Luke 10 “He Had Compassion”

This SOAP Journal based one originally used last year in our Luke study. Our guest, Dr. Glen Burris, spoke this last Sunday (following a regioinal missions conference), from Luke 10 on the subject of "Mercy". We thought it would be appropriate to post a SOAP journal related to that text.

 

S = 10:30,33 “Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead… But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.”

 

O = Within this parable—teaching us to live with a view towards treating everyone as a “neighbor” by showing mercy to them—is an illustration of what the world does to us (robs, strips, beats, and leaves for dead when we are of no further use) and of what we can all too often do to others. There is also the illustration of how Christ shows compassion (lit. “to enter into the suffering of another”) on us—binding up our wounds, cleansing, carrying, and caring for us.

 

A = Do I realize what the world’s ideas do to my soul—that before I experience the saving work of Christ I am half-dead and helpless on the road? Many don’t. Do I see the robber in my own heart and how I can begin to treat others unlovingly as a result? Do I see Jesus as a judge or as the One who truly enters into my suffering and brings healing to me at great cost to himself? Will I follow the example of mercy to others—both family & stranger—this week? Or will my empty religion in the Temple of Self take me by on the other side? How big does mercy make my neighborhood?

 

P = O Lord, thank-you for healing me and saving me from the fall through your costly love. May I be sensitive to the ones in need I meet this week. May my words and deeds help to bind up the broken hearted and my solidarity with the one on the road lead me to go to them and show your mercy as you give opportunity. Melt my heart, bridle my tongue, and guide my hands today.  Amen.

Ephesians 1-E "Eyes of Our Heart Enlightened"

S = Ephesians 1:16-20 “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know…

• what is the hope to which he has called you,
• what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and
• what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead…”

O = These verses are part of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians. I especially am drawn to v. 18-19 where he prays that the “eyes of the heart” might be enlightened. An interesting phrase—referring not to a physical seeing but the soulish-spiritual sight of one who really gets it down deep inside. No matter the circumstances your eyes see before you—what is the reality the eyes of your heart perceive and understand? Three things he prays that such enlightenment would cause us to know (for sure): the hope to which he calls us; the value he puts on his inheritance; and the great power available to us in Christ. Such knowledge should raise our spirits and provide the vision to persevere and even overcome, because he has and we are his!

 

A = How do I allow my hearts vision to be obscured by apparent set-backs, delays, disappointments? I will not be bitter or wallow in frustration this week because he calls me to a hope. How would I want others to be praying for me? I would love it is someone prayed for me like Paul prayed for the Ephesians (any volunteers?)! How am I praying for others to grow in Christ? This passage challenges me to be more strategic about how I pray for others. We all need a revelation of who we are in Christ if we are going to ever “become who we are”.

 

P = O Lord Jesus, may we see more clearly, from the heart, the purpose of our calling is hope, the inheritance you value is your people, and that your power is towards us who believe…your love has predestined us in ways more glorious than we can imagine—to be received into your family and life forever…to the praise of your glory! Amen.

Ephesians 1-D “Heard, Trusted, Changed”

S = 1:13-14 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

 

O = If I have heard the good news of salvation in Christ, that he not only died to pay the price for our sins but that he rose from the dead, and I believed it, something amazing has happened. By “believed” the author means not just that I intellectually agree that it happened (which it did), and that what Jesus did was for my sins (which it was), but that I am to put my full, complete, and un-hedged trust in Jesus for my salvation. The Ephesians had done that. They hadn’t kept a foot in their old works, superstitions, and errors (Acts 19). This passage tells me that when I heard and trusted in Christ I was sealed with the Spirit. I was marked as Christ’s and the Holy Spirit is my guarantee that Jesus will bring everything to pass as he has promised! What he does in me, and in all his people, will cause praise to be offered to his glory.

 

A = So how do I apply this passage to my life this week? I have to ask myself if I am still hearing “the word of truth” and if it is still “good news” to me? If I am not listening and rejoicing in it then I need to repent. If complaining has crept into my words and doubt about my value in God’s eyes has seeped into my soul then it is time to read again the words of this Epistle. I know that I believe in the reality and power of the Holy Spirit, but how much room do I give him to work in my heart? If my affections have begun to make my heart look like a hoarder’s house filled with leftovers from life apart from Christ then it is time for me to ask for the Holy Spirit to come in cleansing power in my life…and he never leaves things as they were!

 

P = O Lord, restore to me the joy of your salvation. Let it never be a small thing to me! Your plan is greater than I can see or understand, but thank you for including me anyway. May your Spirit bring conviction this week where conviction is needed and draw me closer into relationship with you my Savior! Please empower me this week that my life would bring praise to you alone!  Amen.

Ephesians 1-C “In the Heavenly Places”

S = 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

O = We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing—already—nothing is lacking for us to be holy and blameless before God. It is amazing that he chose us before the world was created. This passage in Ch. 1 focuses on whose we are—predestined in love for the glory of God and for the praise of his grace. He has given me a name, a citizenship, and a purpose.

A = Can I grasp the significance of being “predestined in love” and how that should color how I live each day? I should not feel like I am left out or missing something God would want me to receive. I have all blessings…but where are they? If they are in heavenly realms, then how often do I focus my heart heavenward? I too often get discouraged by the dismal grey outlook of circumstances, my emotional response to them, and my lack of practiced trust in the promises of God. I need to live as though I am greatly loved and richly blessed…because I am! This should help me to live into the idea that God can make a difference in someone else this week through me. Wow! All I do this week should be done for the praise of God not my own satisfaction…and ironically the end result is a deeper satisfaction.

P = O Lord, help me to direct my thoughts heavenward today—give me eyes to see how you have loved me and blessed me. You chose me before the world was made! I am important to you! May I live blameless in grace before you today and always. Amen.

Ephesians Journal 1-B “The Will of God for Me”

S = 1:4-5, 9-10 “…even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will… making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

 

O = This passage is about God’s will at work in ages past, in history, and in the very moment for Paul and the Ephesians. God’s plan was not new, not improvised, not an eclectic hodge-podge of revisions. He set it all in motion before the world began. He chose us to be a part not only of his plan but of his family—adopted in Christ! There is also a purpose behind it that we should be holy and blameless before him…but the deeper purpose is that all things might be “united to him.” It is his plan for the rebinding of the cosmos, and it involves us and always has!

 

A = So am I united to God in Christ, or am I still straining at his cords of love, rebelling against his loving-kindness, and short-selling his blessings for the things of the world? How can I live into his plan today and this week? I don’t have to grasp for recognition or applause of others for Christ knows me! Christ loves me!

 

P = O Lord, thanks for the assurance that I am loved and chosen in Christ before I was ever made. May I rest in being united to you this week for nothing could be a greater miracle. Show me how I can be a minister of unity and reconciliation.  Amen.

Ephesians 1-A “An Apostle…by the will of God”

S =  1:1-2 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

O = What depth of meaning is conveyed in a brief salutation at the beginning of this letter. An epistle or letter was expected to begin with the identity of the author, followed by that of the addressee. Ephesians is no different, yet how does Paul identify himself? He is an “apostle” a “sent one” of Jesus the Messiah “by the will of God.” He was hinting at a couple of things here. First, he saw himself as a slave of Christ, one sent to do what he was told, ever since that first day on the road to Damascus (found in Acts 9). Secondly, he confessed that this was not his choice but God’s. Paul gives no impression that this assignment was the result of some inherent goodness within himself. Third, He expressed his overriding desire for their good, “Grace to you and peace” through the work of the triune God.

A = I profess to believe in Jesus, but like Paul, have I recently experienced a profound moment of surrender to the Lordship of Christ Jesus? How do I respond when I am “sent” without the Lord’s asking for my input? Do I see the people of God as saints? What can I do this week to cooperate with the Lord’s communication of grace and peace to his people?

P = O Lord, you know my own willful heart and yet you are committed to rescuing me from it as you were to that of Saul/Paul so long ago. I surrender yet again to your love for me. May I show your care to others this week in practical acts of grace and peace, because of who I am in Christ!  Amen.

Ephesians: Becoming Who We Are

We have, for the most part, finished our series on Luke' Gospel entitled "Jesus for Everyone" and are now working through Ephesians.

We will return to Luke for a few weeks in March as we study "The Passion of Jesus for Everyone" in the Betrayal, suffering, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Until then you are welcome to join us for our study in Ephesians.

I will be posting SOAP style journal entries on our church Facebook page on Tuesdays about 11am, as well as here if there is interest. I welcome you comments in this regard.

Pastor Greg