Christ reveals more of His ministry and message as He proclaims the need for salvation being the greatest need for humanity. Be blessed.
Luke 6: Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
1 On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grain fields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands.
2 But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"
3 And Jesus answered them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:
4 how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?"
5 And he said to them, "The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."
A Man with a Withered Hand
6 On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered.
7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him.
8 But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, "Come and stand here." And he rose and stood there.
9 And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?"
10 And after looking around at them all he said to him, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored.
11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
The Twelve Apostles
12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.
13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles:
14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew,
15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot,
16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Jesus Ministers to a Great Multitude
17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon,
18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.
19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.
The Beatitudes
20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied." Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
22 "Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!
23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.
Jesus Pronounces Woes
24 "But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
25 "Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. "Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
26 "Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.
Love Your Enemies
27 "But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.
30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.
31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
32 "If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.
35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Judging Others
37 "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."
39 He also told them a parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
42 How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.
A Tree and Its Fruit
43 "For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,
44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.
45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Build Your House on the Rock
46 "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?
47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:
48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."
Luke 7: Jesus Heals a Centurion's Servant
1 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.
2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him.
3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant.
4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy to have you do this for him,
5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue."
6 And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.
7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.
8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."
10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.
Jesus Raises a Widow's Son
11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him.
12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.
13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."
14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."
15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.
16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited his people!"
17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
Messengers from John the Baptist
18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John,
19 calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"
20 And when the men had come to him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'"
21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight.
22 And he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.
23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."
24 When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
25 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts.
26 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
27 This is he of whom it is written, "'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'
28 I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."
29 (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John,
30 but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)
31 "To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?
32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, "'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.'
33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'
34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'
35 Yet wisdom is justified by all her children."
A Sinful Woman Forgiven
36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table.
37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,
38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner."
40 And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher."
41 "A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
43 Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly."
44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven---for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little."
48 And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?"
50 And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Things to think about…
1. We read in 1Samuel 21:1-6, that David and his men took bread from Ahimelech the Priest. Here Jesus in Luke 6:1-4, refers to that event and says that the disciples should also be allowed to eat because the Son of Man (Jesus) is “Lord of the Sabbath”. Why did Jesus reference this event and what does it mean that he is Lord of the Sabbath? The bread David ate was consecrated – only the priests should have eaten it. Here we have the High Priest – Jesus who is Lord overall including the Sabbath. We are now part of his holy priesthood. Christ is the consecrated bread in which we all partake. Jesus fulfills the law because “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death”, Rom 8:2.
2. Luke describes 2 situations regarding the change in focus by Jesus regarding the Sabbath, Luke 6:1-11. Both the grain fields story and the healing of the man of the withered hand on the Sabbath display Christ’s authority over both the Sabbath and His creation. Sadly, what is also on display is the hardness of the human heart especially when it is wrapped in the zeal of self-righteous religious fervour. Some of the witnesses rather than rejoicing in such a wonderful example of God’s power and mercy rather “were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus”, vs 11. Sadly, I have witnessed such a spirit within Christian churches in the past, including our own. The only remedy is a heart filled with praise and devotion to Jesus.
3. Jesus calls His 12 disciples in Luke 6:12-16. There is a mountain, we would say hill. It is 200 metres above the Sea of Galilee which it overlooks but is actually still 25 metres below sea level. Jesus stays on this mountain and prays all night, vs 12. After prayer in the morning he calls His 12 disciples to Himself and it says He chose them and called them Apostles, vs 14. Jesus after praying all night still has Judas marked out as an Apostle. While we see the final tragic actions of this man’s last days, he also played a crucial role in how the world would be redeemed. There is, painfully so, even a purpose for evil in this world until Jesus returns.
4. It seems from Luke 6:17-49 that there is a direct parallel between this passage and Matt 5-7 (the Sermon on the Mount). Some commentators think otherwise. I believe it does refer to the same event as outlined by Matthew, even though a mount is not mentioned here, it says Christ came ‘down’, vs 17, to a flat area and taught. It is likely the raised area is above the town of Capernaum 3 quarters of the way up the mount. The healing of the centurion’s servant occurs after this which is also mentioned after Matt 5-7. Both passages mention the same components of teaching, I.E. the Beatitudes, the ‘Woes’, Loving your enemies, Judging others, etc. These are basic rules for living a godly life in a fallen world. They seem impossible to keep perfectly. What is the point of this sermon if these things are ‘near’ impossible to carry out? We know the disciples didn’t carry them out perfectly even after the resurrection. The encouragement here for us is that Christ is our righteousness. He not only forgives our sin but makes us holy and perfect before the Father’s eyes.
5. The healing of the centurion’s servant is one worthy of study, Luke 7:1-10. This man had built the Lord a house (a synagogue), vs 5, yet he does not consider himself worthy that Jesus could even enter his home. Note that this man had only heard about Jesus, vs 6. Even when Jesus obliges his request and is not far from the centurion’s house, the centurion sends friends to ask that Jesus does not enter, but simply asks that He says the word and his servant would be healed. This is amazing faith only available through the grace over this man’s life. He simply believes that Jesus is both the Saviour and the Healer and he comes with his faith and obedience to ask the Lord for mercy over one who is in submission to him, a servant. The servant of Christ is asking for favour upon his servant. This is a beautiful picture of the humility and trust by a mighty Roman warrior, who is in charge of 100 battle hardened soldiers. He is asking mercy for a servant in his home. There are some things we have authority and control over and other things are only in the hands of our Saviour. But in all things we must give thanks. This man believed even before the healing took place. By His stripes we are healed of the most serious affliction causing our death, our sin.
6. The raising of the man at Nain, Luke 7:11-17 is an act that teaches not only that Jesus has power over death but that He is also the resurrection and the life. Since the days of Elisha, no-one had witnessed anyone being raised from the dead. While these people marvelled at who Jesus was and what he had done, the heart in us all, without grace, says “crucify, crucify”. Praise God for new birth and a new heart. This displays the power of Christ’s resurrection and life within the believer.
7. In Luke 7:18-35 messengers come from John the Baptist, John is in Herod’s prison, and he asks if Jesus really is the Christ. Remember that John the Baptist, baptised Jesus. Didn’t he already know and believe that Jesus was the Christ? Why was he now struggling with whether this was still the case? We all have an opinion about how the Saviour should act don’t we. John was no different. He was in prison, why wasn’t Jesus in prison if His message was the same? Or why wasn’t John released from prison if Jesus was the One who would ‘release the captives’. You see John’s confusion. Mary also had similar conflicts as she came to terms with her Son’s ministry.
8. The story of the woman with the ‘alabaster flask’ Luke 7:36-50 is always a challenge to me. I have been forgiven such a great weight of debt and yet I love so little. We read of people who have lost their lives simply for going to church. I wonder if we love Jesus so much that we would willingly put ourselves in danger to worship Him together. When many people struggling to even get out of bed to worship on a Sunday, I wonder if we would in fact ‘lay down our lives’, if we were called to do so. In the days of lockdowns, the culture was set and made it too easy to listen to a sermon online rather than gather in person. I don’t think churches have fully recovered as a result. But Christ calls us to gather corporately as a body. May we never accept the current situation as normal and forsake gathering together as a corporate witness to Christ in the community. The challenge I ask myself even now as I type – ‘Have I considered the cost of my salvation, if so, then what is the appropriate response in worship’? This woman acted appropriately, and her worship came at a great financial and social cost. May we never neglect so great a salvation. This woman loved with everything she had – her heart, mind, body and finances. She receives the blessing from Jesus as He reveals His authority over sin by telling her “"Your sins are forgiven”, vs 48 and “, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace.", vs 50. Are there any more encouraging words that a human being could hear. Her devotion was rewarded with an assurance from the Lord of heaven and earth that she was saved and to be at peace as a result. May we have the same assurance.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Cell groups are on break for School holidays
Prayer Points
1. Pray for the Kids Klub starting in Term 3 Fri 21st July.
2. Pray for alpha course starting 26th July Wed 6:30pm at Church. Invite non Christians.
3. Andrew has reduced kidney function. Please pray for better health and a suitable nursing home.
4. That those who are new to the church are encouraged and settle in well into the church.
5. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you saved.
6. Pray for Kids@church.
7. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Good discussion on Sunday “Challenging Cancel Culture”.
2. New equipment is coming online at Church. New cameras and sound equipment.
3. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Alpha Course starting on Wed 26th July – 6:30pm – invite non Christians to this course.
2. Friday afternoon Kids Klub – starting third term Fri 21st July – 3pm (3:30pm start) - 5:30pm.
3. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
4. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for July...
Q. 10. Where is God? A. God is everywhere..
Psalm 139:7-12; Acts 17:27-28; Jeremiah 23:23-24.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” Jer 33:3
