From the Book of Luke

You may think that you have the most amazing pastor, but I'm sorry to tell you that ours is the best. He walks the talk, and faithfully teaches from the Word of God, which does its work in our hearts and lives. What can I say...this Sunday was no different as he really blessed us once again. We are going through the book of Luke, and we are in chapter 11. Here are part of my notes from yesterday's sermon, which I found so relevant that they are way too important to file away on my pile of bulletins, never to see the light of day again. So here is a link to Luke 11 - if you are hungry for some truth, please read the verses and follow along...

Luke 11

verses 14-20
-Satan copies, replicates, makes things worse, not better (Moses vs. Pharoah's magicians - they didn't make the plagues go away, they just copied them)

v.21-22
-Satan is strong, but Jesus is the stronger one in v. 22 (greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world)

v.23 He who is not with Me is against me
-neutral ground is dangerous ground
-you’ve either responded to the light or hardened yourself to it
-putting it off is insanity
-don’t fool around with something as important as eternity
-don’t play games
-you might say “I’m not against him” but if you are not going with Him you are against Him
-you have no guarantee that you will have another minute!

v. 25-26
-personal desire to reform does not last long
-you can clean up a pig and dress him up, but he'll still go roll in the mud because he's still a pig with a pig nature...he needs a new nature to be a new pig
-if you used to be the place where demons resided, they will come back to check out their old habitat
-the last state is worse than the first

v. 28
-hear AND obey – that’s how people will see whose side you are on

v. 29 -32
-the evil generation doesn’t want to hear the word, they want more
-Ninevah heard, believed and repented (the sign of Jonah - Matthew 12:40)
-the one sign is always – the cross and the resurrection !!!
-that is the sign
-you can’t preach the gospel with out the cross (and look how many are trying to do that today)

-the Queen of Sheba went out of her way to listen to the wisdom of Solomon yet you have the Son of God where all wisdom is found
-Nineveh listened to a selfish unloving prophet and they repented
-we have Jesus, His death and resurrection, knowledge and privilege – with it comes great responsibility

Some questions this leaves us with...

• Who are you going way out of your way to listen to?
• Are you looking for a sign other than the cross and the resurrection?
• How are you living your life today?
• Whose side are you on?
• Have you repented?

This is SERIOUS stuff, and it distresses me to see how many around me are on dangerous ground, having hardened their hearts to the truth. I just realized I didn't write down nearly everything I should have, but even so, may the living Word do its work in all who happen to study this.