What Jesus Did

Then someone called from the crowd, "Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father's estate with me." Jesus replied, "Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?" Then he said, "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own."

—Luke 12:13-15 NLT

Key Thought


Most of us can really get upset when someone cheats us financially. Yet incredibly, nearly everyone gets cheated sometime! There are plenty of...

 

[Jesus said,] "Dear friends, don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But I'll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he's the one to fear."

—Luke 12:4-5 NLT

Key Thought


Most of us, me included, much prefer to speak about God's grace, love, and mercy. Every once in awhile, however, we hit one of those "shake you to the core" passages that reminds us of...

 

[To his disciples, Jesus said,] "And when you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don't worry about how to defend yourself or what to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said."

—Luke 12:11-12 NLT

Key Thought


As seen in yesterday's devotional, Jesus warned in the previous verse against blaspheming the Holy Spirit. By contrast, in today's verses, Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit...

 

[Jesus said,] "Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven."

—Luke 12:10 NLT

Key Thought


We can certainly be thankful that past blasphemies and past rejections of Jesus will not be held against us. But what about the "unforgivable sin" of blaspheming the Holy Spirit? We know that when we come to Christ and confess our sins, we are cleansed of "every kind of sin" and "all...

 

[Jesus said,] "I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God's angels. But anyone who denies me here on earth will be denied before God's angels."

—Luke 12:8-9 NLT

Key Thought


Confessing Christ is crucial! Confessing Christ can be costly in human terms. Christians in generations before us were sometimes put to death for saying, "Jesus Christ is Lord" rather than calling some...

 

[Jesus said,] "What is the price of five sparrows — two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows."

—Luke 12:6-7 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus' words in the previous sentences were strong; some would even say his words were harsh. Jesus reminded us, however, that God's desire is not to punish, harm, or bring retribution on us...

 

Meanwhile, the crowds grew until thousands were milling about and stepping on each other. Jesus turned first to his disciples and warned them, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees — their hypocrisy. The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!"

—Luke...

 

As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions. They wanted to trap him into saying something they could use against him.

—Luke 11:53-54 NLT

Key Thought


We can have any one of at least four different reactions to Jesus' demands in our lives:

1. We can respond to his convicting truths with harsh anger and fury,
2. we can ignore Jesus' words and treat them as irrelevant,
3. we can...

 

[Jesus said,] "What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don't enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering."

—Luke 11:52 NLT

Key Thought


Unfortunately, some who are caught up in a religious movement have the genuineness of their faith squelched by a group desire to be religiously superior. Rather than encouraging, helping, and blessing those who are newer in the faith, these...

 

[Jesus said,] "As a result [of honoring their ancestors who killed the prophets], this generation will be held responsible for the murder of all God's prophets from the creation of the world — from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, it will certainly be charged against this generation."

—Luke 11:50-51 NLT

Key Thought


Wow! Jesus' judgment on these hypocritical religious leaders is severe...