The Devotional

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 120 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:   Luke 9: 37-42 Now it happened on the next day when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, “Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. “And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.   “So, I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not”. Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES: Jesus, the Christ of God/Messiah Do you remember the day of your salvation? I know from the testimony of othe

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 11 9 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:   Luke 9: 26-27 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him, the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. “But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.” SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES: Jesus, the Christ of God/Messiah Years ago, when I first heard my pastor talk of the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven, I thought that both terms were synonymous. He understood the difference, but it took a while for me to KNOW that as a child of God our home is the Kingdom of God. We will be with God and God lives in His Kingdom. Today, we live in our earthly body and since the fall of mankind, this body and earth is not our home. 1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh, and blood [mankind] cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption [earth] inherit incorruption.

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 11 8 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:   Luke 9: 22-27 “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?   “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him, the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. “But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.” SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES: Jesus, the Christ of God/Messiah Luke 9:22 – Jesus knew His future, that He would suffer many things. His earthly future w

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:   Luke 9: 18-22 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” So, they answered and said, “John the Baptist, but some say Elijah, and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.” And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES: Jesus, the Christ of God/Messiah The gospels are overflowing with nuggets of gold and silver of Truth; Truth that is only found in the Holy Bible. I suppose this thought could be refined. Since if you have a nugget or two of the minerals, these do not look very appealing and you also know the worth. The Word of God is far richer with t

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 116 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:   Luke 9: 10-17 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. But when the multitudes knew [it], they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here” But He said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people." For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty." And they did so and made them all

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 115 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:   Luke 9: 7-10 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him [Jesus]; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?" So, he sought to see Him. And the apostles, when they returned, told Him [Jesus] all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES: Jesus, the Christ of God/Messiah The ministry of our LORD is moving forward, AD 29 is a busy and productive year for the LORD and the apostles. Luke 9:10 is not the first mention of the twelve men as apostles; see their commissioning in the following verses: Matthew 10:2 – Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: fi

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 114 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:   Luke 9:1-6 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  “And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES: Jesus, the Christ of God/Messiah [When churches seek to apply the events of Luke 9:1-6 and other related events to the current church age disciplines, these leaderships are out of line and should be shunned by New Testament saints.] After making this statement a few days ago, my cousin in Kentucky asked me to clarify the statement because I confused him and no do

The Devotional – A Special SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:   Romans 1:18-23a For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown [it] to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible [attributes] are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify [Him] as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man— (If you wish, read the remaining chapter). SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES: Who are we? It is as if someone removed their finger from a hole in the dam, but in reality, God has removed His protective Hand from

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 113 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:   Luke 9:1-62 – The Eternal Plan of God I would like to go over this chapter in greater detail in the days ahead, it is a very busy year for the LORD as He seeks to call out the lost sheep of Israel. To reconcile the Jewish nation back to God’s original plan as the chosen Nation, whom they are. Even today, this very moment and hour, Israel is God’s personally chosen nation. (Many gentiles saints and unbelievers, and secular Jews disagree). Yet, one day soon, the nation will recall the Words of Jesus in Luke 13:34-35 and Matthew 23:39, blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD! SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES: Jesus, the Christ of God/Messiah AD 29 is a busy year for the LORD and His disciples. Chapter 9 of Luke’s gospel highlights many, but not all of the LORD’s events (see John 21:31). The other gospels of Matthew and Mark keep pace with the events until late fall of that year, then become silent for roug

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 112 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:   Luke 9:1-6 – The Eternal Plan of God Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.   “And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES: Jesus, the Christ of God/Messiah Luke 13:34 -35 – “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, yo

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 111 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:   Luke 8:28-29 – The Eternal Plan of God The remaining events in Gadarene are the results of Christ’s power and authority over all of creation. Read Mark 5:1-17 and Matthew 8:23-27. The Matthew account differs from Luke and Mark in that Matthew records that two men met Jesus as He exited the boat. The end result of the visit to Gadarene (Gerasene) is that Christ/Messiah has authority over Creation, including Satan, and the demonic forces of evil. The Gadarene’s I believe are gentiles who felt that their livelihood was threatened by the presence of Christ. SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES: Jesus, the Christ of God/Messiah Just want to take a few moments this morning to challenge all of us to ‘study’ the Word of God, to realizes that if you are born again (that is; born from above), then you presently have the “kingdom of heaven” on earth. As I have said before, if you are living for yourself and not for the glor

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 110 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:   Luke 8:28-29 – The Eternal Plan of God Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness. SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES: Jesus, the Christ of God/Messiah The event above is true, many believe, even leaders of churches believe that demon possessed people are simply crazy or have some issue with their ‘psyche’.

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 109 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:   Luke 8:22-25 – The Eternal Plan of God Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. But as they sailed, He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES: Jesus, the Christ of God/Messiah Having spent most of my productive days on the oceans around our world, I can attest to the rage that a storm plays on the oceans, seas, and la

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 108 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:   Luke 8:19-21 – The Eternal Plan of God Then His mother and brothers came to Him and could not approach Him because of the crowd. And it was told to Him by some who said. “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside desiring to see You.” But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the Word of God and do it.” SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES: Jesus, the Christ of God/Messiah Both Matthew and Mark comment of Jesus, regarding Mary His mother, and His brothers desiring to meet with Jesus. His comments to the multitude and those who explained to Him that these were outside wanting to see Him, seem strange. Without understanding, some would consider Jesus as cruel and unloving, but is this not true with all of the Word of God for those who doubt? So how does one get beyond being offended by what Jesus says? People are offended by their own ‘personal pre-disposition’ this is a