The Book of Luke chapters 10-20

 

Luke 10

 ¹After these things the LORD appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. The Lord sent 35 teams of two witnesses into the surrounding cities. (Numbers 11:16, Acts 13:2-4, Revelation 11:3-10).

 ²Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. The harvest is great, but the workers are few. Pray to the Lord and ask Him to send more workers in the field. Those workers (teachers of the Word), will come forth in the end times.

 ³Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Remember that I am sending you out as lambs among the wolves. If your teaching God's word, expect it to be tough out there. You need to wise as the serpent and harmless as doves. (Matthew 10:16). Having faith here is the key. Remember, "You have Christ on your side."

 ⁴Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. Don't take any money or legal tender with you, and don't stop to greet anyone on the road. i.e. Be careful in your travels and there is no need to beg for money. (If you teach truth in your ministry, God will supply everything you need).

 ⁵And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. "May God's peace be on this house" was the instructed blessing of the time.

 ⁶And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. If those who live in the house are peaceful and receiving, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. (James 3:18). (Just go on your way, there are many more seeking truth).

 ⁷And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. Don't go house to house with your message. Find a worthy home and remain there till your work is done. (Matthew 10:11). "The news will travel from there."

 ⁸And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. When you find those who receive your message and welcome you, enjoy their hospitality.

 ⁹And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. Heal the spiritually sick and let your message be that "The Kingdom of God is near." And never charge for your services. (Mathew 10:8). There hospitality should be good enough. (To many beggars in Christianity today).

 ¹⁰But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say. If your message is not received, just leave and don't waste your time on them.

 ¹¹Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. If your not accepted, just shake the dust of your feet and move on. Their fate is in the hands of the Heavenly Father on judgment day.

 ¹²But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. Even Sodom will be better off than a town that rejects you. (It's not you they are rejecting, they are rejecting the truth in the Word). Won't be good for them on judgment day. (Ezekiel 16:48-50).

 ¹³Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. The sorrows await you Chorazin and Bathsaida. (Bathsaida means "house of fishing"). Jesus tells the disciples; if I had done the miracles I did for you at Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago. (Isaiah 23:1-18). However, the people of Chorazin and Bathsaida (two cities located in Galilee), were not responsive and "rejected the Son of God."

 ¹⁴But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. Tyre and Sidon will be better off at judgment day than Chorazin and Bathsaida. (They heard the truth right from the Son of God Himself, and they rejected it). Fools!

 ¹⁵And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. Those living in Capernaum experienced the greatest blessings of Jesus. Most of His miracles and preaching was done in Capernaum. But, as a whole, they rejected Him. (See if you can find Capernaum on a map any longer). You won't, it does not exist!

 ¹⁶He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. Jesus told the disciples that anyone who receives their message is also accepting Him. (Matthew 10:40). But, anyone that rejects them also rejects Christ. If you reject Christ, you reject God who sent Him. (I Thessalonians 4:8).

 ¹⁷And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. Jesus gave the disciples power over devils just as He gave us. "In Jesus Name." (Luke 9:1).

 ¹⁸And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Satan is coming real soon. (John 12:31, Revelation 9:1, 12:7-9). His spirit is strong among us now, but soon he will be here in person. Do not be deceived!

 ¹⁹Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. I give you power and authority over all power of the enemy. (Romans 8:31-39). "With Christ in you comes many powers over the world."

 ²⁰Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. "Written in the book of life." (Revelation 20:12). "This is what we strive for as Christians."

 ²¹In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. Jesus thanked the Father for hiding these things of the spirit from those who think they are so wise and clever, and revealing them to those who are like little children. "Those who are open to the truth." Out of the mouth of babes. (Matthew 11:25-26, I Samuel 17:44-49).

 ²²All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. Jesus was telling us that the Heavenly Father has entrusted everything to Him. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

 ²³And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see. You are blessed to see what you have seen. "The disciples just experienced the first advent." They seen all the miracles Christ had performed and they heard the Word from the Master teacher Himself.

 ²⁴For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. The prophets of old would love to have seen what the disciples of Christ had seen. Even more than that, they would love to see what we see today concerning the end times. (I Peter 1:10-11).

 ²⁵And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Here we have a scripture lawyer trying to trip Christ up. (Matthew 22:35).

 ²⁶He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? What does the law of Moses say He asked the man? (Romans 10:5).

 ²⁷And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. Quoting from the Old Testament. (Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18).

 ²⁸And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. You answered right Jesus replied; Do this and you will live.

 ²⁹But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? The man wanted to justify his actions and asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"

 ³⁰And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Jesus would explain with a parable. A Jewish man (born into Israel), was attacked by bandits and left for dead.

 ³¹And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. The priest just passed by the man with no help. (Thought he was to good to help the man).

 ³²And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. A temple assistant passed by the man also with no help. (Doesn't have time to be bothered).

 ³³But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. A gentile passed by the man, stopped and had compassion on him.

 ³⁴And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The gentile took care of the man that was hurt.

 ³⁵And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. The man paid an innkeeper two silver coins to take care of the man, and if it took more, offered to pay the whole bill when he returned.

 ³⁶Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? Who was the true neighbor to the man Christ asked?

 ³⁷And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. The man replied; "The one who showed mercy." Jesus replied; "Now go and do the same." This is the true mark of a Christian. (Proverbs 14:21). God loves it when you are compassionate towards others.

 ³⁸Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. Martha welcomed Jesus into her home. This was the house of Mary (the one who anointed the feet of Christ), and Martha the sisters of Lazarus. (John 11:1-5).

 ³⁹And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. Mary sat at His feet to listen to the Word.

 ⁴⁰But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. Martha was busy cooking and came to Jesus and said; doesn't it seem unfair that I do all the work while my sister just sits here?

 ⁴¹And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. Martha, don't you realize that being upset over all theses details is not important? (Matthew 6:25-34).

 ⁴²But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. There is only one thing that is important here and Mary has discovered it. It will not be taken away from her. (Luke 8:18, John 10:27-28). Mary had the living Word right in front of her and she knew it. "She wanted to learn about the Kingdom of Heaven." What was more important; Martha's preparing and feeding of the food, or Mary's attention to the True Word? (The feeding and receiving of the Word of God is a spiritual food that will always leave you satisfied).

Luke 11

 ¹And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. The disciples wanted to know the proper way to pray as Christ prayed to the Father.

 ²And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Our Father, who art in heaven (pray to His holy name). Thy Kingdom come (pray that His Kingdom comes soon). Thy will be done (always pray that it be God's will).

 ³Give us day by day our daily bread. Give us each day, the food we need. (The bread of life which is Christ).

 ⁴And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Forgive us of our sins, (we should forgive others), who sin against us. Don't let us yield to temptation. (God will deliver us from evil).

 ⁵And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves. Then Jesus taught them more about prayer with this story. "You go to a friend to borrow three loaves of bread."

 ⁶For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? You tell the friend I have a visitor who just arrived and I have nothing for them to eat.

 ⁷And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. Suppose he yells out to you not to bother him because his family is asleep.

 ⁸I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. But I will tell you this; if he won't answer because he is your friend, if you keep knocking, he will answer because of your persistence.

 ⁹And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Keep asking and you will receive, keep seeking and you will find, keep knocking and the door will be open. (You need to be persistent and take action, then you will receive it).

 ¹⁰For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If you stay persistent and take action, the Heavenly Father is always there with the answers for you.

 ¹¹If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? If you are a father, and your child asks for bread, you don't give him a stone. If he asks for a fish, you don't give him a serpent. (You give him what he wants, if it will help him). God won't give you something that is negative, or harmful to you.

 ¹²Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If he asks for an egg, you surely don't give him a scorpion to sting him. (Neither will the Heavenly Father give you something to hurt you).

 ¹³If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? If even sinful people give good gifts to their children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. (Proverbs 1:23, Isaiah 44:3-4, John 4:10).

 ¹⁴And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. Jesus cast out a demon from a man who could not speak, and when the demon was gone, the man began to speak and the crowds were amazed.

 ¹⁵But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. Some of the crowd said that he gets His power from Satan, the prince of demons.

 ¹⁶And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. They wanted a sign from heaven. What will it take to show these people? A bunch of doubting rock-heads! (Only evil and deceit in their minds).

 ¹⁷But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. Jesus knew their evil thoughts. Jesus went on to say to them; a kingdom divided by civil war is doomed, and a family always feuding will fall apart. Look at families today; and look how this country (the USA), is equally divided in political views. (Satan at his best and is his spirit is strong in this world).

 ¹⁸If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. In other words, the devil will not cast out one of his own kind.

 ¹⁹And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. What about your own exorcists? They supposedly cast out demons also, so they should condemn you for what you have said. (These phony exorcists could not cast out anything). You have a lot of them around today in churches that put on a good show, but they have no real power. (People are so easy to deceive).

 ²⁰But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. If I am casting out demons Christ would say; by the power of God, then the "Kingdom of God" has arrived among you. (The Holy Spirit was now present).

 ²¹When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace. When a strong man is fully armed and guards his place, his possessions are safe. (Matthew 12:29).

 ²²But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. i.e. If Satan and the demons are stronger, they will take over the man. That is why we need the "full gospel armor" that applies to us today. (Ephesians 6:10-17). "Put on the Gospel Armor of God and Satan cannot touch you!"

 ²³He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. If you are not with Christ you oppose Him. God will take care of those who try to destroy His ministry. (If your ministry teaches truth, it belongs to Christ). No one will destroy His ministry... "His truth goes marching on."

 ²⁴When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert searching for rest. But when it finds none, it returns to the person it came from. Don't let it! Oder it out in Jesus name and stay in the Word to keep it out. Example: When you share a truth in the word with someone who is not interested, "they don't want to hear it, and will probably change the subject or leave." The same goes for evil spirits. (Scripture keeps evil spirits away).

 ²⁵And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. When an evil spirit returns to the clean person, it finds everything in order. Don't let it in! (Send it back where it came from and replace it with Christ).

 ²⁶Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. The spirit will bring other spirits with it when it returns and you will be worse off than before. (Make sure you do the job right the first time when you order out evil spirits "In Jesus Name"). If you don't have the faith, forget about it.

 ²⁷And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. Jesus, God Bless your mother.

 ²⁸But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. Even more blessed are all who hear the Word of God and put it into practice. (Study and keep the Word of God, so that you may share it with others in need).

 ²⁹And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. This evil generation (offspring) of Satan keeps asking Me for a miraculous sign, but they will only get the sing of Jonah. (Matthew 12:38-39, 16:1-4).

 ³⁰For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. The Ninevites converted because they had seen Jonas come out of the whale. (Jonah 1:17, 2:10, Matthew 12:40-42).

 ³¹The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. The queen of Sheba will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it. (Isaiah 54:17). She came to hear the wisdom of Solomon. (I Kings 10:2-13). Someone greater than Solomon is here (Jesus Christ), and they refuse to listen. (Isaiah 9:6-7).

 ³²The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The people of Nineveh will also stand against this generation on judgment day, because they repented their sins at the preaching of Jonah. (Jonah 3:5-10). Again, their is one greater than Jonah here (Jesus Christ), and they still refuse to listen. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. (Hebrews 7:26).

 ³³No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. The light is the Word. When God gives you a truth, let it shine and share it with others. (Matthew 5:16).

 ³⁴The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Look into ones eye, it is the mirror to the soul. When your eye is clear and good, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is cloudy and bad, your body is filled with darkness.

 ³⁵Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. Make sure that the light you have is the real thing. "When you accept Jesus Christ, you have seen the light."

 ³⁶If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. The shinning and power of the "Holy Spirit" will fill the whole body with light.

 ³⁷And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. Jesus was invited to dinner by one of the Pharisees and He accepted. (He went in and took His place at the table).

 ³⁸And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. The Pharisee was amazed that He did not first perform the hand-washing ceremony required by the Jewish custom. (Matthew 15:2-3). Jesus always has a reason for what He does.

 ³⁹And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Jesus said to the Pharisee that they were so careful to clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are filthy. In other words, the hand washing was just a ceremonial ritual for the hypocrite. (Matthew 23:25).

 ⁴⁰Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also? You need to cleanse your soul. (Luke 12:20). "The Pharisees are not liking this at all."

 ⁴¹But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. Give gifts to the poor, or invite them for the dinner. Righteous acts will cleanse you all over. (Luke 14:12-14).

 ⁴²But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. You tithe part of your income, put on a good show, but you ignore justice and the love of God. (Matthew 23:23). You can't buy your way to heaven as many think. (There will be no justice there).

 ⁴³Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. You love the best seats in the synagogues and love to receive respectful greetings. They look so holy and righteous, but God is not there. (Luke 14:7-11, James 2:2-4).

 ⁴⁴Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. You are like a hidden grave in a field. (Like the walking dead). You all appear so clean on the outside but are dirty on the inside. "True mark of the hypocrite." (Matthew 23:27-28).

 ⁴⁵Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also. You have insulted us also with what you have said. Christ always told the truth and these scripture lawyers didn't like what He had to say about them.

 ⁴⁶And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. You experts in the religious law just crush people with your unbearable religious demands. But, you never raise a finger to help them. "Bunch of phony hypocrites." (Matthew 23:2-4). You see this in some churches today, "many are even considered cults rather than ministries." (If your church tries to run your life with religious demands, church doctrine, and traditions of men, it is a cult). Do not be deceived; get out and be free!

 ⁴⁷Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. You even build monuments to the prophets that your ancestors killed long ago. (Matthew 23:29-33).

 ⁴⁸Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. You agree with what your fathers did to the prophets and you join in their crime by building monuments. (Their true father is Satan).

 ⁴⁹Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute. God said, I will send them but they will be killed. (Sent to the very offspring of Satan).

 ⁵⁰That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation. This generation (offspring of Satan), will be held responsible for the murder of all God's prophets from the creation of the world.

 ⁵¹From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. Who killed Abel? Cain did! Who was Cain? "The son of the devil." (I John 3:12).

 ⁵²Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. You change the Word of God to suit yourselves. Keeping the truth from you and the people. (Matthew 23:13). How many religious denominations do you know that change the Word to suit their church doctrine? There are many of them out there today, and God is not happy with them. (Christ did not like denominationalism). When you have different denominations (man gets involved with the rules to suit themselves), then things begin to go astray.

 ⁵³And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things. They tried to trip Jesus up with a bunch of questions because they were angry. (They could not take the truth about what He said about them).

 ⁵⁴Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him. They wanted to trap Him into saying something they could use against Him. They wanted to kill Him because people were leaving their churches to hear the truth. It's happening today; people are starving for the truth of God's Word. You may upset a lot of people by teaching truth, but stay in the Word and let God handle the rest. "He will consider you a good and faithful servant and the reward will be great."

Luke 12 

 ¹In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Beware of false teachers. (Matthew 16:6-12).

 ²For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. A time is coming when all that is secret will be revealed. The whole truth will be made known to all. (Ecclesiastes 12:14, I Corinthians 4:5).

 ³Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. Nothing will be hidden from God, He knows your thoughts. All will be revealed in the end time judgment. (Matthew 12:36).

 ⁴And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. Don't fear them that can kill your body, because they have no power over your soul.

 ⁵But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Fear God; only He can kill the soul. (Matthew10:28).

 ⁶Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? Even the sparrows are important to God, and they are not worth much in value.

 ⁷But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Don't worry! You are worth much more to God than a whole flock of sparrows. Not a hair on your head will be touched with Christ on your side. (Luke 21:18). "God protects His own."

 ⁸Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God. Anyone who acknowledges Christ here on earth will be acknowledged by Him in the presence of God's angels. (Matthew 25:31-34).

 ⁹But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. Anyone who denies Christ here on earth will be denied before God's angels. (Matthew 10:33). "Your choice."

 ¹⁰And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven. Never blaspheme the Holy Spirit. (The very Spirit of God). There will come a time when the Holy Spirit speaks through you. This takes place in the end times. Many Christians are delivered up to the anti-Christ in the hour of temptation. (Mark 13:9-12). This is when the Holy Spirit will speak through you and against the antichrist. (Those who do not obey and let the Spirit speak commit the unpardonable sin).

 ¹¹And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say. Don't be afraid or worry about what to say when you are delivered up, the "Holy Spirit" will give you all the correct answers. (Matthew 10:17-20).

 ¹²For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. This is the hour of temptation. (Luke 21:15, Revelation 3:7-11). "The Spirit will take control and guide you in what to say."

 ¹³And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. Here we have a man with trouble in his family inheritance.

 ¹⁴And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? I am not here for these trivial matters, I came for the sins of man and to save the world. We are talking world salvation here, and this man is worried about his share of inheritance. (Just goes to show where peoples priorities are).

 ¹⁵And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Beware of greed and material things of this world. Life is not measured by how much you own. (It is better to be blessed with God's riches rather than the worlds riches).

 ¹⁶And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. The man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops.

 ¹⁷And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? However, the man had no room to store all his crops.

 ¹⁸And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones to store everything.

 ¹⁹And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. Now that I have so much stored away, it is time to eat and party. (The man was greedy, selfish, and would not help others, but only thought of himself).

 ²⁰But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? You fool! You could die tonight and you only have everything you worked for here on earth. (No spiritual things or righteous acts stored up).

 ²¹So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Earthly wealth, but no rich relationship with God. You can't take anything with you when you die but your works. (Righteous acts). (Matthew 6:19-20).

 ²²And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. Stop worrying, God takes care of His own. (Matthew 6:25-34).

 ²³The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. You are God's creation! A unique special person created by God with a purpose in life. (Yes, we all have a purpose).

 ²⁴Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? God takes care of all His children and nature itself. God knows what you need and all will be given to you if you "believe in Christ and seek the kingdom." (Luke 12:30).

 ²⁵And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? Worries of the world will only take away from your life. (It will age you fast).

 ²⁶If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? If worry can't help the little things in life, what good is it to worry over big things? (Worry gets you nowhere).

 ²⁷Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. You don't see the flowers God created trying to dress themselves, they are beautiful the way they are.

 ²⁸If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith. God even clothes the ground with the grass. You see, many think you need to have great faith for God to work in our lives. You are much more valuable to God than the grass, even if you have "little faith."

 ²⁹And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. God will always provide. (Matthew 6:13).

 ³⁰For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. These things of the world dominate the thoughts of unbelievers. But, God as your spiritual Father, knows what you need.

 ³¹But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Seek the Kingdom of God and He will give you everything you need. (Matthew 6:33). Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. (John 6:27).

 ³²Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. The Kingdom is yours if you believe.

 ³³Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. Sell your possessions and give to those in need. You don't need more than you can handle. Build up treasures in heaven by your good works. (I Timothy 6:17-19).

 ³⁴For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. If you always chase after things of the world, that is where your heart truly is. If you search the Word and serve God, that is where your heart should be. (Colossians 3:1-3).

 ³⁵Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning. Get ready to serve, and keep the light burning for everyone to see your good works. (Matthew 5:16).

 ³⁶And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Be ready at all times as though you were waiting for your Master to return. Then you will be ready to open the door and let Him in when He knocks. "Be a good watchmen and you won't miss the boat." (Matthew 24:42-44).

 ³⁷Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. Blessed are those who are watching. Watching for the return of Messiah. Jesus served the disciples and He will serve you also. (John 13:4-5). Serve you what? He gives you the truth, the Light, the Word of God.

 ³⁸And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. Be a good watchman (Spiritually speaking), and He will reward you and all His servants in the end.

 ³⁹And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Stay in the Word and Satan cannot take over your house. Watch for the true Messiah and be ready. (Matthew 24:43-44).

 ⁴⁰Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. Be ready at all times, the Son of Man will come when least expected. But, remember that the anti-Christ comes first. Don't fall for the snare of Satan and false teachings of man. (Luke 21:34-36). Do Not Be Deceived!

 ⁴¹Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? Is this parable for us, or is it for everyone to understand?

 ⁴²And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? The parable is for His servants... The faithful servant will feed the others of the household. Overseers to feed the church truth, which Christ had purchased with His own blood. (Acts 20:28).

 ⁴³Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Blessed is he that when the Lord returns, He finds his servant doing a good job. (Luke 12:37). This is considered being a good watchman.

 ⁴⁴Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. That servant will be put in charge of all that he has. (Luke 12:44).

 ⁴⁵But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken. But, if the servant says the Lord will not come for a while and party's it up with the others he will be in trouble. (One who ignores all the warnings). This would be considered a bad watchman.

 ⁴⁶The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. When the Lord returns unannounced, He will banish unaware servant (bad watchman), with the unfaithful. Why? Because he is a unbeliever.

 ⁴⁷And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. The servant that is not prepared (one who did not follow His instructions), when the Lord returns will be punished. In other words, those who know better to do good, but they do not do good, but rather do nothing. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. (James 4:17). "This is considered sin."

 ⁴⁸But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. If one does not know of the truth, they would be only punished lightly. (Acts 17:30). But one who is given much truth, much will be required of him. Absorb as much truth as possible, and when you fully understand it, always share it with others. A good example of this would be the apostle Paul. He would explain: For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. (1 Corinthians 9:17). God gave this work to Paul to carry out. What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:18). Paul's reward was teaching people the Word. (Makes you feel good when someone comes to Christ and accepts the truth). For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. (1 Corinthians 9:19). Paul didn't need to answer to any man, or denomination. "He was a free agent." However, he considered himself a slave to the people, bringing many to Christ.

 ⁴⁹I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? Keep in mind that God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:29, Malachi 4:1).

 ⁵⁰But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of Me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished. (John 4:34). "Jesus was to do the will of the Heavenly Father who sent Him."

 ⁵¹Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division. The division is between good and evil; "God and Satan." (Matthew 10:34-36, 24:7-10).

 ⁵²For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. Even families will be divided over Me. There will be division among families and in the churches. (John 10:19-21, 15:18-21).

 ⁵³The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. Take a good look today at the churches, and in your own family. One believes this way and another believes a different way. People believing different religions and doctrines of men. (Satan divides families with religion). "Satan loves division." (Just look at our country today; it went from the United States, to the Divided States of America). "We need to get back to the bible and under God, in which this country was founded and built upon."

 ⁵⁴And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. You know when you see these clouds form it will bring rain.

 ⁵⁵And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. When the south wind blows you know it will be a scorcher.

 ⁵⁶Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? You know how to interpret the weather, but you can't interpret the present times. Why? Because they are to lazy to study and research the Word. (All knowledge comes from God).

 ⁵⁷Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? You refuse to see what is right.

 ⁵⁸When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. Have a legal problem? Try to settle the matter between yourselves, or you may be cast into prison. "The same goes with the Word of God." Try to discern the truth so that when you face the judge of the end time, you will not be cast into darkness.

 ⁵⁹I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite. If the settlement is against you, then you won't be free again until you have paid the very last penny. (Matthew 18:34, 25:41, 25:46).

Luke 13

 ¹There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. About this time, Jesus was informed that Pilate had killed some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the temple. Why? These Galileans were very likely some of the followers of Judas Gaulonitis, or Judas of Galilee. He endeavored to draw off the Jews from the Roman government, and affirmed it was not lawful to give tribute to Caesar. Pilate being enraged, sent a band of soldiers, and slew his followers; who were come up to the feast of the Passover. They were offering their sacrifices in the temple, and so mixed their blood with the blood of the Passover lambs. (Acts 5:37).

 ²And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people just because they were killed?

 ³I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Not at all... You will perish also, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.

 ⁴Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? What about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them. Were they worse sinners? Not at all... They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 ⁵I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Again, You will perish also, unless you repent of your sins. (Sin is sin no matter who you are).

 ⁶He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. There was no fruit to harvest on the tree.

 ⁷Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? The owner of the vineyard tells his greens-keeper to cut it down, it's just taking up space and producing no fruit. (Matthew 3:10).

 ⁸And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it. Give it another chance and I will feed it some fertilizer. (How many chances have you had to hear the truth in the word)?

 ⁹And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. If we get figs next year, fine; If not, we will cut it down. You need to except the truth in the word when it is open to you, and pass it on to others. "If you produce no fruit, you will be cut down." (John 15:2).

 ¹⁰And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. Teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath. (Day of worship and rest).

 ¹¹And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. Crippled by an evil spirit for 18 years (18 means bondage), and she could not stand up straight. The woman was spiritually in bondage for 18 years. How are you doing? Are you in spiritual bondage to church doctrine and traditions of men?

 ¹²And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. Jesus called to her and said, "Woman, you are healed of your sickness." (Free of all her infirmities).

 ¹³And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. He touched her and she instantly could stand straight. Do you stand straight when He touches you? The Word will give you strength to stand against all your enemies. (When Christ is with you through the Holy Spirit, you are equipped with the Gospel Armor of God).

 ¹⁴And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. The leader of the synagogue was upset because Jesus healed on the Sabbath day. (Matthew 12:10-12).

 ¹⁵The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? Hypocrite! You take care of your animals on the Sabbath by leading them to water because they are thirsty and part of your livelihood.

 ¹⁶And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? Here we have a daughter of Abraham who has been in bondage for 18 years. It is only right that she be released, even on the Sabbath. You see, there was no law against healing on the Sabbath. Especially for Christ, "Lord of the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27-28).

 ¹⁷And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him. They were ashamed because they would have never helped this woman. (To hung up on the law to help her). But, Christ freed her.

 ¹⁸Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? Hmmm... How can I explain what the Kingdom of God is like? What example can I give to resemble it?

 ¹⁹It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. The Kingdom is like a tiny mustard seed that has grown into a large tree. Then the birds of the field come and make nests in the branches. (Matthew 13:31-32). The Kingdom of God is huge, and the followers of Christ are drawn to the presence of God.

 ²⁰And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? What else is the Kingdom of God like?

 ²¹It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. It is likened to the bread of life. The good leaven (Followers of Christ), makes it grow into the body of Christ.

 ²²And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Teaching all who would listen along the way to Jerusalem. (What a fantastic experience these people were part of).

 ²³Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them. How many will be saved, someone in the crowd asked Jesus?

 ²⁴Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. The straight gate is to know the truth. Many will try to enter, but will not be able. Why? They take the wide path of the world, and the crooked gate of Satan's deception and lies. The ways of the world and false teachings will lead to destruction. (Matthew 7:13-14).

 ²⁵When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are. When the master of the house (Jesus Christ), has locked the door, it is to late. You will knock but the door will not open. He will reply; I don't even know you. Why? Because of false teachings and deception. You need to study and learn the truth in the Word to enter the Kingdom of God in all its glory. (Matthew 7:13-14). Oh yes, you can get by just being a believer, but don't expect any rewards in Heaven for being a slacker. (As Christians, we need to plant the seeds of truth in all who are willing to listen). "Be a productive follower."

 ²⁶Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. We did all the things that look so holy and we taught in the streets. (They followed all the rituals and even took communion). Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (2 Timothy 3:5).

 ²⁷But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. I don't even know you, or where you come from Christ will say; "all you who do evil." (Psalm 1:6).

 ²⁸There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. People will be so ashamed and weeping because they see all the prophets and followers of Christ in the Kingdom of God. However, they won't make it, and will be thrown out. (A bunch of hypocrites that just go to church for show, never learning the truth of the Word). (Psalm 112:10). Know anyone like that?

 ²⁹And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. People will come from all over the world to take their place in the Kingdom of God. The gathering of the Jews and Gentiles together. (Isaiah 43:6, 49:11-13, Mark 13:27, Acts 28:28).

 ³⁰And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. We are speaking of those who were chosen in the first earth age, to stand and serve God in the last generation. (Matthew 19:30, 20:16). I believe Christ was also talking of those who seem to be so important now (false teachers), but will not be so important in the end times. However, those who seem not so important now (those who know and teach truth), will be the greatest in the end times gathering. What's your thought?

 ³¹The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. Jesus was told by one of the Pharisees that it was Herod's wish to kill Him.

 ³²And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Jesus replied, "Go tell that fox that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow." Then on the third day, I will accomplish all that I have come for. (John 17:4-5).

 ³³Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. I must proceed on my way. It wouldn't do for a prophet of God to be killed except in Jerusalem. (Matthew 20:18). "It was already written."

 ³⁴O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God's messengers! I tried to teach and protect you, but you wouldn't listen. (Matthew 21:35-36, Acts 7:52).

 ³⁵Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Your house is abandoned and you will never see Me again, except when you say, "Blessings on the One who comes in the name of the Lord." (John 7:34-36, Psalm 118:26, Mark 11:10).

Luke 14

 ¹And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. Jesus went to have dinner in one of the homes of the Pharisees, and the people were watching Him closely. (People were there to see a possible miracle, but there were also people present waiting to accuse Jesus of something).

 ²And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. Swollen arms and legs usually caused by chronic heart failure.

 ³And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath; Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law?

 ⁴And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go. They refused to answer Him and He healed the man and sent him away. They didn't answer, but Jesus knew what was on their minds. (They wanted a little more ammunition before they accused Him of something).

 ⁵And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? Jesus said to them; if one of your animals falls into a pit on the Sabbath, won't you save the animal in trouble?

 ⁶And they could not answer him again to these things. Again they could not answer Him.

 ⁷And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them. Jesus noticed the people trying to sit in the seat of honor. (Those always trying to sit in the front row of the church).

 ⁸When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him. Don't rush to the seat of honor. That seat may be saved for someone more important. (In these times there were many disputes about seats at banquets).

 ⁹And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. If you take the seat of honor, the host may come to you and say; "give this person of more importance your seat," then you will be embarrassed and have to take whatever seat is left.

 ¹⁰But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your hosts sees you, he will say, "friend, we have a better seat for you over here." (Proverbs 25:6-7). (Always better to humble yourself in this situation).

 ¹¹For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Those who think they are so great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Psalm 138:6, James 4:6). (Just God's way of equaling things out).

 ¹²Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. Don't just entertain each other with friends and family. You won't get much reward there. (This also applies to teaching the Word). Total strangers will give you more attention and satisfaction when spreading truth, than your own family and friends.

 ¹³But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. Spiritually speaking, invite the poor and sick in spirit. The sinners and those who are spiritually blind. (Those who will appreciate you for bringing them the truth).

 ¹⁴And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. Don't worry about those who cannot afford to tithe, or donate to you. (The Word should be freely given and received). At the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who were in need. (John 5:29).

 ¹⁵And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. "What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God." (Matthew 8:11, Revelation19:9).

 ¹⁶Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many. Prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations.

 ¹⁷And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. Tell the guests that the banquet is ready.

 ¹⁸And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. They all had excuses not to attend the feast.

 ¹⁹And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. "More excuses." Just like today, when the majority of the people have no time for the truth of God's Word.

 ²⁰And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. Always trying to please the wife with things of the world. (I Corinthians 7:33). "If the wife isn't happy, you won't be happy."

 ²¹So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. When the master was given the news, he was a little angry. They don't want to come; forget them, go invite those in the streets, alleys and towns, and all who would like to attend.

 ²²And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. We invited strangers, but still have more room.

 ²³And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. Go out and search for more to attend the feast so the house will be full.

 ²⁴For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. None of the first I have invited will even get a small taste of my banquet. (When Jesus calls on you, do not refuse His invitation).

 ²⁵And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them. And a large crowd was following Jesus. They wanted to hear the Word and the Word draws them. (These followers were like the strangers invited to the banquet). "They came, they listened, they followed."

 ²⁶If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. This word "hate" in the Greek is "Miseo" G3404 Strong's Concordance, "to love less." If you want to be a disciple of Jesus, you must put Him first above all others. (Even your own family).

 ²⁷And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. If you do not carry your own cross and follow Christ, you cannot be His disciple. (Mark 8:34-37). They persecuted and did not listen to Christ. When you take up the cross and follow Christ they are going to do the same to you. (Many of your own family and friends will make fun of you for being a true Christian, disciple of Christ, or teacher of the word).

 ²⁸For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? If you are going to be a disciple of Christ, or teacher of the word, don't begin till you count the cost. It's not going to be an easy road to follow at times and many will hate you. (Matthew 10:22, I Thessalonians 3:4-5).

 ²⁹Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him. If you run out of money when building and only complete the foundation, people will laugh at you. (The same will happen to you if you teach the Word and don't know what you talking about). If you are starting a ministry, the majority of the people you know want you to see you fail. (Its human nature).

 ³⁰Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Started something and could not finish it. (Never be a quitter)! It took my wife and I over 20 years to establish this ministry (with the help of the Heavenly Father), and we never looked back. Even with discouragement and being made fun of from family and friends.

 ³¹Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? No king goes to war against twice as many of the enemy without first discussing it with his generals.

 ³²Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. If he knows he cannot defeat the enemy he will discuss terms of peace.

 ³³So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. So, you cannot become My disciple without giving up everything you own, or know of the world. (You must first empty your cup to allow it to be filled with truth). Remember, "All wisdom comes from God." (Proverbs 2:6).

 ³⁴Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? Be a little salty when teaching the Word. Our Lord expects it of you. (Matthew 5:13, Mark 9:49-50, Colossians 4:6). i.e. Don't be a dead head, or dry as dust when you teach. People need to be shook up a little, teach the truth in the word boldly and with conviction. (People love a little excitement and controversy).

 ³⁵It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Be salty and don't lose your drive. (Keep the Spirit bubbling and alive within you). Teach the Word boldly with truth and meaning. "God loves that." If you don't, you are no good to others. (John 15:6).

Luke 15

 ¹Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. All the sinners often came to hear Jesus speak.

 ²And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. All the Holier than thou people and teachers of the religious law didn't like the fact that He associated with sinners. (That is who Christ came to save, so why wouldn't He associate with them). You don't need to be afraid to hang around sinners as long as you are in Christ. These are the people who need to be reached.

 ³And he spake this parable unto them, saying. Jesus tells them another story.

 ⁴What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? If a man has 100 sheep and one of them goes astray, what will he do? He will leave the 99 and go search for the lost one. Just as the sinners are lost, sometimes we lose are way and need to be rescued by the Heavenly Father. (John 10:15-16, I Peter 2:25). And lets not forget that all men are sinners. (Romans 3:23, I John 1:8-10).

 ⁵And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. When he finds the lost one he rejoices. Just as the angels rejoice in heaven when someone repents and is saved. (Luke 15:10).

 ⁶And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. All his friends and neighbors will rejoice with the angels when the lost one is found. (The whole body of Christ advances when one comes to repentance).

 ⁷I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. There is much joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God. Even more joy than over the ninety-nine others who are righteous, and haven't strayed away. (Every soul is important to God to be saved).

 ⁸Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? If a woman has ten silver coins and loses one, won't she "light a lamp" and sweep the entire house until she finds it? You can find that light through the Word and in Jesus Christ. (Christ is the light of the world).

 ⁹And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Rejoice when you help one find his or her way to Christ. (Just remember, you planted the seed, Christ did the saving).

 ¹⁰Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. There is joy in the presence of God's angels when one finds their way to Christ through repentance.

 ¹¹And he said, A certain man had two sons. Here we have another story to illustrate the point further. (This man had to sons).

 ¹²And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. The younger son wanted his part of his fathers estate before the father died and the father agreed. He divided his estate between the two sons.

 ¹³And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. Thought he had lots of friends, and partied the money away with them. (Living high on the hog).

 ¹⁴And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. When the money ran out there was a famine in the land, and he began to starve and was in need.

 ¹⁵And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him to feed the swine. (A job feeding the lowest of carnal flesh).

 ¹⁶And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. The man was so hungry that the pigs feed looked good to him. But no one was feeding him.

 ¹⁷And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! When the man came to his senses, he said to himself; my fathers servants have it better than I do with plenty of food to eat, but here I am starving. (Kind of like families today, the children never want to leave home (or return soon), because they know they have it to good).

 ¹⁸I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee. I will go to my father and tell him that I have been living the ways of the world and have sinned.

 ¹⁹And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. I am no longer worthy to be called your son, please let me come home and at least be a hired servant.

 ²⁰And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. The father saw him coming home and was filled with compassion. (The father seen that the son had a change of heart and welcomed him back). This father represents our Heavenly Father. He is filled with compassion when one of His children have a change of heart and return to Him.

 ²¹And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. The son was apologetic to his father for his ways. (Just as we need to repent to the Heavenly Father for our ways when we fall short).

 ²²But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. Bring the finest robe, a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. "This represents the gospel armor our Heavenly Father will clothe us with." (Ephesians 6:13-17).

 ²³And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry. Lets celebrate with a feast.

 ²⁴For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. The lost lamb was found and now it's time to celebrate. Christ was sent to the lost sheep of Israel. (Matthew 10:6).

 ²⁵Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. Here comes the older son from working in the fields, and he hears the music from the celebration.

 ²⁶And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. Wants to know what all the celebrating is about.

 ²⁷And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. Your brother is back and we are all celebrating. (Just as the angels celebrate when one returns back to the Heavenly Father).

 ²⁸And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. The elder son was mad and would not go into the house of celebration. The father begged him to come in and celebrate.

 ²⁹And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. I have always did everything you asked me and you never had a feast for me with my friends. (The older son did not realize that he would receive his inheritance later). "Just as we will receive our inheritance on the Lord's day." (Ezekiel 44:28). We inherit our Heavenly Father along with eternal life.

 ³⁰But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. He was angry and jealous of the younger son.

 ³¹And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. You have always stayed by me and everything is yours, the father said to his elder son. (Just as those who believe and follow Christ will inherit everything God owns).

 ³²It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. The younger brother was lost and spiritually dead, but came back to life. It was his own fault that he got caught up in the things of the world, but he repented and came back to his father as well as the Heavenly Father. Just as when we stray away, we can come back because of God's mercy and grace toward us. (Ephesians 2:1-10).

Luke 16

 ¹And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. There was a man who had a manager to handle his business, but the man found out the manager was wasting his money.

 ²And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Lets open the books and see what is going on here because I am thinking of firing you.

 ³Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. The man thought to himself, If I am fired what will I do now? I am not strong enough to work construction and I am to proud to beg.

 ⁴I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. I know what to do so I will have plenty of friends to help me. (A little scamming ready to go down).

 ⁵So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? He asked every one who owed his employer money to come and discuss the situation with him.

 ⁶And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. One of the men said, I owe your boss 800 gallons of olive oil. The manager told him to take the bill and change it to 400 gallons. (Here comes the ways of the world, lets see who we can scam today). How many scammers do you know out there? Always trying to get ahead at the cost of others.

 ⁷Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. Another man owed 1,000 bushels of wheat, and the manager said to change it to 800 bushels.

 ⁸And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. The rich man was kind of impressed with the dishonest manager for being so shrewd. He came to the conclusion that it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than the children of the light. (i.e., his conclusion was that it is wiser to do evil in this world to get ahead). But, you can't fool God. (Luke 16:10, I Corinthians 3:18).

 ⁹And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. Use your worldly resources to help others and make friends. "Don't con and scam people in life." Then you will be welcome to an eternal home.

 ¹⁰He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If you are faithful in little things, then you will be faithful in bigger things. But, if you are dishonest in little things, you will also be dishonest in bigger things. (Matthew 25:21).

 ¹¹If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? If you are untrustworthy in worldly things, God won't trust you with the true riches of heaven. (Proverbs 8:18-19, Ephesians 3:8).

 ¹²And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? If you cannot be trusted with other peoples things, why should you be trusted with things of your own. (God will only give you what you can take care of).

 ¹³No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. You cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:24). This mainly applies to crooked dealings in the ways of the world. However, there are many wealthy people that cannot serve God because they are into worldly things. "Their money always comes first." Yes, even wealthy pastors. There is a very "fine line" between ill gotten gains and so called honest worldly gains. Example: People think that when they invest in the stock market and become wealthy, that their gains are totally honest. "Not so." Remember that the stock market is one of the biggest manipulated markets on the planet. Your money is pooled together with all kinds of ill gotten gain money. (Corrupt corporations, drug dealers, land barons, gamblers, religious cults, etc.). Their only objective is to get wealthy. I know that this may offend many, but it is true. Am I telling you to cash in your 401k? Not at all. "God knows your heart." I am just trying to make a point that the line is very fine between ill gotten and legal gains. Your priorities should be "God first" and not the money, then He will give you all that you need.

 ¹⁴And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. They dearly loved their money and just scoffed at Him. (Isaiah 56:11, Jeremiah 6:13).

 ¹⁵And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. They appear so righteous and holy in public, but God knows their hearts. (The things the world honors, is detestable to God).

 ¹⁶The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the message of the prophets were the guides. Now the "Good News" of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in.

 ¹⁷And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. However, the old law still stands. (Isaiah 40:8, Matthew 5:18, Romans 3:31, I Peter 1:25). What law? The ten commandments.

 ¹⁸Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery. In the old law if one divorces and remarry commits adultery. However, Christ's law says that He can forgive sin. (Deuteronomy 24:1-2). "Divorce is not the unpardonable sin."

 ¹⁹There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. Living in luxury and he had everything.

 ²⁰And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores. Lazarus was in a very poor state.

 ²¹And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. Lazarus (Elazar), meaning (God is my help). He was longing for scraps from the rich mans table.

 ²²And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried. The poor man died and went to heaven, and the rich man died and went to hell.

 ²³And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. He was on the wrong side of the gulf. When the physical body dies the spirit body returns to paradise. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Read our newsletter titled "Where are the dead" for a better understanding.

 ²⁴And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. The flame of shame and embarrassment. There is no real hell till after the millennium and judgment day. Hell is simply the "grave" or "garbage pit" until after the great white throne judgment. "Then it will become the lake of fire that can destroy the soul." (Once in the lake of fire, your soul is blotted out forever).

 ²⁵But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. Lazarus had nothing, but was comforted by God because he was righteous. The rich man was in anguish, because he had it all and only cared for the things of the world.

 ²⁶And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. There is a great gulf (Chasm), separating the two men. You can't cross the gulf and this is the holding place for both good and evil. "Good on one side and evil on the other side."

 ²⁷Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house. The rich man was hell bound and wanted to warn his family.

 ²⁸For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. I don't want my five brothers to end up in this torment.

 ²⁹Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. Moses and the prophets have warned them if they had read it. It's all there for those with eyes to see and ears to hear.

 ³⁰And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. "Christ came back from the dead and they did not listen to Him."

 ³¹And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. They wouldn't listen to Moses and the prophets and they won't listen to someone who rises from the dead. "And so it is." (Sometimes people are so fixed in their ways, they just won't listen to anyone or anything). Know anyone like that?

Luke 17

 ¹Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! When you teach the truth as a Christian, many will make fun of you and tempt you for your beliefs. But, God will always handle the one who does the tempting. I know this through personal experience.

 ²It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. If someone is making it hard for you when you are working for the Lord, He will take care of that person. Even as far as eliminating that person if need be.

 ³Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. Be careful... If another believer offends you, let that person know it, and if they repent, forgive them.

 ⁴And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. If one keeps offending or sinning against you; but ask for forgiveness, you must forgive them. (You will be repenting plenty of times in your own life, so you must forgive and accept others who repent to you).

 ⁵And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. Show us how to have more faith.

 ⁶And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. Many interpret this to be the mulberry tree. But why did Jesus use the sycamine tree in His illustration? The sycamine tree and the mulberry tree were very similar in appearance; both trees produce a fruit that looked identical. However, the fruit of the sycamine tree was extremely bitter. (Represents the bitterness of those who make it hard for true Christians). The fruit of the sycamine tree looked just as luscious and delicious as a mulberry fig, but when a person tastes the sycamine fig, they discover it's bitterness. "Kind of like a deceptive tree." (Just as many so called Christians teachers look so holy, but have no truth in them). What they teach is bitter to those who know the truth. (A true Christian will not fall for church doctrine, false teachings, or traditions of men very long).

 ⁷But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? The master usually never invites the servant to join him at dinner.

 ⁸And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? It is more likely for the servant to prepare the masters meal first.

 ⁹Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. The master does not thank the servant for doing what he was commanded to do.

 ¹⁰So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. In the same way, when you obey Christ, you should be like an unworthy servant who has simply done his duty. "Its a privilege to serve God." Remember the subject; "They asked how to have more faith?" Christ told them how. Make sure your faith is in the Master Jesus Christ. Where does your faith come from? Faith comes from hearing the Word of God. (Romans 10:17).

 ¹¹And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. The north country.

 ¹²And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off. Ten lepers stood at a distance. (Usually 100 paces off).

 ¹³And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. Crying out to Jesus to have mercy on them.

 ¹⁴And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. Go show yourselves to the priests and see what they say. (As they moved on by they were cleansed of their leprosy). "A moving miracle if you will."

 ¹⁵And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God. "Praised God for his healing," the man shouted with a rejoicing loud voice and turned back to thank Jesus.

 ¹⁶And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. The man who thanked Him was a Samaritan. Remember that Christ rebuked the Samaritans because they did not receive Him. (Luke 9:52-56). This man experienced His healing power and received Him.

 ¹⁷And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? Where are the other nine that I healed.

 ¹⁸There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. Is this stranger the only one who gives the glory to God? The others didn't care about what had just happened and gave no glory to God. (I wonder if their leprosy returned)?

 ¹⁹And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. Your faith has healed you. (That's what He's talking about when it comes to faith). The disciples wanted to know how to have more faith, and He gave them the example. This man had the faith and thanked Jesus for the healing. (When you want a healing from God; ask, believe, and thank Him). Your healing will come if it be God's will.

 ²⁰And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation. One of the Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God will come? "Jesus replied that the Kingdom of God can't be detected by visible signs."

 ²¹Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. The Kingdom of God is right in the midst of you. (Matthew 12:28).

 ²²And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. You will long to see when the Son of Man returns, but you won't see it, Jesus tells His disciples. He was speaking of the second advent when He returns at the seventh trump. (They would not see it, but we might see it when He returns). "The time is very near my friend."

 ²³And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. They will say in the end times. Here He is, but don't follow them. (Mark 13:21-23). i.e. don't fall for the false Christ who comes first.

 ²⁴For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. "You will know when Christ returns." (Matthew 25:31, 2 Thessalonians 2:2). His day is the Lord's Day. The 1,000 year millennium. (2 Peter 3:7-8).

 ²⁵But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. But first the "Son of Man" must suffer and be rejected by this generation. (Matthew 17:22-23, Mark 10:33-34). "Pertaining to the crucifixion." However, Christ would also be rejected by many in the last (end time) generation because they have been deceived. (Hosea 4:6, Matthew 10:33, John 3:36, John 12:48, Revelation 6:16, Revelation 15:16).

 ²⁶And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. It will be just as in the days of Noah when Christ returns. (Matthew 24:37-39).

 ²⁷They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. In those days the people were drinking, marrying and partying right up till the time Noah and (2) of every flesh entered the ark. (Genesis 6). Read our newsletter "The Fallen Angels" for a better understanding of what happened in Noah's day.

 ²⁸Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded. The end times will be as in the days of Lot. People were about their daily business of selling, scamming, eating, drinking, and partying. Sound familiar? This word "planted" used here is to instill doctrine. "Followed false doctrine and traditions of men." (James 5:1-5).

 ²⁹But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. The morning Lot left Sodom, then the fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. "God won't tolerate this type of behavior." This was an example to us. (Jude 1:7).

 ³⁰Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. Business as usual until the Son of Man is revealed. (2 Thessalonians 1:7). The time is near my friend.

 ³¹In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. On that day you won't need to pack anything from your home. "To late, Christ has returned and the end is here." (Mark 13:14-16).

 ³²Remember Lot's wife. You remember what happened to her. (Genesis 19:26).

 ³³Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. Cling to your life and you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. (Matthew 16:25, Mark 8:35-37, John 12:25, Revelation 2:10). "Those who stand against anti-Christ in the last days."

 ³⁴I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Many believe this is the rapture. "Don't be spiritually deceived falling for the anti-Christ and false teachings." (Matthew 24:40-41).

 ³⁵Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Spiritually deceived and taken by anti-Christ.

 ³⁶Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. "Again taken by anti-Christ." Remember that there are two tribulations here. Tribulation of the anti-Christ and the tribulation of the true Christ.

 ³⁷And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. Where will this happen? Where the eagles gather together. Again there is two tribulations. (Matthew 24:28-31). Do not be deceived!

Luke 18

 ¹And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. Let your prayers be known to God, ask till you receive. (Philippians 4:6).

 ²Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man. Here we have a judge that neither feared God nor cared for the people.

 ³And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. The woman wanted justice in a dispute with her enemy.

 ⁴And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man. The judge ignored her request for a while.

 ⁵Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. This woman was persistent in her matter and was driving him crazy with her request. So he finally listened to her.

 ⁶And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. Learn a lesson from this unjust judge.

 ⁷And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? Even this judge rendered a just decision in the end. So, don't you think God will hear your prayers? God hears you, and when the time is right, He will answer you.

 ⁸I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? God will grant justice to His chosen people who have the faith. (Faith is obeying God without question). How many will Jesus find with faith at His return? "Only those who stand with strong faith, and remain till the end will be saved." (Matthew 24:9-13).

 ⁹And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. These were a bunch of self righteous hypocrites. (There's a lot of them in today's world). Those who trust in themselves and think they can work everything out on their own.

 ¹⁰Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. One man was a Pharisee and the other man was a despised tax collector.

 ¹¹The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I am not a sinner like the others the Pharisee said. (A self-righteous hypocrite).

 ¹²I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. Thought he was doing the right thing and looking so holy. Those who hover around acting so righteous. "You know who they are." (You can't buy your way to heaven).

 ¹³And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. The tax collector was repenting for his sins.

 ¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. The sinner (the tax collector), returned home justified before God. The self-righteous hypocrite (the Pharisee), will receive no justice. "Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." (Matthew 23:12).

 ¹⁵And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. They didn't want the children to bother Jesus, but He loved the children. After all, we are God's children.

 ¹⁶But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Jesus called for the children, because the "Kingdom of God" belongs to those who are like these children. (Matthew 18:3-4).

 ¹⁷Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. If anyone does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child, they will never enter it. (Mark 10:15). In other words, a child will believe anything that you say. "They believe every word." Just as we should believe every Word of God when we study His truth.

 ¹⁸And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? How do I get to heaven good master?

 ¹⁹And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. He didn't realize who he was talking to, or did he?

 ²⁰Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. Christ gave him the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth commandment. Notice that he left off the tenth commandment. (To covet thy neighbors property). This man was very wealthy, but probably not so honest in gaining his wealth.

 ²¹And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. I obeyed all these commandments you spoke of the man said to Jesus. (However, he forgot about the tenth commandment not mentioned).

 ²²Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor. Then your treasures will be in heaven. (It's hard for one that clings to money and material things to part with them).

 ²³And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. This man was very rich, and many of his riches were with ill-gotten gains. Always clinging to his money and possessions. (Sound familiar)?

 ²⁴And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! It's so hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. (Ill-gotten gains or not; if you can't part with money, or material things, you will not make it to the kingdom of God). You can only take your good works with you to Heaven. Nothing else!

 ²⁵For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. (Matthew 19:23-25). The needle gate is the night gate. A small door in the main gate that was used at night to enter in the city. If you had your camel with you at night you would need to unload your camel before it would fit through the needle gate (small entrance door), to the city. The analogy here is that you will need to unload not only your ill gotten gains, but also all your riches that you may be clinging to before you can enter the kingdom of God. You can't put money and material things before God as many do today. Many will believe in God as long as it don't mess with their money, or material wealth. "Can't be like that." No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24). This word mammon here is "mammonas" Strong's Hebrew dictionary G3126, "wealth that is avarice." (Avarice is a intense desire for possessions and wealth).

 ²⁶And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? Those who heard this said, "Who in the world can be saved?" You see, many people have the idea that being wealthy is a sign that God is on their side. (Especially wealthy priests, rabbis, and pastors). Not so! God plays no favorites, "wealthy or not." (Work on spiritual riches and righteous acts that will follow you to heaven).

 ²⁷And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. "All things are possible with God." (Matthew 19:26). Everyone can have a change of heart. "God gives everyone an equal chance to change."

 ²⁸Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. We left our homes and gave it all up to follow you, Peter said to Christ. Reminding Jesus that he and the disciples had done everything he asked the rich young ruler to do.

 ²⁹And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake. Yes, those who give all this up to follow Me like you did will be rewarded. (Matthew 10:37-39). This simple means that we are to love our family members less than Christ, not hate them, or give them up as family. "Always put God first over everyone or everything."

 ³⁰Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting. Those who put God first in their life will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come. (1 Timothy 4:8, Revelation 3:21).

 ³¹Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. Jesus took the twelve disciples aside and told them that all the predictions of the prophets concerning the "Son of Man" will come true. "It is written in the old testament." (Psalms 22, Isaiah 53).

 ³²For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on. He will be handed over to the Gentiles (Romans), and will be mocked and treated shamefully. (John 19:1-5).

 ³³And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. They will flog Him with a whip and kill Him, but on the third day He will rise again. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

 ³⁴And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. The disciples could not see it, or understand it. (Mark 9:32).

 ³⁵And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging. There was a blind beggar sitting beside the road.

 ³⁶And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. He wanted to know what was going on when he heard the crowds pass by.

 ³⁷And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. They told him that it was Jesus passing by.

 ³⁸And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. The man began shouting, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" He was calling Him by His birth right. (Jeremiah 23:5). "The man knew who He was."

 ³⁹And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. The crowed told him to shut up, but he cried even louder. "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

 ⁴⁰And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him. Jesus heard the man cry out and ordered him to be brought forward.

 ⁴¹Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. What do you want from Me Jesus asked? The man wanted his sight back.

 ⁴²And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. Receive your sight Jesus replied, "your faith has saved you."

 ⁴³And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. Instantly the man was healed and could see, and he followed Christ. (The man was chosen to follow Christ who had called him out of the darkness and into His light). "Just as He calls us out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9). What a beautiful testimony this man was to true salvation. (He recognized, He had faith, he cried out for forgiveness, he was healed). "This man experienced the true light of Jesus Christ." Jesus being the light of the world. (John 8:12).

Luke 19

 ¹And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Jesus made His way through the town of Jericho in His travels.

 ²And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector in the region.

 ³And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. He was a short guy and could not see Jesus over the crowd of people.

 ⁴And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. He climbed a sycamore tree (Egyptian fig tree), so that he could see Jesus as He was passing by. "Amos the prophet was a gatherer of the sycamore fruit." (Amos 7:14).

 ⁵And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. Christ knew the mans name and that he was in the tree. Jesus wanted to use his house, so He called him down.

 ⁶And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. Zacchaeus was excited that Jesus called to him by name.

 ⁷And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. The other people were jealous and angry that Jesus wanted to be a guest of a notorious sinner. (Tax collectors were not well liked). Never worry about what others may say or think about you. If God wants to use you, that is all that is important. These people were just a bunch of self-righteous hypocrites. Know anyone like that?

 ⁸And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, "I will give half my wealth to the poor, and the people I have cheated out of their taxes, I will give them back four times as much." (Sounds like a repenting sinner, or not even a sinner at all to me). He would be considered a fair man in Gods eyes.

 ⁹And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. Jesus tells the man; salvation has come to this house today. This man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. (Galatians 3:7). "The jealous ones still didn't get it."

 ¹⁰For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Jesus came to save the lost, but these people didn't think they were lost. Again, a bunch of hypocrites.

 ¹¹And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. These people were under the impression that the "Kingdom of God" would begin right away. "Jesus wanted them to know that there was more than one advent." This was the first advent, there would be a second advent in the future after the falling away, and the son of perdition be revealed. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).

 ¹²He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. "Example of the second advent." (Hebrews 9:28).

 ¹³And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. Gave his servants silver to invest until he returned. (Christ gave His servants the truth).

 ¹⁴But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. The people hated him and did not want him to be their king. (Referring to the self-righteous hypocrites). Those who think they have their act together in the ways of the world.

 ¹⁵And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. After he was crowned king, he returned and called in all the servants to find out what their silver gains were.

 ¹⁶Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. The first servant made ten times the original amount.

 ¹⁷And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. The faithful servant that invested his money well was given ten cities as his reward.

 ¹⁸And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. The second faithful servant made five times the amount he invested.

 ¹⁹And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. He was made governor over five cities as his reward. (Both the first and second servants were good examples of what a disciple would gain sharing truth in Gods Word).

 ²⁰And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin. This servant invested nothing. He just kept the money and hid it to keep it safe. (Didn't share the truth with anyone). You can't keep a truth to yourself, we need to share it with others, or you are no good to our Heavenly Father.

 ²¹For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. He feared the king and did not want to take any chances with his money.

 ²²And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow. I expected you to do it. (If you do not share your truths in the word with others, you are just a pew potato).

 ²³Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? In the bank, at least I would have earned a little interest. (A little truth goes a long way; but you must share it).

 ²⁴And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. Give the silver to the one who will invest it. (Here we have a servant that knows how to share the truth).

 ²⁵(And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) He already has so much. "They still didn't get it."

 ²⁶For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. Those who share the truth, more will be given. But, those who do nothing, even what little truth they have will be taken away. (You can see it today, when those who hear the truth in the Word, but just ignore it and do nothing with it). "Soon they forget what they were given." (Nothing gained, everything lost).

 ²⁷But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. Judgment day! It is coming soon my friend. Coming for those who did not want the truth, and did not except what Christ was offering them. (Just another day of getting by in the world is all that is important).

 ²⁸And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. Jesus headed towards Jerusalem.

 ²⁹And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples. The Mount of olives was one of Christ's favorite places.

 ³⁰Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. Two disciples were instructed by Jesus to bring the donkey to Him. (All pre-arranged by the "Holy Spirit").

 ³¹And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. Just tell them the Lord needs the donkey and they will understand. Again, all pre-arranged; God is always in control.

 ³²And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. They went and found the colt Jesus was talking about.

 ³³And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? Why do you need the colt the owner asked?

 ³⁴And they said, The Lord hath need of him. The Lord needs the colt they replied. Again, He arranged this through the Holy Spirit and the man gave them permission to take the colt.

 ³⁵And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. Covered the colt with their garments and Jesus mounted the colt.

 ³⁶And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. The people spread their garments on the road ahead of Him. (Matthew 21:8). Better than a red carpet, this was the road to salvation.

 ³⁷And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen. His followers began to walk along side Jesus praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. "The Hosanna entry." Hosanna is a Hebrew word meaning "please save, or save now." (All present were singing for salvation).

 ³⁸Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord. (John 12:12-13).

 ³⁹And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. These so called teachers wanted Jesus to rebuke His followers for saying these things. "They didn't like it." (John 11:47-48).

 ⁴⁰And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. If these followers don't cry out, nature and creation will. (Psalms 98:7-9, Isaiah 55:12).

 ⁴¹And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it. As He entered the city He began to weep. Why? Because they have been deceived and the city was in control by the prince of darkness. (No peace there, or in the future to come).

 ⁴²Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. Peace was hidden from their eyes because they have been deceived. Just like what is going on today. (Matthew 13:14-15). "No eyes to see or ears to hear the truth."

 ⁴³For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side. This is prophecy for the future in the end times.

 ⁴⁴And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. Many believe this was predicting the coming destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. However, Jesus was speaking of total destruction (not one stone upon another), in the end times. This does not take place till Jesus returns in the second advent. (Zechariah 9:9-10). Speaking of the first and second advent.

 ⁴⁵And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought. Casting out the money changers. (John 2:13-17).

 ⁴⁶Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. A den of thieves! No truth being taught their, just traditions of men and false doctrines. (Not to mention the rip-off artists). How is your church doing? Do they teach the full gospel truth of the Word chapter by chapter? Or, maybe they are hung up on church doctrine, and tradition, always asking for money, but never quite get down to the truth.

 ⁴⁷And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him. Jesus taught daily in the temple and He taught the truth; but the leading priests and teachers did not like it. (Mark 11:18). They wanted to kill Him. "Real nice Christians boys we have here."

 ⁴⁸And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him. The people listened to every thing Jesus said, so the head priests and teachers did not know what to do. However, they would come up with something. (Evil minds under control by the prince of darkness).

Luke 20

 ¹And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders. They came to Jesus with hostility because they were not to happy with what He was teaching the people. (The truth in the word).

 ²And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority? By what authority do you do these things they asked Jesus? Who is it that gave you this authority? Lets see how Jesus handles these hypocrites.

 ³And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me. Let Me ask you a question first Jesus replied.

 ⁴The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? Did Johns authority to baptize come form heaven, or was it merely human?

 ⁵And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not? Why didn't you believe in John if his authority was from heaven?

 ⁶But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. John was a prophet and they knew it, but would not listen to his message.

 ⁷And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was. Christ shut them up because they did not know what to say. (You can't trip-up God).

 ⁸And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. You can't answer this simple question, so I won't answer yours. (How graceful Jesus dresses down his enemies).

 ⁹Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. Jesus is going to give them a story referring to the rejection of John the Baptist as well as Himself.

 ¹⁰And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. He sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crops, but the farmers attacked the servant, beat him and sent him back empty handed. "Just as they did to prophets that were sent to teach the Word." (Luke 13:34).

 ¹¹And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. They continued to do the same to all the prophets sent forth.

 ¹²And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. The third servant is referring to John the Baptist, the last prophet sent forth  before Christ.

 ¹³Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. I'll send my Son and maybe they will like Him. "Referring to Christ." (Matthew 17:5).

 ¹⁴But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. They wanted it all, but didn't know who they were dealing with. "They crucified Jesus Christ." They wanted Him killed because they were afraid everyone would believe on Him, and not in their ways. (John 11:47-50).

 ¹⁵So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? They killed Christ just as they killed the vineyard owners son. How do you think our Heavenly Father felt, and what do you think He will do to those who crucified Christ? "I wouldn't want to be in their shoes."

 ¹⁶He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. The vineyard owner will come and kill the farmers who killed his son. Then he will give the vineyard to others. But, the listeners protested because they started to see where Jesus was going with this.

 ¹⁷And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? What does this scripture mean? The cornerstone that they had rejected was Jesus Christ. (Matthew 21:42, Acts 4:11). Fools, they rejected the supreme head of Christianity.

 ¹⁸Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. This stone will become a stumbling block to some, but to others it will crush. (Isaiah 8:14-15). Again, Christ is that head cornerstone. (Psalm 118:22, I Peter 2:4-8). Christ is the only supreme head of Christianity. (Don't let anyone tell you it is some man)!

 ¹⁹And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. Yes, the chief priest and teachers of religious law were finally right. Jesus was speaking against them; "they were the wicked farmers." (Matthew 21:45-46). Just as it is today. "Spoken against those who deceive people." Don't fall for religious denominations and cults that try to keep you in bondage. All the prophets, disciples, and true teachers of the word were sent to bring you a message of freedom and salvation. Jesus Christ, setting you free from death (which is the devil), and bringing you into eternal life through Him.

 ²⁰And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. The religious leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They were trying to get Jesus to say something that they could report to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus.

 ²¹And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly. They knew He taught the ways of God truthfully, but were going to try and trip Him up. (Never try trip up God like these fools). You will end up flat on your ass!

 ²²Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? Here comes the first civil question from the fools. Is is right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?

 ²³But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and that they were trying to trick Him up.

 ²⁴Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's. Show Me a Roman coin and who's name is on it. "Caesar's they replied." Julius Cesar was the first who caused his image to be struck on the Roman coin; and Tiberius was emperor at this time. (Luke 3:1).

 ²⁵And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's. Jesus said to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. (Taxation for protection). "And give to God what belongs to God." (Mark 12:17). Jesus was not referring to money for what belongs to God as many may think. God does not need money; "As Christians, we are to give our true hearts to God."

 ²⁶And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace. They failed to trap Jesus up and did not know what to say. They were amazed and became silent.

 ²⁷Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him. Jesus was approached by the Sadducees; the religious leaders that did not believe in the resurrection. (The Pharisees believed in the resurrection and the Sadducees didn't). Now they were going to try and trip Jesus up with a domestic question.

 ²⁸Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Moses law states that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother's name. (Deuteronomy 25:5-10).

 ²⁹There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children. There were seven brothers and the first one took a wife but died without children.

 ³⁰And the second took her to wife, and he died childless. The second brother took the wife, but also died without children.

 ³¹And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died. Same with the third and all the seven brothers.

 ³²Last of all the woman died also. Finally the woman died.

 ³³Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife. Who's wife will she be in the resurrection? All seven were married to her.

 ³⁴And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage. Marriage is for people here on earth Jesus answered them.

 ³⁵But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage. Those who overcome will be in spiritual bodies and there will be no need for marriage, or child bearing. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. (Matthew 22:30).

 ³⁶Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. The flesh is dead, but not in the spirit. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2). We can't imagine what it will be like later on, but we know that when He appears on the scene again, we will be like Him. Christ was 33 years old when He was crucified, and when He returns, He will be just as when He left. We will be like Him as a result of seeing Him as He really is. No, you will not look like Christ, but you were made in His image as an individual, and you will have His Spirit and Knowledge within. "We will all be changed to our spirit bodies." Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, The secret Paul is revealing here is that; we may not all die and experience physical death, but we will all be transformed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). The last trump "the seventh trump." (Revelation 8:2). We will be raised to live forever. (Revelation 11:15).

 ³⁷Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Even Moses knew He was a God of the living. (Mark 12:26-27).

 ³⁸For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him. All will be alive for judgment. However, beware of the second death. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28). You don't need to fear those who can only kill your physical body. (They can't touch your soul). Only God can destroy your soul. The word "destroy" here in the Strong's Concordance is G622 "apollumi" meaning to perish). God can blot you out as though you never existed. (The fate of a terrorist). Satan himself, was once the anointed cherub that guarded the mercy seat of God, but now he is sentenced to "death" and will "perish" forever. (Ezekiel 28:14-19).

 ³⁹Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said. Jesus had all the answers, and the truth will always set things straight.

 ⁴⁰And after that they durst not ask him any question at all. No one dared to ask Him any more questions. (Again, you can't trip-up God).

 ⁴¹And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son? Now, Christ had a question for them. Why is the Messiah said to be the Son of David? (Mark 12:35-37).

 ⁴²And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand. Speaking of (Psalm 110:1-4).

 ⁴³Till I make thine enemies thy footstool. He will humble the enemy. (Psalm 110:5-6).

 ⁴⁴David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son? "This is the key of David." (Jesus being the offspring of David). Read our newsletter study topic titled "The Key of David," for a better understanding.

 ⁴⁵Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples. With the crowds listening, Jesus turned to His disciples and said to them, Beware!

 ⁴⁶Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts. Beware of theses self-righteous hypocrites who like to parade around in flowing robes. They love to receive respectful greetings in public. They love the seats of honor in churches, and at the head tables at banquets. (How many of them do we see today who fit this description)?

 ⁴⁷Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation. They cheat widows out of their houses taking their money, and pretend to be so pious by making long prayers in public. "For this they will be punished." (I am sure you know who we are talking about in today's society). Just look at the churches and ministries that fit the description. Do not be deceived by these phonies!

Keep The Faith,
Barton