Still speaking to the crowds about the dangers of living lives where money is the only object, Jesus warned his listeners about the dangers of being unprepared for His coming and the dangers of overlooking the signs of the times. In Luke 12:49-59, He points out that his first coming was not necessarily for the purposes of bringing peace to the earth, but division, and then also that people should be much more aware of the nearness of His second coming and act urgently to prepare for it. That note of urgency in his words makes listening to and doing what He says, all the more important!

Message

Outline

• The fortieth in this series
• The variety of situations in chapter 12
• Coming closer to the cross
• See how Jesus spoke so we would have …

1. No misunderstanding about his purposes (v.49-53)
2. No mistaking the need for readiness (v.54-59)

People who use a lot of words
The art of ‘doublespeak’
The clear and urgent words of the Saviour!

When asked to intervene in a family dispute over an inheritance, Jesus, rightly and carefully explained that ‘a man’s life does not consist of the things he owns’. A far cry from ‘he who dies with the most toys wins’!! To make his point, in Luke 12:13-34, we find that Jesus not only told the parable of the rich farmer, but that he also had other things to say about wealth and greed and the love of money which are all so relevant to our wealth-hungry world! And yet at the time, Jesus spoke to people who were much poorer than we will ever be. How much more should we take heed of his warnings!

Message

Outline

• The thirty-eighth in this series
• Jesus responding to questions
• A parable and well-known words
• See how Jesus taught that his disciples should…

1. Beware of pursuing earthly things (v.12-21)
2. Resist worrying about earthly things (v.22-30)
3. Earnestly seek for heavenly things (v.31-34)

What would you do for $10million?
Keeping wealth in perspective
The parable of the three friends…

Followeing on from the things Jesus concluded in Luke 11:29-54, He had mre to say about hypocrisy as :Luke reciords in Luke 12:1-12. The whole section can be understood as awarning about the ‘leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy’ (Luke 12:1-2), as Jersus gives some reasons why hypocrisy is to be avoided. The truth behind Jesus’ teaching is that God wants the truth to be in our hearts, where the light it will bring will deliver us from inner darkness.

Message

Outline

• The thirty-seventh in this series
• Avoid being like the Pharisees!
• A working definition of hypocrisy
• See how Jesus gives us reasons to avoid hypocrisy …

1. Because all truth will be revealed (v.1-3)
2. Because the Lord will be the Judge (v.4-7)
3. Because only faithfulness will be rewarded (v.8-12)

‘We are all hypocrites…’
The one in the mirror
Having the light within!

When Jesus spoke out in judgement on the Pharisees in Luke 11:29-54, He did not mince his words or hold back. If there was anyone that made Jesus angry, it was the self-righteous, hypocritical religious leaders who did everthing they could to advance themselves in the eyes of the people, but failed to live honestly before God. Hypocrisy is such a dangerous snare for all of God’s people. We must beware iof it and avoid being like these Pharisees at all cost!

Message

Outline

• The thirty-sixth in this series
• From bad to worse
• Committed unbelief
• See how Luke tells us that Jesus spoke against …

1. The blindness of their hearts (v.29-36)
2. The falseness of their lives (v.37-54)

The importance of…
Truth on the inside

When Jesus chose to heal a man from demon possession in Luke 11:14-28, he got much more than he was expecting in terms of opposition to his miracle. Those who observed the miraculous deliverance of the man, could only reach a conclsuion that was opposite to what might have been made by those with ‘two eyes’, attributing the miracle to the works of the evil one. But Jesus was not deterred and used the opprtunity to press His claims and to point out what responsing to Him the right way really means.

Message

Outline

• The thirty-fifth in this series
• Encouragements and discouragements
• Divided witnesses
• See how Luke tells us of …

1. The ‘crime’ Jesus committed (v.14)
2. The accusation they levelled (v.15-16)
3. The defence Jesus gave (v.17-28)
   R
   S
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Courtroom drama
What’s your verdict?
Hearing and heeding…

After Jesus had left the home of Marth a and Mary, the dfisciples observed Him (as was His usual custom) praying. They aked Him therefore to teach them to pray. In Luke 11;1-13, we find the respoonse Jesus gave them in which he laid down for them a pattern for prayer, encouraged them to be persistent in prayer and also encouraged them by reminding them that God the Father welcomes their requests. The challenge for us is not so much understanding what Jesus said, but doing what He said!

Message

Outline

• The thirty-fourth in this series
• Connecting back to last week…
• What the disciples observed about Jesus
• See how Jesus taught about…

1. The pattern needed for ordered prayer (v.1-4)
2. The persistence needed for effective prayer (v.5-10)
3. The assurance needed for answered prayer (v.11-13)

The hardest thing to do?
Spurgeon’s comment
‘Teach me to pray!”

Many people can tell you what the Parable of the Good Samaritan is all about and what Jesus was teaching by it. However, many people can also take the parable in a rather simplistic fashion which makes it all sound ‘nice’, even sort of ‘ a good thing to do’. But Jesus meant so much more by this parable that is recorded in Luke 10:25-37 which follows a long section in which Jesus has been shaping and forming the minds and hearts of His disciples. In that sense, the parable therefore means far more that many might have thought!

Message

Outline

The thirty-second in this series

• Where we left off…
• Samaritans and Jews
• See how Jesus told of the Samaritan’s compassion that was…

1. Genuine and not ‘put on’ (v.30-32)
2. Based on needs and not on worth (v.33)
3. Not just words but costly actions (v.34)

This unsafe world
The law of God
The One who was truly ‘good’