BiblicalMastery Buddy's bible blog

Lesson 28

What is Really Important?

Luke 10:17-24

All of us will leave a legacy of one kind or another.  For those who have achieved a great deal what is said about a person may be very positive.  If one has not done much with his/her life then what is said will be less than complementary.  Adding to that thought everyone has accomplished something in life. As I look back on my life I can say that is true of me also.  I will give just a couple of examples.  My work career has been primarily with three rather large organizations.  In each of them I was able to gain experience to be able to go on to the next one.  While I worked for two industrial plants I was able to complete my college education with the help of company reimbursements.  Having a degree provided the inroad into my third and last full time employment.  Notice how many times that the pronoun I was used above. 

There have been many opportunities presented to me over the years that at the beginning of my career would seemed improbable to ever occur.  Almost everything that I have dreamed of doing, I have at some point done it at least one time.  I never expected to go overseas is one but one example of what I am talking about.  Four times in the early 2000’s I travelled to two different countries.

Why I am saying all of this?  What I have discovered is that no matter of what has been accomplished there is one thing that is more important than any of them.  It is being a follower of Jesus Christ.  Anything we do may get or may not get us accolades from others.  But all of that praise or criticism is meaningless when compared to all that God has for us.  To have one’s name written in His heavenly ledger is truly all that counts.

Churches can get caught up in the same trap of looking at what it has accomplished or even is doing.  What is the trap about which I am speaking? We have a tendency to equate success in pleasing God with all of the programs and events that take place within the walls of the church.  Numbers of members, budgets and number of people attending all too often are the measuring rod by which we determine how we are doing.  We have to be very careful to evaluate everything by God’s standard.  Is what we are trying to accomplish furthering the reach of God’s kingdom in the world? Even more importantly do we even stop to ask how what we are doing changing and transforming individual lives?  If we cannot answer either of those with a clear cut assurance that they are taking place then we need to see how to turn things around.

In the passage for today Jesus made a clear statement of what He considered important.  Let’s look at His view of success.

Luke 10:17

In last week’s lesson seventy men were sent out to minister in the name and under the authority of Jesus.  They have returned and began to report all the things that had taken place during their journey. The one thing that they wanted to talk about was the fact that even the demons had to obey them because they spoke to them in the Name of Jesus.  There was no mention of healings or the results of the blessings given on the homes where they stayed.  They were excited by those activities that brought instant and visible results.  It would take a while to see if God truly blessed a household or if lives were changed by their words.  There was no time to wait around to see if those things took place.

1. What was the one thing that all of the men seemed to want to talk about?
2. Why was this so important to them? (Instantaneous and obvious results occurred.)
3. What did they not mention? (Results of the blessing and teaching that took place because they are more long term and not as obvious.)
4. What are the things that we talk about that occur in church?
5. In what ways is their evidence that a life is changed?
6. Why do we not include it in our conversations? (We are not involved with people enough to see if God is really working in their lives)
7. What is the one thing that we do to make sure that transformation takes place that will become evident to others? (Disciple them which takes building relationships, time and commitment.)

Luke 10:18

There are three possibilities to what Jesus was saying.  He may have been referring to

• Eternity past when satan warred against God and was kicked out of heaven along with the angels that chose to follow him.
• The future defeat and ultimate punishment that he will receive.
• Or it could mean that based on the description given to Him by the seventy that He saw that the devil never again would have the power to dominate people again.  He saw satan fall from his position and had met defeat.

 

1. What are the three possible ways this verse may be understood?
2. Why is this verse important to you and me?
3. How could the actions of the seventy be seen as a defeat of satan? (In Jesus name satan can no longer dominate, control and destroy man.)
4. Why is it important that whatever we do it all be done in the name of Jesus? (In our own strength we are unable to defeat satan.)

Luke 10:19-20

Their exuberance was to be understood.  Jesus then shared with them what their future would look like. He was going to provide them with the authority to deal with the evil forces of this world.  This included protection from all the devil and his forces would try to throw at them. It is interesting that He spoke of the fact that nothing would injure them.  He surely could not have been speaking about physical harm because it would not be long before James, John’s brother, was martyred.  Even before that event Stephen was also killed by the Jews. The disciples were imprisoned and beaten and many other followers were persecuted by Saul. So what did He mean?  Surely, He was talking about the eternal life they would have that no one could take away from them.

All of the disciples might have taken pride in His words to them.  They were to be thankful that He had allowed them to be part of His work.  Such power could very easy turn to pride.  To make sure that did not happen, Jesus then turned to what was really important.  The thing they were to rejoice about was having the security of salvation.  He expressed it by speaking about having their names recorded in heaven.  The one place that each person who has ever lived should hope that his/her name is found is in the Book of Life. 

1. What Jesus did mean by saying that the disciples would be protected from the snakes and scorpions?
2. What are the snakes and scorpions we face today?
3. How are we protected from them?
4. How could Jesus say that none of them would be injured when so many would either be martyred or persecuted? (His words did not mean protection from physical problems.) 
5. What was the danger of having the power of Jesus flow through them? (Pride might set in.)
6. What is the most important promise for each of them and us? (The fact we have our name written in the Book of Life.) 
7. If you do not have this assurance what do you need to do?  (Pray to receive Christ.)

Luke 10:21-22

Jesus after speaking to the disciples and hearing all they had accomplished began to rejoice.  The focus of that rejoicing was the Father to whom He gave all the credit for what has happened.  His words were echoed by Paul later in chapter one of his first letter to Corinthians.  These verses would coincide with Jesus’ words about being like the little children who found favor with God.  He praises God that it is not the proud, the intellectual ones or those wise in their own eyes that understood what God was doing but those who were helpless and dependent like infants.  This is the way God had worked from the very beginning of time.

The second part of His prayer emphasized His role in God’s plan.  God had handed everything over to Him.  There was a progression in the relationship that man has with God.  It flows through Jesus.  Jesus said,

• The only one who can truly understand and know the Son intimately is His Father.      
• The only person who can truly know the Father is the one who is the closest to Him, His Son.

Thankfully, for mankind Jesus did not stop with those two statements.  He continued on with the statement that gives every hope.  The Son has chosen to reveal His Father and therefore Himself to the world.

1. What words would you use to describe what Jesus is looking for in His followers? (Humility, childlike nature, and dependence on Him are just a few.)
2. What had the Father done for His Son? (Given Him all authority.)
3. Why can we not know the Son without the Father?
4. Why can we not know the Father without the Son?
5. How is there any hope for us? (The Son has chosen to show what His Father is like.)

Luke 10:23-24

He then had a word especially for the twelve.  He wanted to know what a blessing had been given to them.  There are a number of places that speak of the fact that the identity and time of the coming of the Messiah had been hidden from all those born prior to that day.  They had been given the privilege to experience firsthand the One who was the fulfillment of all the prophecies written about Him. Even the angels in heaven were not privy to this information. (See 1 Peter 1:10-12 and Colossians 1:26 for examples)

1. Why were the disciples truly blessed?
2. Why was the message hidden from other generations? (The time was not right for a number of reasons for the Messiah to come.)
3. In what way are we beneficiaries of that blessing given to the disciples? (We live in the age of grace.)
4. What was important about the message given in all of the prophecies?  (Prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah.)

 

• Whenever you have had success in a ministry in which you have been involved remember that it has only succeeded by the authority you have received from Jesus.
• Look at your own life and evaluate your relationship with God.  
• Ask yourself honestly, are you sure that your name is recorded in heaven.
• It is important to understand that God is not looking for the proud or those wise in their own eyes but the humble and those dependent on Him.  They are truly the ones that will receive the good news He has for them.
• Understand that you can never know Jesus until you know God the Father.  
• Understand that the only way to know the Father is looking at Jesus. What He is like can only be found in the gospel.

Recently, I read a book titled “The Trellis and the Vine” by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne. They describe the vine as that which living in the church today.  It is the ministries carried on by all of the body not just a few people.  The trellis is the structure that allows the ministries to take place.  Sadly, many churches have forgotten that it is not the structure that makes the kingdom grow but what gets most of our attention.  Jesus shared with the few among the many who had followed Him what is the most important thing we do.  It is to make sure that we do all according His name to make sure that everyone within the sound of our voice and the sphere of our influence have their names recorded in heaven.  Everything else we do is peripheral to that one thing.  The gospel must be shared that the devil can be defeated and Christ will reign.