"Ask ... Seek ... Knock ..."

Luke 11:1-13
"Ask ... seek ... knock ... " (Luke 11:9) - Jesus is calling us to pray. " ... how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him" (Luke 11:13) God answers prayer. The Holy Spirit is God's answer. God is good. God is love. This is Jesus' teaching. This is the teaching which encourages us to ask, seek and knock. God is good. God is love. This is the teaching which gives us the assurance that God is waiting for us to come to Him. God is good. God is love. This is the teaching that assures us that God wants to bless us. God is good. God is love. This is the teaching that calls us to prayer. We ask the Lord to reveal Himself to us. He is the God who loves us. We seek the Lord's presence. We pray that He will come to us with His blessing. We knock on the door of God's heart. We pray that He will open His heart to us. We pray the He will pour upon us a superabundant blessing. The Lord loves to hear and answer the prayers of those who long to know Him and serve Him. He answers our prayers by pointing us to Jesus, His Son, our Saviour.

The Love Of God, The Power Of God And The Glory Of God

The widow's son is raised from death by Jesus. What a wonderful miracle this is! In this great miracle, we see the love of God, the power of God and the glory of God.
(1) Love - "When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said,'Don't cry'" (Luke 7:13).
(2) Power - "He said, 'Young man, I say to you, get up!' The dead man sat up and began to talk" (Luke 7:14-15).
(3) Glory - "They were all filled with awe and praised God" (Luke 7:16).
In this story, we hear the Word of the Lord. It is the Word of His love. It is the Word of His power. It is the Word of His glory. This is the Gospel. It's the Good News. There's a place in God's heart for us. His heart is full of love for us. This is the Good News that comes to us with power. It's the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. It's the Good News that leads us on to glory. It leads us on to God's heavenly and eternal glory.

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Here's a link for the rest of this sermon - Sermons on Luke's Gospel - Luke 7:11-17

The Way Of The World And The Way Of The Lord

When we read the words of Jesus Christ, we are reading the words of a Preacher who spoke the truth without fear of man. Again and again, as we read Jesus' words, we find that there is a striking difference between what the world says and what the Lord says. the way of the world and the way of the Lord are two very different ways. When Jesus preached His challenging messages, there were those who closed their minds to the Word of God. They closed their hearts to the love of God. They closed their lives to the power of God. As we read Jesus' words, we are challenged. Jesus challenges us: Are you open to the Word of God, the love of God and the power of God? Is your mind open - to receive the challenging teaching of God's Word? Is your heart open - to enjoy the heart-warming influence of God's love? Is your life open - to experience the life-changing effects of God's power?

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Here's a link for the rest of this sermon: Sermons on Luke's Gospel - Luke 6:17-26

Learning From Mary (3)

Luke 1:26-38, 46-55 - Praising God For His Love, Grace And Mercy

God has come to us in love, grace and mercy. In love , He has sent His Son to be our Saviour. In mercy, He withholds from us the judgment we deserve. In grace, He pours upon us His salvation which we don’t deserve. Let us respond to Him by giving ourselves fully to Him. Committed to the Lord, trusting in Him and experiencing His power at work in us, let us join with Mary in praising the God of our salvation, “My heart overflowing with praise of my Lord, my soul is full of joy in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:46).

Learning From Mary (2)

Luke 1:26-38, 46-55 - Commitment, Trust And God’s Action

Mary’s commitment was decisive. The conception of Jesus in her womb was a once-for-all event. With respect to His conception, her prayer, “Let it be to me according to Your Word” was unrepeatable. For us, there is a once-for-all beginning - the new birth. We are born of the Spirit of God. From this commitment, we move on to trust. We trust that there will be no ‘miscarriage’. God will complete His work in us - the work of His love, grace and mercy. When we trust in the Lord, persuaded that we are now “accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6), we begin to experience the power of God at work within us - He “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

Learning From Mary (1)

Luke 1:26-38, 46-55 - The Initiative Lies With God. Our Response - Christian Commitment.
The message comes from God. It is the message of His great and undeserved love. The purpose of God is announced. God will fulfil His purpose of love. This is the Gospel. It is the Gospel of His love. In love, God speaks to us. He speaks of His purpose. In love, grace and mercy, God is reaching out to us. He wants to work in us and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit. This initiative of God calls for our response.At first, Mary was greatly troubled. At first, there was uncertainty. God worked in her. She was changed. There was the deep conviction that the Lord was doing something wonderful. She committed herself to the Lord. From that day on, her life was altogether different. In her life, God’s promise was fulfilled: “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him , and He will act” (Psalm 37:5).

Links For Notes On Genesis, Ruth, Nehemiah, Ecclesiastes, Zechariah, Luke, Galatians And 1 & 2 Peter

Ruth
nehemiah
zechariah



2 peter

The Prayer Of Zechariah (Luke 1:68-79) Calls Us To Worship The Lord, Walk With Him And Witness For Him.

We are called to join with Zechariah in saying, Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel ... (68). As we worship the Lord, we are confident of this: He will “guide our feet into the path of peace” (79).Worshipping the Lord and walking with Him, we are led to follow the example of John the Baptist, "a prophet of the Most High". We are to "give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins" (76-77). May God help us to respond to His call. Let us worship God. Let us walk with Him. Let us witness for Him.
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This post is the fourth and final part of an article posted at my blog. The article is entitled, "Special Days: Remembrance Day – Micah 4:1-8; Psalm 9:9-20; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5; Luke 1:68-79"