Luke 6:17-8:21

Luke
6:17-49  -  Four thoughts from Jesus’ ‘sermon’: (a) Hunger for God (21; Matthew 5:6): Laziness leads to superficial Christianity. Do not hunger and you will not be ‘filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18). Do not seek and you will not find (Matthew 7:7). Seek the Lord with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). God has so much for us (1 Corinthians 2:12). Don't miss out (2 Corinthians 9:6). (b) Love for God: Love is the greatest thing in the world. Our love for God is to be seen in our love for others (27; 1 John 3:16-17).  (c) Vision of God: The blind cannot lead the blind (39-42). Make sure you are not ‘blind and short-sighted’ (2 Peter 1:9). Run with the vision - Others will be blessed (Habakkuk 2:2). (d) Foundations in God: Make sure you are ‘rooted’ in Christ, our sure ‘Foundation’ (43-49; Ephesians 3:17; 2:19-22).

7:1-35  -  ‘When he heard of Jesus...’ (3): ‘Faith comes from hearing...’. Tell people of Jesus:  ‘How can they believe in Him if they have not heard His message?  How can they hear if no one tells the Good News?’ (Romans 10:17,14). ‘God has visited His people!’ (16): ‘Raised from the dead’ - Pray for a real ‘quickening’ as the ‘God, who is rich in mercy’, pours out ‘His great love’ upon us (Ephesians 2:4-6). John was looking for the One who was ‘to come’ (19). What a great thing it is when Christ comes among us. Do we take His presence for granted? Do not presume on God’s blessing: ‘Blessed are the eyes which see what you see!... many... desired to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it’ (10:23-24). Do we care about God’s blessing? - If we don’t, we may lose it!

7:36-8:21  -  Jesus does not come to us because we are good. He comes to us because He forgives sins. The woman came to Jesus and received forgiveness. The Pharisee, though steeped in religion, remained unforgiven (47-50). Don't be like the Pharisee. Don’t look down your nose at the ordinary people who mean so much to the Lord. ‘Some women...’: Much of God’s work is being upheld by faithful women who, by their praying, giving and working, are ‘ministering to Him’ (1-3). We read Jesus’ parables (4-18), and we learn. Let us read ‘the book of everyday life’, and learn what the Lord is saying to us concerning Himself. Let us learn from everyday life, always with this goal: Hearing the Word of God and doing it (21).