Posts Tagged ‘Luke’

Progress in proclaiming the Gospel

Posted: February 25, 2013 by Pam Larson in Acts, Devotionals/Commentaries, February
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Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”
He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
Acts 28:28-31 ESV

Bob Deffinbaugh comments on the ending of the book of Acts:

One final word about the supposedly “sudden and abrupt” ending of the Book of Acts. Many have noted the unusual ending of Acts. Some have explained this ending by suggesting that Luke intended to write yet another volume. I think that the ending of Acts is both beautiful, and enlightening. Consider with me the way that Luke ends this work as we conclude this message.

There are some very obvious facts that are not given to us in Acts before the book ends. We are not told of Paul’s fate, or of the outcome of his trial. We are not told of the fall of Jerusalem. We are left without any word on these matters, matters which we would very much like to know more about.

I am not inclined to believe that Luke omitted these things because they had not yet happened, though this may be the case. If they had not yet happened, they would take place very soon after the Book of Acts came to a close. Regardless of the reasons why more information is not included, it was not included, and this must be in accordance with the purposes of God, and especially His purposes for this book.

Luke does tell us that “two full years” passed, during which Paul was free to proclaim the gospel and to minister to all who came to him (28:30-31). The expression “two full years” suggests to me that Luke may have known the outcome of Paul’s trial, and also of the fate of Israel and Jerusalem. If so, he did not include them in his book. Why not?

I think I know the answer, an answer which should prove to be very enlightening to each and every Christian today. Luke’s purpose was not to provide us with a book that has a “happily ever after” ending. Much of our uneasiness with the ending of Acts is that we don’t have a fairy tale conclusion. What Luke does tell us, however, is that the gospel was proclaimed to the “remotest part of the earth” just as Jesus had said (see Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:6-8). It is the progress of the proclamation of the gospel which is foremost in Luke’s mind, and the Book of Acts makes this progress very clear.

To read the rest of the commentary on Acts 28, click here:

Pray for eyes to see

Posted: September 25, 2012 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries, Luke, September
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Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. —Luke 24:45-47 ESV

Have you ever read your Bible, seeing the words, but not really comprehending? Ever get to the end of a chapter and wonder what you just read?

We see in our passage for today that one of the final things Jesus did for his disciples was to open their eyes to understand Scripture.  Oh how we need that today! Sin, pride, prejudice,busyness…all throw a blindfold over the eyes of our heart and keep us from understanding.

Start off your Bible reading with prayer, asking the Lord Jesus to open your eyes. Commentaries are okay after you have thoroughly studied a text.  But nothing compares with the teaching of Christ.

J.C. Ryle said, “A humble and prayerful spirit will find a thousand things in the Bible, which the proud, self-conceited student will utterly fail to discern.”

    Open my eyes, that I may behold
        wondrous things out of your law.
Psalm 119:18 ESV

September 25 Luke 24:45-53

Posted: September 25, 2012 by Pam Larson in Bible Passages, Luke, September Bible Readings
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September 25 

Luke 24:45-53 (ESV)

45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension

50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.

God grant us eyes to see and a passion for Your Word

Posted: September 23, 2012 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries, Luke, September
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And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.  They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” —Luke 24:31-32 

Just two simple observations:

1. Jesus affects our spiritual sight- He opens our eyes to see Him for Who He really is!  2 Corinthians 4:4-6 states it this way:

“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2.  Jesus affects our spiritual passions-  He opens the Scriptures, the Word of God, the Bible to us, and we see the truth and it burns within our hearts.  He ignites a passion for God! Pray as you read the Bible.  Pray for God to open your eyes to see Him and His eternal truth.

Here’s the way Henry Law puts it:

Lovely light may beam upon us, and wondrous scenes surround; but the gain is none if sightless eyes survey. By nature we are thus blind; unless God grants sight, we cannot behold the wonders which His law contains. Let us weary heaven with cries for enlightening grace. When the command goes forth, Let there be light, there will be light. — as quoted at Grace Gems!

September 23 Luke 24:28-35

Posted: September 23, 2012 by Pam Larson in Bible Passages, Luke, September Bible Readings
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September 23 

Luke 24:28-35 (ESV)

28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Christ is the central sun of the whole book.

Posted: September 22, 2012 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries, Luke, September
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And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. —Luke 24:25-27 ESV

J.C. Ryle explains:

How shall we explain these words? In what way did our Lord show “things concerning himself,” in every part of the Old Testament field? The answer to these questions is short and simple. Christ was the substance of every Old Testament sacrifice, ordained in the law of Moses. Christ was the true Deliverer and King, of whom all the judges and deliverers in Jewish history were types. Christ was the coming Prophet greater than Moses, whose glorious advent filled the pages of prophets. Christ was the true seed of the woman who was to bruise the serpent’s head–the true seed in whom all nations were to be blessed–the true Shiloh to whom the people were to be gathered, the true scape-goat–the true bronze serpent–the true Lamb to which every daily offering pointed–the true High Priest of whom every descendant of Aaron was a figure. These things, or something like them, we need not doubt, were some of the things which our Lord expounded in the way to Emmaus.

Let it be a settled principle in our minds, in reading the Bible, that Christ is the central sun of the whole book. So long as we keep Him in view, we shall never greatly err in our search for spiritual knowledge. Once losing sight of Christ, we shall find the whole Bible dark and full of difficulty. The key of Bible knowledge is Jesus Christ.

September 22 Luke 24:13-27

Posted: September 22, 2012 by Pam Larson in Bible Passages, Luke, September Bible Readings
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September 22 

Luke 24:13-27 (ESV)

On the Road to Emmaus

13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles [1] from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Risen, just as He said

Posted: September 21, 2012 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries, Luke, September
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Coty Pinckney on Luke 24:1-12 ”He is Risen!”

EmptyTombThe women have seen where Joseph laid Jesus’ body. They plan to pay their respects to their beloved master by anointing the body after the Sabbath.

So early in the morning on the first day of the week, they arrive. To their shock, they see that the stone is removed! They look in – there is no body! No Jesus!

“What’s happened?” they ask. “Where is he? Has someone stolen His body? Why would they do that?”

Suddenly two dazzlingly bright men appear – they are angels, we are told in verse 23. Now the women are completely overcome. They fall on the ground before these majestic creatures. The angels say:

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?  6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,  7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” Luke 24:5-7

The angels say, “Jesus is alive! Why should He hang around a tomb? Don’t you remember? He told you Himself that he would be betrayed, be killed – and would rise. It has all happened just as He said!”

The women do remember what Jesus had said. Luke records such sayings in 9:22, 44, and 18:31-34. Indeed, Luke commented in 18:34 that the disciples

“understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.”

They couldn’t imagine their king dying. And so they couldn’t hear the promise of the resurrection.

The women go back to the disciples, and tell them the news – but the disciples don’t believe them. They are in despair. They have been hurt – and they won’t listen to possible good news for fear of being let down again.

Have you been in such situations yourself? When you won’t even listen to news that could bring you out of despair?

Peter, however, must check out the report for himself. Verse 12 reports that he runs to the tomb. He doesn’t see the angels, but he notices something the women didn’t talk about: The grave clothes! Joseph had wrapped the naked body of Jesus in linen cloths. If someone had stolen the body, they surely would have carried Him away still in those cloths. But Peter sees the cloths lying there. There is no body. But the wrappings are present. What kind of thief would unwrap the body before stealing it?

Peter leaves the tomb confused, marveling at what has happened, and wondering: What does it all mean?

September 21 Luke 24:1-12

Posted: September 21, 2012 by Pam Larson in Bible Passages, Luke, September Bible Readings
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September 21 

Luke 24:1-12 (ESV)

The Resurrection

24:1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

Ryle: events may bring out grace in quarters where at present we do not expect it

Posted: September 20, 2012 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries, Luke, September
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Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. —Luke 23:50-53 ESV

J.C. Ryle, with words of encouragement:

The history of Joseph is full of instruction and encouragement. It shows us that Christ has friends of whom the Church knows little or nothing, friends who profess less than some do, but friends who in real love and affection are second to none. It shows us, above all, that events may bring out grace in quarters where at present we do not expect it; and that the cause of Christ may prove one day to have many supporters, of whose existence we are at present not aware.

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