Application

Giving voice to our desires in prayer:-

1. Desires we know are contrary to God’s will
2. Desires which are unknown in relation to God’s will
3. Desires which are according to God’s will.

1. Top level issue – Kingdom entrance requirements
2. Underlying issue – will the path Jesus calls me to tread work out well for me?
3. The heart of the issue - Trust or fear?

The partnership of fear and sin

Three steps for dealing with fear:-

1. Name the fears
2. Any required action?
3. Hand them over to God

Next Week: Jesus’ promise of peace (John 14:27)

• Paragon
• Pariah

• The proud self-confident heart
• The humble contrite heart

How does this speak into our lives today?

• Our need for a fundamental acceptance of grace
• Our need for an on-going reliance on grace
• Prayer
• Fasting
• Spiritual growth and vitality

God’s promises of justice (Isaiah 11:3-4; Isaiah 9:7)

A story to teach persisting in prayer for justice (Luke 18:1-8)

Next week Luke 18:9-14

Recognition

• By the outcasts of Jesus
• By Jesus of the outcasts

Response

• By Jesus
• By the outcasts

Restoration

• Outcasts
• Samaritan

gRatitude

• Samaritan
• Us

1. God will rebuke those who hinder others in their faith journey (1-2)
• No condemnation but accountability (2 Cor 5:10)
2. Christ calls us to rebuke and forgive those who sin against us (3-4)
3. God provides the strength and grace to live this out when we apply the faith we have (5-6)
4. Living this out is our duty and response to grace (7-10)

Next week: Luke 17:11-19

Discussion questions

• How can we grow our hearts to be more generous?
• What are some practical ideas as to how we could use our wealth strategically for God’s kingdom?

Next week: Spiritual Health - Scripture

1. The clash of 2 different religious belief systems (14:1-24)
2. The challenge to live ‘salty’ lives of impactful discipleship (14:25-35)

Chapter 15

1. An unhappiness with grace extended to sinners (15:1-2)
2. A window into God’s gracious heart and purposes (15:3-10)
1. God searches and pursues
2. God finds and brings home
3. God rejoices at saving the lost

Application

How in tune is my heart with God’s heart of grace?

Living ‘salty’ lives of impact will involve challenging our prejudices

Living in tune with God’s heart will bring deep joy.

Discussion questions

• What other barriers or prejudices stand in the way of us having a gracious missional heart like God?
• How can these parables encourage us to reach out to the lost?

Next week – Luke 15:11-32 (Tim Keller)

2 conditions for following Jesus:-

1. Loving Christ above all else (25-26)
2. Following Christ no matter what the cost (27-33)

• Counting the cost to see it through
• Cheap grace
• The choice of an impactful or ineffective life (34)

Discussion Questions

Can you think of ways in which we may avoid the cost of following Jesus? 

What benefits flow out of a choice to follow Jesus wholeheartedly? 

Next week – Luke 15:1-10

1. A Challenge to Quid pro quo (12-14)
2. A Parable to Shock the Presumptive (15-24)

Application

• How much do we see ourselves in need of grace?
• To what extent have our lives been transformed by grace?
• Measure of maturity
• Grace not Quid pro quo

Discussion questions

How can we better appreciate how God’s grace has operated in our lives?

What does it practically look like to live lives shaped more by grace than Quid pro quo?

Next week – Luke 14:25-35

Application

• Prayerfully and carefully consider your heart
• Embrace the path of humility

Discussion questions

Are there other factors in addition to pride that would hold nominal believers back from personally trusting in Christ? 

What are the disbenefits of nominal belief both in this present life and in eternity? 

Next week: Spiritual Health - Prayer

Application

1. Are you personally trusting in Christ as your saviour?
2. Are you as compassionate and concerned for nominal believers as Christ is?

Discussion questions

• What factors hold nominal believers back from personally trusting in Christ? 
• What are the disbenefits of nominal belief both in this present life and in eternity? 
• What does it practically look like to have a loving compassionate heart for nominal believers like that of Jesus? 

Next week – Luke 14:1-11

• Acts of Mercy on the Sabbath

Application

• The danger of missing the kingdom of God
• People don’t truly know the message of the gospel.
• The danger of a powerless kingdom of God
• Over- and under-realised eschatology.
• Weariness and cynicism

Next week – Luke 13:22-35

What did Jesus come to do? 

1. Jesus brings the fire of God’s judgement on the last day (49)

Why would Jesus long for that day? 

• Destruction and renewal
• The renewal of the creation (Romans 8:19-21)
• The settling of injustices (Revelation 8:10)

2. Jesus bears the fire of God’s Judgement on the cross (50)

• The cost to Jesus is incalculable. 
• Driven by love not vindictiveness 

3. Jesus brings division based on people’s response to him (51-53)
4. Respond rightly to the evidence concerning Jesus (54-59)

• Settle out of God’s court prior to the day of God’s judgement (57-59)

Conclusion

• Faith in Christ
• Faith in Christ’s judgment

Next Week — Luke 13:1-9

Are you ready? 

• Being ready for Christ’s return
• The danger of becoming sleepy
• The challenge - be ready (35-36)
• A reason to be ready – the master’s commendation and celebration (37-38).
• The difficulty of being ready – constant readiness (39-40)

Evaluation of stewardship. Four possible scenarios (42-48). 

1. Consistently Faithful (42-43)
2. Totally unfaithful (45-46)
3. Disobedient with knowledge (47)
4. Disobedient with ignorance (48)

• The principle – the more known, the more will be expected (48b)

Next week – Luke 12:49-59

• No excuse to be lazy
• Worrying achieves nothing (25)
• We worry because we don’t trust God (28)
• We worry because we act as if we are God
• The antidote to fear - Faith in our faithful God
• Faith and fear are inversely proportional

2. Live for God’s kingdom and trust God to provide (29-34)

• Invest in eternity through lives of radical love and generosity

Next week – Spiritual Health: Sabbath

Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed!

• Greed destroys our eternal perspective

A tragic story of a man blinded by greed

• Self-centredness
• Proud thanklessness
• Self-indulgence

The twist in the tale – ‘You fool’

Being rich towards God

• Trusting Jesus for Eternal Riches (Eph 1:7, 1 Peter 1:3-4)
• Serving Jesus with our Whole Lives

Wisdom for guarding against greed

• Don’t be lovers of money but lovers of God and people (Prov 11:28)
• Don’t hoard selfishly but give generously.
• Don’t be presumptuous but thankful (1 Tim 4:4).
• Don’t be greedy but be content (Heb 13:5)

Next week – Luke 12:22-34

Further Reading - Beyond Greed, Brian Rosner

Luke 12:1-12

1. Woe to those who opt for legalism rather than obeying God’s word (46). 
2. Woe to those with hearts that rebel against God’s Word (47-51)
3. Woe to whose false teaching prevents people hearing the gospel (52)

Closing reflections

1. The challenge to those in Christian leadership
2. The ever-present danger of legalism
3. The gospel delivers us from dry dreary religion/legalism

Next week: Luke 12:1-12

• What is hypocrisy?

1. 1. The Debilitating Effects of Hypocrisy
      • Background on the Pharisees
      • The OT significance of ceremonial hand-washing
        1. Skewed priorities – Giving money but not loving God or caring for people (42)
        2. Skewed priorities – Valuing people’s praise more than God’s praise (43)
        3. Woeful Effect – the contamination of others (44)
   2. The Healing Work of the Gospel

1. 1. 1. The gospel gives us a new heart and the indwelling Holy Spirit. 
      2. The gospel enables us to view life in its proper perspective.

         Because we are secure in God’s unconditional love, the gospel:-

1. 1. 1. 1. frees us to be honest about ourselves and our sin
         2. frees us from people-pleasing 

Next week: Spiritual Health — Solitude and Silence

• Prayer and Confession

Next week: Luke 11:37-44

Next week: Luke 10:48-52 – Spiritual health: A problem and a solution

Next week: Luke 11:5-13

1. Revelation to the humble and unimpressive (21)
2. Revelation of the Father through the Son (22)

The privilege of witnessing the coming of God’s kingdom (23)

Mission Organisations (Click link to visit webpage)

1. Australian Presbyterian World Mission
2. SIM Australia
3. CMS Australia

Reactions to Jesus and his call into his kingdom:-

1. Outright rejection of following Jesus (52-56)
2. Poorly thought-through commitment – failing to count the cost of following Jesus (57-58)
3. Procrastinating commitment; delaying the decision to follow Jesus until the ‘right time’ (59-60)
4. Indecisive commitment; hanging on to the old life whilst still following Jesus (61-62)

Next week – Luke 10:1-16

Additional resources:

The gospel comes with a house key. (Rosaria Butterfield) 

Side by Side (Ed Welch) 

Extraordinary hospitality for ordinary people (Carolyn Lacey)

Next week – Luke 9:51-62