Luke 5:12 - 6:11 ~ The Maverick Messiah

What makes a person maverick? He is unorthodox and unconventional, demonstrating independence in his thought and behaviour.

Jesus Christ Himself is a maverick. Instead of saying, "Be healed", He chose to say, "Be clean" in cleansing the leper in Luke 5:12-16. This shows that there is more to the event than just plain healing of a sickness. Cleansing is important in this context as one cannot approach God if he is unclean. Even more maverick was the touching of the leper when the Old Testament laws stated that such an act will cause one to be unclean. But Jesus, being the Son of God, cannot be made unclean - instead, He is able to cleanse others. His command to the cleansed leper to tell no one (Luke 5:14) indicates that He came primarily to preach, not heal.

Jesus' healing of the paralytic in Luke 5:17-26 once again displayed His maverick side as witnesses glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen extraordinary things today." (Luke 5:26). The maverick line of "Man, your sins are forgiven you." (Luke 5:20) shows that Jesus has come to deal with the problem of sin. This is in line with His further claim that He has not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). In the incident where He was questioned about fasting (Luke 5:33-39), Jesus' reply implied Himself to be the bridegroom of the people (i.e. God) in the Messianic banquet foreshadowed in Isaiah 25:6. In a further occasion, Jesus identified Himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath, drawing parallels with King David, when accused of allowing His disciples to pluck grains on a Sabbath (Luke 6:1-5). On another Sabbath when Jesus healed a man with a withered hand (Luke 6:6-11), it is interesting to note the turn of events as the scribes and Pharisees plotted to do harm to Jesus on the day (Sabbath) that they were meant to save and do good.

In summary, the 'outside-the-box' Jesus is a preacher, the Messiah, the ultimate bridegroom, and the Son of Man. He has come to deal with the root of the problem i.e. sin itself. More astounding is the fact that He has come for us who are sick and sinful. His death on the cross, as hinted in Luke 5:35 and Luke 6:11, is indeed a maverick way of rescuing us. Our faith in Christ is then a call to repentance in leaving everything and following Jesus, allowing Him to run our lives instead of our vain self-centred attempt. Indeed, the maverick things we do in following Jesus is simply because we are following a maverick Messiah.

Will you be maverick for His glory's sake?

Luke 4:14 - 5:11 ~ Jesus: The Liberator

When Jesus professed that "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:21), He claimed to be the one sent to proclaim liberty to the captives (Luke 4:18). This then begs the question: what kind of liberator is Jesus?

Jesus brought with Him a complete power revolution. The power of the Spirit was involved as Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14) and it was also reflected in how the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus (Luke 4:18). There was also people power as demonstrated by how people were gathered to follow Him with much love and respect (Luke 4:14-15, 20-22, 37, 40-43). Jesus, however, faced home rejection as He recognized that no prophet is acceptable in his hometown (Luke 4:24). The Old Testament examples of Elijah and Elisha were also quoted, further irking the Jews to the extent of trying to kill Jesus albeit a failed attempt (Luke 4:29-30).

The power revolution continues with Jesus having power over demons (Luke 4:35-36) who acknowledged Him as the Son of God (Luke 4:41). He too had power over sickness as He healed many including Simon's mother-in-law, where interestingly, He rebuked the fever (Luke 4:38-39). His healing boasted a 100% success rate as every one of them on whom He laid His hands were healed (Luke 4:40).

Despite all these various powers, the kind of liberator Jesus is was revealed in Luke 4:43 where Jesus explained that His mission and purpose was to be a preacher of the good news of the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43). The fishing miracle He performed in Luke 5 was but a foreshadow of how He exhorted His disciples to be fishers of men (Luke 5:10).

Jesus has come not to bring about a political regime change. Neither was He delivering people out of poverty and hunger. Instead, He confronted the devil himself. In His power to liberate those falling victims to captivity under demons / devil, Babylon or Rome (with ensuing poverty and oppression), and sickness / disease, Jesus echoed the sentiments of Isaiah 59 that ultimately, He is delivering people out of captivity under sin itself.

We live in a world riddled with the problem of sin but we have a powerful liberator in the perfect man, the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He has died on the cross that we may be freed from the bondage of sin and have life anew in Him. May the mind of Christ transform the way we think, speak, act and live that we may give God all the honour and glory He truly deserves.

Will you be a fisher of men, calling them to join God's family in His Kingdom?

Luke 4:1-13 ~ The First Temptation of Christ

Temptation seeks to lead one astray from the framework of life. Since God sets the right framework of life itself, temptation has the potential of leading one to sin. That said, temptation itself is not sin for Jesus Himself was tempted but still remained sinless and perfect. And it is here in the first half of Luke 4 that we see the first temptation of Christ right at the start of His ministry.

Essentially, the nature of the temptations can be summarized as: (i) fending for yourself for your physical needs (verses 3-4), (ii) gaining own kingdom through false worship (verses 5-8), and (iii) testing God's protection (verses 9-11). From verse 2, we can see that it is the devil who tempts. What makes it tempting is that his lies are half-truths. Temptation (i) contains the half-truth that it is not wrong to meet our own physical needs but the lie is that it is the be all and end all, and that there is no need to rely on God. Temptation (ii) tells the half-truth that the devil is the prince of the world but the lie that he has the sole authority to give the world to whoever he wants. Temptation (iii) quotes lots of Scriptures but lies in the misuse of the Scriptures, presuming miraculous protection based on our own terms.

It should not surprise then that Jesus would counter the temptations put forth to Him by using Scripture as well. He quoted Deuteronomy 8:2-3 that the Word of God is the word of promise and that we are to trust God's promised word in response to temptation (i). Temptation (ii) was countered using Deuteronomy 6:10-14 in which we are reminded that God is the one who gives us His Kingdom and it is Him and Him alone whom we should worship and serve. As for temptation (iii), Deuteronomy 6:14-16 was quoted to remind us of a past example to not test God where the Israelites questioned if God was really with them despite Him just only providing them with manna. It is thus important for us to know the Scriptures in our hearts so that when temptation arrives, we can rely on God's framework for our life.

The devil has tempted Jesus by first saying "If you are the Son of God" (verses 3 and 9) - the temptation that comes to Jesus is then precisely because of the fact that He is the Son of God. What then is Jesus' role as the Son of God? Luke 3:38 tells us that Adam is the son of God. Jesus is then the representative or second Adam. However, unlike the first Adam, Jesus is not going to fall but is instead the obedient Son who lives by God's Word.

Jesus is also not just the representative Adam but a representation of Israel, with Israel being referred to as the firstborn Son of God in Old Testament (e.g. during the time when Pharaoh refused to let God's people go). Just as how God's people were led to the desert for 40 years during the exodus, Jesus was led to the wilderness for 40 days. He is indeed the true Israelite who does not give in and who will take us into the promised land and salvation. Where Israel failed, Jesus succeeds.

Jesus is also the Messiah described in Psalm 2. He is God's superhero who has to suffer first before attaining victory. The temptation is then to take the shortcut to attain victory without the suffering. Matthew 26:52-54 describes how Jesus has the power to call on all the angels so that He didn't need to be arrested but He didn't. All the temptations were then to lead Jesus away from the cross.

The phrase "until an opportune time" in verse 13 tells us that this is not the last temptation. We see an example of this in the same temptation of having the Kingdom without first going to the cross in Peter's rebuke where Jesus then rebuked back saying, "Get behind me, Satan!" (Matthew 16:21-23). In Luke 22:42-46, we see how Jesus prayed that His disciples would not fall into temptation. Similarly, we need to pray for God's will to be done first and foremost.

In order to understand victory over sin, we need to identify three things: the real enemy, the real temptation, and the real Son. There is a very real spiritual dimension in which Satan himself is the real enemy who wants us to fall - he is a liar and murderer from the very beginning. There is indeed a real temptation that Jesus did go through. Luke 22:44 describes the anguish that He experienced while Hebrews 4:15 describes Him as a high priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses for He is one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. In not giving in, He knows the depth and strength of the temptation as well as the pain that comes along after it, especially the temptation to not go to the cross.

Jesus represents us as the real Son of God, not just Adam or Israel but representing all of humanity. He is the Messiah who went through the real temptation but did not give in for us. If He did give in, He will not be perfect and as a consequence, we will be in hell for not being able to overcome the real temptation. Christ is not merely our example but our Saviour.

Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

Luke 3:1-37 ~ Clearing the Way

What does it mean to repent? Is it merely the act of apologizing and saying sorry? Or perhaps changing from bad behaviour to good behaviour?

So when the desert voice of John the Baptist called out for repentance in the wilderness (verses 2 and 4), he recognized that Israel was still a nation in exile. Theologically and spiritually, God's people were still in Babylon and not "home" despite the great physical exodus through the desert. The baptism of repentance (verse 3) is more than just an issue of heritage - it is not merely for the Jews alone, as implied in verse 8. Everyone is called to bear good fruit (verse 9) as the concrete evidence of the change in one's life, through various deeds including the act of sharing and generosity (verses 10-11). Even the tax collectors and soldiers were instructed on how they were to apply this in their profession (verses 12-14).

Question is, what is the motivation for this repentance? The answer lies in God's righteous anger and just condemnation and punishment. Verse 9 warns us that every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Wouldn't you do anything to flee or escape this wrath to come?

While John is the forerunner of Jesus (think of how the bridesmaid marches down the aisle before the bride does - and when she does, all eyes are on her now, not the bridesmaid!), verse 16 explains a different kind of baptism that Jesus will bring: a baptism of Spirit and fire. This paints a picture of judgment itself where the one baptizing will also be the one bringing in the judgment day.

More than just a baptist or a judge, Jesus is also heralded as God's Son in verse 22, when the Holy Spirit descended on Him. Psalm 2 reveals the wisdom of being on Jesus' side, who is the anointed Messiah. He is also the suffering servant (Isaiah 42:1, 52:13, 53:1-6, 53:11-12) who needs to suffer first before attaining victory. The way to kingship is through the people's rejection but He is going to win in the end. The genealogy recorded for us also implies that Jesus was not conceived as a natural conception with the tag "as was supposed" in verse 23. We can tell that He descended from the line of the great King David (verse 31) and father Abraham (verse 34) but Luke, unlike other gospel authors, went back further to point out that Jesus also descended from Adam himself (verse 38), illustrating that salvation is not just for the Jews but for everyone whom Jesus represents.

Genuine repentance is then a change of mind and will that bears fruit in one's life in one's actions. We are called to know the times where both salvation and judgment are certain, to know the Saviour King and change from "self-government" to "Jesus-government", and to know real baptism where baptism is the outward sign of the inward repentance that leads to bearing real fruit.

Who drives your life? Will you let Jesus take the wheel?

Luke 2:1-52 ~ The One

Many infamous trilogies (e.g. Star Wars, The Matrix) usually have a similar plot where certain oracles are prophesied, looking for 'The One'. What about the oracles of the Bible? 'The One' is one who is filled with righteousness and wisdom (Exodus 13:15, Leviticus 12:7, Proverbs 3:3), bringing peace and light (Isaiah 8:13, Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 49:6, Isaiah 52:9), and hailing from Galilee and Bethlehem (Isaiah 9:1, Micah 5:2).

The birth of Jesus was indeed a humble one. Joseph was originally from the city of David (verse 4) and it was there in Bethlehem that Jesus was born and laid in a manger (verse 7) since the family had no place to stay, being 'nobodies'. That said, His birth was celebrated by a multitude of heavenly host praising God (verse 13) and the angels even gave the shepherds the sign of a baby lying in a manger as the Saviour who is born into the world (verses 8-20). Up to this point in Luke 2, here are the oracles fulfilled thus far:

- v4: Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
- v4: Line of David (Isaiah 9:6)
- v10: Good news and joy (Isaiah 52:9)
- v11: Saviour born in city of David (Micah 5:2)
- v14: Peace on earth (Isaiah 9:6)

The rest of Luke 2 (from verse 22 onwards) describes Jesus' childhood. Various customs of the law (verses 22-24, 27, 39, 42) were observed and fulfilled by Jesus. Simeon the devout Jew and Anna the prophetess have both also praised God for Jesus, whom they knew would bring salvation and redemption (verses 25-38). It then comes as no surprise to note how Jesus grew in wisdom and favour, both with God and man (verses 40 and 52). The more significant highlight would be Jesus' own consciousness of being the very Son of God, even at so young an age, when he called the temple "my Father's house" (verse 49). The description of the childhood of Jesus has so far fulfilled the following oracles:

- v22-24: Sacrifice and redemption of firstborn and turtledoves for purification (Exodus 13:15 and Leviticus 12:7)
- v25: Simeon waiting for consolation of Israel (Isaiah 52:9)
- v29-30: Peace / salvation (Isaiah 9:6)
- v32: Light for Gentiles (Isaiah 49:6)
- v34: Fall and rising of many (Isaiah 8:13)
- v38: Redemption of Jerusalem (Isaiah 52:9)
- v39: Galilee their hometown (Isaiah 9:1)

God is indeed so sovereign that He should even control Caesar Augustus to make the decree that caused Jesus' earthly parents to move from one town to another, fulfilling some of the oracles made in the past. His salvation plan for mankind may have caused confusion in the past, experienced by different parties as wondering (verse 18), pondering (verse 19), marvel (verse 33) and the lack of understanding (verse 50). But unlike those living in Jesus' times, we are no longer 'short-sighted' as we now have the complete picture of God's salvation plan through Jesus Christ who fulfilled prophecies of the Scriptures by dying on the cross and resurrecting three days later that He may conquer sin and be ruler of not just Israel but the whole world (Luke 24:44-47).

Jesus Christ is The One.

Luke 1:39-80 ~ Songs of Hope

The second half of the first chapter of Luke's gospel records two songs of hope: Mary's Magnificat and Zechariah's Benediction. These are songs reflecting the fulfillment of the angel's words. In verse 39, we see Mary rushing to visit Elizabeth to confirm that Elizabeth is pregnant, as informed by the angel. It was at this point that the baby in Elizabeth's womb leaped for joy (verse 44). But more significant of this incident perhaps is Elizabeth's acknowledgment of Mary as mother of my Lord in verse 43. As for Zechariah, the foretelling by the angel that his wife would bear not just a child but specifically a son came to be fulfilled. It is with much wonder that Zechariah was suddenly able to speak after nine months of being mute the moment he indicated that his newborn son should be named John as instructed by the angel. In both cases, we see how Mary and Zechariah praised and glorified God as a God of promise through their songs.

On closer observation, the issue of salvation also surfaced through these songs. People are:

Saved from:
- v52: being 'nobodies'
- v71: our enemies and all who hate us
- v74: hand of our enemies
- v77: sins (forgiven)

Saved for:
- v74: serving God
- v75: living in righteousness
- v79: way of peace

Saved by:
- v47: God my Saviour
- v49: He who is mighty
- v51: He who has shown strength with His arm
- v52: He who brought down the mighty
- v69: He who has raised up a horn of salvation for us

Saved because:
- v54: of remembrance of God's mercy
- v72: to show mercy promised to our fathers
- v78: of God's tender mercy

God acts to fulfill His Word. While nationalistic Israelites may expect the Messiah to politically save their nation (and conversely, materialistic Gentiles may expect Jesus to bless them with physical riches and luxuries), the true way Jesus Christ saves His people is by dying on the cross and rising again three days later in order to forgive their sins (Luke 24:44-47). For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him (2 Corinthians 1:20).

What is your song of hope?

Luke 1:5-38 ~ Impossible is Nothing

For nothing will be impossible with God (Luke 1: 37).

Really? Absolutely "nothing"?! No wonder it is such a common misconception for Christians to think they can ask God for just about anything, expecting Him to fulfill all their prayer requests. Verse 37 essentially applies only to what God has promised. If He hasn't promised it, it is only presumptuous for us to assume that God will do whatever we want Him to. In the context of this passage, verse 37 is a reminder to Mary that since Elizabeth was pregnant, she should take that as a sign when the angel Gabriel foretold her what God has promised.

The miracle of barren women bearing children has happened before, as evidenced in Sarah (Genesis 18:10-14) and Rebekah's (Genesis 25:21) cases. But what is so special about Elizabeth falling pregnant that distinguishes her case from that of Sarah's or Rebekah's? Verses 10 and 13 tell us that both the people and Zechariah himself have been praying. And what would these faithful Jews be praying about? Fast-forwarding to Luke 2:25, we see another devout Jew, Simeon, waiting for the consolation of Israel. Zechariah and the people's prayers would then be one asking for the barrenness of Israel to be taken away, in light of God's former promises to Abraham back in Genesis 12:1-3 (and once again implied in Isaiah 54:1-5).

John the Baptist, who is then this "miracle child", was to be a forerunner, as prophesied in Isaiah 40:1-5. He was to make ready for the Lord a people prepared by turning God's children back to Him, going in the spirit and power of Elijah (verses 16-17), echoing the sentiments of Malachi 3:1, 4:5-6.

That said, greater still is the one who came after John the Baptist and who is born of a virgin. It is the life-generating Holy Spirit that came upon Mary (verse 35) to fulfill the sign of Immanuel as prophesied in Isaiah 7:14. Jesus Christ, who is conceived of a virgin, is then the Son of God who will reign as King, as foretold in 2 Samuel 7:11-16. This is indeed good news borne by the angel as one who gives a message and is a bearer of God's Word.

With God, nothing is impossible and impossible is nothing for He is the one who writes the future. And the future has already come...

His name is Jesus.

Luke 1:1-4 ~ Can We be Certain about Jesus?

How can we be certain about Jesus?

In the first 4 verses of Luke's gospel, the author tells us that he wrote to most excellent Theophilus, "that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught" (verse 3-4). Luke has previously accompanied Paul on his missionary journey but he was not an eyewitness since he was not present when Jesus was fulfilling His ministry. The question then is how can someone like Luke give us any certainty then?

The answer lies within verses 2-3. Luke has followed all things closely for some time past and has even consulted some of the eyewitnesses and ministers of the word. Cross-referencing from 1 Corinthians 15:3-6, we can see that during Paul's mission, some of these eyewitnesses have died but most were still alive, and hence accessible for Luke to conduct a solid investigation about Christ.

This is real history that Luke has recorded for us, only approximately 30-40 years after Jesus' ministry, which is relatively a very close time frame. It is a real factual account of eyewitnesses, many who died for what they believed in: the truth in Christ. Various figures such as Herod, king of Judea (Luke 1:5), Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1), and Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate and Herod (Luke 3:1-2) are real historical figures that can be found in non-Christian historical texts. Even Josephus' "The Jewish Antiquities" lends veracity by providing a non-Christian historical account about Jesus Christ Himself.

Christianity is a historical faith based and rooted in history and person, not philosophy. The burden of proof on those who do not think the Bible is good history is to show that the Bible is not good history. This is a faith that centres around Jesus of real history. Some may use science to argue about the claims that Christianity puts forth. Science is great but it isn't the only access to the truth. After all, science is founded on repeated experimental truths itself. Christianity is "His-Story" for us, a historical truth. Faith is not a leap in the dark but relying, trusting and depending on something that's reliable, trustworthy and dependable. Historical truth is about what happened back then, not now, and so any excuse for not believing because one has yet to encounter some form of "personal experience with God" is not valid. John writes rightly when he tells us the gospel is written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 21:30). Indeed, Christ's words Himself rings true: Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29).

Jesus' life, death and resurrection is a critical turning point, not just in human history, but more importantly in God's history. Verse 1 highlights that the gospel is a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, and who has accomplished or fulfilled this but none other than God Himself! Luke 24:27, 44-49 also illustrates how Jesus Himself uses the Scriptures to interpret the prophesies concerning Himself, a focus on His own death and resurrection. It is not just vital to know these things happened but the meaning and significance of these events.

Are you certain about Jesus? What does this certainty mean to you in light of your eternity?

Luke 4:16-30 ~ Israel's Messiah for the Nations

This semester's CBS Churches Celebrate (used to be known as Unichurches Together) sermon looks at the Nazareth manifesto i.e. Jesus' public declaration of His 'policies' in Luke 4. Jesus was finally at home and was spending the Sabbath in the synagogue (not a temple but a gathering place for Jews who could not get back to the temple to offer their offerings; a place where the Jews gathered to read the Scripture). Jesus was reading Isaiah 61 that prophesied the coming of the Messiah, an event that Jews have put their hope in for over 700 years (from the time Isaiah 61 was written until the reading by Jesus).

Sitting down (this was the mark of the start of teaching), Jesus claimed to be the Messiah that Isaiah prophesied by saying, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (verse 21). He claimed to be Israel's anointed one in being God's chosen one to rule and lead God's people, who are spiritually blind and oppressed and are spiritually lacking a place in God's Kingdom. The Messiah is needed to bring God's people under God's loving kingship and rule.

But just how did the Jews respond to such a huge claim? While all spoke well of him (verse 22), Jesus saw through their 'fake' praise at the sarcastic hint in the form of the question: "Is not this Joseph's son?" (verse 22). Jesus then proceeded to state the obvious, that no prophet is acceptable in his hometown (verse 24). He knew that they would challenge Him to prove Himself (verse 23).

Jesus then quoted two examples of rejected prophets, Elijah and Elisha, who lived during the 3.5-year God-sent drought in the dark days of Israel under evil King Ahab. While there were many Jewish widows and lepers, none were assisted or healed. Instead, Elijah helped sustain a Gentile widow, Zarephath (1 Kings 16), during the great famine while Elisha healed the non-Israelite Syrian army commander, Naaman, of his leprosy (2 Kings 5).

When Israel rejects God's prophets, God shows His grace to other nations instead - Israel has no right to monopolize God's grace. Simeon's prophecy in Luke 2 on how Jesus will be opposed and yet lead to the fall and rise of many in Israel begins to take form here in Luke 4. The Jews' attempt to throw Jesus down the cliff in verse 29 marks the start of the prophesied opposition. Despite their murderous intent, Jesus managed to save Himself and escape from the Jews (verse 30) - it is not yet time to lay down His life.

It is in the cross of Jesus where we see Israel's greatest rejection of the Messiah. The cross is the place where God's grace through God's Messiah overflows to us all over all nations (the Gentiles) because of Israel's rejection. We all need what He is offering: forgiveness by His atoning sacrifice. It is a great privilege indeed that God should extend His salvation to people from all nations - us who are not originally God's chosen people.

While the Messiah's manifesto may be 'grace going out to the nations', what would be our manifesto? What will it reveal about our life and commitment? Do we share the Messiah's manifesto? Indeed, our manifesto should be influenced by the grace that the Messiah has shown us. We are now made God's people as part of Jesus' mission and God's plan right from the very beginning.

Will you proclaim a Christ-centred manifesto in your life?

Ps. Heartiest congratulations to all those who were baptized on Sunday, including dear Xin Hui and Roong Jien - keep on growing in Him!

PPs. Will be away to be challenged about full-time ministry this coming long weekend (1st-4th October) at the October Conference... =)

Luke 12:13-34 ~ Parable of the Rich Fool

The rich man in this parable may seem smart enough initially to have a land that produces plentifully and has the foresight to plan for a comfortable life ahead. Or is he the opposite: a fool who, instead of possessing the foresight, is actually short-sighted in realizing how he fails to be rich towards God?

But enough of the rich fool - what about us? Are we so anxious about the cares of this world that we overemphasize them, making them a priority above God? Is He not the one who gives and can also take away?

Seek His Kingdom instead and lay your treasures in heaven... ;)

Luke 14:12-24 ~ Parable of the Great Banquet

How do we respond to the invitation to the great banquet (kingdom of God) hosted by the master of the house (God) who sent us our invites via his servant (Jesus)? Do we respond like the Pharisees who believed they will eat bread in the kingdom of God when in reality, though invited, will eventually not taste the banquet? Do we make similar excuses and reject the servant who delivered us our invitation? Or are we filled with spiritual hunger that only God and Jesus can satisfy? Do we yearn for the blessing that will be repaid at the resurrection of the just and RSVP with an enthusiastic "YES!"?

As we reflect on how privileged we are to be personally invited to partake in His Kingdom, here's a song ("The Invitation") from Steven Curtis Chapman, which will no doubt echo this invitation that first stemmed from His loving mercy and amazing grace...

Luke 7:36-50 ~ Being Forgiven

A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?

What about us? Can we possibly repay the debt of our sins? How much more are we then dependent on Him who forgives us our sins! How much more then should we love Him who died on the cross that we may appear blameless without blemish before God!

Jesus, thank you for cleansing me of my sins...

Luke 8:4-15 ~ Parable of the Sower

Q: What sort of a hearer are you?

Options:
A. A hardened hearer who does not receive God's Word
B. One without solid foundation who receives God's Word with joy and believes temporarily but soon gives way under pressure and falls away
C. Easily tempted away from God's Word by the other priorities in life
D. A patient fruit-bearer who holds fast to God's Word in an honest and good heart

Are we the kind of seed that falls on the path only to be devoured by a bird? Or perhaps enjoy a short-lived growth on a rock until we wither away for lack of moisture? Maybe we grow a little more than that but are choked by competing thorns? Or are we those that fall on good soil and soon yield a hundredfold?

Here's a challenge for you:
God's Word is the word of life - it's much too precious to throw into the wind. How then do you respond to this? Will you adopt a lackadaisical attitude or will you guard this Word with all you can?

What kind of a seed are you?

What kind of a hearer are you?

He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Luke 8:8)

FOCUS PM Church + IBF

FOCUS PM Church @ UNSW will be kick-starting an exciting series on the book of Revelation this coming Sunday. So make sure you join us as we unravel the mysteries behind one of the most challenging reads of the New Testament!

FOCUS PM Church (Fellowship of Overseas Christian University Students)
Every Sunday
4.30PM
Keith Burrows Theatre, UNSW

As for weekly Bible Studies, IBF @ UNSW will be exploring the gospel of Jesus according to Luke, starting this coming Friday. Come learn to read God's Word for yourself and appreciate the story of Christ our Saviour!

IBF (International Bible Fellowship)
Every Friday
7.00PM
Squarehouse Level 2, UNSW

See you there! ^_^