Author: David Worcester

Lead Pastor of Compass Church http://CompassChurchSD.com #Jesus, #Family #ChurchPlanting #CollegeMinistry. #Missions http://GospelAppointments.com @collegiatecoll

What To Say You Don’t Know What To Say – Luke 21:1-19

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From my reading in Luke 21:1-19 in the One Year New Testament.

Jesus is in the middle of warning his disciples of the signs of the end times and he shares that they are going to be dragged in front of kings and governors to stand trial because they are his followers. Here’s what he says to do.

“But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me. So don’t worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you, for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you!” Luke 21:13–15

This is a specific promise to the 12 disciples and I don’t think it applies to everyone all the time.

But I personally believe that the Holy Spirit can give us the words to say when we are telling someone about Jesus, and I have experienced this in my life.

Don’t Worry, Just Open Your Mouth

Personally I have experienced times where someone asked me a question and I felt God gave me the words to say in the moment.

It is almost always something I had already known or read recently but I was able to remember and seemed to be given something that fit the moment exactly.

When I sit across someone at Starbucks or McDonalds to invest in someone many times I don’t have a set “plan.” But as the conversation progresses I can sense the Holy Spirit is guiding our conversation. Sometimes I will think of a specific verse or truth to share.

I believe that having an attitude of dependence upon the Holy Spirit as we meet with people, preach and share the good news is vital to matching the truth of God’s word to people situations.

We won’t be able to do this perfectly, but if this becomes a habit then I believe we will see people growing and taking steps forward in much greater ways.

Next time you encounter a situation where you don’t know what to say…

Ask God to give you the words to say…

Open your mouth…

See what happens!

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“Showing Off” Spiritually Is Stupid! – Luke 20:27-47

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From my reading in Luke 20:27-47 in the One Year New Testament.

“Showing off” is a big part of our culture and has trickled in to our churches and ministries.

If we are not careful, pastors can become more worried about their Instagram and Twitter followers then their church members.

I have been tempted to to show off how my ministry “blowing up” at certain times and have also been tempted to be quiet sometimes when it was not going well. I think this is an issue that all ministry leaders are tempted with.

Spiritual showoffs were around even in Jesus’ time. Here’s what he said about them.

“Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets. Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be severely punished.” Luke 20:45–47

The religious leaders were taking the glory only God deserves and trying to steal it for themselves.

They didn’t desire personal holiness, instead they sought public recognition in the following ways.

1. Paraded around in flowing robes – These were extra-long fancy white linen garments worn by religious leaders that set them apart from others.

Do you wear things to get attention from others?

2. Love Respectful Greetings – They love being greeted as they walked through the town.

Do you enjoy being called pastor or reverend or even the recognition of being a good servant?

3. Seats of Honor In The Synagogue and Banquets – They got the best seats in the house because of their position.

Do you love being treated special at Church or events?

4. Pray Long Pious Sounding Prayers – They make their prayers extra long in order to show off how spiritual they are!

When you pray are you really talking to God or are you trying to impress people?

All the while these men were cheating widows out of what little property they have! These men looked good on the outside, but were rotten to the core.

Attempting to steal God’s glory is one of the things God takes most seriously!

Jesus warns that these men will receive greater punishment because of their greater responsibility. Jesus’ brother James gives a warning to those of us in spiritual leadership…

“Not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.” James 3:1

The role of spiritual leadership is not something to be taken lightly and is certainly not to make us look good. It is to make Jesus look good!

As spiderman would tell you, with great power comes great responsibility. 

We should do what ever we can to keep from causing others to stumble, people’s eternity are hanging in the balance.

Are you ministering to make much of yourself or to make much of Jesus?

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How Fear Of What Others Think Paralyzes Us – Luke 20:1-26

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From my reading in Luke 20:1-26 in the One Year New Testament.

Our culture makes us is obsessed with projecting an image of ourselves that looks good. Many people are paralyzed by fear because they want to make sure that what they are doing fits with the “status quo.”

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were very obsessed with what the people thought of them. They made sure to do the external religious things so that no one could question their reputation. In today’s passage, we see their actions being dictated by the crowds. 

They ask Jesus by what authority he did is work. Jesus turned the question around and ask by what authority did they think that John the Baptist did his work.

“But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” Luke 20:6

They were more worried about pleasing the crowds than saying what they really thought.  

They were wrong to think that Jesus and John the Baptist were not from God, but in a way God used their fear in order to let Jesus minister for longer.

Again Jesus told a parable against the religious leaders and this was their reaction.

“The teachers of religious law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the people’s reaction.” Luke 20:19

If you are worried about what “people” think, then you are a slave. So many of us let other people, often people we don’t even know, dictate our lives!

For the religious leaders the fear kept them from doing wrong, but so often for us the fear of others keeps us from doing right.

A very helpful verse in this regard is a proverb of Solomon,

“Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.” Proverbs 29:25

Fearing what others think will trap you into a self-made prison. In the case of the Pharisees, this trap helped Christ finish his work because they had evil intent.

But for those of us who are Christians, fear of the crowds can stop us from serving God. Instead, Solomon tells us to trust the Lord and we will be safe.

Has fear of what others think stopped you from obeying God? 

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Have You Ever Wept For The Lost In Your City? – Luke 19:28-48

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From my reading in Luke 19:28-48 in the One Year New Testament.

Have you ever been so burdened for the lost in your city that you actually cried?

I know some of us express emotions in different ways, so if your not a crier then have you ever felt a strong enough burden in your heart for your community that you could cry?

Have you ever been touched by how utterly lost, alone, ashamed, lonely, and weary those without Christ are? 

Jesus felt this for a city that technically wasn’t even his hometown. The city of Jerusalem or the “Holy City” was not where he was born or raised but it is the most significant Biblical city and where he spent much of his ministry.

I had an opportunity to visit the Mt of Olives overlooking the modern city of Jerusalem (see picture I took above).

Over 2,000 years later I looked out and was moved as I remembered Christ’s compassion for the people of the great city and ultimately his love for us!

Ironically Jesus’ weeping comes in the midst of “Palm sunday” where everyone was celebrating him!  But he knew that their words of praise were only temporary.

Soon people of the same city who shouted “hosanna” would  later yell “crucify.”  

Jesus offered them peace but they would choose violence, and this broke his heart.

“But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes.” Luke 19:41–42

Jesus is the way to peace. The very city where God established peace through Christ’s ancestors became a city which killed the prince of peace.  Jesus told the apostles something very comforting later in the gospel of John that I think applies to us,

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27

Jesus offers us peace of mind and heart that the world can not explain.  He offers an inner tranquility that passes human understanding. Unfortunately most people reject it.

Without Christ people are confused, stressed, upset and utterly lost.

As a campus minister I see my college campuses as my “cities.” The students I see walking around don’t know what they are missing! They run after fun, success, sex, and shallow acceptance when true peace and joy are offered by Jesus.

Ministry leaders and church members should share a similar passion for the lost.

Next time you hike a mountain, go up a tall building, or get in an airplane look over your city and ask God to break your heart for the lost.

This compassion will spur you do something to reach the people who desperately need Jesus. It will motivate you to make your church a place where the lost can be found and the spiritually blind’s eyes can be opened.

My prayer is that Jesus would give us a heart like his for the people  in our communities so that many more will be welcomed into God’s family!

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Why Jesus Came – Luke 19:1-27

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From my reading in Luke 19:1-27 in the One Year New Testament.

Jesus came to the town of Jericho and met a man named Zacchaeus who was a crooked tax collector.

He had become very wealthy by skimming profits off the top of what people actually owed to the government.

Jesus saw Zacchaeus up in a tree, and invited himself over.

Jesus went to Zacchaeus’ house and was for spending time with a “notorious sinner”.

In Christ’s presence Zacchaeus showed his repentance by vowing to give half of his wealth to the poor and pay back those he cheat four times as much as he owed!

“Jesus responded, Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” Luke 19:9–10

Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

Jesus sought Zacchaeus out and saved him. Jesus came to down to earth as a human and saved us through his sacrificial death on the cross.

Christ is still seeking and saving the lost through his Church.

We get to be a part of his life saving mission by spending time with the lost and inviting them into God’s family. One of the best way we can serve Christ is to help other’s find him.

I am so grateful that Jesus come to seek and save sinners like me and Zacchaeus! 

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Jesus Fulfilled His Own Prophecy About Himself – Luke 18:24-43

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From my reading in Luke 18:24-43 in the One Year New Testament.

I usually skim through the parts of the gospels where Jesus predicts his death to the disciples. Because I (Spoiler Alert) already know the end of the story, it does not shock me.

The disciples didn’t even understand what he said so plainly until after Jesus came back, so what was the significance of these passages.

Jesus reminded the disciples of the messianic prophecies.

“Listen, we’re going up to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come true” Luke 18:31

He quoted some of the old testament predictions of what the “Son of Man or Messiah would do.

Even though they didn’t realize it right away Jesus words like this possibly helped some of them remember prophesies Jesus fulfilled when they wrote the gospels.

Jesus was basically saying, I’m the Messiah and I’m about to prove it! Then Jesus went on the predict in detail what would happen to him.

“He will be handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon. They will flog him with a whip and kill him, but on the third day he will rise again.” Luke 18:32–33

Many of these things are prophesies of the OT but Jesus was able to predict in a very precise and specific way. Jesus prophesied about himself!

Jesus shows us here that he had the power of prophet. 

Jesus was handed over to the Romans, and mocked, shamed, spit on, flogged, ripped, killed, and victoriously rose from the dead. In doing so he fulfilled many prophecies, paid the penalty for our sins and offered us new life!

This passage is another confirmation of Jesus’ wisdom and divine power!

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The Deceitfulness of Self Righteousness – Luke 18:1-23

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From my reading in Luke 18:1-23 in the One Year New Testament.

Jesus tells a powerful story of people who had great confidence in their own righteousness. A Pharisee and a tax collector to the temple to pray…

The Pharisee thanked God that he wasn’t a sinner like everyone else,“I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week and I give you a tenth of my income.” Luke 18:11-12

The tax collector stood at a distance and didn’t even dare to lift his eyes to heaven because of his shame. Instead he beat his chest in sorrow and prayed, “O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.” Luke 18:13

Here’s is Jesus summary of the parable…

“I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:14

This would have shocked his audience who hated tax collectors and looked up to the “righteous” Pharisees.

Only The Penitent Man May Pass

One of my favorite scenes in the Indiana Jones series is when he reads the phrase “only the penitent man may pass.” He reads it over and over then then suddenly realizes that he needs to kneel to keep his head from getting removed from his body!  So he does and avoids the decapitation.

Only the “penitent man” will be forgiven and exalted by God.

Our works of righteousness can trick us into thinking that we don’t need forgiveness. One of the problems with the Pharisee was that he was “good” by the world’s standards, but he was not considering God’s standards. It is true that compared to most people the Pharisees were indeed better off. But their comparison led to pride, which actually separates from God.

Even the most “holy” among us need Christ’s forgiveness.

“We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6

To receive the forgiveness of Jesus we must realize that even our best efforts don’t earn us favor with God.  They are useless in gaining God’s favor and will be thrown out like dirty rag.

Are you willing to admit your sin to God or are you relying on your good deeds to earn you His favor?

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The Already But Not Yet Kingdom – Luke 17:20-37

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From my reading in Luke 17:20-37 in the One Year New Testament.

Jesus was asking by some of the Pharisees “When will the Kingdom of God come?” He started his description of what some of the signs of his ultimate return like this…

“The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Luke 17:20–21

The Kingdom Is Already Here

Jesus said that the kingdom is not something physical that can be seen with our eyes of observed with our senses. The kingdom is a spiritual kingdom.

The kingdom God is wherever Jesus is king.

If the Christ is the king of your heart then the Kingdom of God is within you! 

We still live in a fallen world but God has already established his kingdom on earth through his followers here.

Followers of Christ are ambassadors of the kingdom in a foreign land.

In the Olympics when the USA team walks into the stadium the announcer says the USA is here even though it’s not actually the entire USA. They are representatives of a greater whole.

In a similar ways we are representatives of the Kingdom of God. We have the privilege inviting others to be a part of the kingdom and showing them an example of what life in the Kingdom is like.

Already But Not Yet

We have received the Kingdom now, but we are still waiting for the full completion of God plan on this earth and the establishment of his permanent physical kingdom in the new earth.

The battle of D-day in World War II is a good example of the concept of “already but not yet”. On D-day when the allied troops won the victory everyone knew that eventually they would win the war.

Even though victory was secured there were still some small battles still to be fought and the enemy hadn’t surrendered yet.

The cross is the Christian’s D-day. Jesus secured the victory with his death on the cross as he yelled “It is finished.”

Christ’s death and resurrection achieved victory for us, but we still live in a sinful, fallen world. We have temptations, trials and tests.

Jesus is waiting for more people to be saved before he comes back and takes away all pain and suffering for Christians.

We live in the already but not yet kingdom. 

Jesus has already won the victory through his death and resurrection.

But he has not yet returned to judge the world and establish his permanent physical kingdom.

Why?

He is mercifully waiting for more people to become kingdom citizens! And we get to be a part of the recruiting process.

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Don’t Serve To Get Recognition – Luke 17:1-19

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From my reading in Luke 17:1-19 in the One Year New Testament.

Jesus shared a parable about the attitude we should have when serving him. When a servant comes into the house after taking care of the sheep and the fields, the master doesn’t say “Come in and eat with me.”

Instead he says, “Put on your apron, make my food, then serve me while I eat. Then, after I have eaten you can eat.” The master is not expected to thank the servant. Then this is what Jesus said,

“So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ ” Luke 17:10

We are to serve humbly, knowing that when we obey Christ we are merely doing our duty. We should not expect an easy life or to be rewarded in this life for obeying. The knowledge that we have served well and will be rewarded in heaven should be enough.

Often we want to receive some type of recognition for our service, but a true servant serves for God, not for the applause of others. It has been said,

“Many Christians want to be known as servants but they don’t want to be treated like one.”

When we get to heaven, the nursery workers, janitors, moms, and all the behind-the-scenes people who served God with their lives will be honored.

We don’t deserve anything, but God gives us the privilege of serving him and that is a joy in itself. 

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Hell Is For Real – Luke 16

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From my reading in Luke 16 in the One Year New Testament.

Hell is a taboo subject in our culture. The movie “Heaven is For Real” is a best seller and made it to the big screen, but I’m not sure that the sequel “Hell is For Real” would be as well received. People love to think about the joys of heaven but cringe at the thought of Hell.

I don’t like the idea of hell either, but I think it is important for believers to be motivated to save people and for non-believers to wake up to the tragic reality before them.

Jesus tells a parable about a rich man and a poor man, named Lazarus, that gives us some valuable information about hell. Keep in mind that this is a parable, so it is not meant to be a doctrinal passage about what hell is like. But from the context of the passage, we can still learn some things.

When I share these principles, I don’t share them with joy, but with a heavy heart.

Hell Is A Place Of Torment

“and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.” Luke 16:23

Hell is a place of torment. The Louw Nida lexicon defines torment here as “severe pain associated with torture and torment.” Torture is perhaps the worst physical human experience we can observe, so someone who is tormented would be experiencing that type of pain.

Hell Is Hot

“The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.” Luke 16:24

The pain that is experienced is like being burned by flames, which is arguably the worst pain people can experience. Hell is often described in relation to burning and flames, but the ironic thing is that, unlike earthly fire, it does not consume the victim or ever go out.

Hell Is Permanent 

“And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.” Luke 16:26

In the same way that Heaven is eternity with God, Hell is eternity separated from God. There is a great separation and no one can escape once they are in Hell. The mission is urgent because Hell is permanent and we only have a short window of time to reach people before it’s too late!

God Has Provided An Escape From Hell

“But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” Luke 16:31

God sent the prophets of the Old testament to give people an opportunity repent and turn to God for forgiveness. It is interesting that Abraham said “they won’t even listen if someone rises from the dead,” and that is exactly what Jesus did!

Jesus died so that you and I don’t have to go to hell.

He took the punishment we deserved on the cross and rose from the dead. Some people know this fact but still don’t listen.

They stubbornly try to keep control of their own life, livings separated from God on this earth. Unfortunately, that decision has eternal consequences and they will continue to be separated from God for eternity in hell.

We don’t have to be punished for our sins because Jesus was punished for us! 

He came back to life and offers us life along with him!

All we have to do is repent of our sin, surrender control of our life to God and receive the free gift of eternal life now and in heaven.

Hell is for real and you don’t want to go there.

If it wasn’t then why would Jesus have to die? 

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