No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lamp stand, so that those who enter may see the light. The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, you whole body is full of light; but when it is bad, your body is also full of darkness. Luke 11:33-34 (read verses 14-36)

INTRO: My plan was to begin our study this morning talking about distractions

But trying to come up with an illustration to introduce distractions became frustrating. So I browsed the Internet searching for ideas. I came across a couple of interesting news articles, but realized I was wasting time, panicked, and came back to my notes. I experimented with a couple of illustrations, but they were stupid so I got frustrated again. Then I opened my email to see if I had any new messages. Soon I panicked again because I still didn’t have an opening for the study, came back to my notes, but still no luck. I thought, maybe if I got myself a soda it would help–put some caffeine in my brain. But I still couldn’t think of a way to illustrate distractions and how they keep us from doing what needs to be done. Continue reading →

It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1 (read Lk. 11:1-13)

INTRO: A few weeks ago, a friend asked if I saw myself as a spiritual director and I told him, “No, I talk too much”

I try to give too much help, provide too much information
– I have difficulty letting people struggle

One way to define spiritual direction is one believer helping another with his or her prayer life
– this is assuming that prayer is the central expression of our connection with God
– so spiritual direction would include bringing up all of the issues of our spiritual progress
– it is something we see Jesus doing all through the gospels and especially here Continue reading →

Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Luke 10:41-42 (read verses 38-42)

INTRO: Last week, a lawyer challenged Jesus with a couple of tough questions

First, what should he do to inherit eternal life
– since he asked about doing, Jesus sent him back to the Law
– there it is made clear that doing works of love is the path to life
Then, secondly, the lawyer tried to hide behind the old game of “define your terms”–e.g., “Yes, but what do you mean by neighbor? That is a rather complicated subject, isn’t it?”
– Jesus responded by telling the story of Good Samaritan, and then sent him off to “do the same”

This is one of the classic episodes in the story of Jesus, but it leaves a question unanswered–in fact, unasked! Continue reading →

And He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And He said to him, You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” Luke 10:27-28 (read vv. 25-37)

INTRO: As the story opens, two important themes are introduced

1. The first theme is embedded in the question, “what shall I do?”
   – Jesus forms his response around the word “do”: “do this” (v.28) and “do the same” (v. 37)
2. The other theme is the tip-off that the lawyer is being dishonest, “put Him to the test”
   – a lawyer in this context was someone who had received extensive training in the Law of God

There is more to this interaction than we see on the surface Continue reading →

All things have been handed over to me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal him. Luke 10:22 (read Lk. 10:1-24)

INTRO: Can you think of someone whose words and actions made God beautiful to you?

Has there been anyone whose words and actions made God seem terrible, oppressive, or abusive?

For me, the development of my own mature knowledge of God generated some resentments
– I found myself feeling anger towards people who had misrepresented God to me
– Sunday school teachers, youth leaders, camp counselors, and pastors who gave me the impression that God was unloving, always angry and disappointed, that every day he had to be won over-again, yet was impossible to please Continue reading →

When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. Luke 9:51-53 (read verses 9:51-62)

INTRO: In the last few months, I’ve been asked a couple of times, what I thought of Harold Camping’s predictions of a May 21 rapture

– I didn’t really know anything about it
– since I could not force myself to get interested in it, I never looked into it

But now, after it didn’t happen, I am interested
– what is he doing the day after? How is he handling his failure?

• is he blaming God? Satan? The media? His calculator?
• is he coming up with rationalizations–why he wasn’t wrong?
• or is he sitting in humility admitting he made a mistake, that he let his excitement get the best of him and now he’s learned important lessons about the mystery of scripture and letting God be God? Continue reading →

And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You.” But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me. Luke 8:45-46 (read Lk. 8:40-56)

INTRO: Some stories in the Bible require long explanations

The differences between their time and culture and ours are as so great, without explanation we miss the point of the story
– other stories, the elements are so familiar, we step into them and instantly feel at home
– today we encounter two stories that immediately open to us

A man emerges from the crowd and falls down before Jesus
– he is not the first, nor will he be the last parent to feel helpless regarding a child
– but before his crisis is resolved, a desperate woman sneaks up behind Jesus and steals a touch Continue reading →

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. John 21:7 (read Jn. 21:1-9)

INTRO: For many years, archeologists in the mid-east have been digging up mugs and cups with inscriptions on them

One frequent inscription in particular from the first century has captured the attention of biblical scholars
– four Greek words are inscribed on it that read, “Rejoice, that’s why you’re here”
(at least on scholar translated it as a question, “Why are you here? Rejoice!”)
– perhaps it was intended as a blessing or a first-century toast

What’s so special about these four Greek words? Continue reading →

The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trapmled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. Luke 8:5 (read 8:1-21) 

INTRO: From the time we were big enough to carry a lunch sack, we were sent off to school every day to learn
– first, to read and write, and then everything else (history, gramar, science, etc.) 

Do you remember ever being taught how to learn?
We were constantly told to pay attention, but were you taught how to pay attention?
– it was assumed from our first day of class that we knew how to learn, focus our attention, and use good study habits 

Jesus taught his autdience how to listen to his teaching Continue reading →

A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more? Luke 7:41-42 (read verses 36-50)

INTRO: Do you remember being told as a child, “Never play with matches”?

The danger of a fire getting out of control is even greater in the age of the Internet
– a pyromaniac can strike a match in Florida that sets fires all over Afghanistan
(See recent news of the preacher who burned the Quran. With all the tragedy going on in world right now, why did he think he needed to add this to it?)

It is one of the great mysteries of human nature that in the name of God, people can become calloused regarding the death of others
But the truth is, this is a spiritual virus that creeps into every religion and all religious people
– either we get too devoted to the wrong things or our devotion gets twisted–e.g., fanaticism Continue reading →