From Jericho to Jerusalem

 

Zacchaeus and the Triumphal Entry

 Book of Luke Chapter 19

 

The Lord Jesus Christ was making His way to Jerusalem because He had an appointment with a cross and He intended to keep it.

 It had been only an hour or so that He had restored sight to a blind beggar from Jericho.

 This man, being blind, still recognized the Lord Jesus as the Messiah.

 Luk 18:38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

 As the Lord comes to the streets of Jericho, He comes to a short man named Zacchaeus.

 Zacchaeus was a Jew, but he was also a very rich man.

 Zacchaeus was so short that he had to climb up into a tree to see over the crowded streets as the Lord Jesus was coming into view as He entered Jericho.

 Being chief among the publicans meant that he was superintendent of customs and tribute in the district of Jericho.

 He would have been especially hated by the Jews and considered a traitor to Israel.

 Something had been bothering Zacchaeus for a long time.

 Zacchaeus was a dissatisfied man. His dishonest acquisitions had made him rich but had subtracted him from his peace of mind.

 He knew that the least he could do would be to repay those whom he had robbed. But his soul required more, and longed for salvation, such as only Jesus Christ could give.

 We call this Holy Ghost conviction.

 Here we see that the Lord Jesus knew what was going on with Zacchaeus before He met him.

 The Lord Jesus stopped under the tree where Zacchaeus was located and invited Himself to the home of Zacchaeus.

 Let's read:

 *****Luk 19:1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.

 We know that the walls of Jericho had fallen by a miracle of God in the time of Joshua, and he captured that city.

 Joshua also put a curse on this city; Jos 6:26 And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

 The city of Jericho had been re-founded by a man named Hiel, a Bethelite who did exactly what Joshua had said.

 1Ki 16:34 In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.

 Not too long into the future, there was a college of prophets founded at Jericho, if we remember Elisha.

 2Ki 2:4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.

 Jericho is no more than a collection of mounds today.

 *****Luk 19:2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

Luk 19:3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

Luk 19:4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

Luk 19:5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

 That word “chief” tells us that Zacchaeus was a very rich man.

 Zacchaeus had one problem, and it was that his wickedness was starting to bother him.

 This was Holy Ghost conviction.

 The Holy Spirit was very busy during the time of Jesus, but He was not yet given to fill the believer.

 Joh 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

 Joh_16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

 Zacchaeus could not understand it, but he knew he wanted to see Jesus.

 He knew it was more than curiosity; he just had to see the Lord.                            

Personal taxes and property taxes were collected by the Roman government, but the customs on goods were farmed out.

 This created a system that could be easily exploited.

 Zacchaeus had exploited this system until he was rich and probably caused the customs collectors under him to contribute to his wealth.

 There was a huge crowd waiting for the arrival of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 The streets were already crowded because of pilgrims going to Jerusalem for the Passover.

 Zacchaeus then climbed a sycamore tree to increase his chances of seeing Jesus.

 We should understand that if you are truly seeking the Lord Jesus, He will find you!

 This is how faith begins its work in us.

 We may not understand it at first, but we just know that once we meet Jesus, things will get better.

 He may not have been sure if Jesus would come that way, but something told him that He would.

 Zacchaeus was hated by those on the ground under him, but he was not ashamed to seek the Lord Jesus.

 We must never be ashamed of our Lord Jesus!

 All of a sudden, the Lord was there, and He already knew the name of Zacchaeus.

 *****Luk 19:5  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

Luk 19:6  And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

 The Lord Jesus invited Himself to the home of Zacchaeus.

 The Lord Jesus does not just want us to turn to Him, but He wants all those in our homes to turn to Him.

 This was more than Zacchaeus expected, but he became excited and he welcomed this opportunity to meet the Lord.

 Jericho was a city full of priests.

 Jericho was the summer home of the Herods.

 The Herods were the last of the Edomites and not Jews.

Jericho had a city government.

 All the religious world hated all publicans, and Zachaeus was chief of the publicans.

 The Lord Jesus set public opinion aside and chose the home of the most hated man in that city to dine with and lodge with.

 We should also understand that the Lord Jesus was going to Jerusalem to die.

This would be Zacchaeus's only chance to repent and accept the Lord Jesus for who He is. Our Savior!

 It was the same for all those lined up to meet Jesus; that day was the day of salvation for them all.

 1Jn 1:3  That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

 Zacchaeus obeyed the Lord and made haste, and joyfully received the Lord Jesus Christ.

 The naysayers, the mumblers, and the murmurers began to do what they do best.

 *****Luk 19:7  And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

Luk 19:8  And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. x

 By saying that Zachaeus was a sinner, they were also saying that they were not sinners.

 We know better!

 Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 Zachaeus realized that all those around him were staring at him, and most of them were not pleased with him or with Jesus.

 This crowd had nothing but contempt for Zachaeus.

 The world does not understand the love of God!

 A transformation is taking place in the life of this little man.

 The Lord Jesus had not told Zachaeus as he had told the rich young ruler.

 Zacchaeus came up with these things himself. He knew he was a sinner, and he knew his sins.

 Zacchaeus was experiencing a radical change in his life.

 Zacchaeus had a new attitude about his wealth. It just did not mean the same to him any longer.

 He would give it back to those who were poor.

 Luk 12:33  Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

Luk 12:34  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 The rest of his wealth would be used to correct the wrongs he had done as a tax collector.

 Zacchaeus said, "In all those cases where he had defrauded others,” he would obey the Word of God.

 Zacchaeus knew the Scriptures; this was his sin.

 Lev 6:4  Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found,

Lev 6:5  Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering.

 He goes even further. Exo 22:1  If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.

 This law applied to sheep, but Zacchaeus applied it to anything he had taken from anyone.

 This also seems to say that Zacchaeus knew those he had caused the most harm.

 This is what the Holy Spirit does: He will remind us of those we have harmed the most.

 How did the Lord Jesus respond?

 *****Luk 19:9  And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

Luk 19:10  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

 The Lord Jesus was speaking more to that crowd than He was to Zacchaeus when He said these words.

 Zacchaeus had been converted from Judaism to Christianity in a big way.

 Sadly, many more did not respond to the truth they had just seen and heard.

 Zacchaeus repented and changed his whole life.

 Zacchaeus was serious about giving his life to the Lord Jesus.

 Life has more meaning once you meet the Savior.

 It was the Lord Jesus Himself who proclaimed Zacchaeus to be saved.

 Jesus said it was repentance that saved Zacchaeus, but Zacchaeus would bring the message of salvation to his household.

 Zacchaeus met the Lord Jesus and brought Him into his heart and then took Him into his house.

Zachaeus now had peace in his soul.

 The Lord Jesus tells this entire crowd why He came to this earth: He came to seek and to save all who are lost!

 Rom 3:28  Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

 Zacchaeus put himself in a position to be saved by seeking Jesus, but the Lord Jesus did the speaking to the heart of Zacchaeus, and that heart was torn out, and a new heart was put in.

 Ezk_36:26  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

 The Lord Jesus, on leaving Jericho, told the people another parable.

 After this, Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time.

 *****Luk 19:28  And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.

Luk 19:29  And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,

Luk 19:30  Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither.

Luk 19:31  And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.

Luk 19:32  And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them.

Luk 19:33  And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt?

Luk 19:34  And they said, The Lord hath need of him.

Luk 19:35  And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. 

Luk 19:36  And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.

 Before we get to this portion of our lesson, the Lord Jesus gives us another parable which relates to His servants while He is gone back to Heaven.

 Jesus makes it very clear that many of His servants actually hate Him.

 Many of these servants expected the Lord Jesus to take the throne of King David and run the Romans out of Israel and Jerusalem.

 Had the Lord Jesus claimed to be King?

 Jesus claimed to be King of a place not on this earth.

Jesus claimed to be the King of Peace.

 We know when He returns, He will become King of this earth for one thousand years.

 There is a three-thousand-foot rise in elevation from Jericho to Jerusalem.

 Going to Jerusalem was an uphill walk all the way from Jericho.

 The Lord Jesus knew it was time to fulfill His destiny as told by the prophets.

 His purpose was to suffer and die for all mankind.

 He would enter Jerusalem as the King Messiah in peace.

 Zec 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

 It was the providence of God that the Lord Jesus would enter Jerusalem in such a dramatic fashion.

 The whole scene was centered around Him riding into the city of Jerusalem on this colt, which had never been broken.

 If that colt had spoken, it would have said it was happy to carry the burden of the Lord, for His burden is light.

 The Lord Jesus had come to Jerusalem as the Prince of Peace.

 Isa_9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

 The Lord Jesus had claimed the right to use this colt because He is Lord of all creation.

 The Greek word “kurios” is used here, which means the One with Supreme Authority.

 In the New Testament that word Lord carries the same meaning as Jehovah in the Old Testament.

 I have often felt like I was that colt tied to sin and only Jesus could make me free.

 Exo 13:13  And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.

 If the Lord Jesus had not caused me to be made free, then I would have died because He would not have redeemed me.

 Fetching this colt was extremely important if the Lord Jesus was to proclaim He was indeed King.

 When we are delivered from the bondage of sin, we are servants who carry the Lord around in our hearts and on our feet.

 This is our duty as the servants of God.

 Rom_12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

 When the Lord Jesus gives us specific instructions, and we follow them exactly, things will go just as He said.

 We are not to add to or take away from His Word!

 Bethany was a suburb of Jerusalem, only two miles from Jerusalem.

 When the Lord Jesus was in Jerusalem, He stayed with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in their home in Bethany.

 The message of Jesus was very clear:

 1) He was the promised King the prophets had talked about.

2) He was not coming as a conquering King or as any world leader at this time.

3) He was coming as Savior with Peace.

4) Jesus came to show the world that God is first the God of Love and Reconciliation.

 This colt was a symbol of Peace.

This colt was a symbol of service.

This colt was a symbol of sacredness because it had never been ridden by any man, woman, or child.

 1Sa 6:7  Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them:

 The Lord Jesus wanted the world to know that He indeed is that sacred hope promised in the Scriptures.

 Tit_2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

 The Apostles threw their coats upon the colt to form a saddle to protect the colt.

 The rest of their coats they threw upon the road.

 You see, not only our deeds but also our walk should be subject to the Lord Jesus.

 There were thousands of pilgrims along the road to Jerusalem, and they threw their coats or palm limbs on the roadway.

 Many of them had seen the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead and many other miracles.

 This crowd that would be in Jerusalem was probably the largest crowd to have ever assembled in Jerusalem.

 They clearly saw that the Lord Jesus was coming in peace.

 Psa 115:1  Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.

Psa 115:2  Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?

Psa 115:3  But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

 These people praised God for His truth.

 *****Luk 19:37  And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

Luk 19:38  Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

 Most of the people in the area of Judah and Galilee had heard of the things that the Lord Jesus had done, and most of these same people had come to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast with great hope.

 They truly hated Rome.

 Many of them realized that the Lord Jesus Christ had the power to do anything He chose to do.

 Act 10:36  The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)

Act 10:37  That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;

Act 10:38  How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

 They thought the hour of freedom from the tyranny of Rome had come.

They thought that God was going to free all the nations of the earth from Roman domination.

They thought that Jesus would set up His throne in Jerusalem to rule and reign over the righteous.

They thought Jesus would establish Israel as the leading nation of the world.

 They had failed to see many things.

 They failed to see that Jesus was riding a colt of a donkey, which was a sign of peace.

They failed to see that Jesus was riding an animal of burden, to carry the burdens of all mankind.

They failed to see that Jesus was riding an animal of Sacredness.

They failed to see that Jesus was riding a humble animal that symbolized meekness.

 1Pe 2:23  Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

1Pe 2:24  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

1Pe 2:25  For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

 And then the Pharisees speak.

 *****Luk 19:39  And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.

Luk 19:40  And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

 No one was going to get a Pharisee to praise the Lord Jesus.

 The Pharisees are the enemies of the Lord, and they were disturbed at what was happening around Him.

 What they see is unacceptable in their eyes and must be stopped.

 These same ones had already given the order to hunt Jesus down and murder Him.

 To them, Jesus was no more than a teacher and not a very good one.

 They considered the Lord Jesus to be an insurrectionist.

 Those stones would have been very happy to sing out in praise of our Savior!

 We know that the Sun hid its face when the Lord was crucified.

 Mat 27:45  Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

 We also know that the earth cried out in pain at the death of our Savior.

 Mat 27:51  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

 Yes, those stones would have certainly cried if the Lord Jesus had told them to.

 *****Luk 19:41  And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,

Luk 19:42  Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

Luk 19:43  For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,

Luk 19:44  And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

 It should be obvious to us that God has a true love for the City of Jerusalem.

 It really hurt the Lord to allow Jerusalem to be destroyed and the nation to cease to exist for over nineteen hundred years.

 God has a plan, and nothing will change Him from completing His plan.

 Psa 81:11  But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.

Psa 81:12  So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.

Psa 81:13  Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!

Psa 81:14  I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.

 The Greek word "klaio" means more than wept it means the Lord Jesus burst out in tears and wailed over Jerusalem.

 The Lord Jesus weeps for all the lost.

 Peace was actually within reach for Israel and Jerusalem, and they wanted no part of it.

 How many wars have been fought after the Lord Jesus offered peace, but the world wants no part of it?

 The people of the world will believe anything but the Word of God.

 This world is doomed to destruction because there is no faith!

 The word "shalom" means freedom from trouble, but it means much, much more than this.

 Jerusalem had only one day left to accept the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we know their answer.

 1) There is peace of the world. This is a peace of escapism, of avoiding trouble, refusing to face reality.

2) There is the "Peace of God". A peace that comes from deep within us, a tranquility of the mind, a peace that settles and strengthens through terrible trials.

 The source of true peace is the Lord Jesus Christ!

 Jerusalem fell because they could not see that in Jesus Christ, God had visited His people, and they had rejected Him.

 There is much greater devastation coming to this world for the same reason, and it is not far off.

 Amen

Lessons to Learn

 Parables and Blessings

 Book of Luke Chapter 18

 

 Besides the Holy Spirit, prayer is our greatest weapon in this world against the evilness and wickedness of our world. 

 *****Luk 18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 

 Prayer is the meeting of our soul with the mind of God.

 1Sa 1:15  And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.

 Prayer is beseeching the Lord.

 Exo 32:11  And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? 

 Prayer is crying out to Heaven.

 2Ch 32:19  And they spake against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man. 

2Ch 32:20  And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.

 Prayers are seeking and making supplication.

 Job 8:5  If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty; 

 Prayer is drawing near to God.

 Psa 73:28  But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

 Prayer is the bowing of the knees.

 Eph 3:14  For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

Eph 3:15  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 

Eph 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 

Eph 3:17  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 

Eph 3:18  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 

Eph 3:19  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 

We must persevere in prayer because it is our duty!

 We must put forth the effort to talk with God even when it seems He is not listening because He is always listening!

 *****Luk 18:2  Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 

Luk 18:3  And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 

Luk 18:4  And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 

Luk 18:5  Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 

 What is persevering prayer? To persevere means to be constant in our purpose for praying.

 When we look around, we see that we are in similar days of Noah and Lot where God brought destruction.

 God has already promised a future destruction, and we are very near to it now.

 Psa_2:12  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

 Isa_9:19  Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.

 Isa_13:13  Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

 Zep_1:15  That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

 There is power in persistence.

 Continuous prayer is the only thing that gives us the strength to persevere.

 Continuous prayer shows that we are confident in our God.

 We are to pray and continue to pray until the Lord Jesus Christ returns to take us home.

 In this parable, we see an unjust judge who disregards the laws, hates God, and hates those who come before him.

 Yet he feels like he has the power to do as he wishes.

 This is the way of our world today.

 Everyone wants to reach in and grab a piece of power to do the things they desire.

 We live in the day of the unjust judge, and it is very noticeable.

 There was this widow who had been wronged and was seeking help from the judicial system, but this judge had no feelings for the truth, and he hated to be bothered with such trivial matters.

 Every judge in our nation needs to understand there is a Higher Judge who has His eyes on them, and they, too, will be judged the same way that they judge others.

 It is a fact that on that day of the widow, that most every widow, especially those who had no children, lived in helplessness and defenselessness.

 Luk 7:12  Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 

Luk 7:13  And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 

 Many times, this judge just ignored her and her problems.

 We know this is not the way of the Lord Jesus, who is a most compassionate God.

 This judge began to realize that if he did not do anything to help this widow, she was going to continue to come before him.

 Finally, this self-centered judge did the right thing just to free himself from her ceaseless pleading.

 The Lord Jesus is saying that if a corrupt judge on this earth will attend to the pleas of this poor widow whom he cared not for, how much more will God be moved by those He loves.

 It is a fact that God is biased in favor of innocent victims of persecution.

 We may never have to plead with God, but we must also understand that God will not answer every prayer at the time we think it is needed.

 God knows what we need and when we need it.

 God does not get mad at us if we ask for the same thing over and over again until we receive it or God says no.

 *****Luk 18:6  And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.  

 We must not think that this judge is a type of God; he is not. He is just an unjust judge who does not care about the suffering of any people.

 The Lord Jesus wants us to continue in prayer of faith until we get an answer.

 It is not that God is just too busy; it is just that God knows what we need and when we need it.

 God knows our needs, and He promised to meet our needs.

 God will avenge His own elect!

 God's elect are those who follow His Son, Jesus!

 As God's elect, we know that only God can meet our needs!

 We also know that only God is the Judge of all His creation.

 Luk 21:36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. 

 God is patient with all of us, but we know He is so full of mercy and grace that He will always meet our needs.

 We must also realize that just as Jesus suffered, we will also suffer, and this will make us stronger witnesses and servants.

 1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 

 These things will make us stronger, and God wants us to learn from all our trials.

 God will also avenge His elect without hesitation.

 *****Luk 18:7  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

 Our God is the only true Judge in this cosmos.

 That word elect means God's favorites, God's preferred, God's believers, the disciples of Jesus Christ.

 God will preserve all Christians from all their adversaries and save them from the seven years of Tribulation that is soon to come to this world.

 Remember, this is God's choice, and He did not have to make this choice.

 Only God can do the choosing of those who will not be a part of His wrath.

 Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 

Joh 15:6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 

Joh 15:7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 

Joh 15:8  Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

 If an unjust judge grants the petition of a defenseless person he cares nothing for, how much more shall our just Judge, our merciful God hear the cries and avenge the cause of those He loves.

 We may have to cry out day and night before God will answer but He will answer.

 He never said we would not suffer; in fact, He said we would.

 Keep in mind the Jews suffered many years before God sent Moses to Pharaoh.

 We should know that once God chooses to avenge His elect, He will come speedily.

 *****Luk 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? 

 We must understand that persevering prayer is tied to our faith! He may not come soon but it will be suddenly.

 Our adversaries will not know what hit them until it is over.

 Jesus then adds, when He comes, will He find faith on this earth?

 The Lord wants us to continue to pray even though it has been so long that we are losing heart, even though the answer is delayed, and we see evil increasing daily.

 God is still hearing our prayers, but we must persevere until He comes.

 We could ask how many will keep the faith until He comes?

 We must guard against losing our faith!

 God will always remain faithful to do as He says, but will we?

 We swore an oath to be saved based on faith, and that faith must remain with us.

 God does not have to think about whether He will return or not.

 He knows He is coming and He knows when He is returning, and it will not take Him long to get here when He does come.

 The Church may pass through a period of oppression in this world, but we must cling to our faith.

 We should begin now by praying more earnestly.

 If Jesus Christ seems to be delaying His return, then He has His reasons, and it has nothing to do with the Church.

 The vengeance of the Lord will be a terrible time upon this earth, and the Lord will have to put aside His compassion to do those things, but He will do what He says He will for His Church.

 Whenever deliverance comes, it will be sudden!

  Then the Lord speaks with another parable.

 *****Luk 18:9  And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 

 The fact is that self-righteous people do not need to pray at all!

 These people will never lose heart because they never had it to begin with.

 They do not need faith to be confident in this world.

 They feel that all they need dwells within them in their bodies and minds.

 Pro 30:12  There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. 

 We are in the generation of the return of Christ, but we are also in the generation of self-righteousness.

 The Lord continues.

 *****Luk 18:10  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 

Luk 18:11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 

Luk 18:12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 

 When we think we stand head and shoulders above all others, we are no better off than King Saul.

 This Pharisee was a religionist.

 This publican was a sinner.

 Both these men went to the House of God to pray, which the Lord Jesus said was a house of prayer.

 There is no better place to pray than in the House of God!

 They both wanted to please God.

They were both seeking God to feel His presence in their lives.

 Deu 4:29  But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 

 This Pharisee represents the religious world in its most respected form.

 This publican represents people who have no honor to maintain. He knows he is a sinner and is looking for the mercy of God.

 The Pharisee prayed only with himself, only to himself.

 He glorified himself before God and just told God how great a man of God he was.

 This was not true prayer, and it did not reach into Heaven.

 Joh 9:31  Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.

 Prayer is a means of worship, but this Pharisee only worshipped himself.

 In fact, he actually thanked God for making him who he was.

 God does not make us self-righteous, and God does not cause us to be sinners, and God does not tempt us in any way.

 This Pharisee said he had not fallen into sin, which means he made himself to be equal with the Lord Jesus Christ, who truly had no sin.

 He fasted twice a week, and he tithed. Both of these are good things and are pleasing to God, but these things do not make up for self-righteousness.

 The publican.

 *****Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

 This man was ashamed and embarrassed by his sin, and others would not get near him because of his sin.

Remember Publicans were tax collectors for Rome, and the Jews hated them.

 This publican stood far off, much like a leper.

 He felt cut off by God and mankind. The Jews had a special hatred for publicans and considered them traitors to the nation of Israel.

 I feel somewhat like this for all Democrats and many Republicans.

 He would not even lift his eyes toward Heaven, but he did lift his heart toward Heaven.

 He knew he did not deserve God's forgiveness!

 He beat on his chest because he was angry with himself for his sin.

 He pleaded with God to forgive Him. He pleaded for God's mercy.

 We can only appeal to God's "Grace" when we do not deserve it.

 There is no other way to be received by God than to acknowledge our sin before God and plead for God's forgiveness.

 Mercy is not getting what we deserve, which is eternal death.

 Grace comes from the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is receiving what we do not deserve, eternal salvation.

 We should understand that as long as we are in these bodies of flesh, we will never be righteous; we are only "counted righteous" by our Holy God because we are covered by the Blood of Jesus.

 2Th_1:5  Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

 Who then was justified?

 *****Luk 18:14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 

 We can see that the words of Jesus do not line up with what the world says.

 In fact, the words of Jesus do not line up with what many churches teach today.

 It is the one who acknowledges that he is a sinner who has been justified by his faith.

 Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 

Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

 *****Luk 18:15  And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 

Luk 18:16  But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 

Luk 18:17  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. 

 We must be humble when we approach the Lord for forgiveness of our sins.

  The first characteristic that fits the Kingdom of God is that of a child.

When we doubt that the Lord Jesus can save little children, we are acting like a Pharisee.

When we think the Church is spending too much money on our youth, we act like Pharisees.

When we do not look at our youth as being the future of the Church, we are acting like a Pharisee.

When we do not look at our youth as being the future of our nation, we act foolish because we need to train them to be the future of our nation.

God cares about every stage of the process of our growth, starting from childhood.

God loves the little children as much as He loves any of us!

Most children are obedient to their parents, and they can learn right from wrong at an early age.

Most children are far more forgiving than most adults.

When we get to Heaven, we will find that we are all children, God's children!

There is no way to get into Heaven except by receiving God's Kingdom like a child!

Mat 18:3  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

Amen

The Lord Jesus Will Return to This Earth

 A Miracle and the Second Coming of Christ

 Book of Luke Chapter 17 verses 12-19, 30 through 37

 

 We know that our Lord Jesus is now making His way to Jerusalem. He has an appointment with a cross where He will die for our sins. He had no sin Himself!

 Even facing the death of the cross, Jesus still shows His compassion.

 Jesus could have gone around Samaria and Galilee to give Him more time, but He chose to go through them. He also had an appointment with ten lepers.

 We can see that the Lord Jesus was not afraid to walk where He was not wanted.

 *****Luk 17:11  And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 

Luk 17:12  And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 

Luk 17:13  And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 

 Lepers were not bound by geographic regions. Lepers were bound by their disease.

 Lev 13:46  All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

 This leads us to believe that Jesus was now in the wilderness between Samaria and Galilee.

 These lepers stood afar off and would not approach the Lord Jesus.

 They had to raise their voices to be heard.

 They called Him Master, but the Greek word used here means more Commander than it does Rabbi.

 They knew who He was, and they knew He had the power to heal.

What is wrong with our world today? The world does not know who Jesus is!

 They knew Jesus had the power to meet their needs. We sometimes forget this.

 They knew more than most of the world does today!

 Notice how the Lord Jesus heals these ten diseased men.

 They spoke from a distance, and the Lord Jesus heals from a distance.

 Leprosy is, in fact, a type of sin, and the Lord Jesus does not have to be physically present to wash us in His blood and forgive our sins. 

Jesus does have to be spiritually present in our hearts because faith is still required.

 These ten lepers had to have faith in the power of the Lord Jesus.

 These ten lepers were desperate; they had the most feared disease of that day.

 It is somewhat like cancer. When cancer is mentioned, the first thing on our minds is death.

 The Lord Jesus can heal cancer too!

I know because He has healed me twice from this dreaded disease.

 These ten men interrupted the Lord Jesus Christ, not caring if it caused Him problems, but Jesus did not mind; He wanted to hear what bothered us at any time.

 The Lord Jesus understood their desperation, their humility, and their acknowledgment of being unclean.

 If we cannot realize that we are sinners in need of salvation, then the Lord Jesus cannot save us.

 We must recognize that, like these lepers, we were also unclean, and we must keep our distance from sinners except to witness to them.

 Jas 4:10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. 

 The Lord Jesus told them to obey the Laws of Moses and present themselves to the priests, after He had healed them.

 No matter what the Lord Jesus tells us to do, we need to do. He will never tell us to go against the Word of God.

They had to present themselves to the priests before they would be welcomed back into society.

 As these men traveled to the place of the priests, they were cleansed on their journey.

 There must be believing, and there must be an obeying.

 Remember Namaan from the Old Testament.

 2Ki 5:14  Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

 Six times dipping in the River Jordan was not good enough; seven times brought his cure.

 While these men began their journey to the priests, one man, a Samaritan, realized he was clean.

 *****Luk 17:15  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 

Luk 17:16  And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 

 Leprosy was the most terrible disease in the days of Jesus. It was disfiguring, and most of the time it was fatal.

 The world had judged all lepers to be dead already; they were called the Living Dead.

 A leper had to wear a black garment so he could be recognized among the dead.

 He was banished, an outcast, removed from society, defiled.

 He was thought to be polluted and incurable!

 Doctor Jesus has never met a disease he could not cure, even death!

 This Samaritan was not of Judaism, and a Jewish priest would not even see him.

 We know the priests of the Samaritans were false priests of a false religion, so they could not have helped him.

 This Samaritan knew only one person who was worthy of his thanks, and it was the Lord Jesus Christ.

 We sometimes forget this, too!

 There is never a day that we should not be thanking the Lord for what He has already done for us, and we know a lot of the things that are in our future, and we should be thanking Him for these things also.

If your name is written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life, you owe the Lord your thanks; you owe the Lord your life.

 We should also be ready to worship our Savior at any time and at all times.

 Prayer is also worship, and we can pray anywhere and at any time.

Prayer is worship when we talk to the Lord, but not when we repeat some chant over and over again.

 The Lord Jesus is always worthy of our praise.

 The Lord Jesus Christ is the only Priest we need to see, and this Samaritan realized this truth.

 Why go to some man when we can go to the Living God?

 Jesus asked His disciples, where were the other nine?

 *****Luk 17:17  And Jesus answering, said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 

Luk 17:18  There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 

Luk 17:19  And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. 

 The Samaritan is cleansed and saved, but the other nine who benefited from the power of God wanted to remain Jews rather than convert to become Christians.

 They had benefitted from the true Shepherd, but they were locked into the legal system of the Law.

 Rom_4:16  Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

 The Lord Jesus is still asking this same question today.

 Many of the modern Church have forgotten who cleansed them from their sin, and many of them have returned to the Law, forgetting the Grace of God.

Many denominations today have added their own oral laws and traditions.

 Those other nine went back to their old lives doing the same things they did before they were overcome by leprosy.

 They may have gotten an outward cure, but only the Samaritan got the Spiritual Blessing!

 We should not doubt that it was faith in the work of the Lord that made this man whole!

 That word faith is in the New Testament 245 times in 229 verses.

 The word faith is used only twice in the Old Testament, but both are important.

 1) What happens to those with no faith?

 Deu_32:20  And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

 2) Only those with true faith are justified.

 Hab_2:4  Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

 This Samaritan was justified.

 I think it is important to add a few verses to our lesson format.

 *****Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 

Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 

Luk 17:22  And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. 

Luk 17:23  And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. 

Luk 17:24  For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. 

Luk 17:25  But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. 

Luk 17:26  And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 

Luk 17:27  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 

Luk 17:28  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 

Luk 17:29  But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 

Luk 17:30  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. 

 We see that the Lord Jesus begins dealing with His return.

 We know that the return of Jesus Christ will be in two stages.

 1) He will first return to take His Church, the Bride of Christ, out of this world. We will meet Him in the clouds, as He will not place His feet on the earth at this time.

 1Th 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 

1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 

 2) Jesus will return to end the Seven Years of Tribulation before those on earth destroy themselves.

 Act 1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. 

 Dan 7:13  I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 

Dan 7:14  And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. 

 Dan 7:22  Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. 

 Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 

 We know the Kingdom of God is internal, but the Kingdom of God is also external.

 In the days of Noah, people lived their own lives, which God called corrupt in His sight.

 We can say that the Ten Commandments meant nothing to them, just as they mean nothing to the liberals of today.

The Ten Commandments only remind them of their sin, and they know they are sinners and do not want to be reminded of it.

 It was a world full of violence.

 In the days of Lot, people were more devoted to the gratification of bodily appetites and free indulgence in carnal pleasures.

 They accepted that this was the life that was meant to be.

 It was a corrupt and carnal place to live.

 Gen_13:13  But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

 Gen_18:20  And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

 The Lord Jesus Christ will begin His reign with the righteous judgment of sin!

 This world will not be prepared to meet King Jesus!

 The destruction of this world will be greater than what the flood caused and it will burn like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

 After these things the Lord Jesus our Creator, will restore this world as it was in the day He created it.

 Mic 4:1  But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 

Mic 4:2  And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 

Mic 4:3  And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 

Mic 4:4  But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.

 Isa 32:17  And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. 

 Isa 11:1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 

Isa 11:2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 

Isa 11:3  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 

Isa 11:4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

 The Lord Jesus will sit as King in Jerusalem!

 Zec 8:3  Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain. 

 *****Luk 17:31  In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. 

Luk 17:32  Remember Lot's wife. 

Luk 17:33  Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. 

 Just before the Lord returns, people will be going about their wickedness as if nothing can happen to them.

 These are the same people who have denied the existence of God.

 When God's people, the Jews, realize what is happening, they will have to act quickly.

 They will need to move without packing or returning to their homes.

 We may not know when the Lord will come, but what we know for sure is that when He comes, it will be very quick.

 Rev_22:12  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

 Then the Lord Jesus reminds them, do not look back, but keep going forward.

 Lot's wife was so close to salvation, but with one turn of her neck, she became a pillar of salt.

 There is no worldly way to save lives on that day; there is only the ways of the Lord Jesus.

 Faithfulness to the truth of God will be their only escape.

 Anyone who considers some earthly possession more important than his life will lose his life.

 Just as in salvation today, whoever lets go of his life and gives it to the Lord will be saved.

 *****Luk 17:34  I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 

Luk 17:35  Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 

Luk 17:36  Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 

 As far as the Rapture of the Church, the point is clear: people will be going about their daily routine, when all of a sudden, one here and one there will be taken up to meet the Lord Jesus in the clouds.

 The word "Rapture" means rapid seizing by violence.

 Only a believer who is truly prepared will be taken up to meet the Lord Jesus.

 "ALL" who oppose and reject the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ will be left behind.

 1Th 5:3  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.. 

 Believers will miss out on this destruction: 1Th 5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 

1Th 5:10  Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 

 God knows who the true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ are!

 God knows that those who just claim to be the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ will be left behind to go through the seven years of Tribulation.

 Tit_1:16  They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

 God knows all those who reject the truth of Jesus Christ, and they will be left behind to go through the seven years of Tribulation.

 There will be no last-second decisions; it will be too late to claim the Savior at that point.

 Rom_1:28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

 *****Luk 17:37  And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

The Rapture of the Church will take place throughout the entire world all at the same time, At the same moment.

Some say instead of Eagles it should have been Vultures, but Jesus says what He means and He means what He says.

The vultures of Gennesaret are hideous-looking birds, almost the same size as eagles and matching their strength.

The things that the Lord Jesus is talking about here will be worldwide.

At this time, we should not expect a Deliverer of the Jewish nation, for it is devoted to destruction.

The Jews will face the wrath of God, as all the world will.

We must understand that the moral corruption throughout this world ensures that the Lord Jesus will return in Divine Judgment.

Amen

Hell Is a Real Place

 The Unjust Manager and the Reality of Hell

 Book of Luke Chapter 16 Verses 19 through 31

 

 What is the truth of the Scriptures? People will spend eternity in either Heaven or Hell after our death, based on our belief about what the Word of God tells us about being saved.

 Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 

 When we come into the House of God, we come in as the sons and daughters of the Almighty Living God.

 When we leave to go outside the House of God, we are to leave as stewards. We are to be stewards outside the House of God as long as we are upon this earth! 

 In the first part of Chapter 16, we have a parable that describes us as we leave the Church to go outside the Church.

 The rich man in this parable is a picture of God. We already know that we are to be the stewards.

 Not many of us can say we have been perfect stewards in our lives after our salvation.

 When we go outside the Church, we are to be the light of the earth, but to be quite honest, most of us have been kind of dull most of the time. I know I have failed the Lord many times. Far too many times.

 God has given us the Gospel through His Son, Jesus, and we are to share the Gospel with those outside the Church.

 God will call us to account one day, just as this Master called his steward.

 What will we say because it will not be time for excuses?

 This steward was removed from his position, so what did that make him?

 In this parable, it made him be at the mercy of those people around him.

 He needed some way to make them his friends.

 He made a personal contract with each of the Master's debtors, which meant robbing the Master of his just repayment.

 He reduced one debt by fifty percent.

 He gives another twenty percent discount.A certain future, 

 He does similar things to all the Master's debtors.

 He did this, looking to his future on this earth to secure shelter and food, material things of this earth.

 He did this without any knowledge of his Master.

 He was an unjust man, but he was wise, looking ahead when he had no means to care for himself.

 What the Lord Jesus is teaching the Church is that we are not that wise.

 We have a certain future written with the blood of Jesus Christ, but we live as if we have forgotten the debt we owe to the Lord.

 It is the love of money, the craving for riches, that is the root of all the evil we see in our world.

 1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 

1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

 So, the big question for each believer is what we will give to the Lord and what we will try to keep for ourselves.

 The Lord Jesus gave His life for us, and He asks whether we are willing to do the same for Him.

 Luk_9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

 God has given us Spiritual blessings that we never have to repay, but each of us is still God's property with all that we possess.

 Our life and our property are on loan from God.

 The importance of earthly wealth is lost forever!

 It is how we deal with these things that shows our relationship with God.

 As Jesus said to His disciples, we cannot have or serve two masters!

 God knows what is in our hearts.

 The Lord moves on to the story of the rich man and Lazarus.

 We should know that when the Holy Spirit uses real names, then a story is no longer a parable, but it teaches us like a parable.

 *****Luk 16:19  There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 

Luk 16:20  And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 

Luk 16:21  And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 

 We should see this story in the Bible as the actual truth and not as a parable.

 The Lord gives the name of Lazarus, and the Lord also gives us Abraham as if he is still living, which we know to be true of all those in Heaven who have gone on before us.

 This man had everything his money could buy.

 The Lord Jesus does not recognize those whose name is not written in Heaven, so we do not have his name.

 Mat_7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

 All those in Heaven are more alive than they could have ever been when they were in this life.

 Luk 20:37  Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 

Luk 20:38  For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

 This rich man had done very well while he was living, and he was enjoying himself very much.

 Today, nothing this rich man did would be called a sin, but the poor beggar would be just some homeless beggar who could get no help.

 Lazarus was a poor, disabled man who had to be laid at the gate of this rich man because he could not walk by himself.

 Lazarus was covered with sores and had no way to get help.

 Lazarus lay at the gate of this rich man in the hope of just getting a few crumbs from the rich man's table.

 This rich man had everything, but God said Lazarus had nothing but God.

 When a dog licks a wound, they are able to detect any changes in the scent or taste of the wound. This can be helpful in detecting infections or other issues that may need attention. Dogs are also known to have antibacterial properties in their saliva, which can help to clean and disinfect wounds.

 Dogs may lick wounds as a form of comfort or reassurance, much like how a mother dog would groom her puppies. It is a way for them to show love and support.

 *****Luk 16:22  And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

 Life on earth can be good at times, but at some point, we die to this world.

 The one thing that happens is that there is a big difference in life with Jesus and life with the Devil.

 For Lazarus, he was no longer in misery, and angels delivered him to a wonderful place where he would never suffer again.

 Abraham's Bosom:

 We know that Abraham is the patriarch of the Hebrew children. The word "Bosom" suggests kindness, secrecy, intimacy, and security.

 Christ was in the Bosom of His Father: Joh 1:18  No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. 

 Jesus Christ our Savior carries His children in His Bosom: Isa 40:11  He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

 The theory of Abraham's Bosom was taught as a place of happiness where the souls of believers could expect to be upon their death before the time of Christ.

 They were sitting down and feasting with Abraham the Hebrew Father in Paradise until the Messiah came to live and die and rise to new life, for all God's children.

 Abraham's Bosom was a place of honor and the safekeeping of souls until the work of the Messiah.

 As for the rich man, he had an elaborate funeral, and then he was just buried, but that was not all; he woke up in Hell.

 Lazarus lived as he had never lived here on earth.

 He did not die. Oh, he might have left that old body wherever it was thrown. 

On the day of Lazarus, many of the poor were just tossed into the trash dump and not buried at all.

 Before that old cold body hit the ground, Lazarus was in the arms of God's angels getting a free ride to true Paradise.

 Heb 1:14  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? 

 Before the Lord emptied Paradise and took them on to Heaven, all the Old Testament Saints would have been in this place called Paradise, at least this is what the Pharisees taught.

 They would have welcomed Lazarus right on in.

 It was not the same for the rich man.

 *****Luk 16:23  And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 

Luk 16:24  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 

 It was the death angel that snatched that rich man from his comfort and pleasures from the material things of this earth.

 The English word "Hell" comes from the Greek word "Hades". The Hebrew word for Hell is Sheol, for the world of the dead.

 This is the place the rich man was sent to. He was unfit for Paradise.

 He had lived in the only paradise this world has to offer, and the world only offers this paradise to those who are rich.

 He had lived off the material world and refused to share any part of it with the poor.

 Pro 21:13  Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard. 

 This rich man only got to peek at the glory that Lazarus was now enjoying.

 *****Luk 16:24  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 

Luk 16:25  But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

 This rich man was in a place where he was alone.

 A big mistake the rich man made was praying to Abraham. Abraham had no power to help him, even if he chose to do so.

 He could see no one else in Hell, but he could see what was happening in paradise.

 This should dampen the spirits of all those who say there will be a big party in Hell when they get there.

 What Jesus is saying is that a person will be tormented in Hell, and part of that torment is an eternity in loneliness.

 Jesus said they would face an eternal burning sensation of agony. If one drop of water could provide some relief, then this man was indeed suffering.

 Lazarus had plenty of water, but it was not to share with those in Hell.

 The rich man would never find any relief in Hell.

 The Lord Jesus says nothing about Lazarus being aware of the Hell this man was suffering.

 The Lord Jesus explains just how much misery there is with eternal life in Hell.

 We already know that there must be some places in Hell with different degrees of suffering, and it seems that this man is in a place of the least amount of suffering, but it is still eternal misery.

 The rich man begged Abraham for another chance, which could not be granted.

 He then begged Abraham to make sure someone would go to his brothers to witness to them about salvation so they would not go to Hell.

 He was saying that He did not want to ever see his brothers again and prayed they would be wiser than he had been.

 Everyone in Hell today is a prayer warrior, but it is much too late for them to pray in Hell when they should have prayed while they were alive.

 No matter what any denomination says, there are no second chances in Hell once you get there.

 No one upon this earth can pray you out of Hell!

 If they cannot trust the work of the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation while they live, there is nothing that can change their eternal destiny.

 It is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who tells us of a great gulf that is fixed between this Paradise and Hell.

 *****Luk 16:26  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 

 Matthew Henry writes: "In this world, blessed be God, there is no gulf between a state of nature and grace; we may pass from sin to God, but if we die in our sins, there is no coming out".

 This verse is hard to explain because if we look at the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus, then we see that Moses and Elijah were already in their glorified bodies, so we cannot say they came from a place called Paradise, but they had to come from the presence of God the Father, who spoke to the Apostles Peter, James, and John.

 This was certainly the belief of the Jews, and the Lord Jesus was teaching in front of the Pharisees.

 The theory that Hell has two compartments, one for the righteous and the other a place of torment for the wicked, may be just a theory taught by the Jews.

 It is believed that the Lord Jesus is using the beliefs of these Pharisees to prove them wrong in their interpretations of the Scriptures.

 The Lord Jesus is teaching us about the contrast of life between the wicked and the righteous.

 Then the Lord Jesus teaches us the contrast between the death of the righteous and the wicked who end up in Hell.

 The Lord Jesus tells us that He drew back the veil to give us a glimpse of our life in the true Paradise.

 Where was Lazarus actually located? Rev_22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

 It was too late for the prayers of the rich man.

 *****Luk 16:27  Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 

Luk 16:28  For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 

 If we think about it, it is this rich man who dug this great chasm that separated him and his abundance from Lazarus. He had never thought about God being on the side of Lazarus.

 When he shut out Lazarus, he had shut out God.

 We have to be careful of these types of things as we live our lives.

 It was also too late to think about his other family members.

 Lazarus could no more bring him a drop of water than he could reappear to go warn this man's brothers.

 We can assume that this man's brothers lived by the same set of values as he had lived by.

 Abraham replied that this man’s brothers had the same Word of God that he had, the Books of Moses and of the prophets.

 The rich man said a great truth: the Books of Moses cannot save anyone. The Law can only take you so far. Only Jesus can take us to the true Paradise, Heaven.

 The truth is that people who are deaf to Moses and the Prophets would pay no attention to someone who was raised from the dead.

 *****Luk 16:30  And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 

Luk 16:31  And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. 

 They had a lot of evidence from the time of Christ, but they had ignored the evidence that they had.

 The same thing is happening today!

 We must be believers in the Word of God to accept the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 Notice that the rich man in Hell still thinks he is smarter than Abraham, who was already in Paradise.

 The message of Hell must be presented along with the Gospel, but it must be taught in love, like all the Gospel.

 The fire we know of here upon earth is material and temporary.

 Earthly fire does not last forever!

 Nothing on this earth will last forever!

 The fires of Hell are spiritual and are eternal, never-ending.

 We cannot shrink away from the truth of Hell.

 The worst part of Hell will always be eternal separation from God!

 This one thing is much worse than any physical experience that we can imagine here in this life.

 This is the most important point that the Lord Jesus is making here.

 We must do everything we can to stay out of Hell!

 2Th 1:7  And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 

2Th 1:8  In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 

2Th 1:9  Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 

2Th 1:10  When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. 

 

Rev 21:7  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 

Rev 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 

 

Luk 16:17  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. 

 Amen

Are You a Prodigal

 Jesus Uses Parables to Preach the Gospel

 Book of Luke Chapter 15

 

We have answered this question before, but what is a parable?

 The Webster dictionary describes a parable this way: "A fable or allegorical relation or representation of something real in life or nature, from which a moral is drawn for instruction".

 In truth, a parable is not a fable nor an allegory.

 One commentary says: A parable makes it evident that an essential feature of the parable lies in the bringing together of two different things so that the one helps to explain and to emphasize the other.

 To make it simple, a parable was often used in a more restricted sense to denote a short narrative, under which some important truth is veiled.

 In these parables, it proves the great love God has in seeking lost sinners and His forgiveness for them if they will only repent and return to Him.

 Luke Chapter 15 begins with the Parable of sinners coming to Jesus, and next the Parable of the Lost Coin.

 We could say that Luke Chapter 15 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible.

 Our lesson spends its time on the Lost Son, whom we call the Prodigal Son.

 Praise the Lord, for He knows how to find lost things!

 I was once one of those lost things that He found.

 The Pharisees and the scribes of today see searching for the lost as a waste of time.

 What does God say? Luk 15:7  I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

 Luk 15:10  Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. 

 If we make a few substitutions, we can better understand this parable.

 1) The lost son teaches us about sinful living and true repentance.

2) His father represents our Heavenly Father.

3) The other son in this parable teaches us about the self-righteous and those who reject the truth. 

 Remember this is the Lord Jesus speaking.

 ****Luk 15:11  And he said, A certain man had two sons: 

Luk 15:12  And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 

 We could say the problem in this family is a problem of relationships.

 The problem of the relationship of the father to his two sons.

The problem of the relationship between the two sons and their father.

 One son will represent the sinner.

The other son will represent the Pharisee who was always against Jesus.

 The father represents the love of God for both of these sons.

 The Lord Jesus Christ died for every sinner and every Pharisee and all others on Mount Calvary.

 Those in the past, those who live now, and those who would live in the future. This also includes every Israelite.

 The truth is that man's love is narrow, shortsighted, and selfish.

We do not see much love in the world today.

 God's love is boundless, profound, reconciling, and unreserved.

 Both of these sons, in their own way, sin against the love of God.

 When we reject our Creator, we are sinning against His love!

 There are so many differences between these two sons, so it is hard to believe they are brothers.

 The one thing they have in common is that they have the same father.

 The youngest son is rebellious, as we see in many of our youths today, driven by the desire to leave home and treat his parents as if they do not exist.

 This son wants to make grown-up decisions and be his own, but no person alive then or today becomes so mature that they can declare their independence from God.

 This reminds me of all those politicians and preachers who claim to know the truth of God, but they do not uphold the truth of God's Word when dealing with the lost.

 How can any so-called Christian defend any kind of immorality when God says it is an abomination?

How can any so-called Christian defend any sin when God says for us to repent of our sinful ways?

 No one can claim they are saved and in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and then defend the sin, the wickedness, and the immorality in our nation or in our world; no matter what they say, they are liars.

 Even in Israel at the time of Jesus, it was the custom for the property to be divided among the sons after the death of the father, with the firstborn getting a double portion.

 Today, if there is a last will, the possessions of that father would be divided according to that will.

 This foolish young man convinced his father to divide his estate, which he did, and gave to both sons their inheritance while he was still alive.

 He was declaring that to him, his father was dead!

 The young man immediately exchanged his property for money.

 On that day, land and animals were a sign of wealth and not money.

 He had no intention of honoring his parents in their old age, which in that day was the responsibility of the sons.

 He severed his relationship with his father and wanted nothing else to do with his family.

 There have been many such sons and daughters who have done this today, and a great many of them have come back home because independence and the world are not what they thought they were.

 This is the picture of the sinner who wants to do with his life what he wants to and to heck with everybody else.

 *****Luk 15:13  And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 

Luk 15:14  And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

 In most family homes, the children are first trained to help keep the home clean, and they will have more responsibility as they get older.

 This young man wanted his independence from any such responsibility. He wanted to do his own thing and live as he wished.

 This father gave his son what he asked for.

 There is no clearer way to deny God than to give in to your own will and ignore the will of God!

 What do we see? He wasted all that his father gave him on riotous living.

 He tried to live in luxury.

He was wanton, he became immoral, and lived without moral restraints.

He was licentious, giving in to festive indulgences, which meant he lived the party life, ignoring the laws of his upbringing.

He ate only the best foods this world had to offer, no matter the cost.

 He chose a country that was far different from his father's home.

 He chose a country that was full of wickedness and immorality, where he could live a worldly, fleshy life.

 We could say he was living for pleasure.

 We know that King Solomon tried this lifestyle and found it a vain way to live.

 Solomon had much more money than this prodigal son.

 What does the word prodigal mean? One that expends money extravagantly or without necessity; one that is profuse or lavish; a waster; a spendthrift.

 In a short time, this son had spent every dime he had, as he had wasted his inheritance and was now broke in a foreign country.

 He had nothing left on this earth to help him.

 The world we live in is only nice to those who can afford it, but this world will take away everything that you have and laugh at you.

 When you wrap your life up in pleasure, you will find that the pleasures of this world get old fast.

 There is only pleasure in sin for a season.

 Isa 21:4  My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me. 

 This young man had found out that the world we live in is a corrupt world.

 I used to think we live in a nation that could not be corrupted, but I know no better.

 A certain political group has corrupted our nation, and they fight with the strength of the Devil to keep it that way.

 Proverbs 11:19 says so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death. 

 Not only was he dead broke with no help, but a famine came to the country he was now living in, and he, being an illegal immigrant, would suffer even more.

 He became a slave and could only get the worst jobs.

 *****Luk 15:15  And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

Luk 15:16  And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

 We should know that a Jew was forbidden by law to attach themselves to a Gentile.

 Even if we disregard this, the humiliation of cleaning hog pens was a terrible pain for this young man.

 The attitude of the Jews toward swine was also governed by the Law.

 Lev 11:7  And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. 

Lev 11:8  Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you. 

 In typology, those hog pens give us the picture of sin when a man is enslaved to it.

 Sin will enslave us!

 Pro 5:21  For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings. 

Pro 5:22  His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. 

Pro 5:23  He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

 His bodily hunger became so great that he would have eaten the food that was given to the swine.

 The Greek text of the Bible says those husks were the pods of the carob tree, which was used for the feed of animals.

 Some say it had a sweetish taste, but it would tear your bowels up, and only the very poor would attempt to eat it.

 This young man came to his senses.

 *****Luk 15:17  And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 

Luk 15:18  I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 

Luk 15:19  And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 

 He had sunk as low as he could go. Trying to do things his way just was not working out.

 When he could only see how his freedom had turned out, he began to think about home and the only one who had loved him, his father.

 Heaven will be so wonderful that God considers any person who rejects the Lord Jesus to be mad or insane for wanting to live in this unreal, wicked world.

 Our world is not only vain, but it is also fake.

 Our nation has been known as the land of opportunity, but it is fake.

 Only Heaven is the true land of opportunity.

 Ecc 9:5  For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 

Ecc 9:6  Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

 Inner conviction began to lead this young man to repentance.

 Repentance is the beginning of reality and the basis for building a sound life.

The beginning of repentance is thought, thinking about the need to repent and turn back to God.

 The Holy Spirit will first convince us that we are sinners.

Then He will put in our hearts that there is a God who loves us.

It is the heart that will convince us of our lost condition.

It is the heart that will bring us to confession.

This is how the Holy Spirit works to bring us under conviction.

God is Light, and God is Love.

As Light, He works in the Heart to convince us of our lost condition.

As Love, we can see in Him in His Goodness.

1Pe_5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

This son knew one thing for certain. If he remained in his condition, he knew he would perish!

His sin is staring at him in the face.

When we sin against God, we have sinned against His Love for us.

He began to think about his father and how his father had many servants, but not one of them were slaves.

They were hired help, taken care of, and fed from his father’s table.

He realized that he was no longer worthy to be considered a son and sought to just become one of his father's servants.

He knew he needed to get moving before he perished.

He knew he would have to turn from his sinful life.

He knew he would have to turn toward and move toward God.

This is repentance!

When we repent, we must turn from this world and turn toward God's New Heaven.

This begins after confession of our sin!

It was time to do this before another day passed.

*****Luk 15:20  And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 

Luk 15:21  And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 

Many a soul on this earth realizes their sinful life and realizes that they are not worthy to receive forgiveness, but they feel they cannot be forgiven, so they remain in their misery or seek an early death, having no hope.

When we do this, we dishonor not only ourselves, but we dishonor our Heavenly Father, who is waiting for us with open arms, with healing in His wings.

Mal_4:2  But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

The greatest decision this young man would ever make was the decision to return to his father.

We need to reconcile ourselves with God!

Heb_2:17  Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

God is always ready to receive us!

God is omniscient, so this son was forgiven before he even confessed!

Repentance is the sign that we are sincere when we confess.

There is a movement in many places of worship to remove this step to salvation.

People want to be saved and then work on repentance, but repentance will not come without the help of the Holy Spirit.

God sees we are sincere when we turn from our wicked ways!

This is why the father ran to meet his son!

The God of the New Testament, the Father of all mankind, is most clearly revealed in His compassion.

When we take one step toward God, He will take two steps toward us!

Psa 34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 

When this son returns to his father, he finds out that his father has never stopped loving him.

His heart had gone with his son even when he was far off.

This is the example the Lord Jesus was making.

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

It was time for a feast.

*****Luk 15:22  But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 

Luk 15:23  And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 

Luk 15:24  For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 

This young son was now accepted and restored, but it would not have happened if he had not returned.

Before this son says just make me one of your servants, the heart of the father has taken over.

It is the position of our Heavenly Father that determines that we are still His sons and daughters.

Repentance is the key to returning to the arms of God.

When we walk through Heaven's Gates, we will walk in as a son or daughter who has returned home!

Luk_15:10  Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

Our dirty, rotten, sinful clothing will be removed, and a robe of salvation will be given to us.

Notice an important point: the servants of this father knew exactly where this robe had been hanging in anticipation of the return of this son.

Not only do we have a mansion in Heaven prepared by the Lord, but there is also a Robe of Righteousness awaiting us.

Isa_61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

The best robe we will ever wear is the robe we receive when we get to Heaven.

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 

We will receive a ring as a sign of special honor and dignity: Gen 41:42  And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; 

Those new shoes show that we now walk with our Heavenly Father.

Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

We should notice that this son receives much more than he received when he left.

That fatted calf is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was slain for our sins.

Eph 2:7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

There is much more that we can get from this parable of the Prodigal Son if we just take it to heart and remember our own salvation.

Amen