hanks

1. Why do you think Jesus and His disciples didn't follow the Pharisees' practice of ritual washing before meals? (11:38; see also Mark 7:14-23) Jesus did not follow the Pharisees’ practice of ritual washing before meals as it was an oral tradition that had been passed on from one generation to another. This had nothing to do with hygiene – it was all about the fear of ceremonial defilement. This ceremony/ritual was part of many ceremonial regulations regarding hundreds of matters that were constantly handed down as if salvation itself depended on its total obedience. Jesus was annoyed by the legalistic burden the Pharisees had laid upon the Jews. This had taken the joy of living as God’s chosen people and made it a burden to worship Him. Jesus knew exactly what his host was thinking when He sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom. Reading his thoughts Jesus rebuked him for such hypocrisy and concern for outward appearances; reminding him that what really counts is not the cleanliness of the outside of the cup but the inside. Jesus told His host that the Pharisees observed these ceremonial rules to make them feel and appear righteous, but inwardly they were crooked and wicked (11:39). “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7b).

5. Extra credit. What is the relationship between our repentance from sin and God's grace? Why don't all repent and respond to His grace? Let's stay away from doctrinal answers we may have learned, and seek the answer to this question in Luke's Gospel. In our passage Jesus tells us about the people of Nineveh who repented at the preaching of Jonah, even though they knew very little about the true God. In contrast there are others who make sure they look good on the outside, who know a lot about the Bible, who supposedly know a lot about God, but their hearts are cold and darkened. They do not repent and are not saved. Not all repent and respond to His grace, because the grace of repentance is not a common gift, it is a unique blessing of God. It comes only to those who come to faith in Christ, who repent of their sin, who see their need of a Saviour, and who believe in the gospel.

4. How do we recover our spiritual discernment from years spent in sin or a cult or a rigid, legalistic church? Having been controlled by darkness for years there is no spiritual discernment, and it is frightening to think that these people may have so hardened themselves against the Lord that they are totally unaware of this. They might even think that they are following the light when, in reality, they are following the darkness. To recover, there needs to be total exposure to the Light of Jesus to have true discernment. It is when we trust Jesus Christ, our eyes are opened, the light shines in, and we become children of light (John 8:12). In this case there must be an overdose of Light – a single outlook of faith. There can be no more keeping one eye on the things of God and the other eye on the world. If this happens, the light will turn into darkness. “For everything in the world - the **** of the flesh, the **** of the eyes, and the pride of life - comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:16). There is no “twilight living” for the Christian, for God demands total submission and obedience (Luke 11:23).

3. In what way does our spiritual enlightenment depend upon the health of our spiritual eyes? What sharpens our spiritual discernment? What dulls it? Our hearts need to be enlightened by the true light, and for this to happen we must have healthy spiritual eyes. We need this light to give us the sight to see Jesus, to understand who He is, to also believe who He is, to understand the Gospel, and to also believe and obey the Gospel. Jesus is this Light, and if we don’t see Him we won’t be able to see anything. Jesus said if we don’t believe in Him, our heart will be dark, and He is the only source of light that will enlighten our heart. He will sharpen our spiritual discernment, show us our sin, our need of forgiveness, that He is the only way salvation. Without Him there can be no spiritual discernment.

2. What does the lamp in 11:33 represent? Why is the lamp not hidden but put on a stand? The lamp represents our Lord Jesus – He is the source of light and we, as Christians, are to be the reflection of His light. “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 8:12). God’s Word is a light that shines in this dark world, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path (Psalm 119:105). For this light to do any good it must enter our lives, “The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130). Jesus did not try to hide His light. We see this by all the miracles, healings, and preaching He did in the open for all to see and hear. The Jews were exposed to this spiritual light for more than 3 years, and yet they did not believe! John explains this wicked generation well in John 3:19-20, “Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”

1. What was the Sign of Jonah to Jesus' generation? Why was it even more convincing than healing the sick? (11:29-30) The people kept asking Jesus for a sign from heaven to prove that He was from God. Considering all the miracles and healings Jesus had performed, this was an insult to His integrity, so, Jesus explained that no miraculous sign will be given except the Sign of Jonah. Which is death, burial, and resurrection; it is the resurrection of our Lord that proves He is the Messiah, the Son of God. Three days after His death Jesus would come back to life, just as Jonah had been brought back to life after spending three days in the fish. In the same way as Jonah was a sign to the people of Nineveh, Jesus would also be a sign to the people of His generation. There is a possibility that healings may be faked, but one cannot fake death and resurrection.

4. What are the dangers of seeing Christianity mainly in terms of family pride and responsibility, like the woman in the crowd? (11:27-28). Jesus was warning people who highly valued family ties and thought that their genealogies guaranteed that they were part of God’s chosen people. The people believed that a man’s value came from his ancestors, and a woman’s value came from the sons she bore. He told them that a person’s obedience to God is more important than their place on the family tree. Replying to the woman Jesus did not detract from what she said, but added to it saying that even “more blessed” are those who keep His word.

3. (Extra credit) In Luke 9:49-50 Jesus says "Whoever is not against you is for you." But in 11:23 He says "He who is not with Me is against Me." Are these statements in conflict? What are we to learn from each? No, there is no conflict here. We learn that we are either for Jesus or against Him – there is no neutral ground. We are either in the kingdom of God or in the kingdom of Satan; either in the kingdom of light or in the kingdom of darkness. We either belong to God or we belong to Satan. In 9:49-50 we learn that if we are not for Christ we are against Him. Jesus is saying that those who fight evil are on the same side as those who are driving out demons. In this verse 11:23, Jesus is saying that if one is not on His side, one is on Satan’s side. In both cases there is no neutral ground. If we aren’t actively for Christ we are against Him.

2. What in Scripture indicates that the spiritual warfare against Satan and his demons is not an even match? What verse in this passage indicates this? Satan has ruled on earth long enough, and Jesus now shows by His miracles that the arrival of God’s ruling power will challenge Satan’s power and control on earth. Jesus’s power is greater than that of demons, which He has proved to us on many occasions. Even enabling His disciples to cast out demons. So, we notice that this is not an even match, for His power is far greater than Satan’s power. We only have to remember one incident, where Jesus cast out a legion (1000’s) of demons immediately by His Word (8:29-33). Also, Jesus is stronger than Satan as seen by His overcoming the presence and power of evil in the world. This is indicated by verse (11:20), “But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you”. The kingdom of God has come in the Person of the King Himself. Evidence of this was the fact that Jesus was casting out demons by the finger of God/the Spirit of God. Satan, who had controlled the kingdom of this world for thousands of years, was now being controlled and overpowered by Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven.

1. When Jesus is accused of being empowered by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, what are the three points of His answer? Put these points in your own words. a. (11:17-18a); b. (11:18b-20); c. (11:21-22). a. If Jesus was driving out demons by Satan, that would mean Satan is fighting against himself. b. If it took Satan’s power to drive out demons, then the Pharisees who drove out demons were working under Satan’s power. c. If Satan could stand against God or Christ, how is it possible for Jesus who had just driven out a demon from a mute man.

5. Why can the Holy Spirit be considered the Father's best gift? According to the Scripture, does the Father only give the Holy Spirit to certain Christians? All who truly believe in Christ receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation, but in our daily walk we need to be filled continually with the Spirit as we study the Word, spend time in meditation and prayer, and as we live in obedience to the Lord. This our greatest need and this is our Heavenly Father’s greatest gift to us. And because He is our loving Father who understands, cares, and comforts, He will willingly give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. That is why Jesus instructs us to come as needy children and ask Him to pour out His Spirit upon us.

4. How can fear of God's response keep us from praying boldly and persistently? How does Jesus answer this concern? (11:11-13) We should fear to pray for anything that is not in accordance with His will. As we grow spiritually, and as we study more and more of His Word, we will learn to know what God’s will is and we will be able to pray more intelligently. Then, we can approach His throne of grace with confidence. We can pray boldly and persistently, knowing that He hears us, and if we know He hears us, we know our prayers will be answered. Jesus answered this concern by stating that if sinful people “know how to give good gifts” that will help rather than hurt others, how much more will our Heavenly Father do even better. The one thing we can be certain of is that God is a loving Father who watches over us and wants only what is best.

3. There are three promises in 11:9-10 that are really one promise. What is this promise? The three promises are that if we keep on asking it will be given; if we keep on seeking we will find; if we keep on knocking the door will be opened. We are to be progressively bold in our prayers. In other words, our prayers will be answered. But, with our sovereign Lord deciding what will be the best for us in any and every situation. A “yes” (giving what we ask for), a “no” (refusing to give it because He knows it isn’t for the best), and a “wait” (giving the request but in His time, not in ours). However, we must recognise that in every situation we are in desperate need and need His help, and that we cannot rely on our own physical, mental, and spiritual resources unless God provides them. The promise is that we can be assured that “in all things God works for the good” (Rom 8:28) and responds in love and compassion to our prayers.

2. Does the parable teach that God won't help us unless we insist? What's the essential lesson of this parable? Yes, we are to persist in prayer, but it does not mean that God won’t help unless we insist. He will still decide what is best for us. The essential lesson in this parable is that we are to be bold in our prayers and to persevere. And He will hear in His good time. When we come to Him in persevering prayer, God will “give” us our requests, we will “find” the answers, and “the door will be opened” to the realization of His promises. Our needs will be met. This, however, is not prosperity theology, the promise that God wants to give us everything we want, keep us healthy and wealthy, if only we will ask and let Him do it. That is false teaching.

1. Where is the humour in Jesus' Parable of the Friend at Midnight? (11:5-8) I can just imagine the neighbour in this difficult and awkward position of not wanting to wake up everybody in the room, including the children and the chickens and what have you, when he goes to open the door. Yet he is almost forced to do it by cultural pressures and the Jewish laws of hospitality, at the time. There is this enormous amount of pressure on the man and the neighbour to provide food for his guest, and to be unable to do so, is both embarrassing and even disgraceful. The man persists in his knocking leaving the neighbour in a no-win situation. He would find it difficult to get up - not because he had no spare bread, nor because he did not want to help his friend, but because he did not want to disturb the children and set all the chickens clucking and the other animals making a dreadful noise. With the persistent knocking he decides the only way to get all back to sleep would be to get up and give him the bread.

7. Why should we bring God into the fact of our tempting circumstances? Can't we expect God to deliver us from sins automatically? We need to acknowledge the weakness and sinfulness of our hearts, and if God were to abandon us to our own tempting circumstances, we would fall immediately into sin. For this reason, we need His help and involvement. The best way to handle the situation is to flee from any temptation, and ask God to help us actively resist and to keep us from sinning. God is faithful, and He will not allow us to be tested beyond what we can bear (1 Cor 10:13). He has also promised that He will provide a way of escape. We must remember, in the moment of severe temptation, to call upon the name of the Lord, and He will preserve you from sinning (Prov 18:10). The Lord is a place of refuge and protection for those who put their trust in Him. No, we cannot expect God to deliver us from sins automatically. Each person is responsible for their own sin, and we cannot blame God. Sin comes from within us, from our old, evil, fallen, unregenerate nature. In Matt 15:19 Jesus said “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander”. God tests people, but He does not tempt them by trying to seduce them to sin. God allows Satan to tempt people, however, in order to refine their faith and to help them grow in their dependence on Christ. We can resist the temptation to sin by turning to God for strength and choosing to obey His Word.

6. How can unforgiveness on our part block God's blessing? How can unforgiveness block God's forgiveness? Doesn't the fact that our forgiveness requires our forgiving others really a subtle form of "works righteousness"? Once we are saved, God will deal with us as His children and any unforgiveness on our part, will result in Him chastising us until we are brought back into fellowship with Himself. Our unforgiveness will definitely block God’s forgiveness. We cannot expect God to hear our prayers of forgiveness to be heard, if we pray with malice and spite in our hearts towards others. This would be the height of hypocrisy. No, it does not mean that we must earn God’s forgiveness with our own forgiveness of others. It is definitely not a form of works righteousness, but rather it shows our gratitude for being forgiven by the Lord, and is a sign of genuine repentance.

5. Why should we continually ask forgiveness? Does the Father really forgive the sins we've asked forgiveness for? Must the same sins be forgiven again later? We should continually ask forgiveness, because when we were saved, all our sins – past, present, and future – were forgiven, but while we are being sanctified, while we are still here on earth, we continue to sin. Yes, our Heavenly Father does forgive our sins. To remain in fellowship with our Father we are to ask Him forgiveness for all our known sins. Not only for the things we have done, but also for the things we haven’t done and should have done. When we do this, we can claim the promise that God is faithful and just to forgive. Meaning that He is faithful in the sense that He has promised to forgive and will abide by His promise. If we repeatedly commit the same sin, asking for forgiveness time and time again, we should question our true repentance. I doubt whether we are truly saved, since we are making a mockery of our Lord and His grace and mercy shown to us. There must be true remorse and a concerted effort not to repeat that sin, in other words true repentance.

4. Why do we seek to be independent of asking anyone for help? Why do we seek to be independent of God? Why should we ask God to "give" us daily bread so long as we can earn a living for ourselves? We don’t want to be dependent on anyone, for whatever reason. Because of pride we hesitate to ask anyone for help. If we do, it will only be when we are rock bottom with no resources of our own. We view this help as a form of begging and admitting our inability to help self. We seek to be independent of God thinking we can do it ourselves, we don’t need Him, forgetting who gave us this ability in the first instance. It is a misconception to think that we provide for our needs ourselves. We should ask God to “give us each day our daily bread”, because by doing this, we are acknowledging God as our Sustainer and provider. Jesus is teaching us to pray for our daily personal needs and desires. We should never forget we are living in daily dependence upon Him, acknowledging Him as the source of every good. There is the ever-recurring need for food, both physical and spiritual, and there may come a time when we will not be able to earn a living and may become fully dependent on His goodness, grace, and mercy.

3. In what sense are we asking that the Father's kingdom should come? How should this prayer affect our living? We are praying that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ should come soon and reign supreme over the earth, and destroy all the forces of evil. Then He will set up His kingdom on earth and reign in righteousness. What a day that will be! Since God’s kingdom is already present in Christ’s reign in believers’ hearts (Luke 17:21), we should be living as obedient servants of Christ. Jesus had come to earth as Messiah and had performed His miracles, and had presented His credentials for all to see. Meaning that the kingdom of God is already in our midst, among us, and is growing, and we are praying to be part of building this kingdom. His kingdom will be complete when all evil is destroyed and God establishes the new heaven and earth (Rev 21:1). Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

2. What about our lives and words "hallows" the name of our Father? What desecrates and besmirches it? How should we "hallow" the Father when we begin to pray? We honour our Father when we try our very best to live sinless lives. When we live a life of obedience to His Word. When there is a longing in our hearts that He should be reverenced, magnified, and adored. When we have a loving relationship with Jesus, His Son, and we acknowledge Him in everything we do. When there’s a commitment to honour God’s holy name. No profanities – never use our Lord’s name in vain. We desecrate and besmirch His name when we live in sin, and in disobedience to Him. When we use His name in a profane and common way. The way most Hollywood films use it. It’s almost impossible to watch a film today where they do not use our Lord’s name in vain. Even to using it together with the “F” word. Most disgusting. We honour our Father by beginning our prayers with worship, ascribing praise and honour to Him who is so worthy of it.

1. What concepts about a father are we to attribute to God? Which ones don't fit Him very well? What is so astounding about the fact that Jesus tells us to pray to God as Father? We are children of God by adoption; we are part of His family and He is our Father. Our Heavenly Father is an all loving all caring perfect father who disciplines us out of love, and who only wants the best for us. I feel that initially most earthly fathers strive for the same, but unfortunately due to circumstances or wrong relationships, fail to attain it. Regrettably many people have only known selfish, self-centred fathers who cared little for their well-being. Who may have been a derelict, a drunkard, a dope addict, or some other distorted person who wrought havoc with their personalities in early childhood. Jesus tells us to address our Heavenly Father in a childlike, trustful, and intimate way as a little child would to its father. This was astounding to the Jews as no one had ever ventured to use it in addressing God before.

5. What patterns and practices could you institute in your daily life that would make you more like Mary? As mentioned in question 4 I’m retired and I now use about 80% of my free time doing Bible Studies. As a matter of interest, the other day I looked up the number of Bible Studies I’ve done through Joyful Heart Renewal Ministries, and I counted 46. For which I’m most grateful to Dr Ralph Wilson. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for people like Ralph for the time, effort and research he puts into every lesson. These lessons have been a tremendous help and I feel I’ve grown spiritually and much closer to my Lord Jesus Christ. A big THANK YOU to Pastor Ralph!

4. In what ways do you sometimes find yourself busy, upset, and troubled like Martha? Not anymore. I’m in my mid 80’s and retired, living with my wife for over 59 years. Looking forward to our 60th anniversary in March 2022 (God willing). But when I was younger and had my business it was another story. Staff shortages and/or staff problems, patient/client problems, work overload; these all can contribute to the feeling that one is not coping. Therefore, I can sympathise with Martha for I know exactly how anxious and troubled she must have felt.

3. How is Jesus' treatment of Mary astonishing in His culture? Why do you think He said the unexpected? A woman being taught the Torah was frowned upon and not done in the Jewish culture. Besides a woman’s place was in the home preparing the meals – being more concerned about household chores. So, one would have expected Jesus to side with Martha, but He does the unexpected and sides with Mary. I think He does this to caution us that our service to Him can, if we are not careful, degenerate into mere busywork that is devoid of devotion to God. It even may be tainted with pride and self-importance. We are too busy doing things for Jesus (Martha) that we are not spending any time with Him (Mary).