Crucifixion

Ex. 6-8; Luke 23

Scripture: Then he turned to Jesus and said, “Lord, I believe in you! Please, remember me when you set up your kingdom.” Jesus turned His head toward him and said, “I promise you today, when I return with the glory of my Father, I will take you home with me to paradise.” Luke 22: 42, 43

Observation: What a glorious promise the Lord has given to this man to be in heaven with Jesus when the Lord soon returns to get all His people.

Application: That promise holds true today for all people. We need to cling to the cross daily and ask for forgiveness even for those things which we do not know we do. Believe in the Lord and have faith. That kind of power will draw you nearer to Him.

Prayer: Dear Lord please help me to hang my sins on the cross daily and to draw close to you so that I may not sin against you, but have faith in you to cleanse me from all my sins. Amen

Denial

Ex. 3-5; Luke: 22


Scripture: At that moment, just as Peter looked into the hall where Jesus was being tried, Jesus turned. Their eyes met, and Peter remembered what Jesus had told him earlier that evening: “Before the rooster finishes crowing in the morning, you will have denied knowing me three times.” Luke 22: 61

Observation: Can you imagine the anguish Peter must have felt when the rooster crowed and he knew he had denied his Lord. I can only imagine the pain he was going through knowing what Jesus had said about denying Him three times. What a horrible time for Peter!

Application: Peter loved Jesus so much he would die for him, but in a weak moment he yet still denied Him. We can apply that to ourselves today. We love the Lord, but in our weak moments we constantly put Him on that cross daily. When this earth comes to its end will we stand up for Jesus or will we deny Him.

Prayer: Dear Lord hear my prayer and have mercy on me. Help me to be strong for I am so weak. I do not know in my weakest hour before your arrival will I be the one who denies you? Help me to find a love for you that’s so unconditional like your Father who loves us, so I may not deny you before God. Amen

Being Watchful

Ex. 1, 2; Ps. 88; Luke 21

Scripture: “So be careful not to be caught up in constant feasting and drinking and in the problems of life so that you don’t think about anything else. If you do, the end will sneak up on you like a thief. Luke 21: 34

Observation: People will be eating, drinking, marrying, etc. Going about their daily lives as if nothing is about to happen. Then all of a sudden Jesus will appear in the sky and those who haven’t accepted Him as their personal savior will be over taken by surprise.

Application: People need to know the sign of the times, so they may not be taken by surprise by Jesus soon return. Keep an eye on the current events of the world and how it coincides with the bible.

Prayer: Dear Lord may we all know the signs of the times and draw closer to you before the day of your coming. Do come soon Lord to take us to our true home in heaven. Amen

The Saving Stone

Gen 49, 50; Ps. 8; Luke 20

Scripture: Jesus looked at them and said, “Tell me, what does the Scripture mean when it says, ‘The stone that the builders rejected as worthless was the very one needed to hold up the Temple’? That stone represents the Messiah. Whoever falls on this Stone will have his heart broken. But those who reject this Stone will someday see it coming, and it will fall on them, and crush them.” Luke 20: 17, 18

Observation: People, the builders, who reject the Stone, which is considered worthless and to represent Jesus, will never have salvation. Those who reject Him will see Him coming in all His glory and those Stones will fall on them and break them.

Application: We need to build up our Stones in our lives. We need to continually read our bibles to know what God wants for us and how we should act towards one another. To know God and for God to know us, so one day when He comes to gather us all up He won’t be saying to you, “I know you not, but come into the great supper I have prepared for you.”

Prayer: Dear Lord please help me to build up my life on the rock of your salvation. Help me to stop sinning and be more like You. Amen

Investing in God

Gen 47, 48; Ps. 10; Luke 19

Scripture: “The king answered, ‘It’s my responsibility to see that I get the best returns from my investments. Those who make good use of what I give them will be given even more. And those who do nothing with what I give them will lose what they have, and it will be given to those who know how to use it. As for those who didn’t want me to be their king, bring them in. The law of the land demands that they be put to death for their rebellion in the sight of the king.’ ” Luke 19: 26, 27

Observation: It’s God’s responsibility to see He gets the best return that He invests in human beings. By this investment He gives us talents or gifts, which we use to bring others to believe and have faith in Him. If we misuse our talents or gifts then He will give them to another. For those who never come to believe or have faith in Him the law demands their death.

Application: People need to try and find out what their gifts are and use those gifts wisely. Not everyone’s gift is a big one. It may be something as small as talking to little children about Jesus, your own children for example. Be prayerful about this and Jesus will guide you to as little or as much of a gift He thinks you will need. But remember never stop believing and having faith in Him because when you do you have as good as signed your own death warrant.

Prayer: Dear Lord help me to see what gifts I have that would glorify your name. Help me not to be afraid to use those gifts wisely. Amen

Answers

Gen 44-46; Luke 18

Scripture: I want to tell you that even though God sometimes seems to wait before He answers, He is eager to answer as quickly as possible. He will see that justice is done. But the real question is this: When God comes to set up His earthly kingdom, how many people will He find who still have faith in Him?” Luke 18: 8

Observation: God does answer all prayers, but in His own time. Sometimes the prayers are delayed for reasons that God only knows. Usually it’s for our own good. Unfortunately, we are a people of the here and now kind of prayers. We want them answered immediately. This is where faith comes in…..we need to wait for the answers. So when God comes back to set up His earthly kingdom who will have the faith to be there with Him. Do you lose your faith because prayers were not answered immediately or not in the way you wanting them to be answered? God forbid! You wait!

Application: I know personally in my life I’ve definitely had to wait for my prayers to be answered, but I’m glad I did wait because things weren’t right for me when I thought I needed those prayers answered right then and there. God knew when I needed them answered and how it would be taken care of wasn’t always the way I thought it would be taken care of. God had a better plan! Bottom line is don’t lose your faith in God just because your prayers haven’t been answered yet.

Prayer: Dear Lord may I have faith in you to take care of all my needs in this life and not to lose my faith in you when things go wrong and prayers are not answered immediately. Amen

The Coming of Jesus

Gen 42, 43; Ps. 5; Luke 17

Scripture: The disciples asked, “When will all this take place?” Jesus answered, “When people see vultures sitting in the trees, they know that a life is about to end. And when God’s people see all these things happening around them, they will know that my coming is near.” Luke 17: 37

Observation: Just like a vulture lurking around in the air, on the ground, or in a tree, we know when we see this type of thing taking place it’s because a life is ending. These birds are waiting to get at the dead carcasses, so they may eat their remains. The same analogy takes place to know the sign of the times of Jesus’ return. We read our bibles to know what signs will take place and know we are living in them. Look at all the strife in the world that is going on: Wars, rumor of wars, pestilent, famines, high crime rate, etc. If this isn’t what God was talking about being the end of time then what are we all going through this for if not to prepare us for his soon return?

Application: We need to be prepared for Jesus’ return. We need to study our bibles, tell people about Him, and work in preparation for Him. To prepare for His coming can be a big thing like evangelism or it can be as small as talking to one person about Jesus.

Prayer: Dear Lord please helps me to be strong and to have a wisdom of knowledge of You so I can prepare not only myself for the day of Your coming, but also others. Amen