us have felt it’s piercing blade before. It is a revealing beautiful process. A process that can only be done with the help of the Holy Spirit.

As Gentiles, you and I were given a beautiful gift. A gift of salvation through Jesus. But we must accept the truth. That means that Legalism must be replaced with Grace. Law must be replaced with the Love for Jesus. If you do not, then what happened at Calvary? What happened on the cross?

The truth is that Jesus she’d His blood for you and I, in forgiveness of our sins. On that day, our sins became invisible to the Father and we were cleansed. Don’t kick Him out of your city or home or place of business. He wants to be a part of every aspect of your life. Invite Him in. Even into the deepest, most difficult parts. He will cleanse them for you. Jesus already has.

Thank you Jesus.

Amen.
DK

How many will be saved?

Luke 13:22-30
22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”

He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’

“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’

26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’

27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’

28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”

The narrow door. There will be many that will not get in. Did you hear that? Where will you be? How to get in the narrow door? It isn’t through sacrifice, it’s through obedience and through relationship building with you God, Jesus Christ. Get to know Him through His word. Read it, learn it, and above all speak it. The words must come out of your mouth.

Rhema. For an example, look to Mathew 4, when Christ is tempted. Words my brothers and sisters. The Word of God.

Through the narrow door.

God bless you.
Amen.

DK