Mike Kines

Luke 6:12-19

The Lord Jesus prayed all night before he named his disciples. Here is a precedent for the Christian life. Before any great decisions be made spend time in prayer. If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God. The Lord Jesus never lacked wisdom, but still he prayed all night before he named his disciples. He waited upon the will of his heavenly Father. This is our example. Prayer comes first, before the decision, before the action, before going forward. There are times when we need extended seasons of seeking the Lord in prayer. There are moments in our lives when it may require staying up all night and praying to overcome in a particular circumstance or situation. Be willing to seek God with all of your heart. Daniel fasted and prayed for 21 days. Moses was on the mountain for 40 days with God. How long are you willing to wait on the Lord? King Saul was not willing to wait for the prophet and as a result he lost everything in his life. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint.

After he named his apostles then he ministered to a great multitude of people. Scripture says that virtue went out of him. The Lord Jesus did not live for himself, but came to seek and to save those who were lost. The Lord Jesus gave his life to others. This is our example. Do we live for self, or do we live for others? Do we employ the gifts God gave us to help others? May the Lord help us to see the opportunity before us today to serve and to be a blessing to others.

The Lord Jesus died upon Calvary for our sins. He gave his life and died so that we could live forever with him. He was buried in a tomb. On the third day he rose from the dead. He conquered death, hell, and the grave. Because he has overcome we also, who are in him, also overcome. Believe upon the Lord Jesus today and be saved.

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Luke 6:1-5

The Lord Jesus and his disciples went through fields and ate produce. This was on a Sabbath day so they were criticized by the religious leaders. The religious leaders said they were breaking the law because they picked up food from a field on the Sabbath day. This might seem ridiculous to us today but it was a serious accusation then. People were stoned to death for breaking the Sabbath. However, the Lord Jesus responded to them with scripture. Notice how the Lord Jesus responded to his accusers with simple truth from the Bible. He reminded them of the account of when David ate the holy priest's bread and was not guilty of breaking the law. He then told them that he was the Lord of the Sabbath.

I believe the Lord Jesus did these things on the Sabbath to provoke the religious people. I believe this was recorded for us because we have a great need to be set free from false religion. The Lord Jesus exposed the hypocrisy and used the scriptures which they were proud of to show them how hardhearted and unmerciful they were. Religious people are the most unmerciful and hardhearted? Why? Because false religion breeds self righteousness. Self righteous people are the most dangerous people you can find. They can kill you and think they are doing God a favor.

People today who preach we are under the Sabbath are no better than these religious leaders who wanted to kill Jesus. This false religion of Sabbath keeping is exactly the kind of thing the Lord Jesus exposed in all of these stories about breaking the Sabbath. Don't be deceived by false religion that teaches we are under the law or should keep the Sabbath. Flee from these false prophets and false religion. It spreads like cancer in the church.

Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He rose again on the third day according the scriptures. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

Luke 6:6-11

The religious leaders looked for any reason to accuse the Lord Jesus of wrongdoing. They definitely felt threatened by him and his ministry. Why? All he did was heal somebody! Why was this such a threat to these religious leaders?

To understand this we need discernment into why men use religion to control people. Most of the time religious leaders are in their positions for provision and protection. They convince themselves that they do what they do for God but in reality they are in it for themselves. It is a way to make a living.

In those days there was an entire religious system which controlled not only people going to synagogue but their entire society and community. Religious leaders had much more influence than just over those who came to church.

The Lord Jesus was a threat to this. He did not walk according to their man made rules and traditions. And he had spiritual authority and power which they could not deny. He healed people right in front of them and everyone else in church. There was no denying his spiritual authority and power. Yet he did not live according to their rules.

They knew if people followed the Lord Jesus that it would destroy their system of religious control. In other words, they were in danger of losing their careers, their positions, and their prestige. Religious men in positions of prestige will fight you tooth and nail and kill you before they allow you to damage their reputation. I've seen this in my life with powerful religious leaders. They are very dangerous people, just like King Saul in the Old Testament.

Even though he knew their thoughts that they would plot to kill him the Lord Jesus still healed the man. He was not stopped by their madness. He was determined to finish the ministry and the goal which he received from the heavenly Father. We must adopt this same determination. No matter what people say about us, no matter how people slander us or belittle us or mock us. We must obey God. We must continue to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Don't let religious people stop you from obeying God.

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Luke 5:27-39

The Lord Jesus called the publican Levi to follow him. This same Levi was Matthew. He immediately left everything and followed the Lord Jesus.

He invited the Lord Jesus to his house and threw a party for him and his friends. These friends were publicans and sinners.

The Lord Jesus sat down with them and no doubt some came to faith in Christ.

However, religious folk criticized the Lord Jesus for visiting with sinners. The Lord Jesus replied that sick people need a doctor. He did not come to call righteous people but sinners to repentance.

They change their strategy and criticize him because he did not fast like John the Baptist. Note that these religious leaders did not believe in John or Jesus. The comparison was sinister on many levels. This was a temptation of the pride of life to cause a division between him and John the Baptist. The Lord Jesus did not fall into their trap. He taught them that there was a time and place for all things. There was a season and a time for fasting but at that time that it was appropriate for him and his disciples to eat with these sinners. He taught them that they tried to contain him in their religious system and that he would never fit into their system of religion. God is too big to fit into the religious boxes men create.

The Lord Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. His goal was to die on the cross so we could be saved from our sins. Christ died for our sins. Jesus said when he was lifted up he would draw all men to himself. Jesus was lifted up on the cross. He was buried. He rose again on the third day.

Romans 8:34, "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."

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Luke 5:12-16

The background of leprosy in the Bible can be found in Leviticus 13 and 14. God provided instructions for Israel on how to deal with this problem. There were examples in the Old Testament of people who were infected with this disease and healed by God. Naaman the Syrian and Miriam the sister of Moses were infected with leprosy and healed by God. This disease was seen by people as God's punishment on a person for his sin. It was thought to be incurable except by a miracle from God.

This leper believed the Lord Jesus could heal him. He expressed complete faith in God's ability even though he did not know whether or not the Lord Jesus was willing to heal him. He knew he could. He just did not know if he would. This is the confusion the enemy puts into the minds of those who believe in God. I know he can, but will he? Don't be confused by this. The Lord Jesus demonstrated that he can heal us and he that is willing to heal us as well.

People were forbidden to touch a leper because of the probability of infection spreading. However, the Lord Jesus reached out and touched the man. He was healed instantly. There was never any danger of infection to the Lord Jesus. No disease or death or sin can stand in the way of the Son of God. He destroyed all the works of the devil.

Why did the Lord Jesus tell the man to follow the religious laws and present himself to the priests according to the Jewish laws? The Lord Jesus wanted him to be a testimony to the priests. The Lord Jesus cared about all these people. His compassion extended to the religious Jew as well as the lowly sick folk.

This same account of the leper was also recorded in Matthew and Mark. It was an important event in the life of the Lord Jesus and was recorded by Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He rose again on the third day. He ascended into heaven and is even now at the right hand of God making intercession for us. He will return again to receive us unto himself that where he is we may be also. Everyone who calls upon the name of Jesus is saved.

Luke 5:17-26

The friends of a paralytic did all they could to make sure that he received help from the Lord Jesus. What are we doing to bring people to Jesus? What am I doing today to help bring others to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? These men let down the paralytic through the roof of the house. The Lord Jesus pronounced the man's sins were forgiven. In this case we can assume his physical disability was related to sin. The Lord Jesus forgave the man's sins and also healed the man's body. Spiritual and physical healing go hand in hand with the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus does not make a difference between salvation of the soul and salvation of the body. In God's kingdom we have a new body like the Lord Jesus. We will have a resurrected body in God's kingdom.

There were always people who opposed the work of God. Notice it was almost always religious, self righteous people who opposed the work of God. Satan deceived people with false religion in order to inoculate them from having true faith in God. The Lord Jesus knew their thoughts. He forgave sins. He healed the man. This was evidence that God was in their midst but they were unable to discern the facts before them. The same is true today. God speaks to us today but who is listening? Who can hear the voice of the Lord today?

The closer we get to the kingdom the less we can abide false religious systems. Judgment begins with the house of God. God discerns between the brother of the flesh and the brother of the spirit. Are you an overcomer?

Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He rose again on the third day. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus is saved.

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Luke 5:1-11

The crowd was so great that the Lord Jesus resorted to a boat and preached from the water. The boat belonged to Simon, a fisherman, who confessed that he fished all night and caught nothing. At the word of the Lord Jesus, however, he put down his net and caught more fish than he could haul in. He requested help from his fellow fishermen to haul in the great catch. As a result, Simon knew that God was present in the Lord Jesus and he requested that Jesus would go away. Peter said, "I am a sinful man."

In scripture men who saw God were afraid they would die. Moses, and Samson's father, all thought they would die if they saw God. This was a common idea in the bible and expressed by God also. If a man saw God he could not live in this human body. From this context we understand why Simon reacted this way. However, the Lord Jesus reassured him that he would not die. Indeed, not only would he live but would be used by God to bring eternal life to others through the preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Simon understood who the Lord Jesus was when the Lord Jesus demonstrated his goodness and provision. Many times men come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ because of the goodness of God. Romans 2:4, "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" This was my experience. When I was a young man God showed kindness and mercy towards me and the revelation of God's love in Jesus Christ brought me to my knees in salvation and worship.

Simon could not bring all the fish to the shore by himself. He needed the help of his brothers. Notice how in Paul's letters he included the names of his fellow workers in the gospel. Each one of us has a part in the ministry but cannot succeed alone. Each one needs his brothers and sisters in Christ to work with him and alongside him. We each belong to one another and each serve the Lord Jesus Christ. The problem arises when brothers are suspicious and think their brother is not serving Jesus. We live in a time when the gospel is so commercialized and sold as a product that people no longer recognize when a true man of God needs support. People no longer see the importance of helping one another to bring fish ashore. We live in a cynical generation where people no longer trust one another. Therefore the work suffers. We are only able to bring a few fish to shore if that.

The Lord Jesus told Peter he would no longer be a fisherman but instead fishing for men. Peter would become the great evangelist who on the day of Pentecost proclaimed the gospel and thousands came to faith in Jesus Christ.

Christ died for our sins. He was buried, and he rose again on the third day. Everyone who calls upon the name of Jesus Christ will be saved.

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Luke 4:38-44

The Lord Jesus went into the house of Peter's mother-in-law. He healed her of a fever and she immediately got up and served others. We see a pattern when the Lord Jesus touched a person's life. When a person is saved, healed, delivered, and set free they serve others. This is an automatic response to the influence of the Lord Jesus Christ on a person's life. The person who meets the Lord Jesus will desire to devote his life thereafter to serving the Lord Jesus and others.

By this time the reputation of the Lord's healing power spread and many people came to him. He healed them of their diseases and drove out the devils who afflicted them. The devils knew who he was but the Lord stopped them from speaking. This is an indication that we should have nothing to do with evil people, even those who pretend to promote the cause of the gospel. Always avoid allowing evil people to have anything to do with the ministry or proclaiming the gospel. Do not allow them to associate their presence with the work which God gave us to do. We see this in the history of Nehemiah and Ezra as well when they build the city and altar. They would not let unbelievers have any part of the work.

The Lord did not settle down and enjoy the perks of a successful ministry. He was determined to continue forward to share the word of God with other places. He did not allow success to determine his course. He came to seek and save those who were lost. He came to serve and to lay down his life. He did not allow anything to stand in the way of his mission. He came to give his life and lay his life down as a sacrifice to save others.

Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He rose again on the third day. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus is saved.

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Luke 4:31-37

The Lord Jesus demonstrated his authority to drive out demons. The Lord Jesus went to Capernaum and taught them on the Sabbath days. The people were amazed because his word was with power. There was a man in the church who had a demon and cried with a loud voice. The Lord Jesus rebuked the demon and drove it out of the man. Everyone was amazed and the word spread all over the country.

I have several thoughts when I read these verses. It stands out to me that a demon possessed man is going to church. Why would a man who is demon possessed be in church? What was he doing there before Jesus exposed him? Ask yourself the question: how many people are coming to church who are not only unbelievers but demon possessed? The next thing I noticed is that this demon possessed man knew exactly who the Lord Jesus Christ was. The devil believes in God. He knows who the Lord Jesus is. Is it possible to get into a religious conversation with someone, assuming they are a Christian, and the entire time the person be demon possessed? Just because a person is religious does not mean they are a Christian. It might mean they have demons who are lying to you and pretending to be religious.

Again, why is a demon attending a church service? Do you think demons are attending church today? How would you know?

This demon revealed himself by screaming in the middle of a church service. Have you ever been in a church service where someone interrupted the Pastor? Have you ever been in a church where someone started talking loud enough to stop the preacher or interrupt the service?

There is a reason the apostle Paul said that a church service should be conducted decently and in order. When someone is out of order, or disruptive, it might be an indication of demonic activity.

The Lord Jesus has all authority to drive out the devil. He gave authority to Christians to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in this world. We have overcome by the blood of the Lamb. Proclaim the gospel. Proclaim the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do not be afraid of the enemy. Submit yourself to God and resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He rose again on the third day. He ascended into heaven and is at the right hand of God the Father. He lives forever making intercession for us. He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God in the name of Jesus. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved.

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Luke 4:14-30

The beginning of the ministry of the Lord Jesus was met with complete rejection from his family and hometown.

After the temptations in the wilderness the Lord Jesus returned to the town where he grew up. In Nazareth he went to the synagogue and read from the prophet Isaiah. He quoted a prophecy which was fulfilled that day in the Lord Jesus. He was and is the fulfillment of prophecy.

When he said that he was the fulfillment of bible prophecy they rebelled against him. They listened to the scriptures but they rejected the one who gave us the scriptures. This is still true today. Many people claim God's word and know scriptures but they do not know the Lord Jesus. They have religion but reject the living God standing before them.

What happened to the Lord Jesus happens to every man of God. Every man of God faces rejection and opposition. The rejection of the Lord Jesus was so violent they wanted to throw him off a cliff. The Lord Jesus walked through the midst of them and went his way.

What does this teach us? It is normal for the Christian to be rejected by unbelieving family, friends, relatives, and even entire churches. It is normal for Christians to be cast out and to be rejected by unbelievers. The most violent unbelievers are religious or intellectual unbelievers. Churches are filled with people who happily sit and listen to God's word read and to sermons but their hearts are filled with violence, murder, and unbelief. They worship self. They do not worship the living God. They reject the Lord Jesus Christ. If you stand for the Lord Jesus they will reject you and cast you out.

The Lord Jesus did not fight with them. He left them. He went his way. This is a lesson I am learning. Sometimes we just have to walk away. This is an important lesson for anyone who wants to follow the Lord Jesus with all of their heart. Sometimes we have to walk away from people. It is OK. Some people will never change. They will not listen to the word of God. They are filled with their own opinions and they worship themselves.

Jeremiah 15:19-21, "Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them. 20 And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD. 21 And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible."

Christ died for our sins. He was buried, and he rose again on the third day. Everyone who calls upon the name of Jesus will be saved.

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Luke 4:1-13

The Lord Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness for forty days. During this time the Lord Jesus was tempted by the devil. Forty days reminds me of the forty years that Israel was in the wilderness and tested. There are a lot of parallels in scripture like this. This is one way the Holy Spirit teaches us spiritual lessons. Testing and walking in the wilderness is a normal part of the Christian life. Temptation is a necessary part of the Christian life. The Lord Jesus taught us how to overcome temptation. If you compare this temptation with the temptation of the serpent and Eve you can see parallels. Also, the scripture in 1 John 2:16 sheds spiritual light upon these temptations as well.

The Lord Jesus overcame the devil by staying in the word. He was abiding in the word of God. His heart and his mind was filled with the scriptures. He was filled with the word and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. This points us back to two types of manna in the wilderness: manna that tasted like honey (the word), and manna that tasted like fresh oil (Holy Spirit). Do you know what the third category of manna was in the wilderness? It was manna taken and put in a pot and hidden in the ark of the covenant. (Hebrews 9:4)

The Lord Jesus had authority to overcome the devil because he walked in the word and walked in the Spirit. Any man who walks in the word and in the Holy Spirit receives the authority of God's kingdom to overcome the devil. We overcome the enemy by abiding in the word and the Spirit and by walking in the authority of God's Kingdom.

God taught us this lesson in the wilderness. We cannot learn this in a classroom or by reading books. We learn by experience. Head knowledge helps but it is through experience we are changed into the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus went before us. He endured the temptations and much more in his earthly life. Consider him who endured. What can we learn from this? How can we apply this to our every day life situations?

Here is a promise from scripture to help us. 1 Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

Christ died for our sins. He was buried, and he rose again on the third day. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved. The man who was crucified with Jesus asked the Lord Jesus to remember him when he came into his kingdom. The Lord Jesus told him that he would be with him that day in paradise. What can I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

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Luke 3:1-38

I'm taking this whole chapter at once because most of the second half of this chapter is a list of the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ. This genealogy is important but I'm not going to focus much on that in my notes here. Instead, I will focus on the ministry of John the Baptist in the first half of the chapter.

Just as Gabriel and Zacharias prophesied the baby John grew up to become a prophet of the Lord. He fulfilled the word in Isaiah of a man who came to prepare the way of the Lord. He was a voice crying in the wilderness.

What happened when John began to preach? Immediately the devil sent people to oppose this new work of God. John recognized the snakes and called them out.

Verse 7, "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"

Anytime the Lord sends a man of God to proclaim his word there will be opposition from the forces and powers of the devil. The power of Satan will be manifest by insincere people who are his mouthpiece.

The prophet Jeremiah also suffered opposition from people like this. Even his own close relatives wanted to kill him. But God promised Jeremiah he would protect him and deliver him. (Jeremiah 15:20-21)

The Lord delivered Jeremiah from the attack of evil men but in the case of John the Baptist God allowed him to be put in prison and eventually he lost his life. This is the case for many in the New Testament. The majority of the apostles and disciples lost their lives as a result of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must be prepared for this.

The Lord Jesus came to be baptized by John the Baptist. He did this to fulfill all righteousness. He had no sin himself but he came to identify himself completely with sinful man. God the Father set his seal of approval upon his Son at this time and the Holy Spirit descended upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Here we can plainly see that God is three in one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

God is three in one. Prophet, priest, and king. Israel, church, and the nations. Three days and all will be complete in the New Jerusalem.

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