Read Luke 11:33-36

RECEIVING THE LIGHT

Read Luke 11:29-32

REJECTION OF THE NATION
What was the sign of the prophet Jonah? God had asked Jonah to preach repentance to the Gentiles. Jesus was affirming Jonah’s message. Salvation is not only for Jews, but for all peoples, everywhere.
Jesus would die and rise after three days, just as the prophet Jonah was rescued after three days in the belly of the great fish.
The cruel, war-like men of Nineveh, repented when Jonah preached to them. The pagan Queen of Sheba praise the God of Israel when she heard Solomon’s wisdom, and Solomon was full of faults. By contrast, Jesus, the perfect Son of God, had come to people that He loved dearly, but they rejected Him. Thus, God’s chosen people made themselves more liable to judgment than either a notoriously wicked nation or a powerful pagan queen.
The people of Nineveh and the queen of Sheba had turned to God with far less evidence than Jesus was giving His listeners – and far less than we have today. We have eye witness reports of the risen Savior, the continuing power of the Holy Spirit unleashed at Pentecost, easy access to the Bible, and knowledge of Christ’s acts through His church. With knowledge and insight available to you, your response to Christ ought to be even more complete and wholehearted.

Read Luke 11: 14-28

JESUS ANSWERS HOSTILE ACCUSATIONS
There are two train of thoughts on these verses: 1) Some of the Pharisees’ followers drove out demons. If this was so, the Pharisees’ accusations were becoming desperate. Too accuse Jesus of being empowered by Satan, the prince of demons, because Jesus was driving out demons was also to say that the Pharisees own followers were doing Satan’s work. Jesus turned the religious leaders accusations against them.
2) Another possibility is that the Pharisees’ followers were not driving out demons; and even if they tried, they did not succeed. Jesus first dismissed their claim as absurd. Then He engaged with a little irony. Finally He concluded that His work of driving out demons proved that the kingdom of God had arrived.
Satan, who had controlled the kingdom of this world for thousands of years, was now being controlled and overpowered by Jesus and the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus’ kingdom began to come into power at Jesus’ birth and grew as He resisted the wilderness temptations. It established itself through His teachings and healings, blossomed in victory at His resurrection and at Pentecost, and will become permanent and universal at His second coming.
Regardless of how great Satan’s power is, Jesus is stronger still. He will overpower Satan and dispose of him for eternity.
There is a conflict between God and the Devil. In this battle, if a person is not on God’s side, he/she is on Satan’s. There is no neutral ground. Because God has already won the battle, why be on the losing side? If you aren’t actively for Christ, you are against Him.
Your desire to reform often does not last long. It is not enough to be emptied of evil; you must be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish God”s new purpose in your life.
Jesus spoke to people who put extremely high value on family ties. A man’s value came from his ancestors, and a woman’s value came from the sons she bore. Jesus’ response to this woman in verses 27 and 28, meant that a person’s obedience to God is more important than his/her place on the family tree. Consistent obedience is more important than the honor of bearing a respected son.

Read Luke 11:1-13

JESUS TEACHES ABOUT PRAYER
God’s provision is daily, not all at once. You can not store it up and then cut off communication with God. And you dare not be self satisfied. If you are running low on strength, ask yourself, how long have I been away from the source?
When Jesus taught disciples to pray, He made forgiveness the cornerstone of their relationship with God. God has forgiven your sins; you now forgive those who have wronged you. To remain unforgiving shows that you have not understood that you yourself deeply need to be forgiven. Think of some people who have wronged you. Have you forgiven them? How will God deal with you if He treats you as you treat others.
Notice the order of this prayer. First, Jesus praised God; then He made His requests. Praising God first puts you in the right frame of mind to tell Him about our needs. Too often our prayers are more like shopping lists than conversations.
Persistence, or boldness, in prayer overcomes your insensitivity, not God’s. To practice persistence does more to change your heart and mind than God’s, and it helps you understand and express the intensity of your need. Persistence in prayer helps you recognize God’s work.
Even though good fathers make mistakes, they treat their children well. How much better our perfect Heavenly Father treats His children! The most important gift Jesus could ever give you is the Holy Spirit, whom He promised to give all believers after His death, resurrection and return to heaven.

Read Luke 10:38-42

JESUS VISITS MARTHA AND MARY
Mary and Martha both loved Jesus. On this occasion they were both serving Him. But Martha thought Mary’s style of serving was inferior to hers. She didn’t realize that in her desire to serve, she was actually neglecting her guest (Jesus). Are you so busy doing things for Jesus that you’re not spending any time with Him? Don’t let your service become self-serving.
Jesus did not blame Martha for being concerned about household chores. He was only asking her to set priorities. It is possible for service to Christ to degenerate into mere busy work that is totally devoid of devotion to God.