Luke 11:45

Luke 11:45 says, Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also. A lawyer said that by what Jesus had stated that he reproached the lawyers as well.  At least the lawyer recognized the fact, and if we are to be saved, we must recognize that until we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we are no better than any other sinner.  Verse forty-six adds, And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. Jesus made it clear that the lawyers who acted only in their self interest were indeed included in His proclamation of woe.  I don't believe this was a condemnation of all lawyers, but of those who used the religious law for their own profit and to burden others.  Verse forty-seven continues, Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  Jesus said the lawyers used the law to kill the prophets, as had their fathers before them. Verse forty-eight states, Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.  Jesus said the current lawyers were just as guilty as their fathers had been, because of instead of correcting past injustices they simply buried the prophets by the same interpretation of the law.  They built monuments to past prophets while continuing to persecute and kill the current ones.  We are not condemned for the sins of others, but we cannot excuse them either while continuing to commit the same sins ourselves.  Verse forty-nine adds, Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:  Jesus said that God in His wisdom had sent prophets and apostles to the people of Israel knowing that they would kill some of them.  As followers of Christ today, God may send us into a dangerous situation, and some may even die for their faith, but the reward is everlasting life if we put our faith in Him no matter what.  Verse fifty continues, That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;  Jesus said the current generation would be held responsible for the death of the prophets who came before as well, since they continued to have the same attitude towards God and His prophets.  I don't believe that we are held accountable for the sins of those who come before or after us, but if our attitude toward God is the same as them, we are guilty just as they were.  Verse fifty-one concludes, From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.  I believe that what Jesus was saying was that the current lawyers were just as guilty as those in the past of persecuting the prophets of God, and no outward veneration of the prophets would change that.  If we reject Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we reject all of His law and the prophets who came before Him.  Verse fifty-two declares, Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. Jesus pronounced woe on the lawyers because not only had they failed to enter into fellowship with God, but they prevented others from coming to God.  I believe people will be held accountable for preventing or trying to prevent others from coming to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.   Verse fifty-three adds, And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:  As Jesus spoke these things,  the scribes and Pharisees,  instead of repenting and coming to Him, began to attempt to get Jesus to say something that they could use against Him, which was what He had just said they did to the prophets.  When we hear the truth of God, we can either accept it or begin to plot against it. Verse fifty-four concludes,  Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.  The scribes and Pharisees began to actively work against Jesus.  These were the religious leaders of the people of Israel who prided themselves on being so.  We  must never, as followers of Christ, allow ourselves to use God's law to condemn anyone who is doing God's work. 

Luke 11:33

Luke 11:33 says, No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.  Jesus said that no one would light a candle then hide it where it couldn't be seen.  The gospel of Christ is the light of thy world and was meant to be shined into the world and not to be hidden from the world.  Verse thirty-four adds, The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.  Jesus then said that the eye is the light of the whole body.  We know if it is light or dark because of our eyes.  Jesus then said that what we focus on is important.  If we keep our eyes on the Light, Jesus Christ, we will be full of His light, but if we focus on evil, our whole body will become full of darkness.  Verse thirty-five continues, Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.  Jesus warns us to not be filled with false light.  Something that we might think is illuminating may really not be from God.  Verse thirty-six concludes, If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.  Jesus tells us that if we have His light shining in us, it lights the whole body.  If we are truly faithfulful to God, there will be no little nooks and crannies that aren't filled with the light of Christ.  Verse thirty-seven states, And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.  A Pharisee invited Jesus to eat with him, and Jesus accepted his invitation.  Jesus did not reject the scribes and Pharisees, but they rejected Him, just as He doesn't reject anyone today because of who they are.  Verse thirty-eight adds, And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.  When Jesus sat down to eat, the Pharisee marvelled that Jesus had not washed first.  This was more of a ceremonial washing, a religions ritual, than a purely cleansing of the hands, and Jesus chose not to do it.  I believe we can equate it to some people having certain ways that they worship, and looking down on others who do not worship the same way.  Verse thirty-nine declares, And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.  Jesus told the Pharisee that the Pharisees liked to look good on the outside, the image they presented to the world, but inside they were full of darkness.  The light of Christ was not in them.  There are still people today who profess to be religious leaders, and they may be but the light of the gospel is not in them.  We may fool people with outward signs of being a follower of Christ, but we will never fool God.  Verse forty adds, Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?   Jesus called them fools for not seeing that God Who makes all things clean on the outside also makes all things clean on the inside.  Cleaning up our outward appearance is never enough.  Verse forty-one continues, But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.  Basically,  Jesus said that if the Pharisees were more concerned about helping those in need than they were about ritual cleansing, then they would be made clean.  We can go through all the rituals that we believe to be associated with worshipping God, but if we do not help those around us when we can, then we are not following God's leadership.  Verse forty-two says, But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Jesus said the Pharisees tithed, but they passed over the judgment and love of God.  Going through the rituals of following God will not save us if we do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  When we have that personal relationship, then all that we do will be lit up by the light of Jesus Christ.  Verse forty-three adds, Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.  Jesus pronounced further woe on the Pharisees because they wanted to be idolalized by people, and not because they were simply sinners saved by grace.  If we are serving God for the praise of people, then we are no better than the Pharisees in Jesus's day.  Verse forty-four continues, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.  Jesus further pronounced woe on the scribes and Pharisees because they were like unmarked graves that people walked over without realizing it.  They were leading people away from God and the people didn't realize it.  We must make sure that we aren't hypocritical in our worship of God, and we certainly must make sure that we never lead others astray.

Luke 11:24

Luke 11:24 says, When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.  Jesus did not say when an unclean spirit had been cast out, but when it left on its own.  We may have demons that we believe that we have defeated without God's help, and if we do, we may return to our normal life believing we have no more to worry about.  Verse twenty-five adds, And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.  Upon returning to his house, everything looks neat and tidy to the man.  We may think things look neat and tidy in our everyday life without relying on God to guide us, but if we do, we are setting ourselves up for trouble to come.  Verse twenty-six continues, Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  Jesus said that when the man who had seemed victorious over one demon returned to his old life without putting his trust in God as the source of his victory, he invited seven more wicked spirits into his life to dwell there.  We may be so proud of the fact that we have overcome some demon or sin on our own that we don't notice that we have allowed seven more even worse demons or sins into our life.  We can become hypocritical and judgmental about others because we believe we have defeated our demons by our own power without acknowledging that God has given us the victory.  Verse twenty-seven states, And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.  While Jesus was speaking, a woman shouted out that the woman who had given birth to Jesus was blessed.  The woman was praising Jesus as a man, and giving His mother credit for His being such a good man.  Mary was blessed to be the mother of Jesus, but she was not the reason He was the Man He is.  It was and is the heavenly Father that we should praise for sending Jesus, His only begotten Son, to save us.  Verse twenty-eight adds, But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.  Jesus said that instead of praising Mary as blessed, we should acknowledge that those who hear and keep the word of God, coming to Jesus by faith for the forgiveness of our sins, are the ones who are blessed.  Verse twenty-nine declares, And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.  When the people gathered around Him again, Jesus called them an evil generation for seeking a sign that He was indeed the Messiah.  There are still people today who are looking for a sign that Jesus really is the only Savior.  I believe that there are also many people who are so caught up in trying to look for the signs of Christ's return that they lose sight of their purpose as followers of Christ, and that is to witness to the lost.  Verse thirty adds, For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.  Jesus said the only sign they would get was the sign Jonah gave to the Ninevites, and that was his restoration after three days in the belly of the whale.  The only sign we are going to get is the empty tomb where Jesus rose from the dead.  Verse thirty-one continues, The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.  Jesus said they queen of the south in Solomon's day would rise up in judgment against the people there, because she traveled a great distance to hear the wisdom of Solomon,  and One greater than Solomon, Jesus Himself, was there.  Verse thirty-two concludes, The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.  Jesus said even the people of Nineveh would condemn the present generation of the people of Isreal, because they had repented and turned to God at the preaching of Jonah, and the people around Jesus had not repented and turned to God at the preaching of Christ, One much greater than Jonah.  I don't believe that we are to judge other Christians, but unless we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, other Christians from long ago could judge us for failing to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, but it is only the judgment of Jesus Christ Himself that really matters.

Luke 11:14

Luke 11:14 says, And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.  Jesus cast out a devil from a person who could not speak, and then the man spoke.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, their is no demon that He does not cast out, and we are able to speak the truth spiritually for the first time and it have meaning.  Verse fifteen adds, But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.  Some people may have given Jesus praise for what He had done, but many tried to discredit Him by saying He was casting out devils by the power of Beelzebub, or Satan, the chief of the devils.  There are still many people today who see a miracle and want to give credit to anyone but God.  Verse sixteen continues, And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.  Still others wanted to tempt Jesus by asking for a sign from heaven.  We do not need to ask for some separate heavenly sign when we see a miracle from God today, but simply need to accept the miracle itself as a sign of God's love and mercy.  To do less is to tempt God. Verse seventeen declares, But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.  Jesus didn't just hear their words, but He knew the thoughts behind their words as well.  It is our thoughts that are important to God.  Jesus said a house divided against itself will fall.  Verse eighteen adds, If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.  Jesus asked that if Satan was divided against himself, which he would be if Jesus was casting out demons in the name of Beelzebub, how could Satan stand.  What we need to realize is that all evil is under the power of Satan and all good is under the power of God.  Verse nineteen continues, And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.  Jesus asked if He was casting out devils by the power of Beelzebub, then by whose power were their sons casting them out.  There were other men of Israel who were casting out devils in God's name, and they were praised.  Jesus had sent out some who did so.  We cannot attribute the miraculous work of God through certain people and attempt to discredit it through others if we are to be true followers of Christ.  We cannot be a divided house of God and be successful in advancing His kingdom as effectively as we should be.  Verse twenty states, But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.  Jesus said that if He cast out demons with the finger of God, then the kingdom of God had come upon them.  As followers of Christ, all that we do should be done under the power of God, because He is the only source of spiritual power.  Verse twenty-one adds, When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:  Verse twenty-two continues, But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.  Even though a strong man might have a stronger man take what is his, there is no stronger man than God, nor any Devil that is stronger, so if we put our faith in God, we are secure as long as we retain our faith.  Verse twenty-three declares, He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.  This is a very simple but very profound statement.  We are either for God or against God.  Their is no middle ground.

Luke 11:5

Luke 11:5 says, And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;  Verse six adds, For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?  Jesus asked a question that is still pertinent today.  If one of our friends came to us in the middle of the night asking for bread. to help because of unexpected company arriving, what would we do.  Verse seven states,  And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.  Jesus said the man within told his friend basically to go away and leave him alone.  He had plenty of excuses for this also.  They had no twenty-four hour stores then, and we might add this excuse today.  Just go to the store we might tell them.  Verse eight adds, I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.  Jesus said if the friend continued to knock, the man would get up and help him because of his persistence even if he wouldn't help him as just because he was a friend.  Verse nine declares, And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.  Jesus made a promise that if we seek Him, He can be found, and that we knock to ask of Him in faith, His door will be opened.  Verse ten adds, For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.  Jesus said all anyone had to do was ask and that person would receive salvation from Him.  We don't have to beg, or do great things, but we simply have to ask Jesus for salvation.  Some would make this about asking for anything we want, but that is not what the story said.   The man was asking for something he needed, and until we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we all need salvation.  Verse eleven asks, If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?  Jesus asked if any father had a son ask for bread would he give his son a stone, or if he asked for a fish, would he give his son a serpent.  This applies to us as children of God asking God to meet our daily needs, but not our daily desires.  Verse twelve adds, Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  This continues to ask about a father helping his son with his daily needs.  Verse thirteen declares, If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?  This was after the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, and He asked if they being sinful men would help their children, how much more would God help His children meet their daily needs.  If we as followers of Christ have a need today in order to do what God calls us to do, we simply need to ask Him to help us.

Luke 11:1

Luke 11:1 says, And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.  When Jesus was praying, after He finished, one of His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray as John the Baptist had taught his disciples.  We may hear someone say today that they would pray, but they don't know how.  Prayer is simply pouring your heart out to God, and there are no required words or formula.  Verse two adds, And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.  Jesus began to teach them how to pray.  They were to start by acknowledging God as their Father and keeping His name hallowed, or holy.  Then, they were to ask that His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it was in heaven.  If God is to hear our prayers, we must first acknowledge Him as our heavenly Father, then our prayer must be not for what we want or desire, but for God's will to be done in our life.  Verse three continues, Give us day by day our daily bread.  The disciples were to pray that God would meet their needs every day, and that should be our prayer today.  Verse four concludes, And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.  They were to pray that they were forgiven as they forgave others, and that they not be led into temptation.  We must forgive others as God has forgiven us, and that is undeservedly.  We are also to pray the we not be led into temptation, which can happen if we begin to pray for what we want instead of what God wants for us.  As followers of Christ, we don't need to follow someone else's way to pray, but simply need to bring our cares and concerns, not our wants and desires, to God. 

Luke 10:38

Luke 10:38 says, Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.  As Jesus was traveling, a woman named Martha invited Him into her house.  Jesus always had to rely on the kindness of others for His daily needs.  Martha was likely a widow, and the cost of providing for Jesus and His disciples was not cheap, but she was willing to make the sacrifice.  They did not demand the best of food nor even the best house to eat it in.  Today, too often those who profess to follow Christ want assurance that they will have everything they want before they go, and they want the best food and lodging when they get there.  Verse thirty-nine adds, And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.  Martha's sister Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened as He taught.  She was not helping Martha with the preparations.  Sometimes, when we are working to spread the gospel, others are going to be learning more from Jesus about being a Christian.  Verse forty states, But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.  Martha, who had invited Jesus, became upset because Mary wasn't helping her prepare for His visit.  She asked Jesus to bid Mary to help her.  If we are busy doing what we believe God wants us to do as followers of Christ, we should not get upset if it appears that some other Christian is doing less, and we certainly shouldn't tell God to have them join us in what we are doing.  Verse forty-one adds, And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:  Jesus told Martha that she was busy being troubled by many things.  Sometimes, we may feel troubled by all that we feel we need to do for Jesus, but just being busy is not enough.  Verse forty-two continues, But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.  Jesus told Martha that she had missed one needful thing, and that was that she had allowed the preparation of the meal to become more important than spending time with Jesus.  We need to be careful that we don't get so caught up in church work  that we neglect time alone with God.  Jesus said Mary had chosen to do that good part, and it wouldn't be taken away from her.  When we are doing what we believe God wants us to do, we don't need to be worried about what other Christians are doing, and we certainly should never judge them.