Prodigal Son 4 - The Love of God

Luke 15:20-24 And 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. (21) And 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. (22) But 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: (23) And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: (24) For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

This portion of the Prodigal Son is one of the most beautiful, inspiring and hope-fueling depictions of God in all of the Bible.  Everyone knows of the image of God from John 3:16:  That he loved the world so much that he gave his only son that we might have everlasting life.  But the imagery that is portrayed in this parable takes John 3:16 another step.

Let’s compare God’s love, as shown here, to man’s typical reaction.  First of all, we would have never let the son leave...with our inheritance.  If he did leave, a natural reaction would be that “He is never welcome in this house again”.  But the power of this parable is in the son’s return.  I am afraid that if I were in the position of the father, my reaction would be to “let that boy have it”.  How dare he tarnish the family name.  How dare he waste all of the money...and on what?  Now what are you going to do to survive?  Did you learn your lesson?  Are you only coming back to get more money?  And the interrogation would last for hours.  But clearly that is not what the father does.  The father sees the son from a great way off.  This indicates to me that the father was hoping for the sons return.  He missed his boy and he wanted him to come home.  I can imagine that the father regularly glanced that direction for his return.  Once he saw him, the father didn’t stand with his arms folded and tapping his foot waiting  for an apology.  He ran to his son and “fell on his neck and kissed him”.  The father wanted the first impression to be of reception and love, not rejection and judgement.  As we studied in the previous lesson, the son said to his father exactly as he had rehearsed:  I am no more worthy to be called thy son.  But the father didn’t see it that way.  He did not treat him like a servant, he embraced him like a son once again.

God’s forgiving power is unimaginable.  There is no sin so great that it cannot be forgiven.  There are no sin so numerous that it cannot be forgiven.  In fact, that forgiveness does not just bring us to a level of neutrality, like the Prodigal Son, it brings us to the state of being God’s child.

1 John 3:1 ¶ Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 

However, to be eligible for that forgiveness, we like the Prodigal son must repent.  We simply cannot continue living that life of sin.  The forgiveness only came when he was willing to leave the life of riotous living and begin to live the life that his father desired.

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Prodigal Son 3 - The Ideal Repenter

Luke 15:17-21 And 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! (18) I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, (19) And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.(20) And 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.  (21) And 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.

As good of an example as this young man is at rebelling against his father and family, he is equally as good of an example of the manner of repentance that all of us need to demonstrate to our loving and merciful God.

First what is repentance?  My favorite definition is a change of MIND and HEART which will, by its nature, lead to a change of Life and direction.  Don’t get me wrong, to repent does NOT mean that we have to fix our lives.  Not at all.  God is the fixer of our lives.  However, it is the recognition that our lives NEED to be fixed and the attitude change that we want God to fix it and that we will accept the change that God sends our way.  It is a willingness to give up our old life of sin to live a new, different kind of life that is now dedicated to living for God.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

While the word “repent” is not in these two verses, the concept and definiton is.  Paul says that we are no longer to be molded and effected by this world.  Instead we are to be change by the “RENEWING of our MINDS”....a change of mind that leads to a change of life.  Where’s the change of life?  Verse 1.  We are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice.  No longer living for ourselves, but now living for God.  Now let’s take this concept back to our parable.

Verse 17.  He came to himself.  There is that all important change of mind.  So much so, look what he said to himself.  He said, I am not worthy to be called his son.  I am willing to take the status of servant, but that is far better than the disasterous life that sin had left him.  Notice he didn’t just try to cover over his bad decisions and lifestyle with a half-hearted apology.  He backed it up with the proper action.  When he came to the father, he said exactly what he had practiced.

If we are going to truly repent of our old sinful past, we too must come to a realization that the path of sin is what got us into trouble.  Therefore we must come to the decision that we are willing to abandon the life of sin and BECOME a servant of Jesus.  That is all that we deserve.  But when we have that proper attitude, God is not willing for us to stay a servant.  He instead wants us to be his children.

1 John 3:1  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Prodigal Son 2 - Sin Will Let You Down

Luke 15:13-16 And 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. (14) And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. (15) And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. (16) And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

Yesterday we began looking at Jesus’ teaching of what is known as the Prodigal Son.  Yesterday’s lesson we saw that the youngest of two sons asked his father for his inheritance in advance.  After getting his money and stuff,  he took a trip to a far away country.

In verse 13, we find that he did not use that financial windfall in a prudent or responsible manner.  Instead, it says that he WASTED it with RIOTOUS living.  In our modern day vernacular, we would say..,,He PARTIED like there was no tomorrow!  The world would probably conclude that he had the time of his life.  But that leads us to our interesting dilemma about sin:  Sin will eventually let you down. 

I think for too many years, too many “religious leaders” portrayed sin in such a manner that caused them to loose credibility with young people.  They tried to pretend that there was NO “fun”, “enjoyment”, or “pleasure” to sin.  However, when young people tried various sinful acts, they discovered that it had an element of pleasure to it.  In fact, the Bible tells us that too.

Genesis 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 

The first recorded temptation and sin tells us that there were several elements of pleasure that caused Eve to be tempted

1.  She saw it was good for food

2.  It was pleasant to the eyes

3.  She was convinced it would give her wisdom equal to God

While the Bible does not tell us this, I cannot help but think it was quite tasty too.  Maybe even better tasting than anything that she had had before.

The Hebrew writer says it this way

Hebrews 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 

In the context, the writer is speaking of Moses.  Moses had a choice:  to either continue living the life of privilege as part of the family of the Egyptian Pharaoh or to follow the will of God by accepting his true heritage and suffer the afflictions of the Israelite people.  But notice how the Bible describes it.  “To enjoy the pleasure of sin for A SEASON”.  He could have lived his entire 120 year life like a prince as a part of the royal family.  But the Bible says it would still have only been for a short while.  This life is temporary.  Eternity is forever.

There is a truth there that we need to understand.  We need to drill it in our heads and teach it to our children.  YES...sin can be fun and pleasurable...but that pleasure cannot last for ever!  it will run dry.  It will cease.  It expire.  It will run its course.

Then what?

You can even go a little farther into it and have it last a little longer or you can face the consequences of the sin.  All sin has consequences!  There is some “fun” in alcohol and getting drunk, who has had that “fun” and not gotten into trouble in the end?  Look at Lindsey Lohan.  What a mess she is.  Do you think that she woke up one day and say:  I think I am going to ruin my life today?”  No but each step that she took with sin lead her down that path.

Our prodigal son probably had “fun” to the worlds standards.  But look to his end.  The fun ended.  Why because his money ran out.  His partying friends then deserted him.  Were they there when he needed them?  Nope, but the pigs were.  He ended up in a pig pen, happy to get the left overs from the pigs because his life had gotten so bad.

You may have fun for a while with sin.  But it will NEVER last.  The only thing that can and will endure is the love, mercy, grace and forgiveness of our great father and saviour!

1 John 2:15-16 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Prodigal Son - 1 / The Arrogance of Sin

Luke 15:11-13  And he said, A certain man had two sons: (12) And 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.  (13) And 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.

In chapter 15 of Luke, Jesus teaches 3 separate parables about the love, mercy, and God’s  desire to save man.  The parable of the Prodigal Son is the last and most comprehensive of the three.  In fact, there is so much to this parable, we will divide the parable into 4 separate lessons for the purpose of the daily devotionals.

In today’s text, we find that the younger of two sons gets a wild hair to be out on his own.  Like, most young people, he did not have the where-withal to be able to fund that excursion, so he went to his father requesting his inheritance now so that he could leave.  Not wanting to control his son, the father gave him his portion of inheritance.  After receiving the money, the young man packed his stuff and traveled to a far away country.  In the last part of verse 13 it tells us that the young man wasted that inheritance with riotous living.

I cannot imagine the arrogance of this son.  For those that know me, I joke with my family about my parent’s inheritance.  If I go and help my parents with a project, I remind them to keep that assistance in mind when making their will. I further emphasize that it was me that did that and NOT any of my siblings.  It’s only a joke.  My parents understand it as jesting and my brothers and sisters understand it to be so as well.  On the other hand, the young man in this story was NOT joking.  He went to the father and said give me my inheritance.  Essentially, he was telling his father, I care more about your money than I do for you.  He might has well said: "Dad, I cannot wait for you to die, give me your stuff".  He also was sending the strong message that he cared more for pleasing his own selfish desires than he cares for his father.  Now that’s arrogance.

While we shake our heads that this man’s selfishness, we all are guilty of the same thing at some point in time of our lives.  When we choose to sin, we have done the same thing that this young has.  We have looked at the commandment of God and said, no I don’t think so.  I would rather....  And then we have done it.  We have put our desires above the wishes of God.

Not only that, sin is usually arrogant from our relationship with others.  Most sin negatively effects others, regardless of how we justify it.  For instance, stealing is certainly a demonstration of arrogance over others.  You are essentially saying: "My need for your stuff is more important so I am going to take it".  All sin is arrogance.  All sin is a choice to serve self over serving God and anyone else!

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Parable of the Lost Sheep

Luke 15:3-7 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, (4) What 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? (5) And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. (6) And 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. (7) I 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.

In our last Reflecting the SON devotional, we found that sinners are Jesus’ Ideal target market.  People who’s lives are consumed and negatively affected by sin will be the most receptive and the most appreciative.  Christianity is all about creating a means by which God can seek, find, and transform sinners to servants.

In our text today, Jesus tells a parable about the extent that he loves those individuals. He tells of a scenario where a single sheep is lost.  The owner doesn’t just say...ahh, I  have 99 more...who cares.  God cares!  He cares about each individual.  He cares so much, the story goes, that the owner leaves the 99 and goes to hunt for the one lone sheep.  He hunts until he finds it.  When he does finally find it, he calls is friends together to celebrate the safe return of the sheep.

This story is told to relate the joy that heaven experiences upon the safe return of a sinner to the fold.  All men are like children to God.  He does not want to see any of his children lost or burdened by sin....That is precisely why he sent is only son.  The death of that son is the ONLY means for our safe return.

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Jesus’ Ideal Prospect

Luke 15:1-2  Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. (2) And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

I have heard several people say throughout my years that:  “I am just too sinful to be saved”.  To make a statement like that is an indication that they have no idea what Jesus was all about.  The entire purpose of Jesus was to do for sinners, what they could not do for themselves...to SAVE them!

Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 

Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Because of his mission to save the lost and to give sinners hope, sinners became Jesus’ primary...in fact...ONLY target market.  Therefore, instead of sinners being objectionable to Jesus, he sees them as them for their potential.  He looks at them with compassion.  He sees them for what God can make them not for what Satan has made them.

In our verse today, we find that Jesus is again attracting a crowd.  The problem is that it is not the “right kind of people” for the Jewish establsiment leadership.  They criticize him for “receiving and eating” with sinners.  First, Jesus understood that to help them, he had to relate to them.  Secondly, Jesus isn’t just “receiving” sinners, he’s transforming them into something far better.  He’ transforming them from hopeless to hopeful.  From lost to found.  From rebellious to servant.

If you are struggling with a life of sin, disappointment, hopelessness and rebellion, you do not have to remain in that state.  You are the IDEAL prospect for Jesus.

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

What...There’s a Cost?

Luke 14:28-33 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?  (29) Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,  (30) Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.  (31) Or 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?  (32) Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. (33) So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

In the two verses preceding our passage today, Jesus was talking about what it means to be his disciple.  Jesus said that we must be willing to put God first (Luke 14:26) , and that we must be willing to bear our cross for him (Luke 14:27).

In our text today, Jesus says that we must count the cost of being his disciple.  Many may be appalled at the concept that I even suggest that there could be a cost to us.  Keep in mind, however, that I didn’t say that....Jesus did!  To further support his position, Jesus gives two examples.  

First, he asks, who would start a building project without counting the cost of the overall project to determine whether you have the means to be able finish it?  Responsible people do not make major purchases without understanding the overall, long-term costs of such an endeavor.  Then secondly, he asks, what king goes to make war with another country without having the planning and understanding if the battle can be won.  One does not start a fight only to lose!  If losing is a greater probability, Jesus says the smart thing to do is to send an ambassador and work out the peace and not start that war.

The point that Jesus is making is that we must count the cost of Christianity BEFORE becoming his disciple!  So what is the cost?  Jesus said in the two previous verses that we need to love him more than father, mother, spouse, child or siblings.  There is a cost associated with that.  He went on to day that we must be willing to take up our cross.  There are costs associated with that as well.  

Jesus wants us to follow him.  He desires it so much that he was willing to die to make our lives better.  However, just because he paid the ultimate price, does not mean there is no price for us to pay.  It is minuscule compared to what he did.  But a cost is still there none the less.  He does not want us to make a half-hearted attempt, only to quit mid way.  Instead, we need to count the cost.  When we realize that what he has to offer is far superior to the world, we need to deny ourselves and submit our will to his.

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Christianity Requires Sacrifice

Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

Our RTS today is, in many ways, a continuation of yesterday’s.  Jesus is on the same topic.  IN fact, it is the same conversation.  In yesterday’s RTS, we learned that Jesus required that we make him a priority or we failed at being his disciple.  He makes a similar declaration in today’s verse.

In addition to coming to him, loving our parents, spouse, children and siblings less than we love him, we are to add the requirement that we must bear our cross.  I have often wondered, if the hearers of this statement would have been confused by this.  I am not sure that the contemporary crowd would have had the context of the cross to fully understand it.  Clearly, the cross that he is referencing is a glimpse to the cross that he died on.

So what does it mean that we are to bear our cross?  To comprehend that, we must better understand what the cross meant to Jesus.

1.  The Cross Represents a Sacrifice

It is easy to focus on the actual pain and suffering that Jesus endured during the execution, but there is much more to his sacrifice that the few hours that he was on the cross.  The cross was the mission and focus of his entire life, but before that event, he lived 33 years on this earth in a less than ideal setting.  However, prior to his birth he was in an ideal setting because he was with God in Heaven, so his existence as a human was a sacrifice all on its own.

When God asks us to sacrifice, he is not asking us to do anything more than what Jesus did.  In fact, the sacrifices that we make are minuscule in comparison to what Jesus endured.  If we are going to be pleasing to God, we must learn to bear the cross of sacrifice.

Matthew 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

2.  The Cross Represents Submission

So often in life, we seem to think that being submissive to anyone is “beneath” us.  We don’t want our parents to tell us what to do.  We don’t want our bosses to tell us what to do.  We don’t want the law to tell us what to do.  But Jesus was submissive and he was the Son of God.  He is and was God!  And yet he was submissive to both God and those that wanted to kill him.  He had the power to refuse and to bring Sodom & Gomorrah type wrath on those that wanted to do harm to him.  But he submitted.

Therefore, if we are going to bear our cross for God, we must be willing to submit our will for his.  It is not easy, but it is required.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

Matthew 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

3.  The Cross Represents Obedience

So many religious people, folks that claim to be Christians have told me that obedience is over rated.  In fact they say that it just is not that important.  God would rather us be be people of faith and grace.  So much of the Bible, including the New Testament, focuses on us being obedient. But not only that, Jesus was obedient to His Father.

John 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

If Jesus, being God, was required to be obedience to the Father, Do we think we are better than Jesus and we don’t have to be?  It is the height of arrogance to think that we can be disciples of Jesus but not have to follow his direction.

John 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

4.  The Cross Represents Humility

The life and death of Jesus was a humiliating experience.  But he did them both with Joy and honor.  The trial and execution was designed to humiliate.  Jesus was stripped of his garments, beaten within an inch of his life, hung on that tree and then was mocked for hours.  Jesus allowed it to happen.  There is nothing that man can do to us that is worse than was done to our master.  God wants us to have the proper perspective of our selves and not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 

Matthew 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5.  The Cross Represents Love

The entire reason Jesus came to this earth, lived the minimal life that he did, died on the cross and was raised the third day was because he loved us.  Therefore, for us to bear our cross, we must love God and man as God instructs us.

Matthew 22:36-40 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? (37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38) This is the first and great commandment. (39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

6.  The Cross Represents Death

Jesus’ death was physical.  Our death is of a spiritual nature.

Romans 6:6-7 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (7) For he that is dead is freed from sin. 

Our cross is to die to our old sinful version of ourselves.  We cannot continue in a life of sin and be his disciple.  

If we want to be a disciple of Jesus, and ultimately enjoy all of the rewards that come with it, we must be willing to bear our cross for God.  If we choose not to, we cannot be his disciple.

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Discipleship - God MUST Come First!

Luke 14:26 If 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.

Our text today is about discipleship.  We are going to analyze what Jesus says in this one verse. But please, do not assume that this one verse or this discussion represents the totality of what the Bible says  about discipleship.  

A Disciple is a follower of Jesus.  But not in the most casual of ways.  The word “follow” can have a wide range of definitions.  I know people that are “followers” or “fans” of sports teams, but never see a single game.  They simply like the CONCEPT of that team.  Many people believe they are followers of Jesus in the same sense.  They like the concept of Jesus.  They may even approve of many of the teachings of Jesus, but they have not done the things required to be his true follower.

The followers that Jesus is seeking is more of an imitator; like the childhood game “Follow the leader”.  In that game, the person in the front of the single file line would travel in wavy and zig-zag patterns, waive their arms, jump on one foot etc. and everyone following after was to do EXACTLY as the leader did.  It is not good enough for the fellow player just to end up at the same location.  You are only successful at the game when you  went where the leader went, did as the leader did and behaved as the leader behaved. To be a real follower or disciple of Jesus, we must not just have a general approval of him, we must conform our entire life to mimic his way of thinking, his mannerisms, his behaviors and his direction.

In this truth about discipleship, Jesus uses a “If-Then” statement.  Let’s start with the “Then”.  It is the “then” that we desire.  The actual word “then” is not actually stated but it is implied.  Then...he cannot be my disciple.  The opposite is equally true.  If we fail to do what is in the condition, we cannot be his disciple.  But if we do what is asked of us, then we can be his disciple.  Being his disciple is what we ultimately desire and seek...and even profess.  But no matter how much we claim to be his follower, if we fail to meet these requirements, we cannot.

So what are the conditions of being his disciple.  Jesus says that we MUST:

1.  Come to Him!

The first condition is a condition of Action!  We must come.  There is a lot implied in this statement that we do not have time for.  I could do several RTS’s on this one word.  Suffice it to say that “To Come” implies that we leave where we are and go to where he is.  This is not a physical action, it’s spiritual.  This is not a call to go to some “holy” city at some point in time of our life, but rather we must leave a life of sin, to live the life that God would have us live.

Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

2.  Hate Father, Mother, wife, children, brothers and sisters.

This statement throws a lot of people in a tail spin simply because of the use of the word “hate”.  We must understand that our language uses the word hate in a very narrow way, but the Greek language is was much more broad.  The word hate as used here is better  translated as: “Love less”.  We must love our parents less than we love our Savior.  We must love our spouses less, than we love our Lord.  We must love our children less than we love our Master.  We must love our brothers and sisters less than we love Jesus.  Let’s be clear.  The Bible teaches and stresses our responsibility at loving our families.  Jesus is not condoning or even suggesting that we abandon our families to serve God.  He is speaking of priorities of our lives.  In normal situations, our families are the center of our universe.  However, if we want to be a true, real disciple of Jesus, we MUST learn to center our lives around HIM!

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

3.  Hate his own life

This is when it REALLY gets tough!

My daughter (now 21 years old), when she was but 4-5 years old, mastered the saying:  “It’s my life!”  It was adorable then.  The problem is we have several generations of people that grew up with that saying as their general motto of life.  We are an independently minded society that loves to determine our own way.  As Americans we have the “Right” to do so.  That is not in question.  However IF we want to be THE disciples of Jesus, we must be willing to give up  our control and independace of our lives to be able to make the statement that Jesus did.

Luke 22:42 ...nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

These are the words of Jesus! He said that being the Son of God.  He said that being equal to God the Father.  However, in this circumstance, he knew he must submit his will to the will of the Father.

If Jesus did, so can we!  If Jesus did, so MUST we.  

One of the foundational principles of Christianity is that we must be willingly to give up control of our lives to allow God to be our controller, master and Lord.  

1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. 

Thus Jesus is Lord!  Those are not just empty words.  They must be the new nature of our lives.

To be a genuine disciple of Jesus, we must no longer dwell on our own wishes, interests, or desires.  Instead, we must give ourselves wholly to serve God.  God must come First!

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Humble Yourself!

Luke 14:7-11  And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, (8) When 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; (9) And 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. (10) But 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. (11) For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Humility is not a characteristic that is in over abundance in our society. Unfortunately,  our society links humility with shyness, ignorance and weakness.  I would go so far to say that our society encourages the opposite of humility.  Our politicians assume they know it all and often presume to vote opposite of their constituent’s wishes.  It is common to see athletes celebrate a play by pounding on their chest in a fashion that says:  “Look at me..Look what great thing I have done”.  Movie stars think that because they are in a movie, it makes them experts on different topics.  And the examples could just keep coming.

The Bible, on the other hand has a completely different view of humility.  Jesus certainly was a man of great humility and yet he was the most powerful man on the planet.  When hanging on the cross, he had the power to bring vengeance on those that put him there instead he prayed:  “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do”.  The Bible encourages followers of God to be humble, not to put them in a position of weakness but of strength.

Humility is a concept that is easy to understand, but extremely hard to practice.  In the sermon on the mount, Jesus gave several examples exercising humility:  “Turn the other cheek”, “Go the extra mile”, “Forgive those that have wronged you”, etc.

In our text today, Jesus gives us a great application of humility.  If you are invited to an event, like a marriage, don’t automatically assume that you are the most important person in the room and take the prominant spot.  I know several people that would do that.  I am sure they would call that “confidence” or “inside knowledge”.  Jesus called it “exalting himself”.

The key to this lesson is in verse 11.  We need to realize that regardless of who we are, or how good we think we are, we are all beneath God.  Only God is truly the one with the authority to exalt anyone.  Jesus says that if we choose to exalt ourselves, we will be brought low.  But if we keep the proper perspective of ourselves and realize that we are but mere servants, God will lift us up.  When we are exalt by God, that is not the time to puff ourselves up.  Instead, we must continue to be humble. Gain follow the example of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples in the upper room.

The problem with pride is that it prevents us from seeing our shortcomings.  If I see myself as the “greatest”, it is going to be close to impossible to convince myself that I need to continue to develop myself into something better.  On a spiritual perspective, if we view ourselves as being that great, we will have a hard time seeing ourselves as dying in our sins.  We will only be able to see how good we are.  If that happens, we will never realize that we need a saviour.  We all need our savior.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

We have all sinned.  We have all come short of God’s glory.  The only way that we can be repaired of that condition, is by accepting the fact that we are in that state.  When we do, we will realize that we need to go to the great physician to get his cure.

May we all learn to get down off of our respective high-horses and learn to have the proper humility that God wants us to have.

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Is It Lawful?

Luke 14:1-5  And 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. (2) And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. (3) And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? (4) And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; (5) And 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?

Why do people ask that general question?  Is it lawful?  Is it right?  Is it OK?  Is it permissible?  This is usually a LOADED question!

It is my opinion that most of the time that one asks this question, people are NOT on a quest for truth, instead they are trying to elicit a response of one kind or another.  Think back when you were a child and you asked your parents to do something.  Didn’t you already have an answer in your mind of what you wanted them to say?  Here is a good indicator of my hypothesis:  when they said no, do you shrug your shoulders and say:  OK.  Or...did you try to convince them that their first answer was misguided?  Thus the question was loaded.  You might have even asked the question in a leading manner.

In our text today, Jesus uses this tactic as well.  He asks the question:  “Is it Lawful” to cause those around him to think differently than they had.  He was not searching for the answer to that question.  He knew the answer!

The Jews had expanded the law of Moses and had taken it to a whole new extreme level; beyond what God had intended.  In doing so, they made the law a burden on the people.

Matthew 23:3-4 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.(4) For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

Matthew 15:1-9 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, (2) Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.  (3) But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? (4) For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. (5) But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; (6) And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. (7) Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, (8) This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. (9) But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

The Jews thought they knew what the law said about observing the Sabbath, but much of that “Law” was tradition that they had created. Jesus wanted them to understand the difference.  So he asks the question:  “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”  He knew both what they thought and he knew the real answer.  His purpose was to teach the lesson that they had misused their power and had made the law more strenuous than it needed to be.

Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

Jesus said in Mark’s Gospel that the Sabbath was made for our benefit, not the other way around.  The Sabbath was a day of rest.  But the Jews had twisted the law to make the day of rest a day of burden.  When he asked that question, they refused to respond.  To further prove his point, he asked a rhetorical question as a follow-up.  He asked:  “If you had a ox that fell in a ditch on the Sabbath, could you not get it out?”  The answer is :  Of course.  Jesus is trying to prove that the life of a human is far superior than that of any animal.  If an animal is worth setting aside the Sabbath for, then so is healing a human.

Jesus is letting us know that man must not use his law as a weapon.  Also, there are limited times and rare events in which we may set aside a commandment in order to serve a greater good.  Note though, that Jesus is not giving us carte blanch approval to act as if his laws are insignificant.  His laws are there for our benefit.  They must be respected.  But God does allow for reasonable emergencies.

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.