Luke 23:32, 39-43

 Christ on the Cross. Between two criminals. One spews hate, one repents of his sins and believes in the Lordship of Jesus. He is given the hope of life as Jesus says, "today you will be with me in paradise."

Repentance and faith in Christ and what He has done. This startling simplicity is sometimes too much to bear. Yet it is oh, so true.

The beautiful words of the hymn, In Christ Alone, wrap this up in such a way. Attached is the song, take time or this to be your prayer today. We serve the true and mighty King. 

In Christ Alone

Luke 23: 27-31

 Sinclair Ferguson ends with this question, "There  is a huge difference between a sentimental view of the cross-which stirs up a self gratifying feeling of sadness-and a serious view of it-which focuses somberly on Christ. Which view are you?"

If you were to pause and think through your response to the cross and Christ, where would you land. I am sure at first its easy to say, oh the later, of course! But really pause and think through. Do you see Christ and His righteousness as the greatest gift you have ever received, or a trinket that has been given. 

As Jesus addresses the women he tells them to weep not for him but for themselves. It is easy to look upon the crucifixion scene and be sad, but it may lead to a misunderstanding. Jesus was paying a debt we could not. He was willingly, He was sent, He drank the cup of wrath intended for us. So often the story of ourselves gets so interwoven that we become co-leads with Jesus. We try to teach of who God is and what His Son has done by starting with "me." Our testimonies are a great celebration of the mercies of God and the truth that we are robbed in His righteousness is remarkable. But, if we, don't understand what that means, we cannot clearly articulate the good news of the gospel to a lost and dying world. 

In the sermon attached the pastor quotes a gentleman who says we have 'domesticated' the cross. That resonated deeply. It is true. We have tried to lighten the load of our sins. We have tried to take away its heinousness. But we shouldn't. We should not fear it, it was as the Lord would have it. He could have called 10 thousand angels, but he did not. He drank every last drop and died a comfortless death; as the great comforter poured out His wrath to its full extent. And then, He rose again. The perfect propitiation. The spotless Lamb. The Son of the Great I AM.

May the understanding of the Cross help you reflect on the goodness of our Savior.

The Innocent for the Guilty

Holy Week begins. Luke 23:6-12

 And so it begins. What is by all measures ordinary; holy week has begun. The week that we see the Lord go to the Cross and then conquer the grave. This week I will simply be attaching different resources from men who have faithfully preached the Word. May our week be ushered in with somber observance and finished with joy!

The Trial Between Heaven and Earth 

Man of Sorrows

Luke 22:47-53,63-65

 I struggle every single time I get to this portion of the gospels. In both my personal study and each year in our Lent study. I want to look away. I want to skip the ugly part. It is so hard for me to process that this was done on my behalf. I break every time. It is humbling and horrible and gloriously beautiful all at once.

Today the church in America likes to skip the hard parts. We edit out or water down the parts of the Bible that do not fit the normative. Because of that, we have become feeble, confused and half hearted. We do not see the depths of our sin so we struggle to understand the incredible moment when Jesus dies the perfect death, the sacrificial lamb. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Luke 22:7-23

 Today's passage made me think a lot about my knowledge of who Jesus is and what he has done. I felt very challenged to think through my attitude towards communion and my understanding of it. I will share with you the questions I am asking myself today:

1) Can I articulate what is happening in this passage?

2) Can I explain communion to someone else in a biblical manner?

3) Do I recognize the importance of this means of grace?

Luke 20:46-21:4

 Admittedly, I did not enjoy the reading today in our book. It had nothing to do with the primary lesson which I think is very valuable and important, it had to do with the speculation. Even the best teachers and preachers are still men, and we do not always have to hang on to their every word. In this instance, and as on occasion in this book, I do not enjoy thinking about if voices were raised or how the woman looked putting in her money. I simply and always want to be in the Word and think on the word spoken by Jesus and written for us to know. I find a danger in imaginative story telling. We can so easily fantastically rewrite things (as we see is the current trend in Christianity right now) and set it on par with the Bible itself.

The premise of our study today, as we encounter the rich man and the widowed woman is their hearts. How they give, out of abundance and out of everything. 

There was a book written in the early 2000's and a chapter was titled, "Serving leftovers to a Holy God." and that sentence has always stuck with me. How do I live my life? How do I come to the Lord? Do I give my leftovers or do I give to Him my best? We see this as a problem since the beginning. I think immediately of Cain and Abel and the way they brought their offering before the Lord. 

Where do we find ourselves this weekend? How will we serve and give? What is our motivation? Prayfully, it will be for the joy of the Lord. What is man's primary purpose? Westminster Question 1 says, "To glorify the Lord and enjoy Him forever." May that be our prayer and our praise today.

Luke 20:1-8

 Often we encounter people questioning our beliefs and motives. It is natural to want to defend ourselves. Yet time and again this is not the pattern of the Lord. He typically questions the questioner. He gets to the root of the matter and the state of their heart. 

We could learn well from this, listening to what is being asked, not ready to pounce with a defense or a rebuttal. Why is this person questioning me? Is their concern out of hurt, rebuke or malice? 

Unfortunately due in part to social media we don't have to listen anymore. Nor do we have to care about the person offering the statement. We can get brave behind our keyboards and spout off "spiritual poison," to prove our christianness, point or position. We have been trained to not care about those who are reading the response nor about the person behind the writing. May we break these habits. May we know the Word so well that our hearts and lives are seasoned with wisdom and understanding. May we learn when to speak and when to be silent. May we learn to walk in the shadow of the Almighty.

Luke 19:28-48

 There are moments of this study, and each study we do, that hang so big and so heavy I find it hard to breathe. This is one of them. As we enter into the narrative of what we call Palm Sunday we encounter Jesus in a very profound way.

 It is funny, because Palm Sunday growing up was met with spring colored dresses, palms handed to us at the door and little crosses made from palm leaves during children's church on the way out. It became festive. We became part of the crowd shouting "Hosanna!" Looking back and looking not too far back it strikes me how although part of this, it misses the mark at times. 

 This very same crowd was the one that would be present at Jesus hearing a week later. The same ones shouting hosanna in one breathe shout crucify him with another. Even the disciples who led Jesus on the colt would flee and deny and betray. 

Yet Jesus, enters, the anointed one. The one set to break the curse. The perfect propitiation of our sins. And as he rides towards Jerusalem we are told a few things. The people praised him for his works, the Pharisees fussed over it, and Jesus wept over Jerusalem. 

When the Pharisees demanded that Jesus silence the people, his response was incredible. He says that the very stones would cry out if the people did not. We are told in Romans 8:22 that all of creation groans waiting for redemption. Jesus is the sustainer of all things. He upholds the universe by the word of his power. He, being Christ. The King had come. 

Jesus then goes into the temple and cleanses it. I find myself reflecting what in my heart and what in my thoughts on worship and what I do at church and for church and within church needs to be cleansed today?

Sinclair Ferguson writes on page 90, "He was the Messiah, the Anointed One. He remains so. As prophet he continues to speak God's word to us through Scripture. As priest he has offered himself as a sacrifice to cleanse us from the guilt of sin and now in our lives. Yes, indeed, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!"

Amen.

Luke 19:1-10

 In today's passage we encounter Zacchaeus, a man short in stature as we are told, who have an encounter with Christ. 

Zacchaeus climbed a tree...because a wee little man was he... LOL. Sorry the song keeps popping into my head. Seriously though, Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was coming. Longing to see him he climbed up the tree to peer over a crowd. However, the most important part of the story, Jesus sees and calls him. He knew the tax collector was there. The Lord who sustains all things, including that tree growing where it did, the breaths of every man in the crowd, the heart beat of us reading the encounter today; He knew,and He called. 

Unlike the rich young ruler that we read about last week, this tax collector responds differently. Seeing Jesus being with the Christ changed everything. He repented and said he would pay back fourfold anyone who he had unjustly charged and then give away the rest of his wealth to the poor. Zacchaeus had an encounter with Christ and from that moment on nothing mattered more. He became like the man mentioned in Matthew 13:44-46, finding the treasure in the field, and in his joy sells all that he has and buys the field. 

Friend, where does our heart lie? Are we like the rich young ruler or the small tax collector?

Luke 18:18-30

 The young ruler. Shallow in his understanding of who Jesus was, and overconfident in his understanding of the law. He approaches Jesus with false flattery and ascertains his own merits and righteousness. And the Lord, dissolves it one question at a time. He shows the young man where his true riches lie. He uses the law to reveal the need for a Savior, and then promises salvation to those who believe and follow Him.

Sinclair Ferguson ends the chapter with this question, "Is there anything sticking to your soul with super glue? Are you prepared to ask Jesus to release it?"

A provoking question to take into our weekend.

Luke 18:15-17

 In a beautiful moment, Jesus assures that children are welcome. Wise parents came to the Lord seeking his blessing on their children. The disciples tried to send them away and Jesus, himself, rebuked them.

My mind goes this morning to the passage in Judges that I was reading. When Sampson's mother is told she would give birth to a son set aside for the work of the Lord, her and her husband seek God on how to raise him. I had honestly, never noted this detail but it is a worthy one to pause at. Do we seek the Lord on how best to raise our children? Do we teach His goodness to our children? Do we hinder them?

I have to be careful because I can find myself on a soapbox on ways I think the church has removed children from being blessed by the Lord. Rather than bringing them straight to Jesus we keep them away from His word on a typical Sunday morning ( or wait until they are "old enough," to sit through service). We as parents must remember that the Word of God is living and active, it knows no age. 

Luke 17:20-37

 Already, not yet. This has become both a mind-boggling and yet exciting saying to me. The kingdom of God is already, as Christ has come, and not yet; as He will come again.

Because this passage and this thought alone are quite puzzling and profound I have attached several articles to help us go deeper yet into this understanding. 

May we learn to live in this glorious tension.

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/what-is-kingdom-god

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/living-in-the-tension

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/already-not-yet

Luke 17:5-10

 Whenever my studies collide on the same topic the same day, I feel I should be paying extra attention. Today was faith being a gift, given by God in His complete grace to us. Read both in this portion of Luke but then in my quiet time catecism and prayer, a reminder of what faith genuinely is; and a great opportunity to correct any false narratives.

I love reading today in our book, how faith is not a thing. We can not muster up big little faith. Faith in our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and since it is rooted and grounded in Him, it is always perfect. Faith is a gift given to us. 

In Westminster Larger Catechism Q & A 71 says in part "How is justification an act of God's free grace?" 

A:" Although Christ, by his obedience and death, did make a proper, real and full satisfaction to God's justice in the behalf of them that are justified; yet inasmuch as God accepteth the satisfaction from a surety, which he might have demanded from them, and did provide this surety, his own only Son, imputing His righteousness to them, and requiring nothing of them for their justification but faith, which also is his gift, their justification is to them of free grace." ( I underlined the statement in focus)

God's graces are immeasurable. His goodness is unsearchable. Do we look at faith as a thing to earn, a thing we do, or as a gift of God anchored in Him alone? When our faith is not what we can muster but in who Christ is, in His atoning work and His saving grace, how can we not walk by faith in this gift of God?

Luke 14:25-33

 I think I could spend the rest of our study on this passage alone. So powerful and convicting as I sit and ponder the words of Jesus and then the teaching of Sinclair Ferguson on them. Several points were drawn out that I would love to offer for us today:

"When Jesus calls a man, he bids him to come and die." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer These are not typically words we find scrolled across the front cover of discipleship books. Yet this affirms the words Jesus says to the crowd."Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." Jesus calls us to follow Him. So often we change this thought, we soften it- "Jesus loves you for you, you are enough, you are God's little princess." Quite the difference of Jesus turning to the crowd (women included) saying unless you are willing to die, unless you love me with a love so radical that your affections towards your family feel like hate- you cannot follow me. 

The only thing that is enough in our life is our sin to convict us and our Lord to save us. 

In what ways have we allowed discipleship to reflect worldly ideologies rather than biblical ones? 

Have you considered the cost?

Luke 13:22-30

 Today's read was beautiful, humbling and a startling warning shot. SO often we can fall into the trap of this man, wanting to talk theology or things of the Lord while failing to not know him. He want to know answers in place of knowing Christ Himself.

Sinclair Ferguson breaks down Jesus' response in these 3 ways:

1.That is not the question you should be asking (v,24) What you should be asking is, "Am I going to be saved?"

2, Make sure you strive to enter now, while you have the opportunity (v 25). One day it will be too late. The door will be shut.

3. Don't confuse having seen me and listened to me with coming to me (v 26).

These are massively huge thoughts to ponder. We read in the Old Testament of Noah, there was a day that the door to the Ark shut. The Lord himself shut the door. We do not get to chose when the door closes but today we have the opportunity to seek him while he might be found.

Primarily, today I think the 3rd statement is the most troublesome. The notes in my bible state, "To have social fellowship with Jesus and hear His teaching is not enough. In fact, to witness His miracles and hear His words without responding in faith compounds people's guilt (10:13-15)". Is this not how we can be today? The church is in danger of merely being a group think fellowship hall where we gather for a good time and listen to a sermonette. Fellowship in itself if not a bad thing, but when it becomes the main thing, or the main goal is just getting people through the door and trying not to scare them away we are in grave danger. Faith comes through hearing and hearing by the Word of God. His Word must always be our primary purpose.

Friend where are you today? Have you simply heard the word and like to do christian things or are you a daughter of the King who has been raised to newness of life through Christ Jesus our Lord?

Luke 13:10-17

 This passage is truly thought provoking and humbling as we read through it and examine our heart according to the Lord's words. Do we delight in the Sabbath? Do we find ourselves prioritizing our work and efforts and energies that on Sundays we can come and rest and find comfort at the feet of Jesus?

This is quite hard in our American culture. We are a busy lot. Work, school sports have all but eradicated our day of rest, and actually turn Sundays into a horrific chore. "I get up early every day of the week, Sunday is my chance to sleep in." Or, I can watch church online, or God knows my heart. What would Jesus say to us if he encountered us on the Lord's day? Would he be tender or would we be rebuked.

It is so easy to think about all of this backwards; because essentially through both the American church and the American way we have been conditioned to do so. Even Sundays the church and her programs have laid a crushing burden on people who are already weary. We rip apart families, separating them room by room, musical taste by musical taste, age by age during the main portion of our corporate worship all to ensure a good "Jesus experience." We have modeled the bride after the American Dream Date rather than the Bride of Christ that she is! How can we return her beauty and grace and dignity? How can we delight in Christ more?

Sinclair Ferguson shares in this study, "Sin is always inconsistent, and pharisees exist all over the place. There is the religious variety...And there is the secular variety ( our media lamenting about the death of a pregnant whale and her unborn calf due to plastic pollution on one day while passionately advocating abortion rights the next). Sinners can never be consistent. But saints are called to precisely that. And one area that we should seek to be consistent is in '[calling] the Sabbath a delight' (Is 55:13)"

How can we spend the rest of the week to make sure that the Sabbath becomes our delight? Are there things that need to be removed to our schedule? Or perhaps even added? Do we bring our leftovers or our longing hearts to church? Do we eagerly anticipate the Word being taught or do we constantly look at our watches or volunteer in nursery one more time so we do not need to be in service? May we find peace and joy in the Lord of the Sabbath this week.

Luke 12:22-34

Read: Luke 12: 22-34

This passage is always one to cause me pause. I am a fairly anxious person. It can be very easy to quickly be consumed by what-ifs. Pausing to hear Jesus' words today though bring the gentle reminder...therefore do not be anxious...This is a command and a promise. The therefore is based upon who God is. Not my circumstances, not my provisions, not what lies ahead but the God of the Universe who knows me and sees me. Everything in my life will be done for my good and to His glory. The ultimate comfort comes from the perfect Comforter. He is, He was and He will be. 

Its funny in a not so funny way when you think particularly about our American culture. We are literally obsessed over what we eat and what we wear. It is probably some of the most consuming thoughts and actions we have. What we do and what we don't. A vicious cycle never letting us get out of our own way to greater things, namely the Kingdom of God. I have been thinking of this quite a bit as I have immersed myself in the study of contentment. John Piper wisely states, " God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." How true is this. All of my anxieties can become breeding grounds to sin and misery. Its an easy place for Satan to prowl and devour. But oh, that our longings would be Christ! That our satisfaction would be Christ! And may our deepest desires be Christ!

Amen.

Luke 11:37-54

 The Pharisee gasped at Jesus lack of hand washing. It wasn't about being a germ a phobe, it was religious pretense. He didn't honor their rituals. 

How many things in our lives are merely that? Rituals to prove to others that we are "Christian," rather than inward workings of the Spirit that come out as fruit (love, joy, peace...) Sinclair Ferguson points out "Their religion was essentially self-centered and man-centered." Sadly, not much has changed today. We worship God based on how we feel about Him. We see the movement of God measured in rhythmic swaying to words far more about us and how we feel than the truth of who God is. 

We can so easily become white-washed tombs, but be dead inside. Friends, what things do we do that hold religious value or selfish gain over the Word of God, over Jesus Christ and what He has done for us, in dying for our sins and raising again? What voids do we replace emotionalism over truth with? May we pause and repent of these. May we be as the tax collector is Luke 18 who beat his chest in sorrow saying, oh God be merciful to me a sinner and not as the Pharisee demanding hand washing and thanking God that he is not like other men.

Luke 11:27-28

 A short passage but one that carries a lot of weight. A woman shouting to Jesus in the crowd- blessed be your mother who bore you! Is this not a praise we still see among certain religions today. Wanting to worship Mary and give her special praise rather than the One whom she bore, the only one who has power over sin and death?!

And the Lord responds, gently but with a massive amount of truth and correction, "Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and keep it!" 

How easy is it to fall into the the trappings of religion? Or of praising those who seem to do it well? Or even yet to long to have it together or have faith like...fill in the blank. We can so quickly lose sight of God and His Word and replace it with earthly replicas, idols and works. But the Lord, he reminds the woman, and all of us, blessed are those who hear the Word of God.

Hearing is active. It is not simply glancing at our Bibles and checking something off, or showing up on Sunday but then tuning out the Pastor so we can make our weekly to-do lists in our heads. It is an active participation, where we are hearing, reading, meditating on, listening too and being taught the Word in a way that we treasure it in our hearts and it transforms us.

How can you be a better hearer today? 

Luke 11:14-26

 It is always startling to read about the casting out of demons. As we continue with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem, we encounter just that. Much is happening, Jesus heals a man and those around him challenge him on what he has done. I love how Sinclair Ferguson laid it out today, he was on the way to accomplish the long foretold promise, to crush the serpent's head. Here is a foretaste.

Jesus states in verse 23, "whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."

Are there areas in your life that would put you in direct opposition with Christ? Are there places where we find ourselves scattering fallacies about the kingdom (gossip, discontentment, grumbling, complaining, disputing, dishonoring, lusting, hating) that we can repent of and ask the Lord to change in our hearts and minds? May we strive to always be for the Lord and worship Him alone.

Luke 11:1-13

 Praying through the Lord's prayer. It is wonderful to think that the Lord gave us a model of how to pray and that we can use this as a way to guide our own thoughts and prayers. Sinclair Ferguson points on this reading for today that Martin Luther wrote a booklet for his barber when he inquired about how to pray. Luther told him he could turn each prayer into a praise and a petition. 

May we today take time to pause and pray and perhaps journal this out, that we could come before the Lord both in praise and petition! We read in Philippians 4:6-8 this exact truth. " DO not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Amen!

Luke 10:38-42

Today's study is incredibly powerful and convicting. Especially as women, many of us can not just relate but find ourselves in similar circumstances wearing the same shoes and attitude as Martha.

Sinclair Ferguson writes, " Martha has been 'Anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing was necessary,' (v41-42). Jesus wanted to deal with the way Martha had been distracted by the many things. The result was that she had lost her focus on Jesus himself. These things were vehicles for serving him. But in the process of Martha's serving, Jesus himself had been obscured. She had lost sight of the Savior in the service. Doing things for him had taken the place of being with him. That is after all the 'good portion' (v42)."

Truly remarkable. Even yet today, especially today it is easy to let service be what fills our cup rather than Christ himself. Our to-do list can become so big, we set aside reading the Word for a quick devotional because...we don't have time for that! We have things to get too! Or we wish the sermon on Sunday would hurry along because we have a roast in the oven and want to get home,or people are coming over and we aren't quite ready. The world tells us Jesus is not enough. It is a Jesus plus mentality. BUT God's word assures us that He is the perfect portion. He is our daily bread and water. He is our perfect peace. Jesus is not just more than enough; he is the reason we live and breathe! 

It can become almost habitual to not be satisfied with Christ. We look to the Word as dull and look to things and circumstances for our satisfaction and contentment. May we choose today to repent of these things! May we pray, that Jesus is our good portion all of the days of our lives, and that His Word is the daily bread our hearts desire and consume. 

The Road Less Traveled. (Luke 9:57-62)

 Luke 9:57-62

     In a very short passage we come across some very profound conversations. Ones that truly have eternal ramifications and ones that surely are worth us, 'pondering in our heart.' There are 3 conversations with Jesus as he is making his way to Jerusalem. Sinclair Ferguson does a remarkable job of laying out the 3 conversations. 1) Volunteers to come 2) One is called to come and  3) Volunteers. Each man is met with startling responses from the Lord. Ones that would not match what we make of Jesus today, this in itself is a huge reason to pause and think of these...do you make much of Christ, and do you know Him through His written word and not simply manifest emotionalism about how you feel about Jesus? I would like to focus on the first and third responses.

The first man rapidly says he will join, without thought to the consequences and hardship. Without weighing, considering or even knowing the cost he tries to jump in. Jesus tells him it will be hard. There will be no where to lay your head. As we consider the Lord's death and resurrection, we must honestly ask ourselves, "Am I in this for me or for Him?" Did I volunteer so I could add Jesus to my resume of good things I have done, do I serve a self made moralistic, therapeutic, deity, or do I serve the one true Almighty King?

The third man volunteers again. He would like to come but first say his goodbyes at home. Jesus responded quickly telling him that no one who puts their hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom. I love Sinclair Ferguson's explanation here. He immediately references when Elisha's response when Elijah called him to come work. (1 Kings 19:19-21) Elisha immediately sacrifices his bulls who he was plowing the field with and burns them as a sacrifice from the wood of the yokes they were attached too. His life changes immediately. He leaves everything for the sake of the Lord. 

Sinclair ends the reading with this wonderful question: What reservations do you have about Christ's Lordship in your own life? What gives you confidence that he is worth following?

Lentish

 Good morning! Welcome to our journey towards Goof Friday and Resurrection Sunday. 

I always hesitate to call this study a "lent" study, as I do not follow the practice in the way the word suggests. However, the thought and hope to set aside this time of 40 days to focus on the Lord is what we are defining it as. Lent...ish. 

During this time period, I pray that the scripture comes alive in our hearts, convicts us of sin, and draws us nearer to the Savior.

Sinclair Ferguson in the 1st two days of his book walks through Luke 9:51-56. He talks of Jesus setting his eyes on Jerusalem. May we observe Christ's journey closely as we read these verses. Write out 3 observations from the passage and examine closely your study notes in your Bible for context and clarification.