Luke 10

God is the Lord of the harvest who brings His kingdom near

1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two before his face into every city and place where he was about to come. 2 Then he said to them, The harvest truly is much, but the laborers few: therefore beg the Lord of the harvest, to send out workers into his harvest. 3 Go your ways: behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Do not carry a purse or a moneybag or sandals: and greet no one by the way. 5 And into whatever house you enter, first say, Peace to this house. 6 And if the son of peace is there your peace will rest upon it: if not, it will return on you again. 7 And remain in the same house eating and drinking the things with them: for the worker is worthy of his pay. Do not go from house to house. 8 And into whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat the things set before you: 9 heal the sick there, and say to them, The kingdom of God has come near to you.

• We are to pray to the Father in Jesus name.
• The harvest is souls of men for God’s kingdom.
• God sent them out in a way that would require them to trust Him to supply all their needs.
• Healing was just a taste of the wonder of the kingdom of God.
• We will never come to the end of the glory of God’s kingdom.
• He has promised to answer whatever we ask in His Father’s name.

• Philippians 4:19 But my God will supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

• Revelation 21:4 And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there will be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither will there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

10  And into whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, going out into its streets say, 11 even the dust of your city, which clings to us, we shake off against you: but know this, that the kingdom of God has come near to you. 12 I tell you that it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. 13 Woe to you, Chorazin! Cries of grief to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which have been done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 It will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, which are exalted to heaven, will be thrust down to Hades. 16 Those who hear you, hear me; and those who reject you reject me; and those who reject me reject him that sent me.

• Those who reject Jesus are rejecting the eternal Father God—the only true God.
• The disciples were not to plead, cry, or beg the people—just present God’s offer and a simple warning for those who refuse.
• Notice that whole cities that refuse God’s gift of eternal life are cast into Hades—the subterranean dwelling of all the dead until judgment (Luke 16:19-31).
• Jesus, the judge of all, foretold the future judgment of these cities.

• John 5:22 For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son.

• Luke 16:23 And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And 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.

Jesus has all the power

17  And the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. 18 And he said to them, I saw Satan fall out of heaven like lightning. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing will hurt you in any way. 20 But do not rejoice in this, that the spirits submit to you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

• God wrote everything in the stars on the fourth day of creation (Genesis 1:14-19, Psalm 19).
• Just like the number system beneath the scriptures reveals current events, so our lives are written in the heaven in the pictographs of the stars.

• Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

The Father has given all things to Jesus

21  In that hour Jesus exulted in spirit and said, I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hid these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them unto babes: yes, Father; for it was well-pleasing before you. 22 All things were delivered to me by my Father: and no man knows who the Son is, except the Father; and who the Father is, except the Son, and he to whom the Son reveals him.

• There are two huge revelations here: First, God has given everything to Jesus Christ!
• Second: If you know anything about God, it is has been shown to you by God.
• He reveals it unto His children.
• The word ‘babes’ means not infants but little children.

• Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you.

23  And having turned to his disciples, he said privately, Blessed are the eyes that see the things that you see: 24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see the things that you see, and did not see them; and to hear the things that you hear, and did not hear them. 25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tested him saying, Teacher, what can I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said to him, What is written in the law? How does it read to you? 27 And he answering said, You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. 28 And he said to him, You have answered right: this do, and you will live.

• Many men throughout the ages had hoped to be the ones to see God here on earth, teaching, healing, being with those He had made in His image

• John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

29  But wanting to justify himself, he said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor? 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, who stripped him and beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance a certain priest was going that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And also a Levite, being at that place, saw and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan traveling, came upon him: and saw him and was filled with pity, 34 And 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. 35 And the next day when he left, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come again. 36 Who then of these three, do you think, was neighbor to him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that showed mercy to him. Then said Jesus to him, You go and do the same.

• Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer and say to them, In truth I say to you, Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it unto me.

38  Now as they went, he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word. 40 But Martha was distracted about much serving, and came to him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Tell her that she should help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary chose that good part, which will not be taken away from her.

• Are we busy doing things for God, or are we quietly being with God? There is a vast difference.
• There is only one focus. Verse 27 speaks of loving God with all our being.

• Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? And in your name have cast out devils? And in your name done many wonderful works? 23 And then I will profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.

• John 15:4 Stay in me and I in you. Since the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it remain in the vine; no more can you, except you stay in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.

                                                  Luke 11

1 And as he was in a certain place praying, when he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 And he said to them, When you pray, say, Our Father who is in heaven, Holy is your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth, as in heaven. 3 Give us our needed daily bread day by day. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

• This prayer is pure genius. It covers everything is a few simple requests.
• It puts our heavenly Father and His holiness first, setting our hearts right.
• Then His kingdom to come and His will be done. His will is infinitely perfect.
• This also tells us that God’s will is done in heaven!
• Then our daily food is requested, and forgiveness based on our forgiveness of others and finally, deliverance from evil.

5  And he said to them, Who of you having a friend, and comes to him at midnight and says to him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 For a friend of mine has come to me in his journey and I have nothing to set before him? 7 And from inside he will answer and say, Do not cause me trouble: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you. 8 I say to you, Though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his insistence he will rise and give him as much as he needs. 9 And I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened unto you.

• ‘We grouse before God, we are apologetic or apathetic, but we ask very few things. Yet what a splendid audacity a childlike child has. Ask and God will do. Except you become as little children.” Oswald Chambers.

God has promised us mighty things

10  For every one that asks, receives; and he that seeks, finds; and to him that knocks, it will be opened. 11 If a son asks bread from any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he, for a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if he asks an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: how much more will the Father of heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

• Before the church age, God gave His Holy Spirit to those who asked Him.
• During the church age the Holy Spirit indwells all who believe in Jesus as the Son of God, Savior.
• The Holy Spirit is the most stunning gift that God has given man.
• The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and the Spirit of Jesus, and Himself (the Holy Spirit) together, inside us.

• 1Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

14  And he was casting out a demon, and it was dumb. And when the devil had gone out, the dumb spoke; and the crowds marveled. 15 But some of them said, He casts out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.

• They accused the Son God of working by the power of the devil.
• Look at the devil’s work in the scripture: in Eden he lies; in Exodus he tries to duplicate God’s miracles; in Job he falsely accuses and destroys life and  property; he murders and causes terrible sickness.
• Never in the Bible do we see the forces of evil feeding people, healing people, or teaching people how to love God.

He knows all thoughts

16  And others, tempting him, were seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to ruin; and a house divided against a house falls. 18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if I, by the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man armed guards his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 But when one stronger than he comes and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his plunder. 23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that does not gather with me scatters.

• There is no neutral ground in life regarding Jesus Christ.
• If we are not for Him we are against Him.
• Jesus is the stronger.
• Satan gained access to earth at the fall. His unworthiness to rule has been displayed to all the universe.
  
• Jesus is the strong man come to take back what Satan took from God.

• 1John 3:8 He that commits sin is of the devil: for the devil sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

• Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All power in heaven and in earth is given to me.

24  When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, I will return to my house where I came out. 25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and decorated. 26 Then he goes and takes 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.

• Our human spirits live inside our human bodies.
• God’s Holy Spirit lives inside the human body of believers. Unclean spirits also live inside some unbelievers.

• 1Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

27  And while he was saying these things, a certain woman of the crowd lifted up her voice, and said to him, Blessed is the womb that bare you, and the breasts which you sucked. 28 But he said, No, rather, blessed are those hearing the word of God and keeping it.

• Jesus died to bring us to abundant life.
• We do not see that abundant life without learning what the word of God says.

• John 10:10 I came that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

• Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

29  And when the people were pressing upon him together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and no sign will be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of man is to this generation. 31 The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, one greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation, and condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, one greater than Jonah is here.

• The One who made Jonah, Solomon, the universe and all things was with them.
• The One who sustains all things and loved them enough to die for them was with them.

• John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

33  No man, when he has lit a candle, puts it in a secret place, or under a bushel basket, but on a lamp stand, that the ones entering may see the light. 34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when your eye is single, your whole body is full of light; but when your eye is evil, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Watch therefore that the light in you is not darkness. 36 If your whole body is full of light, having no dark part, the whole will be full of light, like the bright shining of a candle gives you light.

• We either look to God’s truth for enlightenment or to the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
• Satan peddles a form of good that leaves out his Maker—that is evil.

• Psalm 119:130 The entrance of your words gives light…

He exposes hypocrisy

37  And as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him: and he went in, and reclined. 38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed before dinner. 39 And the Lord said to him, Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish; but your inward part is full of ravening and evil. 40 You fools, did not he that made the outside make the inside also? 41 Give alms of the things within; and behold, all things are clean to you.

• The Pharisees appeared righteous but made themselves rich by extorting money from God’s people.
• Giving alms of things within would be thankfulness to God, praise to God, worshipping and adoring God from their hearts.

• Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies

• Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…the first and great commandment.

42  But woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these things you must do, and not to leave the other undone. 43 Cries of grief to you, Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. 44 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like unseen graves that men walk over do not know it.

• These Pharisees were meeting their need for approval by honor from people rather than approval and love from God.
• The people honored them as God’s servants not realizing that they were God’s enemies doing the devils work, keeping people from God.

• Matthew 23:15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cover the sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twice more the child of hell than yourselves.

He requires payment for blood of the innocent

45  Then one of the lawyers answered, and said to him, Teacher, you insult us by saying these things. 46 And he said, Woe to you also, you lawyers! For you load men with burdens grievous to carry, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48 Truly you bear witness that you allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Because of this the wisdom of God said, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute: 50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 51 From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the temple: truly I say to you, It will be required of this generation. 52 Woe to you, lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge: you did not enter in yourselves, and you kept out those that were entering.

• 2 Chronicles 24:20 And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, God says this, Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has also forsaken you. 21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. 22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and require it.

• Mark 7:7 … in vain they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

53  And as he said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees became furious, provoking him to speak of many things, 54 laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.

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SUMMARY: Luke 10-11

• God is the Lord of the harvest who brings His kingdom near
• Jesus has all the power
• The Father has given all things to Jesus
• God has promised us mighty things
• He knows all thoughts
• He exposes hypocrisy
• He requires payment for blood of the innocent