King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Sunday, October 27, 2024
Chapters: Luke Chapters 14-15
Message: Lost Sinner Found by Jesus
Hello My Friend,
As I was reading the chapters for today I was reminded of just how merciful God is, not to mention quite patient with His children. We fail Him so much, and yet He is so faithful and just to not only forgive us, but forget all about what we have done when we come to Him confessing our sin, [1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.]
Charles Spurgeon said, [The believer is a new creature, he belongs to a holy generation and a peculiar people-the Spirit of God is in him, and in all respects he is far removed from the natural man; but for all that the Christian is a sinner still…The prayer which moves the arm of God is still a bruised and battered prayer, and only moves that arm because the sinless One, the great Mediator, has stepped in to take away the sin of our supplication…Even now, though sin dwells in us, its power is broken. It has no dominion;]
What a wonderful reminder that sin does not have dominion over the saved born again sinner that it had before we received Christ as our Saviour. While a saved sinner never loses their salvation, they can get lost in sin and lose sight of Jesus, but no true believer can fall away from Jesus completely because He never lets go of them. As for those who are truly lost, Jesus, will find them as well, if they want to be found.
[Luke 15:7-10 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. 8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.]
The repentance that Jesus is talking about here is referring to those whom have turned their thinking away from their own works removing sin to knowing that only Jesus can remove their sin. The just persons are the saved born again sinners who actively confess their sins so while they may be repentant of their sin, there is no need to ask Jesus to save them repeatedly because their salvation is permanent, [Romans 6:8-10 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.]
As we continue in the reading of the Gospels, things are starting to get intense between Jesus and the Pharisees, they were doing everything within their power to tempt Him into doing something that would prove to the people that He was a fraud. Luke, recalls another Sabbath when Jesus went into a house of one of the Pharisees, Jesus, sees a man who’s body is swollen, a condition called dropsy or hydropisy, no doubt they brought him there to see if He would heal the man.
[Luke 14:1-7 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. 2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. 3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? 4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; 5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? 6 And they could not answer him again to these things. 7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,]
[Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?] Jesus, asked both the lawyers and the Pharisees this question, fully knowing that they had already determined for themselves that it was against the Law to make one move on the Sabbath. People have been distorting and misinterpreting the Sabbath since God instituted it, the Law simply states this in regards to the Sabbath, [Exodus 20:9-11 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.]
[they could not answer him again to these things.] The reason they kept quiet was because deep down they knew that they were following tradition over the Law and could justify themselves had they spoke up. Today, the Sabbath is still something that we need to have respect for as we all need one day that is just in honor of God. Since Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, most saved, born again Christians honor Him on the first day of the week because that is the day that He arose from the dead, [Luke 24:1-3 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.]
They may have been watching Jesus, but He was actually watching them also, He notices how the elite gathered in their sections of the house and how so many were so eager to get their attention and become one of them that they took it upon themselves to join in with them. Then Jesus speaks this parable.
[Luke 14:8-11 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; 9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. 10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. 11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.]
[Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.] If you have you ever sat at a table with people you know, but really pay you no mind to you, then you know how embarrassing it is because they all look at you as to why you had the nerve to even sit at their table. This is why I was never too eager to join in with the elites, and even if they invited me I had my reservations. This is another way of Jesus explaining that you cannot get into heaven on your own, if you want God to notice you, then you must humble yourself and accept that His Son, who invited you, is the only way to do that.
[1 John 5:13-15 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.]
Well, if that parable did not get their attention, perhaps another one will, Jesus, feeding off the last parable, speaks one directly to the person who invited Him to the dinner, [Luke 14:12-15 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. 13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: 14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. 15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.]
[lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.] In other words, as long as they keep inviting the rich to their parties then nothing honorable or profitable will come of it, but if they invite those less fortunate, God will reward them with His Kingdom. This is actually another illustration of preaching the Gospel to the lost, those who are saved do not need to be invited to the party because they will already be there, [1 Thessalonians 4:14-15 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 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.]
[Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.] This arrogant fool no doubt thought that he was among those feasting with Jesus, although he had no clue that He would be there. Jesus again, literates who will be feasting in the Kingdom of God.
[Luke 14:16-20 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.]
[And they all with one consent began to make excuse.] Many will be invited to come to Christ, even the self righteous know it all’s who think they are working their way to heaven, but those who refuse to accept the invitation will be banned forever. Jesus, states this as He concludes the parable.
[Luke 14:21-24 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.]
[That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.] Jesus, has an open invitation for all to come to Him, but it is up to each of us to accept it. You see, we only have now to accept Christ as our Saviour because tomorrow or even one hour from now is not guaranteed, [Revelation 3:20-21 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.]
There is only one way to God and that is Jesus Christ, each and every person that actually has knowledge of God and even a remote sense that He exists is invited, but the sad truth is that the majority will not open their door to Him. If we are going to choose Him, then He would like some faithfulness. He does not expect us to be sinless, for He took care of that for us, but He does expect us to sin less. Now, after Jesus left the Pharisees house, once again multitudes followed Him, He stopped, turned around and flat out told them who can and cannot be disciples of His.
[Luke 14:25-30 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.]
[And there went great multitudes with him:] Now, we get a little more insight as to why Jesus said what He said, many will appear to follow Him, but those who are sincere and honest about it then they put Him above all things, including family members and themselves. And for the first time I am getting a new perspective on this, Jesus, is the foundation upon which our faith stands. Our relationship with God, our loved ones, and those around us needs to be built upon that foundation because He is the one who completes us. For instance, a man and woman becoming husband and wife need to center their marriage around Christ, likewise any children, and so on. Without Christ as the foundation there is constant war, [1 Corinthians 3:10-11 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.]
[all that behold it begin to mock him,] Speaking of being mocked, the more people heard about Jesus they more they realized that they were sinners and needed to repent, in fact, more believers started following Him and the Pharisees did not like that at all. They began to mock Jesus for associating Himself with sinners, Jesus goes on to tell them, through a parable, of course, who the just ones actually are.
[Luke 15:1-6 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.]
[This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.] ll of a sudden the elite were not so popular anymore as everyone who realized that they are sinners understood exactly what Jesus was talking about. I for one am sure glad that Jesus receives this sinner. Those who think they have no sin will never eat with Jesus because they are too proud to admit that they sin, [1 John 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.]
Being saved does not mean that you never sin again, it does mean that through our faith and faithfulness that we will sin less. I believe that if we are living in sin, our judgment happens while we are here until we either repent or God has to take us home to Him so that we do not hurt ourselves any longer. I believe this because I have two half-brothers having suffered greatly through drug addictions in heaven because they loved those drugs more than Jesus. This makes sense because once we get to heaven there is no more suffering, we are forever justified and appear before God as though we never sinned all due to the fact it is actually Jesus that stands before us, having removed every sin. Jesus, explains this through a parable.
[Luke 15:11-15 And he said, A certain man had two sons: 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. 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. 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.]
[And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine] This always brings me to tears when I read it, this man became an unpaid servant, feeding off the leftovers that the pigs did not eat. Let me tell you, we mess up all the time, and while it is very hard to come to God confessing our sins, we must do it, otherwise, we will suffer greatly. The great thing is that Jesus never lets go of us, His hand is always attached to us, but we still need to come to our senses and confess our sin in order to find some relief. That is exactly what this man did, he went straight to his father, confessing his sin, and discovered something incredible.
[Luke 15:18-21 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 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. 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.]
[am no more worthy to be called thy son.] Twice, this man said this, but his father did not care about what he did or lost, nothing he ever did could change the fact that he was his son. The father not only welcomed his son, he cleaned him up, dressed him up like royalty, and had a great feast celebrating his return. However, there was someone there who was not so happy about his return, his brother.
[Luke 15:22-27 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: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.]
[And he said unto him, Thy brother is come;] Here is this man who did everything right, and worked hard to help his family, and never seemed to get recognized for it, rightly he had a reason to be angry, but I too have come to learn that I am a sinner just the same. The important thing to remember is that no matter the sin, we are all the same to God, sinners saved by grace, He just does not need to concern Himself more with His faithful because He knows where they are. The father explains this to his son.
[Luke 15:28-32 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. 29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.]
[Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.] We are all sinners, we mess up more times than we care to admit, yet Jesus still has compassion on us. We do not bring others to Christ by reminding them of their sin, we do that by having compassion on them, [Galatians 5:13-16 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Luke 14:23-24 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. Luke 15:31-32 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for finding me in the mire of filth that I had been covered in and cleaning up not only my soul, but life as well. I know I mess up all the time, yet You are faithful and just to forgive me of all my unrighteousness when I come to You confessing my sins. Lord, since I am already Yours, and nothing that I can do will cause me to lose my salvation, lead me and guide me, keep me in Your light, give me Your strength, Your mercy, and Your grace so that it is not me that people see, but You. Help me to put You first above all people and things and build everything upon Your foundation so that You are seen through me. I pray this in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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