We come to this final section in the Gospel of Luke. We are in Chapter 24 and at verse 13. Jesus Christ is risen and alive, and it is mid-afternoon on Resurrection Day. A lot has been going on. These past two weeks have been fairly traumatic for everyone and we have looked at the events in some detail.

Two disciples of Jesus are walking the seven miles or from Jerusalem to Emmaus.

They appear to have so much to say to each other. They have been in Jerusalem and they had seen Jesus Christ crucified, and now they think it is all over. Do you ever think that?

Do you ever go through a period or a season when you just think that all you have worked for and all your various spiritual experiences are just all over and everything is in the past? Have we not all been there at some time or another?

We all need this relevant living Word. Jesus is risen from the dead, and their hearts are exceedingly sad. They are so disappointed. Up until now the disciples have called it all nonsense! They accused the women who had been to the tomb as being delirious or fevered. They have had too much sun, or the emotion has got to these women!

Not very far along the road and third Man joins them and it is Jesus, but they have no idea Who it is.

It is possible to have Jesus this close and this near, and not know it.

They did not expect to meet Jesus. They knew Jesus was dead, and they assumed He would remain dead. Dead men don’t rise. They are still blind. They cannot see who has come alongside them, and Jesus is so close and so near. Does this not happen frequently today? Jesus approaches and many miss Him for various reasons.

They are so sad. They had lost Jesus. It is always sad when you lose someone you really love. Jesus was only in His early 30′s. Perhaps they thought Jesus was going to be around for a long time. They got it so wrong. They are so burdened, and it shows. Faces reveal a lot.

Jesus asks then a question. “What are you discussing as you walk along the road together?”

Cleopas asks, “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who does not know what has been going on?”

“What things?”

“Concerning Jesus of Nazareth. He was a prophet powerful in word and deed. Our leaders handed Him over to be killed. They did it. They crucified Him. We thought He was the One Who was going to redeem Israel. This all happened three days ago.”

Read the conversation. Share it with your people in detail. Feed them with these spiritual truths.

Their precious Jesus was gone. Their buoyant hopes had been dashed.

“O, He said something about being killed at the hands of sinful men, and the elders of the people.

Yes, He said something along these lines, and even mentioned something about rising three days later, but His time is up. It is now the third day. We have seen no sign of Him. But – but – do you know this? Some women amazed us this morning. Some whom we know went to the tomb where they laid Him, and they came and told us that they had seen angels, and the angels said that Jesus was risen and alive. Some others went. They too saw the tomb empty, BUT HIM THEY DID NOT SEE!

They are so disappointed, upset, perhaps even angry? That comes over from the words used in the conversation. Do you ever become upset, or disappointed, or even angry when things go spiritually wrong? It is quite understandable.

They have left all to follow Jesus Christ. They had believed that Jesus was the ONE Who would rescue them and save them.

They believed that Jesus had the answer to all of men’s problems and needs and sicknesses and pains and sins.

They had looked to Jesus and they felt let down. This is an honest and realistic book.

These are two broken dejected men, and the Bible does not try to hide this. Jesus interjects and takes over the conversation and resolves these various issues in a most wonderful way. He still does. Know that, and let your people know that.

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The Catholic Church issued recently a cautionary warning on the first synthetic cell, noting that correctly used, it could be a positive development—but only God can create life.

The Vatican issued the warning after an announcement from the United States that researchers had produced a living cell containing manmade DNA.

The scientist, genome-mapping pioneer J. Craig Venter, said this opens a path for designing organisms that may work differently from how nature intended, according to The Herald, Scotland.

The Church warned scientists of the ethical responsibility of scientific progress and said that the manner in which the innovation is applied in the future will be crucial, according to the Associated Press.

“If …it is for the good of all, of the environment and man..we’ll keep the same judgment (that it is a great scientific discovery),” said Monsignor Rino Fisichella.

“If, on the other hand, the use of this discovery should turn against the dignity of and respect for human life, then our judgment would change,” the AP reported.

Fisichella, who heads Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life, stressed there is no necessary clash between science and faith.  “But we think above all about the meaning that must be given to life,” Fisichella said.  “We need God, the origin of life,” the AP reported.

Venter’s synthetic cell is actually Mycoplasma mycoides, a type of living bacteria that is commonly associated with mastitis in goats, according to The Herald, Scotland.

Venter’s Mycoplasma mycoides are synthetic because it was made with synthetic chemicals, transplanted and activated into a cell with manmade genetic instructions.  Venter’s team is now considering creating algae that can capture carbon dioxide from the air and produce hydrocarbon fuels, according to SiliconIndia.

Naysayers however doubt that making Mycoplasma mycoides is tantamount to the creation of “artificial life.”

On the other hand, Julian Savulescu, Professor of Practical Ethics at Oxford, said “We need new standards of safety evaluation for this kind of radical research, and protection from military or terrorist misuse and abuse,” according to SiliconIndia.

The Catholic Church teaching holds that human life is God’s gift, created through natural procreation between a man and woman.  The Vatican said the first synthetic cell “must have rules, like all the things that touch on the heart of life,” according to the AP.

U.S. President Barack Obama asked that the commission develop recommendations about any actions the government should take “to ensure that America reaps the benefits of this developing field of science while identifying appropriate ethical boundaries and minimizing identified risks,” SiliconIndia reported.

Meanwhile Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, said “Any form of intelligence and any scientific acquisition must always be measured against the ethical dimension, which has at its heart the true dignity of every person.”

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Recent experiments from Newcastle University, England, that create embryos from two mothers and one father, have brought to the fore new ethical issues from pro life advocates, the Christian Telegraph reported.

According to the Christian Telegraph, the experiment seeks to address mitochondrial disease, an inherited illness borne by the mother.

Credit:lumix2004/sxc.hu

One in 6,500 children is born in England with mitochondrial disease, which can lead to muscular weakness, dementia, deafness, blindness and heart failure among others.

The mitochondria in cells get the energy from food and convert it into a form that the cells can use.

Mitochondria have 37 DNA which function mostly in energy-related ways to the rest of the body, and help to assemble protein building blocks, according to the President’s Council on Bioethics.

In the UK experiment scientists removed all the male sperm and female material from a fertilized egg—except the damaged mitochondria.

They then inserted it into another egg which had been emptied of everything except its healthy mitochondria.

The resulting new embryo was made largely of both parents’ 23,000 genes, plus the 37 mitochondrial DNA from the donor egg.  This experiment used embryos that originally had been newly conceived for in vitro fertilization (IVF).  The embryos that were left over became the material for the experiment.

Some 80 new embryos were made by the Newcastle team.  The experiment was licensed by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HEFA), and was funded by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust.

Of the 80, only eight percent or 6.4 embryos grew normally into blastocysts.  The blastocyst stage usually occurs 5 days after fertilization.

It has not yet implanted, but it has an inner cell mass which will become the fetus, and is surrounded by an outer ring that will become part of the placenta, according to the President’s Council on Bioethics.

The team that conducted the experiment believes they will have better results if they use normal embryos, and now hope to do so.  The experiment used faulty embryos which were discarded after IVF treatment and donated for research, according to Timesonline.

Opponents to the experiment have raised ethical concerns.

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) said the experiment kills and abuses human embryo.

SPUC communications manager Anthony Ozimic said, “Creating embryonic children in the laboratory abuses them, by subjecting them to unnatural processes.”

He also warned of possible “developmental abnormalities,” such as have resulted from IVF and cloning.

“Scientists should respect human life and pursue ethical alternatives which are much more likely to be successful in the long-term,” Ozimic said, according to the Christian Telegraph.

Dr. Donald Bruce, former director of the Society, Religion and Technology Project of the Church of Scotland said, “If the Newcastle results are taken forward to medical application, they need to be applied under very strict controls, and only where serious disease is otherwise likely to result,” according to the BBC.

Readers of Timesonline also wrote their reactions.

Elaine Smith wrote:

“In most cases, I really do think all forms of IVF should be banned and adoption be made simpler and faster. There are 6 billion people on earth, and then these people spend all this money on having a baby that they could have spent adopting and helping some third world child.”

Barry Johnston wrote:

“I really can’t understand this. There are THOUSANDS of unwanted children in this country and beyond. Instead of spending billions trying to create a perfect child, why not give a child a near perfect life of love and acceptance?”

Ben Turner wrote:

“Coming from a person with a genetic disorder I can see how it is a gift to be born without one, especially if it is severe.”

In the UK, it is currently illegal to use this technique for fertility treatment.

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Unlike past British elections where publicly talking of religion by candidates was frowned upon and considered “un-British,” candidates today are pursuing the Christian vote more than ever.

The 2010 elections are marked with a desperate battle for marginal seats, and candidates are becoming more vocal about their beliefs in order to woo this sector, which is seen as a swing vote.

Gordon Brown at the IMF headquarters in Washington D.C. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has frequently referred to the "moral compass" he inherited from his clergyman father. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Zoe Dixon, chairman of the Liberal Democrat Christian Forum admitted, “Certainly we try to mobilize the Christian vote in our favor in constituencies.”

Paul Woolley, director of the Christian think tank Theos said, “We did some research last year looking at the rhetoric of Gordon Brown and others in their key speeches and the extent to which they used Christian or theological or biblical language.”

Wooley noted that while secularism is gaining more ground in British public life, electoral parties are “working hard to make inroads into faith-based communities and organizations.”

Examples of these politicians include:

• Conservative leader David Cameron, who has called for a “Big Society,” in which the government will work in tandem with volunteer and faith groups.  In Cameron’s conference speech last year some parts seemed biblical in rhythm, and the sections seemed like the Sermon on the Mount, according to Wooley.
• Prime Minister Gordon Brown has frequently referred to the “moral compass” he inherited from his clergyman father.
• Liberal democrat leader Nick Clegg claimed that Christian values are “central” to his policies in a Daily Telegraph article entitled “Atheist Nick Clegg discovers religion in time for polling day”.

Meanwhile, Christians are being enjoined by faith leaders to participate more in political elections.

Preacher Canon J. John, who is prominent within the evangelical community in the UK, urged believers to do their best to find out about their local candidates.

“We might want to ask whether they are genuinely committed to moral values or do they simply adopt whatever is the current fashionable view? Does the candidate place their party’s ideology above everything else? Would they be prepared to vote against the party line on moral grounds,” he said.

A spokesman for the Christian Peoples Alliance, which is putting up 17 general election candidates, said, “We are building for the politics of tomorrow.”

The Westminster 2010 Declaration, signed by former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey and Cardinal O’Brien, the leader of Catholics in Scotland, advised that

Christians should work to ensure “religious liberty and freedom of conscience are unequivocally protected against interference by the state and other threats”, while they “will not be intimidated by any cultural or political power into silence or acquiescence.”

The declaration goes on: “We call upon all those in UK positions of leadership, responsibility and influence to pledge to respect, uphold and protect the right of Christians to hold these beliefs and to act according to Christian conscience.”

Sources:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8607964.stm

http://www.christian.org.uk/news/clegg-lib-dem-values-are-christian-values/

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In Luke Chapter 18 in these opening verses, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is telling, and teaching His disciples to pray, and to go on praying, and never to lose heart, and not to give up. We all need to hear and receive that positive and encouraging Word.

We saw how Paul put all this into practice in his own life and ministry. Paul knew who Jesus was – and he also knew what Jesus wanted him to do – and we have read of how he served and worked and witnessed and prayed – travelling and preaching and ministering during a period of 30 years.

One of the secrets was not to give up praying – not to lose heart – even when being opposed and persecuted and challenged in all kinds of ways.

Jesus goes on to teach us how to pray properly – not only persistently – but penitently – repenting – being open and honest and real in the presence of God and in the sight of God. It is an open secret if we wish to grow into spiritual maturity, but very few pay much attention to it.

We go on to verses 9 to 14. There were some people who regarded themselves as a bit above the rest – somewhat better than others. They were confident of their own righteousness – their own good deeds. I remember reading a letter in the papers five years ago – "Where can I redeem all the Brownie points I have collected over the past 50 years?" That is some question. Someone has been doing a lot of good works – and they are looking for a reward – assuming that they were actually collecting Brownie points.

This is where we have to repent of our good deeds as well as our bad deeds.

Verse 9 – "confident of their own righteousness". Paul had a strong word to say about his good deeds.

A religious leader – and a man who was a bit of a rogue – went to church. Sometimes they can be different people. Sometimes they can be the same person. Sometimes, we do not know who is who – but Jesus does.

The Pharisee – the religious leader – didn’t really pray. He only spoke to himself. His words got no higher that the ceiling. He praises himself and not God. He is so sure of his own goodness, as he lists the faults of others.

Now, all he was saying was true, but it wasn’t the whole truth. There is so much of self in these words – I – I – I – I. He was such a proud man.

It was as though he were saying – "What a fine fellow you have got to serve you." He must have regarded himself as an upright upstanding pillar of society. Yes – he was – hard and cold. He didn’t need an answer to his so-called prayer. He was saying – "I’m fine – I’m all right – I’m not like him over there." If you try to whiten yourself you are pretty certain to blacken others!

But – over a bit – this needy sinner realised that he so needed God’s Mercy. Perhaps he saw that he was all of these things listed in verse 11. He saw himself as he really was. He saw himself as God saw him, and Jesus says that he got right through to God.

Only one man actually prayed. This rascal who humbly comes, repenting – went home with God’s Forgiveness and Approval and Blessing.

How do we go home from times of Praise and Worship – with our prayers heard – knowing that our praises and worship has been accepted by God – and not being confident in our own righteousness but trusting the righteousness of Christ. Being justified – ‘just if I’d’ never sinned. That is what it means. The man who confessed his need returned from prayer justified.

That is what Jesus Christ offers us – Forgiveness – Blessing – that feeling of being justified – acquitted by the Judge. That is something powerful.

How can we receive all this? The words of Jesus which follow can help. He who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Here is another secret which very few people know about, but you can not only know about it but experience its truth.

–Sandy Shaw http://www.liveasif.org/

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We are reading and studying in Luke Chapter 16, where Jesus Christ is speaking about MONEY, and His theme is how we use or misuse our money, and Jesus takes this vitally important issue into an eternal dimension. This is such an important issue we must not rush through it.

Jesus tells us a devastating story. Is it a fact? Is it fiction? That does not really matter. It is true! Again, this week’s study is slightly longer than I normally write, simply because this is a very difficult passage to divide and it ought not to be divided.

There was a certain rich man, dressed in purple, and fine linen, which means he wore expensive soft underwear, and everyday he enjoyed plenty of lavish food.

However, let’s never be deceived by outward appearance. We can be so quickly and easily deceived by the flamboyant showy lifestyle of someone.

As we have seen in these earlier verses, Jesus was teaching about preparing for the future – investing in heaven – and using your money in spiritually responsible way – so that when you die, you will possess true riches and have many friends.

This poor pathetic rich man was misusing and abusing his wealth. Here is a lesson from Jesus Christ on how not to use money. The world would probably applaud this man, and think he was good and successful in life, and probably would have liked to have received an invitation to attend one of his dinners or parties.

But, he was making no preparation for the future, just as many today are making absolutely no preparation whatsoever for the future.

Not far from his front door lay a poor beggar named Lazarus. Jesus names this beggar, and Lazarus is living in such misery. Every day Lazarus was carried to the rich man’s gates. He was full of open running festering sores and ulcers, and the dogs came and licked these festering sores.

Remember, this is being told by Jesus and written by a doctor.

Lazarus would sit and wait for something from this rich man’s table. They would eat with their fingers – wipe or dry their gravied hands on bread – and throw the bread onto the floor – and dear Lazarus waited for these gravied crumbs.

What a picture Jesus paints.

They both knew about each other, yet this rich man ignored this needy human being who suffered such humiliation and pain. O, Western World, in all your riches – in all your so-called prosperity – listen to Jesus – before it is too late.

The beggar died. He was carried by the angels to be with Abraham and all the Old Testament saints. Lazarus had been a man of faith. His name means, "God has been my help" – or – "Whom God aids". The man who had festered in this life is now feasting.

The rich man also died, but there were no angels around. He was buried, signifying a funeral procession with pomp and show – but where was he? In hell. He was not at peace – he was in pain. He was in torment, and he saw Abraham. He saw heaven. He saw Lazarus, and recognised Lazarus.

I’m sure nobody at the funeral would have thought that all this was going on.

Have you ever wondered at a funeral where the deceased is? Have you ever wondered at a funeral where you will be when people gather when you have died?

We survive death. After death we will still have feelings. Our senses continue to function. Jesus Christ is the only Person qualified to explain all this. Again, we see this teaching about hell comes from the lips of Jesus.

Who is pleading and begging now? The man who had had so much money, and who had been so well dressed, and who had been so well fed. He is begging Abraham to send Lazarus with a drop of water. There is no water in hell, but we read that there is a river in heaven with pure cool clear refreshing water.

When Pastor Richard Wurmbrand was in prison in Romania for 14 years for his faith in Christ, he would put his finger into his glass of water when he awoke each morning to reassure himself that he was NOT in hell.

Everybody in hell will know that there is a God, and will know that Jesus is the Son of God – but it will be too late. Someone has said that ‘hell is truth known too late’.

This is the day to come to Jesus in repentance and faith.

Just who does this man think he is? It is as if he regards Lazarus some kind of servant – some message boy? Lazarus is now an inhabitant of heaven, and he is there for good – being comforted and blessed. He is a son of the Father in the Father’s house.

O, poor rich man – it is now too late. You had your opportunities. You could have invested in heaven, and prepared for the future, and made many friends there, but because of what you did not do, you are where you are.

Verse 26. Abraham goes on to say, "There is a great gulf – there is a wide chasm – between us and you. No-one can come to you from us, and no-one can come to heaven from hell.

In this world we settle which side of the chasm we will be on in the next. Our future destination is settled by our relationship with Jesus Christ in this life. There will be a time when for some it will be too late.

Here is God’s Love in such a beautiful way. No saved rescued forgiven persons safely led to heaven by the risen and living Lord Jesus Christ, can ever be lost or snatched away once they get there. It is a picture of total safety and security, and given by Jesus. And, no unconverted unrepenting sinners will be allowed to pollute and contaminate the pure clear clean brilliant atmosphere of heaven. That is how much God loves those who have accepted and received and obeyed Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord.

Verse 27. A strange thing happens. In hell, the rich man suddenly becomes very religious, and he even begins to pray, and he even begins to get a missionary interest!

It is all too late. I wonder – I wonder how often this happens. Someone dies without Jesus and comes to see that his whole life has been just one big blunder, and it is too late to do anything about it. We will never know.

–Sandy Shaw http://www.liveasif.org/

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More than 60 outreach events saturate the region with the Gospel, spark hope for local churches

Highland Festival with Luis Palau culminated in Inverness, Scotland on June 20 after two weeks of more than 60 outreach events in more than a dozen towns throughout Scotland’s Highlands.

Local pastors praised the Palau outreach for the unity it created among participating churches and for saturating the Highlands with the Gospel message.

Most of the sparsely populated towns impacted by the campaign have not witnessed such a large scale effort since Palau’s previous Scottish campaigns that ran from 1979-1981.

"You can definitely sense the secularization and lack of church attendance," said the Argentine evangelist, the grandson of Scotsman Robert Balfour. "I have asked young people ‘do you go to church?’ and they look at me like I’m from another planet."

But just as he noted 30 years ago, Palau said, "Scotland is once again dry tinder, ready to catch fire for the Lord."

The Highland Festival involved more than 100 churches — that’s more than half the region’s total church population — representing nearly every denomination.

Together with Palau, his son Andrew, and a team of partner evangelists, these churches made a profound impact through a combination of preaching, music, skateboarding, sports, and good, old-fashioned fun.

An estimated five percent of attendees made a commitment to Christ.
"What a great blessing we have seen through Highland Festival with Luis Palau," said Lord Mackay of Clashfern, honorary chairman of the campaign and, until recently, the third most powerful person in the United Kingdom’s government as Lord Chancellor.

"Never in recent history has there been such a widespread evangelistic effort that touched so many people of all ages in so many locations throughout the Highlands."

Leading up to the final event, an outdoor festival in Inverness on June 19-20, were eight mini-festivals in nearby towns, more than 40 outreaches at schools and prisons, a tea for women held at the personal castle of well-known Christian businesswoman Anne Gloag, a business leaders’ luncheon, and two evenings of traditional music and preaching at an indoor theatre.

By the end of the culminating festival, officials estimated approximately 20,000 people had been reached with the Gospel message — representing 10 percent of the population of the surrounding area and marking a significant step forward for evangelism in the region.

"The number of people reached is tremendous for Scotland’s Highlands," said Palau, also noting that the clear message of God’s salvation was also broadcast throughout the entire United Kingdom via BBC4 and through press stories. "I am encouraged! But even more, we are excited for the unity, collaboration, and vision this campaign has given the local churches. Christian leaders want to continue this work."

Palau’s worldwide festivals also include widespread community service initiatives, now known as Season of Service campaigns. In Inverness, thousands of pounds of food were collected through a partnership with Blythswood Care.

"It is obvious that the recession and resulting unemployment is hitting parts of the Highlands very hard," said Blythswood chief executive James Campbell. "The food bank will tide many hundreds of adults and children over, when otherwise they would face the prospect of real deprivation."

"We are praising God through this entire campaign," said Palau. "We give thanks to our prayer partners who interceded on behalf of the people of the Highlands and gave to make it all possible. We continue praying that this is just the beginning of what God plans to do in this area."

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In Luke Chapter 17, after warning us about causing people to stumble and sin, Jesus then goes on to speak about forgiveness – about forgiving people – "when those around us ask for forgiveness, forgive them."

Then Jesus speaks about ‘faith’. Don’t ask for more faith – use the faith you have – let it grow and develop and mature and become strong. Faith is like a muscle – the more it is used the stronger it becomes.

Now, Jesus says – Suppose one of you had a servant, and the servant has been ploughing or looking after the sheep, when the servant comes in, will you say to your servant – ‘Now, you just sit down and eat’?

Much of our Christian work is either ploughing or shepherding. We are either breaking up ground in which the seed of The Word of God is being sown and planted, or we are dealing with the problems of the sheep.

When the servant comes in, he has more work to do. He now has to prepare the master’s meal, and later on, when his duties are finished and completed, he can sit down himself and eat.

Does the master offer a special vote of thanks to the servant just because he did what he was commanded to do? NO. Then Jesus adds – so you also – when you have done everything you were told to do – just say – "We are unworthy servants – we have only done our duty."

Jesus is challenging us in these words – these are searching words – which can shake us in so many ways. What is Jesus saying to us? Jesus is teaching disciples of all ages not to look for thanks and praise for simply doing their duty.

When we do things in Jesus Name, yes, it can be encouraging to receive a word of thanks, but we are NOT to look for it. And, we are not to become disappointed or depressed when the thanks does NOT come. But, it is good to express thanks. Thank people for what they do – what they say – how they minister.

When you have finished your first task, there is another waiting for you. Jesus Christ is preparing these men for service – for work and ministry in the Kingdom – and there was going to be lots of it – and there is still is.

Jesus is teaching us here – that we have no rights! We hear people speak about their rights. None of us here has rights, except to serve with devotion and duty and faithfulness, because we love our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.

We never hear Jesus speaking about His rights. He laid all that aside. He laid aside position – glory – everything.

We are not doing God a favour when we serve in some way in The Church of Jesus Christ. When we are given the opportunity to serve God, we should be grateful – "Thank You Father that YOU have called us to serve YOU and to do this work. Thank You Jesus that we can minister in this way. We praise YOU for this."

–Sandy Shaw http://www.liveasif.org/

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Jesus has been speaking to disciples and believers about the possibility of stumbling and sinning and the importance of Repentance, Forgiveness and Faith. It is all there in the opening sentences of Luke Chapter 17. Immediately following on from these words, Jesus walks on with His disciples and He is about to enter a village when ten lepers appear.

These men were riddled with this horrible disease. It would appear that nine were Jews and one was a Samaritan, but for each one of them there was only one hope left – JESUS. They would be sorry sights, and they came as near as they might dare. Lepers had to keep away from people at least 100 paces. They cried out, "Jesus Master have mercy on us. Have pity on us."

How could Jesus do anything else? Was this not why He had come into the world? Jesus would see these deformed limbs and diseased bodies, and HE had compassion on them.

Now – leprosy like sin is contagious – easily spread – loathsome – and it can separate us from people – but it can be healed by Jesus.

Jesus who knew no sin, gave them what they asked for – "MERCY" – in a most unusual way. Jesus often acts and moves and speaks in most unusual ways – in ways in which we might not expect Him to move – surprising ways. "Go and show yourselves to the priests" – and the miracle begins here. Without a second thought they obeyed the authoritative Command of Christ. As they went they were cleansed – verse 14.

"Go and have a medical examination" – exercise the faith you have. They must have had some faith to believe that Jesus would heal them, and they discovered that when you go and use the faith you have – when you go in obedience to Jesus – things happen.

In one sense, this incident has a sad ending. Many of the incidents in the ministry of Jesus have sad and sometimes tragic endings.

One of the ten – a Samaritan – saw that he was healed. The sores had suddenly vanished – the pain had disappeared – and he returned to the place where he had met Jesus, and he worshipped God with a loud voice. Verse 15. He fell down at Jesus feet and gave Him thanks.

If Jesus has touched you – if Jesus has done something wonderful and marvellous – when Jesus truly blesses you – you don’t care what anybody else thinks – you just thank Him and praise Him and worship Him.

It was as if Jesus was waiting for someone to return – because He says – "Were there NOT ten of you? Where are the other nine? Don’t they want to come and say Thank You too?" Is there not a hint of sadness in Jesus voice here? Don’t they want to express the gratefulness and gratitude that is surely in their hearts?

Could this be why Jesus teaches us NOT to expect thanks, because 9 out of 10 times we will be disappointed? Nine were healed by Jesus – they got what they came for – they received healing – and it is as if they had forgotten very quickly. Some just come for what they can get and as soon as they receive it, off they go.

Oh, they may look in now and again – or call you – just in case the problem returns – and they need God to help them again.

Look at this one man who returns to say Thank You to Jesus. Jesus says – Rise and go – your faith has made you whole. He was not just healed – he was made whole. It was as if he had never had leprosy – no marks – no reminders – no scars.

This is how Jesus wants to heal us – not just the disease – not just dealing with the problem – He wants to make us whole – as though we never had that problem – that pain – that crisis – that disease.

Jesus wants to forgive us and heal us – and make us whole – as though we had never sinned – as though we had never been so broken – so down – so low – as if we had never been so rebellious and disobedient.

After Jesus heals us – and forgives us – His desire is that we be whole, and He wants us to remain whole, and it is often as we come to Worship and give thanks that we experience wholeness.

–Sandy Shaw http://www.liveasif.org/

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It has been asked, where did the title of this study come from? Are you familiar with these words?

That final verse of Luke Chapter 17 – verse 37 – "Where there is a dead body there the vultures will gather". If someone asked you – where do these words come from – would you have known? If you asked some people outside, would they know?

It has been asked – Shakespeare – Tennyson – Wordsworth? No – they come from the lips of Jesus Christ, so we’d better know what they mean.

We are in Luke 17 – and this is the 100th Study as I have made my way through Luke’s Gospel, but let’s remember it is a study and not a rushing through! This has to be a longer study too because it is difficult to divide it. This passage is very much a unity. Let’s begin at verse 20.

Some Pharisees came on the scene and they wanted to know when the Kingdom of God was coming. Jesus answered – The Kingdom of God is not coming with signs which will be visibly observed, and this word ‘visibly’ or ‘observed’ is the medical term for the observation of symptoms.

These religious leaders were looking for a visible observable physical kingdom – like a nation – a different kind of country – like England – Wales – Scotland – and The Kingdom of God. That is how they thought, and that is how many think today. People are looking for a kingdom in that sense, and Jesus has to teach them and us – "If you are looking in the wrong place and in the wrong way, you will see absolutely nothing."

When Jesus Christ the King comes, it is NOT a mighty spectacle. When Jesus moves in His church reviving it – renewing it – it is not usually a great national success story.

Everything does not suddenly change and improve. Some things improve. Some things don’t. And, we must never confine the Kingdom of God – to here or there. We cannot limit Jesus. We cannot confine Christ. We cannot catch the Kingdom and put it in a box. We cannot keep it safely within any boundaries – no matter what these boundaries are. The kingdom of God comes and crashes through in the most unusual and surprising ways at times. We cannot confine it to one nation, nor to any one place.

When the kingdom of God comes – when the risen and living Lord Jesus Christ comes among us – and the Kingdom is before us – and we get a glimpse of the Kingdom – we are able to enter it.

That was what interested Jesus. Are you IN? Are you on the INSIDE of the KINGDOM? Jesus wants you to be in the Kingdom, and these religious leaders were clearly outside the Kingdom of God, and most of them remained outside the Kingdom of God, and really, they did not want to go in. That is sad and tragic, and that continues to occur today – that happens today.

God’s Kingdom is the only antidote to what is going on in the world today. God’s Kingdom is the only answer.

Verse 22. Jesus has to teach the disciples. Don’t be like the Pharisees. Don’t be vulnerable. Don’t allow yourselves to be misled or deceived, and DO NOT PANIC.

Do not look in the wrong way – in the wrong place, and DO NOT LISTEN to the wrong people. Why? False guides will arise and say – "Here it is – there it is". Do not go rushing around looking for where the Kingdom of God is supposed to be.

"It is within you – or among you".

Then Jesus begins to speak about His Second Coming to the earth. It will be like lightening. You will know. Everyone will know. But first Jesus says – I must suffer.

There had to be the Cross before The Crown. Jesus had to be rejected before He could reign. Before Jesus can be the risen living King, He has to be crucified.

When the days of the Coming Again of Jesus draw near – when that day is close – it will be very similar to the days of Noah. Life will be going on usual. Jesus had no problem with Noah and the Flood. The record of what happened in Genesis Chapters 6,7,8 was of no problem to Jesus. Life will be going on. People will be eating and drinking and marrying – nothing essentially sinful in any of these activities – but there will be a lot of sin around.

People had been so absorbed – totally immersed – lost their spiritual sensitivity – given to materialism – their spiritual senses having been blunted.

Suddenly, it will be all over. The Church of Jesus Christ will be taken up to meet Jesus Christ in the sky, and we shall be with Jesus for ever. On that day no force will be able to keep me tied to this earth. Those who belong to Jesus Christ will be taken up with an irresistible force. It is going to be some day! It will be similar to the days of Lot.

People will be obsessed with materialism, business and making money, and trading will be top priority. Suddenly judgement rained down upon Sodom and Gomorrah. When Jesus Christ comes again many people are going to be very surprised.

Sodom has become a word in our language with a very specific meaning.

Two weeks ago, I went home on a Wednesday evening, switched on the television to see the News, and two men were locked in an embrace and kissing. That would never have been broadcast 5 or 6 years ago.

Jesus goes on to teach in verse 30 – on that day never mind your possessions.

When I return – you just come. Don’t want to go back. Remember Lot’s wife! She was engulfed in that storm of judgement – salt and sulphur. It is most interesting what Jesus tells us to remember. Lot’s wife left Sodom with Lot. Her body left Sodom, but her heart didn’t. Her heart was not where it should have been – with her husband.

Where is your heart? If you want to be in the Ark when the flood comes, work on that now. Sort these things out now. With Noah it was NOT some spare time project. If you want to escape God’s judgement, do not expect to be in the majority.

Jesus says – Be prepared to leave everything. Even on that day when Jesus Christ comes again – it is as if some will desire – and rush to get – and want to take – their useless possessions. Just leave what you have, and suddenly you will find that you have everything.

When Jesus comes again, life will be going on as usual. There will be two asleep – one will be taken and the other left. Does that refer to marriages where one is a believer and the other isn’t? I do sense that is what Jesus is referring to here. When Jesus comes again, earthly ties will no longer have any meaning or relevance.

Two will be working away – one taken to be with Jesus – and the other left.

Some who work next to you, or who are very close to you physically, and who may live in your home, may not want to know Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. They may show a little interest, but they may not want to know and serve and love the Lord Jesus, and be committed to the Church of Jesus Christ with all its various weaknesses.

Do you see why being properly related to Jesus Christ now is so vitally important? This is the most important thing in the whole world – being in the Kingdom of God.

On that day when Jesus comes, it will be too late to do anything about it. That is why we are told to get ready now – to make our peace with God through the Blood of Jesus Christ shed on the Cross. This is the day of salvation.

Yes, it will be cataclysmic, but to believers it will be so natural, and there is nothing to fear – not if you are in Christ. Jesus is speaking about being taken away – about His people being taken away to be with Him. And the disciples ask – "Where, Lord?" Where will we go? How will we get there? They wanted Jesus to tell them all the necessary details.

It is at this point that Jesus speaks that salutary sentence. "Where there is a dead carcass of an animal – the vultures instinctively know where to go."

On that day you will be led to be with me. You will have the same homing instinct. Don’t worry about where – or how to get there. It is like the animals being led to Noah in a way. It will happen. You will be led. On that day – all who belong to Jesus Christ will be led safely to be with Him.

Disciples will be led to be with Jesus. Others will be left behind. It is a longer study but with a serious question – which group will you be in?

–Sandy Shaw http://www.liveasif.org/

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