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Texts -- Luke 11:2-54 (NET)

Context
11:2 So he said to them , “When you pray , say : Father , may your name be honored ; may your kingdom come . 11:3 Give us each day our daily bread , 11:4 and forgive us our sins , for we also forgive everyone who sins against us . And do not lead us into temptation .” 11:5 Then he said to them , “Suppose one of you has a friend , and you go to him at midnight and say to him , ‘Friend , lend me three loaves of bread , 11:6 because a friend of mine has stopped here while on a journey , and I have nothing to set before him .’ 11:7 Then he will reply reply from inside , ‘Do not bother bother me. The door is already shut , and my children and I are in bed . I cannot cannot get up and give you anything.’ 11:8 I tell you , even though the man inside will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend , yet because of the first man’s sheer persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs . 11:9 “So I tell you : Ask , and it will be given to you ; seek , and you will find ; knock , and the door will be opened for you . 11:10 For everyone who asks receives , and the one who seeks finds , and to the one who knocks , the door will be opened . 11:11 What father among you, if your son asks for a fish , will give him a snake instead of a fish ? 11:12 Or if he asks for an egg , will give him a scorpion ? 11:13 If you then , although you are evil , know how to give good gifts to your children , how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him !”
Jesus and Beelzebul
11:14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute . When the demon had gone out , the man who had been mute began to speak , and the crowds were amazed . 11:15 But some of them said , “By the power of Beelzebul , the ruler of demons , he casts out demons .” 11:16 Others , to test him , began asking for a sign from heaven . 11:17 But Jesus , realizing their thoughts , said to them , “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed , and a divided household falls . 11:18 So if Satan too is divided against himself , how will his kingdom stand ? I ask you this because you claim that I cast out demons by Beelzebul . 11:19 Now if I cast out demons by Beelzebul , by whom do your sons cast them out ? Therefore they will be your judges . 11:20 But if I cast out demons by the finger of God , then the kingdom of God has already overtaken you . 11:21 When a strong man , fully armed , guards his own palace , his possessions are safe . 11:22 But when a stronger man attacks and conquers him , he takes away the first man’s armor on which the man relied and divides up his plunder . 11:23 Whoever is not with me is against me , and whoever does not gather with me scatters .
Response to Jesus’ Work
11:24 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a person , it passes through waterless places looking for rest but not finding any. Then it says , ‘I will return to the home I left .’ 11:25 When it returns , it finds the house swept clean and put in order . 11:26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself , and they go in and live there , so the last state of that person is worse than the first .” 11:27 As he said these things , a woman in the crowd spoke out to him , “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed !” 11:28 But he replied , “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
The Sign of Jonah
11:29 As the crowds were increasing , Jesus began to say , “This generation is a wicked generation ; it looks for a sign , but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah . 11:30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh , so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation . 11:31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them , because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon – and now , something greater than Solomon is here ! 11:32 The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it , because they repented when Jonah preached to them– and now , something greater than Jonah is here !
Internal Light
11:33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a hidden place or under a basket , but on a lampstand , so that those who come in can see the light . 11:34 Your eye is the lamp of your body . When your eye is healthy , your whole body is full of light , but when it is diseased , your body is full of darkness . 11:35 Therefore see to it that the light in you is not darkness . 11:36 If then your whole body is full of light , with no part in the dark , it will be as full of light as when the light of a lamp shines on you .”
Rebuking the Pharisees and Experts in the Law
11:37 As he spoke , a Pharisee invited Jesus to have a meal with him , so he went in and took his place at the table . 11:38 The Pharisee was astonished when he saw that Jesus did not first wash his hands before the meal . 11:39 But the Lord said to him , “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the plate , but inside you are full of greed and wickedness . 11:40 You fools ! Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside as well? 11:41 But give from your heart to those in need , and then everything will be clean for you . 11:42 “But woe to you Pharisees ! You give a tenth of your mint , rue , and every herb , yet you neglect justice and love for God ! But you should have done these things without neglecting the others. 11:43 Woe to you Pharisees ! You love the best seats in the synagogues and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces ! 11:44 Woe to you ! You are like unmarked graves , and people walk over them without realizing it!” 11:45 One of the experts in religious law answered him , “Teacher , when you say these things you insult us too .” 11:46 But Jesus replied , “Woe to you experts in religious law as well! You load people down with burdens difficult to bear , yet you yourselves refuse to touch the burdens with even one of your fingers ! 11:47 Woe to you ! You build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed . 11:48 So you testify that you approve of the deeds of your ancestors , because they killed the prophets and you build their tombs! 11:49 For this reason also the wisdom of God said , ‘I will send them prophets and apostles , some of whom they will kill and persecute ,’ 11:50 so that this generation may be held accountable for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world , 11:51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah , who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary . Yes , I tell you , it will be charged against this generation . 11:52 Woe to you experts in religious law ! You have taken away the key to knowledge ! You did not go in yourselves , and you hindered those who were going in .” 11:53 When he went out from there , the experts in the law and the Pharisees began to oppose him bitterly , and to ask him hostile questions about many things , 11:54 plotting against him , to catch him in something he might say .

Pericope

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Arts

Hymns

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  • Dalam Rumah Yang Gembira [KJ.447]
  • [Luk 11:2] Father, In High Heaven Dwelling
  • [Luk 11:2] Father Of Me, And All Mankind
  • [Luk 11:2] I Worship Thee, Sweet Will Of God
  • [Luk 11:2] Jesus, Jesus, Only Jesus
  • [Luk 11:2] Lord’s Prayer, The
  • [Luk 11:2] Our Father In Heaven
  • [Luk 11:2] Sing Aloud Jehovah’s Praises
  • [Luk 11:2] Thy Kingdom Come
  • [Luk 11:2] Thy Kingdom Come! O Father, Hear Our Prayer
  • [Luk 11:2] Thy Kingdom Come, O God
  • [Luk 11:2] Thy Kingdom Come, O Lord
  • [Luk 11:2] Thy Kingdom Come, On Bended Knee
  • [Luk 11:3] Day By Day The Manna Fell
  • [Luk 11:4] Gently Lord, O Gently Lead Us
  • [Luk 11:4] Jesu, Grant Me This, Pray
  • [Luk 11:4] Veil, Lord, Mine Eyes Till She Be Past
  • [Luk 11:9] O Father, Thou Who Hast Created All
  • [Luk 11:9] Tell It To Jesus
  • [Luk 11:13] Come, Thou Holy Paraclete
  • [Luk 11:28] How Blest Are They Who Hear God’s Word
  • [Luk 11:28] O Blessed Bible

Questions

Sermon Illustrations

R. A. Torry; Ephesians 3:12; An Exercise of Worship; Ephesians 2:18; Romans 5:1-2; We Have Access!; Double-Mindedness; Genesis 19; Names Jesus Called the Scribes and Pharisees; Stragies of Satan with Unbelievers; Asking; Prerequisites for Answered Prayer; The Pull of Sin; Expulsion of demons; Purpose of Miracles

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • After God reviewed the reasons for sharing His plans for the destruction of Sodom with Abraham, He told the patriarch that He was about to investigate the wicked condition of that city. This news moved Abraham to ask God to b...
  • Psalm 78:43 places the scene of the plagues in northern Egypt near Zoan.The plagues were penal; God sent them to punish Pharaoh for his refusal to obey God and to move him to obey Yahweh. They involved natural occurrences rat...
  • "Saul's rise to kingship over Israel took place in three distinct stages: He was (1) anointed by Samuel (9:1-10:16), (2) chosen by lot (10:17-27), and (3) confirmed by public acclamation (11:1-15).112Saul's anointing had been...
  • God had a very unusual ministry for Elijah to perform in which he would stand alone against hundreds of opponents (18:16-40). This section reveals how the Lord prepared him for it.The site of Zarephath was between Tyre and Si...
  • It was common in the ancient Near East for creditors to enslave the children of debtors who could not pay. The Mosaic Law also permitted this practice (Exod. 21:2-4, Lev. 25:39). However servitude in Israel was to end on the ...
  • On the basis of all that precedes Solomon exhorted his sons to live by his words and thereby gain wisdom. Again wisdom leads to life, but those who lack wisdom begin to die."Many have equated wisdom in this chapter with Jesus...
  • It seemed to Isaiah's audience that the promises in chapter 60 could hardly come to pass since the Babylonian exile was still ahead of them. The Lord assured them that He would surely fulfill these promises."Much of this chap...
  • 36:16-17 The Lord told Ezekiel that when the Israelites had lived in the Promised Land they had defiled it by the way they lived. They resembled a woman during her menstrual period who defiled everything she touched (cf. Lev....
  • God began responding to Daniel's prayer as soon as he began praying (cf. v. 19; Luke 11:10-13). Clearly the prayer recorded in the preceding verses was only a summary of what the prophet prayed since he prayed long and hard (...
  • 12:9 The angel reminded Daniel that much of what he had received would remain obscure until the end time (cf. v. 4). Then people will be able to look back, marvel at the total fulfillment of prophecy, and glorify the sovereig...
  • Since the rise of critical scholarship in the nineteenth century, many writers and teachers now believe that the events recorded in this book were not historical.8They interpret this book as an allegory or as a parable.The al...
  • Jonah's proclamation moved the Ninevites to humble themselves and seek divine mercy.3:5 The people believed in God because of the message from God that Jonah had brought to them. Fasting and wearing sackcloth were signs of se...
  • Jesus proceeded to clarify His disciples' calling and ministry in the world to encourage them to endure persecution and to fulfill God's purpose for them."Some might think that verses 11-12 constitute the concluding Beatitude...
  • 6:5-6 Jesus assumed that His disciples would pray, as He assumed they would give alms (v. 2) and fast (v. 16). Again He warned against ostentatious worship. The synagogues and streets were public places where people could pra...
  • 6:19-21 In view of the imminence of the kingdom, Jesus' disciples should "stop laying up treasures on earth."329Jesus called for a break with their former practice. Clearly money is not evil. The wise person works hard and ma...
  • This section of verses brings the main body of the Sermon to a climactic conclusion.7:7-8 In view of such hard opposition Jesus' disciples need to pray for God's help. He will always respond positively to their words, though ...
  • 12:25-26 Probably Jesus' knew His critics' thoughts as anyone else who had suffered such an attack would (cf. 9:4). Alternatively this may be a statement of Jesus' omniscience. Any kingdom, city, or household that experiences...
  • Evidently it was between the time that Jesus' family left Nazareth to take custody of Him and the time they arrived in Capernaum (v. 31) that this incident occurred. Mark's account is shorter than Matthew's and stresses the n...
  • Jesus' statements in this pericope appear throughout the other Gospels. Verse 21 occurs in Matthew 5:15 and in Luke 11:33. Verse 22 is in Matthew 10:26 and in Luke 12:2. Verse 24 appears in Matthew 7:2 and in Luke 6:38. Verse...
  • Though Mark did not record it, Jesus gave His disciples much additional instruction as they travelled from Capernaum in Galilee toward Jerusalem (cf. Matt. 8:19-22; 18:15-35; Luke 9:51-18:14; John 7:2-11:54). Evidently Jesus ...
  • This pericope parallels 9:30-37. Both sections deal with true greatness, and both follow predictions of Jesus' passion. This second incident shows the disciples' lack of spiritual perception and their selfishness even more th...
  • This is the third part of the incident centering on the cleansing of the temple (cf. vv. 12-14).11:20-21 This event happened on Wednesday morning. "Withered from the roots"means that death was spreading through the tree begin...
  • I. Introduction 1:1-4II. The birth and childhood of Jesus 1:5-2:52A. The announcement of John the Baptist's birth 1:5-251. The introduction of John's parents 1:5-72. The angel's announcement to Zechariah 1:8-233. The pregnanc...
  • 1:8-9 Zechariah was serving God faithfully by discharging some temple function as a member of his priestly division. There were so many priests then that the great privilege of offering incense on the golden incense altar in ...
  • There is great theological significance in this familiar passage. It comes through mainly in the angel's words and in the symbolism of what happened."In 2:8-14 we have a third annunciation scene, which follows the same patter...
  • 4:31-32 Jesus had to go down topographically from Nazareth, that stood approximately 1,200 feet above sea level, to Capernaum, that lay almost 700 feet below sea level. This notation, and the mention that Capernaum was a city...
  • This miracle raised the popular appreciation of Jesus' authority to new heights. Luke also continued to stress Jesus' compassion for people, in this case a widow whose son had died, by including this incident in his Gospel. T...
  • This incident, appearing only in Luke's Gospel, illustrates the truth just expressed in verse 35. Here is a case in point of what Jesus had just described happening (v. 34). Jesus reached out to a sinner only to receive criti...
  • Jesus now gave His disciples information that enabled them to understand the deeper teaching of the parable. The proclaimed Word of God does not in itself yield a uniform response of faith. Response to it is all important.8:1...
  • Jesus continued speaking to His disciples.8:16 This was a favorite saying of Jesus' (cf. Matt. 5:15; Mark 4:21; Luke 11:33). In view of the context here the lamp refers to a person who has the light of God's Word within him o...
  • In this last major section describing Jesus' ministry in and around Galilee (4:14-9:50), Luke stressed Jesus' preparation of His disciples for the opposition that lay before them. This was the climax of Jesus' ministry in Gal...
  • The theme of discipleship training continues in this section of verses. The 70 disciples that Jesus sent out contrast with the three men Luke just finished presenting (9:57-62). This was a second mission on which Jesus sent a...
  • This incident followed the preceding one immediately (v. 21). The subject of joy continues, and the section on the responsibilities and rewards of discipleship reaches its climax here. Jesus expressed His joy to the Father in...
  • The question that a lawyer put to Jesus provided the opportunity for this lesson. Jesus answered it but then followed up His answer with a parable that was the climax of His teaching on the subject. The parable amplified the ...
  • Jesus continued to point out the disciple's proper relationships. Having explained their relation to their neighbors (10:25-37) and to Himself (10:38-42) He now instructed them on their relation to their heavenly Father. This...
  • Luke's record of Jesus' teaching the Lord's Prayer differs significantly enough from Matthew's account that we can safely conclude that Jesus gave similar teaching on separate occasions. This repetition illustrates the import...
  • Having told His disciples what to pray, Jesus now gave them incentive to pray. He contrasted the character of God and the character of the reluctant neighbor (cf. v. 13; 18:1-8). This parable contains a very helpful and encou...
  • Jesus introduced this promise with a phrase that underlined its reliability and gave His personal guarantee. Everyone who asks of God will receive from Him, not just the persistent (cf. Matt. 7:7-8). In the context everyone i...
  • 11:11-12 These two examples further enforce the point that God will respond to our prayers, and they stress that He will do so kindly (cf. Matt. 7:9-10). Since God is our heavenly Father, He will do no less than a normal eart...
  • The placement of these events in Luke's Gospel again raises the question of whether Luke recorded the same incident as Matthew and Mark or whether this was a similar but different one. I, along with many other students of the...
  • This teaching responded to the request of Jesus' critics for a sign (v. 16; cf. Matt. 16:1-4). It is the second main part of His answer to these opponents.11:29-30 Luke's reference to the crowds increasing ties this verse in ...
  • This exhortation concluded the controversy about signs (vv. 16, 29-33) as Jesus' teaching about the importance of obeying God's Word (vv. 27-28) concluded the controversy about casting out demons (vv. 14-26). Both conclusions...
  • 11:34 Jesus also used this parable, at least the negative part of it, in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus compared the human eye to a lamp in both situations, not in the sense of their being sources of light but as vehicles thr...
  • The theme of opposition to Jesus continues in this section, but the source of opposition changes from the people generally to the Pharisees and, even more particularly, to their lawyers (scribes). Jesus' responses also change...
  • 11:37-38 Many of Jesus' teaching opportunities arose during meals (cf. 14:1-24; Matt. 15:1-20; 23:1-36; Mark 7:1-22). This was one such situation. Jesus offended His host by not washing ritually before eating. Luke omitted an...
  • Jesus now specified two examples of the Pharisees' spiritual myopia (vv. 42-43), and then He compared them to something similar that defiles (v. 44). Jesus announced His condemnation with the use of "woe."11:42-43 The Pharise...
  • 11:45-46 The lawyers (or scribes) were a distinct group, though most of them were Pharisees. The scribes and Pharisees often acted together. The lawyer who spoke up wanted to distinguish his group from the Pharisees, but Jesu...
  • These inflammatory words of criticism and condemnation fanned the embers of Pharisaic hostility into an inferno of hatred and hostility. Luke wrote that these religious leaders now questioned Him closely on many subjects. He ...
  • Teaching of the disciples continues as primary in this part of the third Gospel (9:51-19:10). Jesus' words to them at the beginning of the present section (12:1-13:17) broadened to include the crowds toward the end....
  • Jesus used His condemnation of the Pharisees' hypocrisy as an occasion to warn His disciples against being hypocritical. The context of this teaching in Matthew's Gospel is Jesus' instruction of the Twelve before He sent them...
  • 12:16-18 Jesus told the parable of the rich fool to illustrate His point (v. 15). He presented the rich man as an intelligent farmer. The farmer did only what was reasonable. Jesus was not faulting him for his plans. Likewise...
  • Jesus addressed these words to His disciples primarily (cf. vv. 41-42).12:49-50 In view of the context Jesus' reference to fire must be as a symbol of judgment primarily rather than purification, its other common significatio...
  • There are several thematic connections that tie this pericope with what has preceded and show its role in the development of Luke's argument. Jesus had just called the nation to repentance (vv. 3, 5). Now He showed that chang...
  • 14:1 The setting for what follows is secondary to the attitude of the Pharisees who were present. They had already decided to do away with Jesus (11:53-54). Now the Pharisees and lawyers were watching Him like vultures waitin...
  • "Luke 16:1-8 contains probably the most difficult parable in Luke."36716:1 The linguistic connection that ties this parable with its preceding context is the word "squander"(Gr. diaskorpizo, cf. 15:13). This is the clue to th...
  • In this parable the rich man and his brothers who did not listen to Moses and the prophets (vv. 29-31) represent the Pharisees (vv. 16-17). The Pharisees believed in a future life and a coming judgment, but they, as the rich ...
  • Jesus had been teaching the disciples about avoiding what men esteemed highly but which God viewed as detestable, namely the pursuit of money (16:15). By pursuing money hypocritically the Pharisees had turned many of their fe...
  • 17:1-2 The introductory "and"(dein the Greek text, untranslated in the NIV) indicates a logical connection with what has preceded. It is inevitable that disciples retard the spiritual progress of others occasionally because n...
  • Jesus' teaching about the arrival of the kingdom arose out of a question from the Pharisees. It was a reasonable question since both John the Baptist and Jesus had preached for some time that the kingdom was at hand. Probably...
  • 17:22-23 Jesus next gave His disciples more instruction about the coming of the kingdom. One of the days of the Son of Man refers to one of the future days when the Son of Man will be reigning on the earth (cf. vv. 24-25, 30)...
  • Jesus continued His instruction to the disciples about His return. He told them a parable designed to encourage them to continue praying while they lived in the interval before His second coming.18:1 The audience for this par...
  • Luke next developed the idea of faith on the earth that Jesus introduced in verse 8. This whole section clarifies how people become believers. This subject is a fitting conclusion to the part of Luke's Gospel that deals with ...
  • The superficial connection between this pericope and the preceding one is that they both contain parables about prayer. However the more significant link is the people of faith (v. 8). This parable graphically contrasts the r...
  • This is another lesson on riches that Luke recorded (cf. 6:24; 8:14; 11:41; 12:13-34; 16), but the context here is instruction on wealth as it pertains to entering into salvation and the kingdom. Someone might conclude from t...
  • Jesus' passion announcements to His disciples constitute important structural markers in Mark's Gospel. Luke and Matthew did not use them this way. The incident before us was the third passion announcement that Jesus gave bes...
  • This section in Luke's long narrative of Jesus' ministry as He travelled to Jerusalem (9:51-19:27) is climactic. It is a choice example of Jesus offering salvation to a needy person. Zaccheus accepted Jesus' offer and respond...
  • This parable serves in Luke's narrative as a conclusion to the section on salvation's recipients (18:9-19:27). It provides something of a denouement(i.e., a final unravelling of the plot) following the excellent example of Za...
  • This material occurs in no other Gospel. The destruction of Jerusalem that Jesus predicted here was an important event for Luke. It showed God's judgment on Israel for rejecting His Son and provided evidence that God had turn...
  • Luke and Mark both recorded only a synopsis of Jesus' warning to the multitudes and His disciples that Matthew narrated in detail. Perhaps Luke did so because he had already included Jesus' lengthy criticisms of the scribes i...
  • Jesus told the parable of the fig tree to illustrate the certainty of what He had prophesied. He then gave other assurances of fulfillment. Luke omitted Jesus' statement that no one would know the day or hour when He would re...
  • These verses record Jesus' introduction to what followed and are similar to the welcoming words of a host before his guests begin their meal. This is the seventh of nine meal scenes that Luke recorded in his Gospel (cf. 5:29-...
  • Luke organized his narrative so Jesus' praying in the garden follows immediately His instructions to the disciples about their preparing for the crisis to come. The present pericope shows Jesus' proper approach to it and the ...
  • Luke is the only evangelist who recorded this incident. He apparently did so because the fate of Jerusalem was one of his special interests. He had already recorded several warnings that Jesus had given to the people of Jerus...
  • Alford, Henry. The Greek Testament. New ed. 4 vols. London: Rivingtons, 1880.Bailey, Kenneth E. Poet and Peasant: A Literary-Cultural Approach to the Parables in Luke. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977.Bishop...
  • The Synoptics record Jesus' cleansing of the temple after His triumphal entry (Matt. 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-16; Luke 19:45-46). Only John noted this cleansing of the temple at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. The differences b...
  • 7:14 Toward the middle of the week Jesus began teaching publicly in the temple. This verse sets the scene for what follows immediately.7:15 It was quite common for Jewish males to read and write. The people do not appear to h...
  • "In the Synoptic account of the events of this evening we read of a dispute among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. John does not record this, but he tells of an action of Jesus that rebuked their lack ...
  • Jesus had discussed the Father's unity with the Son, the Son's unity with His disciples, and the disciples' unity with one another, as recorded in this chapter. It was natural then that He should also address the disciples' r...
  • Luke wrote these introductory statements to connect the Book of Acts with his Gospel.17In the former book Luke had recorded what Jesus had begun to do and to teach during His earthly ministry. In this second book he wrote wha...
  • 1:12-13 The disciples returned to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit. The short trip from where Jesus ascended on Mt. Olivet to the upper room was only a Sabbath day's journey away (about 2,000 cubits, two-third...
  • Luke introduced the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry with His baptism with the Spirit (Luke 3:21-22). He paralleled this with the beginning of Jesus' heavenly ministry with the Spirit baptism of His disciples (Acts 2:1-4)...
  • The popularity and effectiveness of the apostles riled the Sadducees just as Jesus' popularity and effectiveness had earlier.5:17-18 The high priest "rose up"(Gr. anastas, cf. v. 34) taking official action as leader of the Sa...
  • Stephen concluded his defense by indicting his accusers. They had brought charges against him, but now he brought more serious charges against them.In his first speech to the Sanhedrin, Peter had been quite brief and forthrig...
  • 8:14-17 The 12 apostles were, of course, the divinely appointed leaders of the Christians (ch. 1). It was natural and proper, therefore, that they should send representative apostles to investigate the Samaritans' response to...
  • In the foregoing verses Paul spoke of God's plan for creation and the believer. In these verses he showed how central a place His children occupy in the plan He is bringing to completion in history.8:26 Hope helps us in our s...
  • Now Paul put the remnant aside and dealt with Israel as a whole. Even while Israel resists God's plan centered in Messiah, the Lord is at work bringing Gentiles to salvation. Gentile salvation really depends on Israel's coven...
  • Paul reminded his readers how they had welcomed the gospel message to vindicate further his own ministry and to emphasize the importance of proclaiming this message. He did this so the Thessalonians would continue to herald i...
  • The apostle's first positive instruction to Timothy regarding his leadership of the Ephesian church was that believers should offer prayer for all people. He gave this directive to emphasize its importance, defend its value, ...
  • Paul emphasized the need to guard the church against false teaching to inform Titus how to deal with the problems false teachers create. The instructions in this pericope naturally grew out of Paul's emphasis on the elder's r...
  • The writer next emphasized the future glory that the Son will experience to heighten his readers' appreciation for Him and for their own future with Him. He did this by reflecting on Psalm 8. He wanted his readers to apprecia...
  • James did not want us to draw the conclusion that because God permits us to experience trials He is the source of temptation. That deduction might encourage us to give in to sin.1:13 God is never the source of temptation. He ...
  • To illustrate the power of prayer James referred to Elijah's experience (1 Kings 17:1; 18:1, 41-45). In view of the remarkable answers Elijah received James reminded his audience that the prophet was an ordinary man."Here the...
  • Peter continued the exposition of Leviticus 19 that he began in verse 16.48"Peter's point is that if he and his readers have a special relationship to God by virtue of their calling and their new birth, then it is all the mor...
  • John continued a structural pattern that he established in the previous section (vv. 6-7) in which he used pairs of clauses to present a false assertion followed by his correction.1:8 This second claim (cf. v. 6) is more seri...
  • The Apostle John wrote these opening verses to introduce to his readers the main subject dealt with in this book and his purpose for writing it.1:1 "The revelation of Jesus Christ"is the subject of this book. "Revelation"mean...
  • 9:1 Again John saw a "star"(cf. 6:13; 8:10), but this time the "star"was an intelligent being. If "fallen"(Gr. peptokota) has theological connotations, the "star"may refer to Satan (vv. 2, 11; cf. 1:20; Job. 38:7; Luke 10:18)...
  • 22:12 Jesus Christ repeated His promise to return soon (v. 7, cf. 1:3; 22:20)."Nowhere is a date set, nor was there any definite promise that the consummation would occur within the lifetime of the first century Christians. N...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • Genesis 18:16-33The first verse of this chapter says that the Lord appeared' unto Abraham, and then proceeds to tell that three men stood over against him,' thus indicating that these were, collectively, the manifestation of ...
  • While He spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped Him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay Thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 19. And Jesus arose, and followed hi...
  • And it came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught His disciples. 2. And He said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our ...
  • The spirit in which we pray is still more important. So Jesus goes on to enjoin two things Chiefly; namely, persistence and filial confidence. He presents to us a parable with its application (Luke 11:5-10), and the germ of a...
  • And one of the company said unto Him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 14. And He said unto him, Man, who made Me a judge or a divider over you? 15. And He said unto them, Take heed, and be...
  • The similarities and dissimilarities between this parable and that in Luke 11:5-8 are equally instructive. Both take a very unlovely character as open to the influence of persistent entreaty; both strongly underscore the unwo...
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