Luke 2:20 (10/16/24)

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Luke 2:20 (10/16/24)

Going Back

October 16, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Luke 2:20

- God is looking for faithfulness.

- He doesn’t care about fame or fortune.

- He cares about us being faithful right where He’s placed us.

- Case in point - God wanted to announce the birth of Jesus.

- Who did He show up to?

- A group of blue-collar workers who were faithfully tending sheep.

- Faithfulness in your work puts you in the way of God’s divine visits.

- So they went and checked out the place where Jesus was born.

- Notice what they did next.

- vs 20 - “The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.”

- After they experienced the greatest announcement in the history of mankind and after they visited Jesus they went right back to shepherding.

- They went back to the drab drudgery of scooping poop and walking slowly, the mundane routine of everyday life.

- After David was anointed king, he did the very same thing - he went back to work tending sheep.

- The mountaintop experiences are momentary.

- But growth takes place in the valley.

- My dad always said that the Christian life is filled with hours and hours of routine punctuated by moments of stark terror.

- We can't live for moments of pure bliss—we need to go back to our fields and tend our sheep, whatever that may mean for you.

- These shepherds didn’t start a prophetic ministry because they were the ones who received the divine download.

- They went right back to blue-collar work.

- And we’re still talking about these dudes today.

Luke 19:21 (11/20/24)

November 20, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Luke 19:20–21

* God did not create a socialistic system of economics. * He created a capitalistic system. * Sin messed up the product of the system, but the system of capitalism is still good. * Understand the difference between the two: * A socialist wants equal outcome for everyone. * A capitalist wants equal opportunity for everyone. * A socialist wants limited freedom with maximum oversight (Government). * A capitalist wants maximum freedom with minimum oversight (Garden). * A socialist relies on government, while a capitalist is supposed to rely on God. * Problem - when God gives freedom, we can easily abuse it. * We’ve seen this happen in America, and it’s why many don’t like capitalism. * If we bring God back into the mix, it will fix the problem. * Capitalism that is accountable to God is good economics. * Jesus shows us this in the parable of the talents. * Luke 19 - the master gives ten of his slaves a sum of money each. * The first guy 10x’s and the second guy 5x’s. * This is maximum freedom with minimum oversight. * They knew they would one day give an account to the master. * The master commended them for their faithfulness to multiply. * The third guy didn’t multiply, he maintained. * His response reveals his socialistic mindset. * vs 20-21 - “…Master, here is your mina, which I kept and put away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow..” * He refused to put his money to work because he saw the master as getting something for nothing. * He pointed out that this wealthy master made money from things he didn't have to go out and do physically. * I bet this servant thought about it a lot. * He began thinking about how unfair it was that he would do all the work and that his master would be the one making the money. * So what did he do? He refused to work for his master. * He saw him as a hard man when, in reality, the master was the kindest, most generous man around. * This unfaithful servant didn’t realize the master had blessed each of these guys with an equal opportunity. * Their job was to make the most of the opportunity, and then the master would reward them accordingly. * But the unfaithful servant was too busy comparing what he had with what the master had, and he couldn't stop thinking about the unfairness of the whole situation. * He became a socialist in his thinking. * The result was punishment rather than profit. * This man wanted equal OUTCOME, not equal OPPORTUNITY. * So ask God for opportunities to maximize what He gives you. * Refuse to compare with others. * And watch what He does!

Luke 22:62 (11/20/24)

November 20, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Luke 22:62

* I heard a message by Chuck Swindoll about the life of Moses and how it went in three stages: * Stage 1 - He was convinced he was somebody (ages 1-40). * Stage 2 - He learned he was nobody (ages 41-80). * Stage 3 - He saw what God could do with a nobody (ages 81-120). * We see this same progression in Peter’s life. * He knew he was somebody - Jesus even commended him multiple times in front of the other disciples. * He discovered he was a nobody - After he denied Christ three times and the rooster crowed… * vs 62 - “And he went out and wept bitterly.” * He then learned what God can do with a nobody. * The book of Acts shares how Peter was the rock upon which the church was built! * There are also three stages to a dream: * The birth of the dream. * The death of the dream. * The fulfillment of the dream. * Everyone is in one of these three stages in life. * The key is to fully surrender to God wherever you are and let Him do what He wants to do!

Luke 16:27-31 (11/13/24)

November 13, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Luke 16:27–31

* I heard a well-known pastor say that we should “unhitch” the Old Testament from the New Testament. * He believed the only thing that matters is the resurrection of Jesus. * I understand what he’s trying to do, but the phrase “unhitch” is devastating to Biblical truth. * Why? Because the Old Testament is all about Jesus! * The OT is Jesus concealed. * The NT is Jesus revealed. * If people aren’t willing to accept the Bible as a whole, which is the NT and OT, then they won’t be persuaded, even by the resurrection. * Just look at this conversation between Abraham and the rich man. * Jesus was showing that there is life after death. * And that our faithfulness here determines our experience there. * vs 27-31 - NAS * The rich man essentially said, “Please convince my brothers to get right with God so they don’t have to come here. If they see someone come back from the dead, they will believe.” * Abe responds, “If they don’t believe the Old Testament scriptures that point to the Messiah, then they won’t believe EVEN IF SOMEONE WERE TO RAISE FROM THE DEAD!” * He was alluding to the resurrection of Jesus! * Listen to what the Evangelical Commentary says about this: * “This suggests that the message of Jesus does not invalidate Old Testament revelation. The rich man, however, protests that the Scriptures are not enough. They need the definitive proof that a resurrection would provide. Abraham retorts that this is incorrect. Those who do not put credence in the Scriptures will not be persuaded by a resurrection. Certainly Jesus’ resurrection was in Luke’s mind when he wrote this. The point of the last part of the parable is clear. No miracle can convince anyone of the credibility of the kingdom message. The Scriptures are sufficient for salvation, and those who reject their message will rationalize miraculous phenomena as well.” * Tony Evans - “If one will not believe God’s Word, a miracle will not convince him. Though Jesus had performed countless miracles, still the Pharisees refused to believe he was the Messiah. And while he would rise from the dead, even that miracle would not persuade them. Their hearts were hard. They were unwilling to believe.” * Jesus Himself, after His resurrection, used the OT to reveal the truth about the Messiah. * Luke 24:27 - “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” * The point is this - the OT and NT should remain hitched and we should study both of them with a heart of full surrender.